#what was hamlet’s dad like before he died?
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Looking beyond the traditional interpretation of Ophelia’s Death:
Okay, @wokecola !
So, I wasn’t sure how to answer this at first because Ophelia has been analyzed so much, I wasn’t sure I had anything to break down that you wouldn’t be able to read somewhere else. But then! I was reading an article about the parallels between Anna Karenina and Ophelia (as they are similar characters - I will link the article), and this article opened my eyes to something I have never realized before in all the times I’ve read the play.
Shakespeare never explicitly tells us that Ophelia killed herself.
I’m sometimes guilty of accepting traditional interpretations at face value, but I was so fascinated by this point, I immediately changed my perspective on the character!
I always find Ophelia to be kind of a weak spot in the masterpiece that is Hamlet. She’s so, so strong in the first couple of acts. I dearly love her first scene with Laertes, and in many versions, her non-verbal blocking with Hamlet can make their relationship quite compelling. However, post-Polonius’s death, I struggle to connect with her grief. The best Ophelia I’ve seen is probably Jessica Brown Findlay in Andrew Scott’s production, but even the best Ophelia can’t overcome the stilted, awkward flowers scene, and the difficulty of singing madly on stage. The Public’s 2023 production’s choice to make Ophelia a singer throughout the play somewhat successfully mitigated this awkwardness, but… not entirely. This is just my opinion. But I’m always a bit taken out of the action when I hear Ophelia start to repeat ‘goodnight.’
All to say, Ophelia is an interesting case. Whereas Hamlet and Lear’s madness on stage, for example, both seem entirely natural, Ophelia’s… doesn’t. To me, at least.
But suspend your disbelief for a minute, and let me present an alternate theory.
What we know:
In act four, scene seven, Gertrude tells us that, Ophelia was making heartlands of flowers and stringing then around the trees when she “fell into the weeping brook” and continued singing in an unnatural way until her clothes got too heavy with water and pulled her “to muddy death.”
(I am obviously paraphrasing.)
But at no point does Gertrude state that Ophelia’s death was a suicide. It’s the gravediggers who suggest this, and in fact, I would argue that the grave digging scene weighs against the probability that it was a suicide, because the gravediggers specifically comment on how odd it is that she is allowed a Christian burial after taking her own life. They speculate on how else it could’ve happened.
So, if Ophelia didn’t kill herself, was it just an accident?
Well, let’s take this one step further.
I want to direct your attention to Act one, scene four, when Hamlet is pursuing his father’s ghost.
At this point, Horatio says, “What if it tempts you toward the flood, my lord? / Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff / that beetles o’er his base into the sea, / and there assume some other horrible form / which might deprive you your sovereignty of reason / and draw you into madness? Think of it.”
Okay. So. Do you see where I’m going with this?
Horatio is afraid that the ghost of Hamlet’s father will lure him into a body of water and drown him, or drive him to madness.
And what exactly happened to Ophelia again…?
Obviously this isn’t a watertight (heh) argument/analysis, but I think it’s fascinating!
Shakespeare, as we know, does everything for a reason. And Horatio’s fear is… specific. It’s very specific. Maybe he had knowledge of something like this happening before. Hell, maybe the ghost heard him and took inspiration.
My primary assertion here is that a ghost may have indirectly killed Ophelia. It may have even been the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
Additionally, Hamlet and Ophelia are, in a way, foils. When Hamlet’s father dies, he takes it out on others. When Ophelia’s father dies, she internalizes the pain and takes it out on no one but herself. Is it possible that she saw a ghost too? Is it possible that Hamlet Sr. wanted her dead?
I mean, we don’t know about Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship before the play. Maybe Hamlet’s dad kept them apart. Maybe he didn’t approve of her.
We just don’t know.
The idea, to me, that Ophelia may have been tormented in the exact same way Hamlet was, is mind boggling and transformative.
I also love the idea that she didn’t kill herself!!
What do you think? Let’s have a discussion!
The article I referenced above:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43909432
#shakespeare#william shakespeare#hamlet#dark academia#hamlet and horatio#academia#ask#hamlet x horatio#if we were villains#Ophelia#what was hamlet’s dad like before he died?
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so this is what i've gathered from the memes and tumblr posts:
(please do not take this as 100% accurate. it's probably only like 78% accurate)
TITANIC II:
a few billionaires + a 19 year old + one other person(?) went into a "submarine" that wasn't actually a submarine
it was controlled by a VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER
and they were supposed to explore the titanic
and the submarine thingie didn't actually work and they KNEW THAT before getting on
and it imploded
and they all died
the only person anyone has sympathy for is the 19 year old bc he didn't wanna go on but wanted to make his dad happy
also celine dion is trending lmao
and fanfic is being written for the submarine (im slightly concerned)
oh and the company who made the submarine is called oceangate
this link. that's it, that's the addition.
oh yeah and @hkayakh said that a documentary is being made about this???
RUSSIA:
there's a coup
and there's basically a civil war
and the person in charge of the coup said that he's trying to topple russia's military leaders
and ukraine just took back some of their land
also the troops stopped for coffee before fighting
important addition by @chimp-prolly-not-typing-hamlet: the rogue battalion that rebelled against Putin is a private paramilitary organization called Wagner’s Group which has been linked to far-right extremism and neo-nazism
GREECE:
the greek coast guard capsized a boat full of hundreds of migrants, killing 80 with over 500 people still counted as missing, and the eu won't even investigate (according to @socialist-microwave-laser, please go check this post for more info)
so yeah fuck capitalism actually
THE STOCK MARKET???:
logitech is NOT suing oceangate, that was a fake post
EXTRA SHIT:
andrew tate is being charged for rape and human trafficking
and apparently elon musk challenged mark zuckerberg to a jiu jitsu cage fight
and andrew tate offered to coach elon musk
the season finale of helluva boss came out!!! (s1e8)
the season finale of helluva boss is coming out only right now because of some legal issues that vivsiepop + spindlehorse had. i think it had something to do with working with kesha and her label
FNAF TRAILER JUST DROPPED
yeah the world just decided to speedrun history today
(pls tell me if there's anything to add to this in the replies!!!)
#russia#titantic#russian coup#wagner group#ukraine#oceangate#titanic submersible#russian civil war#stock market#logitech#andrew tate#speedrunning history whoooooooo#greece#helluva boss#kesha#helluva boss queen bee#helluva boss episode 8#fnaf#fnaf movie#fnaf trailer
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DPXDC Prompt #61 part 1
Danny didn’t like thinking about his old life. He was born to a family of assassins and as soon as he was out he never looked back. He had to fake his death and he changed his name, as far as anyone knew Damian Al Ghul had died on a mission to America. He was determined to keep this secret to the grave. Of course he knew who his dad was, Bruce Wayne was a prominent figure and he knew if we went there his secret would get out and he never wanted to be forced to be an assassin again. Once was enough.
Danny knew he had a soft heart, his adoptive parents, the Fentons and Jazz had told him so. Jazz knew he didn’t have the greatest childhood or past but she never pried, she understood his business was his and wouldn’t let her own curiosity get the better of her. The only issue their family had was their parents obsession with ghosts. Damian never believed in ghosts, the entire thing sounded like a hoax. He probably never would have believed in them but then life happened.
Danny believed, but it was kind of hard not too after everything that happened. When he had turned 14, his parents finished their biggest project yet. A portal to the ghost zone, of course it doesn’t work at first and his parents were very disappointed. Danny felt conflicted about the whole thing. On one hand he wanted his parents to succeed and he wanted them to be happy, on the other the portal was the reason he ate alone with his sister at night. He wanted a normal family life, something he was never allowed back at the league.
He did something so stupid that night.
After his parents along with his sister were asleep, he crept down to the basement and stood in front of the empty hole in the wall. He looked around the outside of it first but nothing seemed to be out of place. Then he stepped into it and before he got too far into it something happened. He knew there were a lot of cords on the floor and thought he had avoided them all, but as he realized he was quickly being acquainted with the floor, he out of instinct held his hand out to catch himself on the wall. Right onto the ON button.
He didn’t remember much but pain after that.
A lot happened in the year after the portal was turned on but Danny thought he was taking things well. His sister found out about everything sooner than he liked but having someone to help him was something he didn’t realize he really needed until then. The ghost attacks were frequent and Danny was having trouble finding the time for school, friends, and fighting ghosts that the assistance helped a lot.
Danny sat at as desk in Mr. Lancers class, who was going on about the play Hamlet. Danny was only half paying attention, he was preoccupied thinking about the latest conversation he had with Clockwork. Danny was recently crowned prince after his victory over Pariah Dark. He didn’t want the crown, ancients knew what Grandfather would do if he ever found out, but he had no other option but to accept. The conversation left him rather drained and it felt like every word his teacher spoke bled together.
He eventually made his way to lunch and before he could make it to his destination a blue mist wafted out of his mouth. Sighing he ran out of the room to find a place to transform. Once he was Phantom he wasted no time finding the ghost. Of course it was Boxie.
Before he had time to even fight though a portal opened up right besides Danny and he was kicked in by the Box Ghost. The world seemed to swirl around him until he landed harshly onto some pavement. The pavement was a roof and he appeared to be in a city.
Not just any city he soon realized as he looked over to a bank that had the words ‘Gotham Bank’ brightly plastered on the front.
Shit… Danny wanted to avoid something like this, unfortunately the portal was already gone.
After taking a moment to think about his predicament he decided the best course of action was to call Jazz.
He took a look around the rooftop he was on and when he didn’t see anyone he transformed back.
Pulling out his cell from his pocket he pulled up his sister's contact on it and hit the call button.
His sister took a bit longer than usual to answer but the hesitation in her voice caused him to pause, “H-hello?”
“Jazz, it’s Danny, we’ve got a code green,” he knew setting up code colors with his sister would come in handy. Red meant he was gravely injured, yellow meant the ghost got away and he was in pursuit, blue meant he caught the ghost, and green meant he fell through a portal or something similar.
There was silence on the other line for a moment and Danny was almost going to say something else but she spoke, “How do you know my name?”
Master Post:
Next:
#dp x dc prompt#dp x dc#dc x dp#danny fenton#danny phantom#Damian ran away from the League of Assassins and changed his name#He meets himself in the next chapter#Danny dies#my asks are open#all my prompts are free to use#Honestly a little tired#I got fired yesterday from my job#They just said my position wasn’t needed anymore because they were caught up#I spent the last month helping them get caught up and it just sucks because it sounded more long term lol#Please let me know if I’m doing this right#I’ve never had this many followers or even close it on any other social media account#So this kinda terrifies me but I really appreciate the support I’ve gotten on here
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Is Dan's shadow a succubus? Or more appropriately an incubus?
Homie, how would I know?! I'm watching the same show as you. If I knew what that shadow was, I wouldn't need to suffer through the last seven episodes. I was too busy being scared for my life the first seven episodes to truly think about what that shadow was, and now I have to sit through seven more just like alls the rest of ya to figure this puzzle out!
But why are we gendering the shadow? Is the shadow male? To me, the shadow is just energy, possibly a physical manifestation of Dan's trauma; therefore, is it an extension of him. Like Peter Pan's shadow!
@kenjiyabuki went full big-brain and noticed the painting in the background of Brother Anurak's office is Henry Fuseli's The Nightmare.
Ain't no detective like a Tumblr detective.
And because of this, I immediately went to my favorite art historian (I go to departments often asking BL-related questions which is one perk of working in higher ed), and she immediately said, "It's about sex."
More specifically, repression of desire.
Not everyone subscribes to this interpretation, but . . .
There is a mirror and a vial of water in the left bottom corner on the table in the painting. Mirrors mean truth and serve as a bridge between the two worlds (truth/lie, life/death, conscious/subconscious), while water (describe as a mirror-like substance) also serves as a bridge between two worlds. We don't see the mirror fully, so we don't see the truth of the situation, but two worlds are colliding within the painting.
We've seen a good amount of mirrors in the show.
And water.
The show doesn't have a crazy-looking horse in the background unless we are considering the makruk pieces, which are called "horses" and not "knights" like in chess, the horse in this scenario.
That's a stretch even for me, but we still have the bare basics - a person with the weight of desire resting on him.
A desire to be comforted when nobody holds him.
A desire to be protected when he feels abandoned.
A desire to feel normal.
And Trin had the same desires.
There is definitely some funky business happening at the school because Trin and Dan are linked through their desires and experiences, but the shadow was there long before Dan stepped onto the campus.
Detour - In the third episode, the monk told Dan in order to change his karma, he needed to forgive when the time came after Dan saw his dad briefly playing makruk in his dream. At the end of that episode, Dan saw his father's ghost while he was acting the ghost scene from Hamlet, which is a play about revenge and forgiveness.
The shadow led Dan through a tour of his family's happiest moments in episode four right before he encountered his father again.
And his father asked for his forgiveness.
To which Dan said "hell to the no"
And this is why I think the shadow IS Dan. The monk told him to forgive to change his karma. The shadow led Dan to do just that, but Dan didn't; therefore, he didn't beat his karma and ghost-dad told Dan he was becoming everything he hated. Was this conversation all in Dan's head? Was he, through the shadow, guiding himself to be better than his father? And did he override his subconscious to seek revenge instead because that's what he truly desires?
More interestingly is what shows up every time someone chooses revenge over forgiveness - Trin! Rather than the shadow lurking in the water after Dan's dad died, Trin was waiting for him.
Trin was waiting for him in the bathroom to lead Dan into the funhouse when Nai decided to teach Anan a lesson.
And Trin showed up right before Anan attacked Dan.
Each time, the mirrors and water are present, so wouldn't that make Trin The Nightmare?
Of course, I, a color demon must mention how I find the use of red fascinating mostly when thinking about it in correlation to the painting since red is behind the nightmare figure.
And it spreads underneath the sleeping person in white as if that innocent person is being surrounded by this desire.
All of this is to basically sum up that Trin has a face. The shadow doesn't. Trin is a person. The shadow isn't. Just like those headless figurines the locals use as stand-ins for them to appease the wild ghosts and protect them from harm, Dan's faceless shadow could be his way of protecting himself and hiding his desires from outside forces.
And Trin could be a way to expose all that's hidden, including those desires.
#shadow the series#dan and his shadow#it's like Peter Pan#a whole bunch of Lost Boys#but Trin is no shadow#he has a motive
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my Roman Empire is how in Hamlet, we are presented with four characters who were each at one point the person/people Hamlet held most dear, and one of them watches as Hamlet's actions lead the other three to suffer, lose their minds, and/or die.
Horatio is Hamlet's closest friend over the course of the play, the one he comes to again and again, refers to as being in his 'heart of hearts', and who keeps him stable and alive for at least the most part. We follow these two the most explicitly throughout the text.
Ophelia is Hamlet's lover, and their relationship can be read many ways, ranging from never-really-loved-the-other to they-did-it-numerous-times-and-in-fact-she-was-pregnant-(possibly)-(also)-(aborted) but for the sake of this post I'm going to go the middle ground and say they had a wholesome and happy relationship before Hamlet's dad died and he got all sad. Doubt the stars are fire, but never doubt I love.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's childhood friends, and Gertrude remembers them as being so loved by him that 'two men there are not living to whom he more adheres'. It's clear that these three were very close during some stage of his life, likely his childhood and potentially teens. The point is, they meant the most to him at some point in his life.
But again, by the time the acts of Hamlet come to pass, Hamlet has chosen Horatio to be his sole compatriot. Whether or not this is prior to his actual arrival in Elsinore is largely irrelevant- Hamlet makes sure he spends a lot of the first half of the play flustered in the face of a prince who won't stop finding nice things to say about him. Hamlet butters him up with honeyed words, and tells him the truth about everything, or what he thinks, anyway.
Horatio is touched but one specific line does stick out to him a bit- when Hamlet assured him it was not an attempt at flattery, and went on to clarify that he feels free to love Horatio as Horatio doesn't want anything from him, and doesn't have anything to hide. If what the ghost said about Claudius were true, it makes sense for Hamlet to be paranoid and hold others at a distance, but Horatio can't help but think about the underlying implication that if Hamlet had any reason to be suspicious of Horatio, he'd be just as cold to him as everyone else. Which, again, makes sense, but something about it rubs him a strange way.
Horatio tries to relate his experiences with the others he knows were close to Hamlet. He doesn't know much about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but Hamlet has mentioned suspicion of them, but despite that, seems to have been cordial enough. As for Ophelia... She seems to have seen the worst of his feigned madness, so he doesn't really know about her. He also heard something about an argument, but he doesn't know to what extent.
After the play, and an odd interaction with R&G, Hamlet heads upstairs to speak to his mother and Horatio thinks about it some more.
He words the question properly to himself: would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position? And he doubts for a moment, but then he remembers what Hamlet told him, the look in his eyes as he proclaimed his sincerity, and even the rare laughter he'd indulged in after the play, in only his presence, and Hamlet has convinced him.
Up until he hears the news of Polonius's murder. And until he hears the recount of Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's intervention with the seemingly mad prince, and he begins to doubt him.
And when he's left to take care of Ophelia, driven mad by the death of her father and the wrath of her lover, and in her delirium she tells him things, tells him everything, and there's a strange sense of familiarity in her words. She shows him her letters, throwing them at him and laughing, tears running from her eyes, and Horatio recognises the poetic style, the sweet wording that always seems to know how to strike your heart closest, and he realises that she had once been where he had, received Hamlet's love in the same way. And it's strange, in a way he's not sure what to do with.
His fear is alleviated slightly when Hamlet sends him a letter, and he seems back to his usual sense of self, the one Horatio knows. Horatio is glad for the normalcy, and it does a part to clear his worry that he had been deceived in any nature, after his time with Ophelia.
Even further when he finally returns to Denmark, and while the two talk, they stumble upon Ophelia's funeral, and Hamlet takes no time to jump into her grave and proclaim his grief loudly. Horatio feels a bit sick at feeling any sort of relief at this, but the proof that Hamlet may have truly loved her and hadn't intended for this to happen does something to quell the fear again.
That is, until Hamlet recounts his journey.
And with a strange sort of expression that looks sort of like... pride, recounts how he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths.
Horatio is a little shocked by this, as he can't recall the two having done anything particularly wrong, and this was clearly not accidental. Hamlet brushes him off by saying the two knew what they were getting into, showing strangely little remorse.
Horatio thinks, about how they were his childhood friends, and then again about Ophelia, and then again about his earlier question.
would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position?
And he realises, in a way that makes him nauseous, that the answer is no. And not only that, but for all Hamlet's laughter and flattering words, it wouldn't have saved him.
But still, he doesn't leave his side. Hamlet loves him now, and he's the lucky one. Nothing can be done anymore, and he feels they draw close to the end.
And he does still love him. And Hamlet loves him back.
Horatio reaches for the poisoned cup as Hamlet dies. It feels right that it should end this way, and he doesn't really want to go on.
But Hamlet wrestles the cup out of his hand with an intensity that catches him off guard, begging him to stay alive, to tell his story
and so he does, cradling the prince as he slips into a deeper dream.
Sometime after, Horatio will again think about it all. The four of them. Three dead by his hand, one alive by it.
He wonders.
Did Hamlet ever think about it too? About how his actions hurt the ones closest to him, and in his final moments, chose to break the pattern and save the only life he could?
Or did Hamlet only save him because he still loved him? Not out of guilt, or reflection on his previous actions necessarily, but because Horatio still hadn't done him wrong?
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hamlet but i haven't seen it (yet)
there's this guy named hamlet who's the prince of denmark
somethings foul in the state of denmark or something
hamlet's dad, the king, got killed before the play and hamlet suspects his uncle claudius (is that his name?)
claudius marries hamlet's mother and is now king (bit weird but okay)
hamlet doesnt like that
the ghost of hamlet's father appears to hamlet and tells him to kill his uncle in revenge
hamlet the master of indecisiveness™
to be or not to be
thats like about whether to act or not i think
hamlet is a college student so actually quite young (i think boy started to go to college at age 14 and hamlets probably around 16 but nobody's sure)
a phrase stuck in my brain is "hamlet the frat boy" but im pretty sure he's more of a theater kid
instead of killing his uncle hamlet stages a play similar to what he thinks transpired to watch how his uncle reacts to it
the lady doth protest too much, methinks
shakepeare does love to make his protagonists spiral into insanity
i heard hamlet is a story about grief and i also heard that it's like a mirror, what you see about hamlet says more about you that hamlet himself (but dont ask me to elaborate i am realising my brain retains information i have no clue how i got)
in the end almost everyone dies because of hamlet
hamlet stabs someone through the curtain i think its the father of ophelia (polonius or smth i dunno) cause he thinks is his uncle
im not sure why his uncle should be behind a curtain tho
hamlet randomly gets kidnapped by pirates but we never see it because shakespeare already new how expensive special effects are
i bet the pirates let hamlet go because he's a little bitch
hamlet is A LITTLE BITCH
i think in one scene he just tries to fluster ophelia (his not-quite-girlfriend) by turning everything she says into sexual innuendo (may i lay my head in your lap so on so on)
there's one scene with a grave digger whom hamlet asks for whom the grave is the man is digging and the man responds it is his own to which hamlet answers something along the lines of
one would thinks so for thou dost lie in it
great pun
ophelia actually manages to drown in a brook which is characterised by it's shallowness
its unclear whether she did it intentionally
there are some guys named rosencrantz und guildenstern (probably didnt spell that right) and i know nothing about them except that they die because of hamlet and for some reason they always get mentioned together which makes me think they are an item
many people die because of hamlet
also there's a skull
is that yorrick?
hamlet talks to it
david tennant got the role of hamlet because he randomly picked up a real human skull
hamlet dies (big surprise!)
there's a duel? and one of the sword's is poisoned and hamlet picks up the wrong one? is that with laertes? i know he dies, too
also there's horatio, everybody seems to like him so i tried to not mention him for as long as possible to annoy them (not really i just dont know much about him)
people think hes gay for hamlet
hes not nobility but wellspoken
something something sweet prince?
horatio does not die
he lives to tell the tale
which is somehow worse
while i know (claudius?) hamlet's uncle dies and thats kinda the point of hamlet's whole actions i do not actually know when or how he dies (but i know about the curtain stabbing, the brook and the duel, weird)
or is he the one in the duel?
i bet hamlet's mother dies too
i also dont know how hamlet dies, something with the duel and the poisoned sword i guess, i know he picked up the wrong sword but im not sure if the wrong one was that with poison or not
WHAT DOES THE PIRATE KIDNAPPING HAVE TO DO WITH EVERYTHING?
AND WAS HE REALLY SIXTEEN?
i am very confused about how much there is in my brain about the guy
i do think there must be more to horatio except 'gay for hamlet' but i dont know anything
rosencrantz und guildenstern sound like a comic relief duo who dont know what they're doing
something about mother and knowing about playing with her drapes... (is that from hamlet?)
im sure this is enough for now
please do tell me how wrong i am
also tell me if you know why i seem to know so much about this (even if it's not true)
yes, this was inspired by @weirdly-specific-but-ok 's good omens post and @hello-ello-ello 's post about macbeth
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Woah no way?? People (completely unprompted /s) want to hear my trans Shakespeare headcanons?? You bet I can do that.
I’ve done this once before:
But I have even more thoughts now!!
In no particular order:
Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): Every single pronoun possible. He/she/they/it + all of the neopronouns and xenopronouns that exist currently or will ever exist. Fairy gender is always weird but Puck’s is extra weird.
Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): Fairy gender. Probably he/they/it?
Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream): More fairy gender. She/they/it?
Titania’s fairy attendants (Midsummer): Get a hat and fill it with various pronouns and draw them out at random for the fairies.
Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing): Could go either way, but I really like the idea of transfemme Benedick. Or he/him lesbian Benedick.
Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing): The she/they to end all she/theys
Viola/Cesario (Twelfth Night): Could be trans in literally any direction. I made a post about this too at some point. My suggestion is all of the directions: they/she/he
Sebastian (Twelfth Night): He/him, transmasc. I also made a post about this at some point.
Feste (Twelfth Night): I saw a great she/her Feste last summer.
Orsino (Twelfth Night): Specifically the himbo variety of he/they
Margaret of Anjou (Henry VI trilogy and Richard III): If I ever play Margaret, I will use she/they pronouns.
Catesby (Richard III): Just played Catesby with she/her pronouns and it worked!
Richard II (Richard II): Tell me Richard isn’t the most they/he or he/they guy alive (or… dead).
Hal (1 Henry IV-Henry V): Saw Hal played with she/they pronouns last summer and it was great. Could also see he/they Hal. Very nonbinary vibe overall. I personally believe that going by Hal rather than Henry for two whole plays is their way of pulling the “going by the first letter of what my name used to be instead of picking a name from scratch” nonbinary trick. He probably pretends to be cis after his dad dies and he becomes king—one more element of Hal’s lifelong identity crisis.
Hotspur/Harry Percy Jr. (Richard II & 1 Henry IV): He/they in denial.
Kate Percy (1 & 2 Henry IV): She/they, not in denial. (Also Katespur should be bi4bi)
Ned Poins (1 & 2 Henry IV): Transmasc Ned Poins?? Maybe he doesn’t actually have a sister and Nell is just his deadname. Ned Poins’ failed scheme to flirt with Hal.
Romeo (Romeo & Juliet): he/they (t4t R&J!!!)
Juliet (Romeo & Juliet): she/they (t4t R&J!!!)
Mercutio (Romeo & Juliet): they/he(/it?). Vibes alone. Look at them. Just look.
Nurse (Romeo & Juliet): she/her, transfemme!
Cassius (Julius Caesar): Would love to see a they/them Cassius
Hamlet (Hamlet): he/they. I’ve made multiple posts about this theory and I still love it.
Ophelia (Hamlet): she/they. As she should.
Laertes (Hamlet): she/him and NOT just because Laertes used she/her pronouns the first time I saw this play.
Rosencrantz (Hamlet): he/they/she. Vibes. Sometimes goes by Ros/Rose. Probably genderfluid.
Malcolm (Macbeth): they/he or they/them. Also vibes.
Lady Macbeth (Macbeth): stolen straight from my last post because this is still my HC: she/they; would insult you for “having pronouns in your bio” and then turn around and punch you in the face for using their pronouns incorrectly.
Angus (Macbeth): she/her, transfemme. (t4t Ross/Angus. I will die on this hill… Dunsinane Hill.)
Ross (Macbeth): he/him, transmasc
Caithness (Macbeth): she/they lesbian
Mark Antony (Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra): I would not bat an eye at he/they Mark Antony
Edmund (King Lear): they/he, nonbinary, sexiest man (/gn) alive.
Edgar (King Lear): he/him. Transmasc Edgar is slowly becoming canon To Me.
Cordelia (King Lear): she/her, transfemme.
Goneril (King Lear): she/they. I would let them kill me.
Coriolanus (Coriolanus): transmasc OR transfemme Coriolanus is!!!! The butterfly/metamorphosis motif! Name changes during canon! Discomfort with scars/body! Lack of autonomy granted by society! This is THE transgender play. (Other than Twelfth Night)
Imogen (Cymbeline): Tell me she doesn’t want to be a she/they so bad.
Florizel (The Winter’s Tale): he/they(/she?). Literally just a vibe. I have a pet rock named Florizel.
Perdita (The Winter’s Tale): she/they. I also have a pet rock named Perdita.
Ariel (The Tempest): Similar to Puck, probably they/she/he? Even my conservative English prof consistently rotates between she/her and he/him for Ariel (possibly not intentionally? I’m not convinced he knows what her canon pronouns are.)
Ferdinand (The Tempest): she/they. PLEASE give me transfemme Ferdinand. PLEASE let Miranda realize she’s a lesbian during canon.
Miranda (The Tempest): she/they. Ariel taught them about the existence of she/they pronouns and she immediately started using them.
So in other words… every Shakespeare character should be trans, actually.
#ohhhh this is a LOT of plays to tag…#first of all:#trans#shakespeare#a midsummer nights dream#much ado about nothing#twelfth night#1 Henry VI#Richard III#Richard II#1 Henry IV#romeo & juliet#julius caesar#hamlet#macbeth#king lear#coriolanus#Cymbeline#the winter’s tale#the tempest#2 Henry IV#Henry V#2 Henry VI#3 Henry VI#I *think* I got them all!#MORE! TRANS! SHAKESPEARE!!!!#these plays SHOULD be genderqueer#honestly everything should be more genderqueer#of course I (your local she/they/he) am not biased at all
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4 - Horatio, 12 - Laertes, 37 - Ophelia, 8 - Hamlet
4. Favorite line
Not to be basic but “good night, sweet prince” lives in my head forever and ever </3 if Hamlet hadn’t just died in his arms, I think he would have been proud of that absolutely fucking HARD line.
12. Crack headcanon
He wears colorful briefs because one of the people he slept with said he looked nice in them ^-^ red, neon green, striped yellow and black like a bee. His underwear is just known for being bright and loud.
37. What they really think about themselves
See, the sad part is that I don’t think she thinks of herself at all. Ophelia is too busy catering to the needs of others that when she looks in a mirror, she doesn’t know who she sees other than someone who is USEFUL to someone. She always thinks she could be better. She could be a better daughter, she could be a better sister, she could be a better woman. She doesn’t realize that she means the world to people, no matter what she does. And, tragically, she never does.
8. Unpopular opinion about them
I don’t think he was perfectly fine before the play begins. Obviously, a parent dying would take a toll on anyone. But I just feel like Hamlet is a little too melancholic for this to be his first depressive episode. I’d even hazard a guess that this is why no one is really treating him seriously. He’s done this before in the past. He just has a history of mental illness, and it’s gotten worse since his loving dad died.
I’m just saying this is ABSOLUTELY not his first rodeo with being depressed.
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Shadow Ep 4 Stray Thoughts
Last time, GIRLS. Girls from their sister school visited to workshop and then held auditions for Hamlet. A girl named Cha-aim took a shine to Dan, and Nai noticed! I like Cha-aim; she knows herself and told Josh to take a chill. Earlier, Nai took Dan with him to see a monk, who gave us some lore about defunct practices to float bodies down to the lake to help manage wild ghosts. The monk also taught Dan about lucid dreaming, giving us all new horrors to consider including domestic violence, institutionalization, and drowning. We left at Dan seeing the ghost of his father, which Nai confirmed, and the drama teacher told Dan that his father was in a coma.
Lots of trigger warnings for this episode including domestic violence, guns, institutionalization, suicide, child abuse, and cancer.
Oof, Dan definitely does not care for his father.
Let me just say that I greatly appreciate how they aren't lightening everyone's skin in this show.
Episode 4: Chess
Of course they put Nai in a closet. 🙄
The Brother really believed that excuse? More likely he just wasn't concerned.
Oh, here comes the terrible backstory. Bracing.
We've seen Took quite a few times around GMMTV, Dee Hup House, and such. She worked with Singto a bit on Friend Zone. I haven't seen Kik myself before, but he's experienced.
Thankfully, Dan wasn't hit by that bullet, but of course the mom was institutionalized and not the dad who's drunk and beating his family.
Incredible lighting choices on this hospital scene where the mom is unwell. She's in the blue, and Dan is in orange.
I am a person who believes in forgiveness, but I wouldn't spend my energy trying to make Dan forgive his dad.
Oh, interesting. Why is Anurak addressed as a priest in the past but only as a brother now? I've never heard of someone giving up holy orders but maintaining his vows. Tempted to view this as a means of avoiding cultural confusion with the dad.
Man, this dad is insufferable.
I don't like this goodbye at all. She's going to hurt herself and she knows it.
I'm so sad that Dan is the one who found her.
When he says he met someone at home and such... I hope this isn't a different kind of abuse.
Dan spends years alone with a drunk, abusive dad.
Holy fuck. Is Dan allergic to shellfish and he forced him to eat shrimp? He tried to kill his own son. What the fuck.
Whose identity is hidden in this shadow, and are they the person who potentially abused Dan?
Okay, I do love when a supernatural element lets us have moments like this. This was so ugly and foreboding, but it is one of the most stylistic and impactful things I've seen all year.
What the fuck happens to Dan every time he goes into the water, and why is he seeing Trin again??
I'm so heavy after that episode. That was so ugly. The implications of abuse surrounding Dan are so worrisome, and I'm also worried about that last gross line about becoming like his father before he died. I suppose if we had to start doing horror BL, I'm glad it's as emotionally nuanced as this and reckoning with the reality of this kind of trauma.
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Alright @invisible-goats let's see how many Joe Bloggs there are!
Not many, as it turns out, tbh
There was one who died in Cleveland in 1982, and one who lived in Sussex in 2003 - and this guy! Who got married in King's Lynn in 1785
He was from Chelmsford apparently, per the record, and the reason why there's two of them, probably, is. Well they just postponed the wedding, it could be any reason, but the rules were you had to have banns published for three weeks before the wedding, see, so people know it's going on an stuff, I guess, idk - and, have the chance to object, like Ann Rutledge's dad, there - so Joe and Jane here, they had two weeks' banns, and then got it republished for some reason or other - so the next document is their three-sundays-in-a-row - they basically just postponed for two weeks, really
Oh! Possibly because Joe was moving house! In the first, both him and Jane are "of this parish", and then the second one, he's "of Chelmsford" and only Jane is "of this parish". I wonder why he/they moved, there's no record of his job or anything like that.
Hmm.
Apart from them, there's not any, really - but we can check for "Joe Blogg", singular, I spose, let's see
We can jump back a bit, now - a marriage record from 1714 - 6th of May, in Tower Hamlets, I hope it was a nice day for them
Joseph Blogg, and here we see he's a Spitalfields weaver, marrying Elizabeth Clark.
Oh dear, no, but look, he died in 1722, October of that year
He's listed as still living in Spitalfields, but he's a pensioner now, I think that says, so either something's happened for him to stop work, or otherwise he's elderly - I'm not sure, cs there's no ages listed basically ever until the later-1700s, depending on where you're looking at
Ah, I think I might see
Elizabeth died in July 1722, and our Joe is still a weaver then.
Oh how sad that is
Alright, I'm going to jump forward to census times, I want to see people living please
The very very first Joe Bloggs we find is on the 1841 census, and because it's the first one that was done it's pretty shit, basically
But, we can see he's 11 years old, and his mum's called Jane, and she's a charwoman (like a cleaner, basically), and he's got at least 6 siblings - in age order, it goes Edward, John, William, Joseph, Elizabeth, Henry and Jane. And they are all from Marylebone.
Let's see we can't find out what happened to this Joe!
He's a waiter! He's mid-20s, here, marrying Amelia, with his brother Henry as witness
And here they are a bit later, on the 1861 census -
He's swapped jobs, he's now a greengrocer! And here is how I know that Henry above is his brother, because here's our Jane, his sister - it doesn't say so on the 1841 census, because of course, but Joe must be from his mum's first marriage and Henry and Jane from her second, or something like that - or else, Amelia also has a relative and half-sister each called Henry and Jane, I don't know, tho Jane is the same age as our Jane Blogg, above.
The 70s show he's at the same address with the same job, but a bit more of a rabble -
Amelia, there, named for her mum, then Avies (???), Josephine, Elen, and another Joseph
I jumped forward to 1881, to try and read Avies's name better, if I could, but she's already moved out by that point - 18, she's either got a job or a husband, generally
Instead, they've moved to Hanover Square, Ellen is now called Susan, and there's another son, Thomas Charles age 7. And, Joe's swapped jobs again! He's a turkey carriage driver!
What's a one-a-them, let's have a look. Well, I can't find anything on "Turkey carriage" specifically, but I am imagining something like a hansom, a two-wheeler like this one
Here, let's see 1891 -
Cor, that girl doesn't half go through names - here she is Louisa, now!
Amelia has died, unfortunately, in the time since, so Joe is now a widower - but here we can see he's still a cabbie, look, and a groom - maybe he stables other cabbie's horses, I wonder - and helpfully, his neighbour who's name I've cut off there (it's John Higley) is a coachpainter! Extraordinarily helpful with horsedrawn coaches and cabs, I imagine
He died in 1899, this one, and it's only in death we find out his middle name is Henry, but I went back and found his baptism -
Joseph, born to John and Jane Blogg, Great Barlough, 11th Jan 1831. John is/was a coachman, so I suppose Joe followed in his footsteps, in the end
Oh dear me I'm going to have "Following in Father's Footsteps" stuck in my head for an age, now
#genealogy#well. someone's.#research#is my other tag#cries in genealogist#there are a lot more joe blogg's but i'll leave it there i think
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For OCs asks... Isn't it your OC on your icon? Can you tell us more about them?
Ah Lucen Venator ! My beloved hunter <3 (I called my tarnished Lucen too, I might used that name for everyone lol but it's not exactly the same character either hehe ^^)
(drawing made by PaperAcolyte/Chess Albaneze on Instagram by the way. A really nice and sweet person who's making one of the best bloodborne comic to date!)
Alright so lil Lucen really try to be a kind soul but have seen some serious shit in his life (cf scars + last survivor origins initially but I arranged myself so that a lot of origin could actually fit him). What I mean is that he's more a summon helper than an invader XD I put a bit of myself in him. He's probably gonna ascend to become a great one but in the scenario where he would do the "Yharnam sunrise ending" he would ended becoming the next Crow.
He got black hair and silver? eyes. And actually more than just one scar on the face. Oh and I guess they/them is fine too? And If I had a female hunter I would probably have called her Lucen as well so
He's like the only characters with a complex family tree including both OC and really obscure characters from the lore of Bloodborne too. (I finally have an excuse to talk about it let's go !) (of course it's just my imagination and doesn't repose on anything)
Ok so first you have his grandad (that I call Mr Venator or just Venator because I didn't found a name yet) he's a a foreigner who came to Yharnam as a prospector originally and then became an old hunter. (He probably never met his grandson too... probably died way before 😢)
He had a son (Lucen's dad) that accompanied him but he was a child/young teenager when they came at Yharnam. But he hang up around the workshop & with other hunter and that's how he met the brother of his future wife and well, his future wife.
Now Lucen's mother (that's where the family tree get tricky XD) so she's from Yharnam? I think. she's from a servant family of Cain or smt akin too. She was a kid too during the beginning of the hunters and all (like before the hamlet/just after).
BUT she had an older brother/half brother (Lucen's uncle) who's an illegitimate Cainhurst/noble child. Maria took him under her wings and he became an old hunter (probably the youngest too, he was a teen). That GUY stayed a hunter and kinda rejected cainhurst who wanted him to become a knight and he's even the one who took care of the workshop after Gehrman went into the dream. And oh yeah he ended up becoming the beast possessed soul of the workshop...💀 (the freaking drama I know! I need names for everyone too ahhhh)
AND (it's not finished) that hunter is also... vileblood drifter Leo half brother too! (I know I said it was complex) (Leo, who's probably a cousin/relative of Bloody Crow too. Crow's dad is another one of my oc too but that will be for another time lol).
Here's the family tree so you might understand better. With the simplified version and a more complex version (i'm sorry it's a mess... I might changed it one day...or not)
Anyway in my hc / one of my story all this lil squad : Lucen's parents (with his mom being like 8 months pregnant of him at the time...) his uncle and lil (emo teen young adult) Crow have been basically saved/hid by Gehrman when the church attacked Cainhurst. (I have lots of thoughts about it ! Lucen's uncle and Leo even reconcile in it wow)
Just imagining the following scene make me laugh all the time XD :
Laurence at the workshop : Gehrman what are you doing ??
Gehrman : Me ? Nothing I'm just having tea with some friends. Didn't you tell me you were busy with the mess at Cainhust or smt...
Imagined around the table you have like the doll, 2 anxious/scared future parents (with the dad being hurt because he was almost crucified at Hemwick), Crow (Voron) who's on the point of annihilated Laurence and the hunter (Lucen uncle) holding him back...
After that Lucen's family quit Yharnam. (Except his uncle who stayed/came back. And Crow who might have went with them? but ended up coming back a bit later too. I would never have thought crow would have been linked that much with my hunter... wtf)
Oh and i forgot to mention... when the Moon Presence was beckon... a child was born under the pale moonlight...far away from Yharnam... I let you guess who that was 👀
(I don't have that much bloodborne oc really... ok maybe besides them, the cainhurst ocs (the knight, crow? and a few others (I need names too) and if you don't count the king, Caryll, Dores, dores, gatekeeper, Archi & Paarl + some the corpses we see in game we know like 2 things about I guess the only other legit oc is like Gehrman's dog lmao XD)
Update : By the way it's pronounced LuSSen /LuÇen
#my asks#lucen venator#paleblood hunter#good hunter#original characters#bloodborne headcanons#so even if he's not blood related he's indirectly related to Leo. to crow to the royal guard oc and Maria I guess lmao XD#originally I wanted to put Leo in crow family but that didn't quit fit with the other family I had in mind so...#don't ask me how I made that up I have no idea#i am so sorry the family tree is a mess#all the stuff including crow are quite recent it's because of my mutual fault !!! <3 I hated the guy and now I'm like oh what if#he met my oc when he was a baby lol XD
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detailed oc questions for Siv, Jay, Gina, Hailey, and E-2002 Eobard #s 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, 40, & 41 :)
1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?
Sivonne Alessandra Thawne; Sivonne- misspelled version of Siobhan, I thought it worked so I kept it. Alessandra- Defender of men (it's more ironic than accurate).
Jason Luca Barron; Jason- means "healer", also mythological hero. Luca- form of Luke, means "Light". Name chosen because it fits Jay to a 'T'.
Regina Maria Rivera; Regina + Maria = Queen of Bitterness/Suffering, fits Gina's story arc.
Hailey Tuyet Laurence; Hailey- means "Hay's Meadow" in old English, Tuyet- means "snow" in Vietnamese. Names were chosen based on vibes.
Eobard Claudius Thawne; "Eobard" and "Thawne" are from canon, but I added the name "Claudius" as a reference to Hamlet's murderous stepdad from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
2: Do they have any titles? How did they get them?
Siv: Dark Streak: Their hero title, named for the black blur that people see because of her suit. Euphoria: The name that she uses when they're half-Siv half-Negative Speed Force, from the drug-like high that "going Eldritch" gives them.
Jay: Zephyr, named for his ability to control wind.
Gina: N/A, but would have gone by "Psyche" if she lived long enough to unlock her full abilities.
Hailey: Phantom, because, y'know, she's a ghost?
Eo-2002: "Reverse-Flash" for obvious reasons, but he's also been referred to as "Thanatos" by Cassandra's team before they knew his identity, as a reference to the Greek god of death. (we all know which name is better)
6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?
Siv: Only managed not to get expelled for fighting because her dad gave some VERY generous donations to the school. They excelled in all forms of Math, Science, and History, but they had trouble with Ethics and English. Unfortunately, she was erased from existence the week before her graduation, and therefore did not receive their diploma.
Gina: Was known as the "good girl" at St. Florian's, because she got good grades, never tried to sneak out of Mass, didn't get in trouble, etc. She died a few months before graduation, but she excelled in Language Arts, Choir, and Art, but Math and Science were her weak spots. She loved school, and her friends there, and most of the other students loved her just as much. If she hadn't died early, it is likely that she would have had a chance for Valedictorian or Salatutorian.
Jay: You went to high school? Jay went to school high. Somehow, he managed to graduate with A's and B's (no one knows how- he didn't even cheat!). He graduated high school, and went to college for an accelerated Engineering program, which he graduated from with his Bachelor's in less than two years. Jay excelled in all his classes except P.E. and Music.
Hailey: Hailey went to an extremely strict, extremely upper-crust military school. She did not have a good time, being bullied for her feminine mannerisms and personality (spoiler alert: she's a girl). After graduating, she went straight into the Marines, mostly to get away from her strict family. In school, Hailey excelled in History, Political Science, and all/any foreign languages she took, but she struggled when it came to writing.
Eo-2002: Excelled at everything to a creepy extent. Was the weird quiet kid who everyone's kinda scared is going to become a serial killer. Graduated with high honors from High School, College, and Grad School, where he recieved dual doctorates in physics and biology.
10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?
Siv: Despises children, probably because they pretty much skipped the early childhood phase. Kids are usually kinda scared of her. However, if they were to be in charge of a child, the kid would probably go home with knowing about 50 new curse words, a stomach full of absolute junk, and having seen movies that were VERY age-appropriate.
Gina: LOVES children, and they love her. Would be the best mom, kinda strict but not overbearing, and would sing the prettiest lullabyes.
Jay: Loves children, but they usually think he's kinda stupid. He would love to have kids, and him and Cassandra do eventually have a kid, Reggie. He's a really good dad, really into "gentle parenting" and other such techniques.
Hailey: Is good with kids, but doesn't really like or want them. If she was put in charge of a child, they'd probably be sent home just as healthy as when they left, though Hailey would probably just park them in front of the TV playing PBS Kids all day because she doesn't know what to do with a kid.
Eo-2002: Doesn't like children, terrifies children, doesn't want children. Somehow, he ended up with two. With his own kid being a speedster and him having a "Jessica Wells", he assumed that he could have a small army of speedsters to take down Barry if he kept them both alive until adulthood. As a parent, Eobard was very detatched, chosing to let Esme raise Siv rather than actually doing that much parenting himself.
11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?
Siv: Is lactose intolerant
Gina: None
Jay: Vegetarian, unless it's free food.
Hailey: Lactose intolerant
Eo-2002: None
40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?
Siv: Drinks energy drinks because she likes the taste, not because they affect them in any way.
Gina: Enjoys coffee and green tea
Jay: Drinks energy drinks, is a sugar addict
Hailey: Is British. She drinks a cup of black tea with cream and sugar every day.
Eo-2002: Drinks coffee, it doesn't affect him.
41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?
Siv: Is a lesbian. She likes girls who are taller than her, curvy, and are both competent and confident. What they mostly need in a relationship is someone who can both match their wit and comfort them when they break down.
Gina: Is a lesbian. She likes feminine and androgynous women, with athletic body types, though that's more a preference than a definite "type". She likes someone who is brave, protective, and has a big heart, and in a relationship, she mostly just needs a friend, someone to share all her thoughts and ideas with.
Jay: Is pansexual. He doesn't really have a physical preference, but he likes people who have strong morals and are brave in the face of danger. In a relationship, Jay needs someone who can back him up, and can confirm that he's doing the right thing.
Hailey: Is asexual and biromantic. She's pretty much exclusively attracted to masculinity (masc women and enbies and masculine men), and she likes someone protective, confident, and open about their emotions. In a relationship, she needs someone supportive, who can make her feel alive even though she technically isn't.
Eo-2002: Is gay. He likes men who challenge him, both mentally and physically. His type is Barry Allen, but he'd never say that out loud. In a relationship, he needs someone who can hold him back from doing something hasty and irrational, and who can support him through... whatever the fuck's going on in his head.
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🍈🫐🍍 for the fruit writer ask game !! Love your works btw :-)
🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.
My current active blorbo is Hawkeye Pierce and this is one of those questions that is such a good question and as soon as someone asks my mind just goes blank!! I suppose..... you could say dying and being dead, but that's only one published fic so far, the other two are WIPs (and he survives one of them in the end; it's a time loop). I can't say for sure all of these come up in my published fics, but they are always informing my writing and may be used in WIPs you haven't seen yet. Being born in 1922 and going to Bowdoin are canon to me, to those are always going to turn up.
I have a lot of ideas about his background in Maine and I reference a lot of local Maine details because I know and love Maine. He had the childhood diseases early, because his dad brought them home from work. He was a precocious kid who read his dad's medical textbooks. I think he read a lot of novels and poetry his mom had, too. He was kind of an odd kid, but still popular--a class clown. After his mom died, he started helping out more at home because it was just him and dad, so he learned how to take care of himself younger than most boys did at the time. His family was financially secure, so during the Depression they weren't at risk of starving or losing their home, but things were still lean. He was a tiny kid until he was twelve or thirteen when he stayed skinny but got tall overnight. Once puberty hit he started attracting and enjoying attention from girls.
I do feel very strongly about who he is but it's surprisingly hard to articulate. I think he kind of walks a cliff-edge with his mental health, even before we meet him (that comes up in the Hamlet fic). I think he just says stuff a lot of the time but he's being honest, just not entirely literal. He doesn't sleep well or enough--that one is a bit of projection, too.
My other blorbo, who I'm not actively writing right now but will again in the future, is Josh Lyman. I draw on his secular Jewish background a lot, because I share it, and New England too because I have strong ties to this region. His loyalty to his friends is my favorite character trait and I like digging into that with regards to his various relationships. I write a lot about his stubbornness and determination, too. His sister Joanie was significantly older--seven or eight years--which may be because his parents had trouble having children in between them. He's always affected by being shot, though he gets better at dealing with it. This comes up a lot in my fics because so many of them are about that trauma. I think Josh is misunderstood in-universe and I like exploring the dissonance between who he really is and his public image (that he helps to cultivate).
🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)
The first thing that comes to mind is just gen fic. Case fic, too. Missing episode type stuff!! Just... more of the show. I also want more sick fic but not like cute somebody takes care of someone with a cold sick fic... a little angstier than that, I guess. Plotty fic, please!!! MASH gives so many interesting story opportunities and I want them all! Definitely more of the original cast, too. More character development for Henry and Trapper, since they didn't get a ton of it on the show. I wish there was more Hawkeye/Margaret too because I have kind of particular taste in that.
In West Wing fandom I am always desperate for fic about Josh and CJ, Josh and Toby, or Josh and Leo. Those dynamics compel me more than anything. Also, 1998 Bartlet for America era!!!
🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?
I love canon divergence so much. AUs that stay pretty close to the source, but change one significant thing are sooo interesting. I love me some major character death AUs. Full on AUs can be fun, but I usually like them more as posts or conversations with friends. It depends on the fandom a lot too, but MASH and The West Wing are both such specific and delicious premises that I don't usually want an AU. It's also hard to imagine those characters in an AU, because their jobs are so integral to who they are. It's hard to imagine a Josh Lyman who doesn't work in politics, or a Hawkeye Pierce who isn't a doctor. That being said, a well-written AU can be really fun!
I hate superhero AUs. I've just never encountered one I actually liked. Maybe my mind could be changed. I hate soulmate AUs because I have beef with the entire concept. I'm not a big fan of magic/fantasy AUs, especially if they involve extensive worldbuilding.
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I’ve been practicing my acting abilities lately (since I’m to perform in my AP Lit class production of Act III of Hamlet). My practice consists of performing the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy in the voice of each of the characters in the play, which has quickly devolved into me sitting around thinking about these made-up guys from 1300s Denmark. And I have Thoughts. (And so the unsuspecting internet is in for an infodump)
Hamlet seems like he’d be the easiest to play, since the soliloquy is his, but there are so many ways to interpret his emotions in the scene that he’s actual one of the harder characters! The two major categories of interpretations of Hamlet’s character seem to be Somber and Angry. He’s either on the verge of tears, filled with grief, and debating suicide to free himself from sorrow or furious with himself for not taking revenge swiftly enough, at Claudius for murdering his dad, and absolutely fuming throughout the soliloquy. I prefer a mix of the two, but lean towards somber. He debates ending his life, decides against it out of fear, and then must pretend to be fine when Ophelia walks in. It’s a genuinely gut-wrenching scene and I think it’s done dirty by not having Hamlet cry on stage.
Rosencrantz is my favorite character to play. No one seems to be too invested in his characterization, so I get to play around with it. I read him as smart but snarky- he was the kind of kid who sits in the back of the classroom, paying no attention to his teachers and distracting his peers, but somehow never fails to correctly answer a question. His version of the soliloquy isn’t about his own morality, but rather morality in general, as he sees it torments Hamlet and later, himself & Guildenstern as they are sent to their executions. On an unrelated note, Rosencrantz should always be portrayed wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses (not for any particular reason. They suit him.)
Horatio’s ‘to be or not to be’ is post-canon. He reads it from Hamlet’s diary after his death, reminiscing on what could’ve been. Horatio did everything he could. He tried to be there, even when it put his life at risk (ex- his friendliness with Hamlet upon his arrival back from his would-be execution voyage that, if discovered, could’ve easily had Horatio accused of treason for consorting with Hamlet, a murderer). It wasn’t enough.
Ophelia’s soliloquy is entirely non-canonical- because she deserves to live and get some goddamn autonomy! Ophelia grave-robs for a body bearing a resemblance to her and lays it to “drown” in the water, wearing her clothes. She considers drowning herself for real, having lost her father and now her country as she flees, but ultimately loses the name of action. She arrives in France with mixed feelings and Denmark never hears from her again. (Save for Horatio, who eventually reunites with her).
Laertes’ ‘to be or not to be’ is prolonged and broken up by the rest of his story, beginning with his mourning at “Ophelia’s” funeral, and ending at the duel with regret in his final thoughts. He doesn’t have a chance to decide to live, having doomed himself with the poisoned blade. He dies like Hamlet: afraid and dreading what might come in that sleep of death.
Gertrude’s version comes before the start of the play. She suspects Claudius in her husband’s murder, but does nothing to get him punished for fear that she or Hamlet will be put in harm’s way. Her ‘to be or not to be’ isn’t about herself- it’s a debate on killing Claudius herself. Poison, they say, is a woman’s weapon after all!
Claudius’s soliloquy happens as he prays, wondering if God should strike him down for his guilt, and if he deserves it. He decides he does not, that he deserves his power, his throne, his queen… still, he is a guilty man.
Anyway! That’s a lot of thoughts! Some of these make sense in canon or near-canon and some are far-fetched in the name of messing with characterization. In any case, I’ve been having a great time delving even deeper into these characters!
I think this is my 5th or 6th reading/viewing of Hamlet (and my first experience with it in an academic setting!) It’s been fun to get into it and I can’t wait for our mini-performance!
Also, if anybody wants to infodump back and forth or share some headcanons about these tragic Danes, I’d love that sm!!
#hamlet#Shakespeare#to be or not to be#hamlet headcanons#I’m back on my bullshit#somebody please talk to me about hamlet I will love you forever
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Can i get your hamlet thoughts? both about the play and its themes in general and the character? Especially on hamlet/horatio and hamlet/ophelia?
hell YES you can. have some assorted hot takes which i did not organize at all. tw for some suicide mentions
[particularly for this bullet point] ...because it’s a suicide play. june sent me a really interesting article once and idk... i think of all the plays i’ve read it deals most directly w suicide and i know hamlet objectively doesn’t kill himself but i think he knew what he was doing
i also think it’s hugely about generational differences! i know there’s a lot of debate about hamlet’s age (and personally i am FIRMLY in the ‘hamlet is sixteen and just fucked up really bad’ category, like, pry that from my cold dead hands <3) but i think no matter how old hamlet is there should be a very clear disconnect between the younger & older generations. this is a play about parents not understanding their children
among other things, i mean, hamlet’s a play about everything -
i think we should talk about hamlet’s relationship to religion more. i do not say this because i have a complex relationship with religion myself or anything. i’m uninvested in this personally
hamlet was mentally ill before his father died, he just hid it really really well up until then + the symptoms manifested differently and not so debilitatingly
specifically hamlet has ocd
that one i can’t even pretend to be uninvested in but it’s also just a fact and i swear to god i will make that post on it someday
like he just. he JUST does i’m sorry. the way he thinks? the way he talks through his own thoughts? the constant doubt and inability to make a decision? he JUST does have ocd i don’t make the rules
i hate polonius i think he’s a fucking bastard and a terrible parent
i really like “king hamlet SUPER sucked” interpretations and i’ll admit i kind of like claudius if only because he is so fucking funny as a character. no morals + horny
gertrude is one of the most fascinating characters in the play and is CRIMINALLY underutilized and underanalyzed especially in her parallels w ophelia. also if you tell me hamlet wanted to fuck her i get to mince you
hamlet x horatio is peak im sorry it just is. it JUST is. it’s about the mutual respect & the seeing each other as people beyond social class and their vastly different circumstances & the way that horatio is the only one who can still joke around with hamlet after his father’s death
that said i very much want to think that before hamlet’s father died, their relationship was more... equal? if that makes sense? bc i think horatio tends to bend to hamlet in the canon of the text, and he tends to put hamlet’s needs before all else, and that’s completely understandable seeing as hamlet’s dad died literally two months ago and now he’s in a mental illness spiral with his horrible horrible family. but under more normal circumstances i want to believe horatio is less... self-carelessly selfless and actually calls hamlet on shit when necessary
thinking about hamlet and horatio pre-canon being roommates at wittenberg and sometimes kissing while they study latin declensions or whatever the fuck... this gives me brain damage. don’t talk to me </3
i think ophelia and hamlet are FAR more interesting when considered as foil characters rather than lovers. like i’m not saying i don’t think they should have a romance (i think it’s interesting to explore) but i just think they are so much more interesting when looked at in terms of the way they mirror each other over and over again
particularly in regard to the fact that they both lose fathers & they both at least consider suicide
and maybe my seeing them as foils is even part of the reason i don’t particularly... ship them? (at least not in canon.) because i HAVE to wonder if ophelia’s madness and suicide are influenced by hamlet’s madness, performance or not. and i have to wonder how things might have gone differently if they hadn’t both spiraled at the same time yknow
that said. outside of canon / in an au where hamlet isn’t so actively destructive to the people around him... horatio/hamlet/ophelia as an ot3? god tier
i know hamlet is four hours long. i know. i still think cutting horatio and/or fortinbras is a mortal sin
i think hamlet hooked up with everyone his age in that play but he had messy breakups with everyone except horatio
yes this includes fortinbras
hamlet’s not real as a character, like, he’s infinitely interpretable on PURPOSE and it’s very hard to pin down more than a few concrete character traits for him (especially because we never see him before his father dies) which is why we all kin him
that SAID. when i made my post about that macy said smthn really insightful in the tags which was that hamlet’s not real on a TEXTUAL level but he should be real in a production, like, there are infinite ways to characterize him but if you’re actually... playing him... you have to pick one... if HAMLET in hamlet is boring you’re doing it fucking wronggggg
hamlet is trans. “what flavor of trans” literally any flavor of trans makes his relationship to his father & his misogyny 10x more interesting. goodbye
points at him. bottom
#max.txt#im so sorry for how disorganized this is..... i just Started#and my hands took me here#i hope this is at least a little in the ballpark of what you hoped for <3#hamlet#asks#Anonymous
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Always Trust In Pixie Dust
; Pixie!Seokjin x Pixie!Reader
; Genre: Fluff, a tiny bit of angst
; Word Count: 14k
; Synopsis: As a vegetable pixie, you weren’t exactly considered the most desirable in the pixie hierarchy. But the uncle of one of your student’s is convinced that you have a secret admirer, only made worse when your younger brother and sister get involved. Will they succeed in their matchmaking or will your admirer come forward before they can get into too much mischief?
; A/N: Okay so...this is my first FULL Jin fic and I feel bad because I basically lost all inspiration for any writing about 4/5 through writing this. As a result...it’s pretty fair to say I’m a little uncertain of how this fic is and how you’ll all feel about it, particularly as there’s no smut anymore (it just didn’t fit). I love the world though, and I love pixie!Jin. I hope you enjoy it and if you do, PLEASE reblog because Jin fics don’t get the love they deserve, nor do solely fluff fics :( also, please leave me your comments and thoughts and asks so I know what you thought. I’m trying my hardest to get back into writing and just finishing this was hugely important for me!
-
“Kim Taehyung...you don’t have a child,” Your words cause the tall pixie with soft, peach coloured hair to pause with almost comically wide eyes turned to you. “So what are you doing here?”
He says nothing for a moment before straightening himself, crossing his arms over his broad chest and pursing his lips at you. Even though he’s younger than you, he towers over you and you work hard to keep your teacher aura that had him looking so chastised when caught.
“You’re right. I don’t have a child. But I do have a niece. Right there,” Taehyung points over to the little girl sitting on the floor, her voice sweetly joining the other girls she’s sat with as they sing a nursery rhyme together. “And I’ve been asked to bring her home by her dad.”
Twisting your lips, you sigh before nodding and gesturing for him to come inside. The nursery that you worked at was inside a hollowed-out tree, providing plenty of space for the babies and little ones who were not old enough to attend school lessons in the higher levels of the tree. Everything inside your room was bright and colourful though, the walls stained with the vibrant colours that came from the richest pigments created from flowers.
A mural of the forest and individual, faceless pixies took up one half of the circular room while the other was free for the children to paint on as they saw fit. Creativity was one of the most important traits of a pixie after all, and it was your job to ensure that they went wild with all their beautiful, creative thoughts.
The floor was dotted with dried paint, and even new paint splashes from the day's activities and you hummed lightly as you moved over to the line of reed twine that was strung up across the room, parchment hung on it in intervals with each one containing a drawing. Scanning over, you take the one with the little girl's name and hand it over to Taehyung.
“Miyeon painted this for her dad. Make sure that he gets it please.” You request, smiling at him. He looks over the painting with a critical eye before grinning, nodding before bounding over to Miyeon and crouching down next to her.
“Hey, sweetie. Did you paint this for your daddy? He’s going to love it. Look at your house! It’s so pretty. You’re so talented.” He cooed to her and you watched as her face lit up with happiness at the approval and support from her uncle. Kim Miyeon was the four-year-old daughter of Kim Namjoon, Taehyung’s older brother.
Unfortunately, her mother had died of illness two years ago and so she was being brought up by Namjoon alone. Everyone had worried about that at first given Namjoon’s eccentric nature. He was the inventor of the hamlet, the one who put all that intelligence and creativity to use to create new and useful things for other pixies to use.
But it often meant he could be forgetful and scatterbrained. Occasionally forgetting to eat things or working too long. The idea of him raising a two-year-old on his own had been nerve-wracking, but Namjoon had once more impressed everyone by being a doting father to his daughter.
He may forget to feed himself, but his daughter never went without. And she was proving to be just as creative and intelligent as her daddy. You weren’t sure the hamlet was ready for two people like Kim Namjoon.
“Uncle Tae!” She said, her voice its usual sweet mixed with a little shyness. But you couldn’t deny her love for her uncle, nor his love for her. Opening his arms, she jumps into them and giggles as he stands, pretending she’s heavy by making overly loud grunts and noises.
“Oh, oh you’re getting so big. What is your daddy feeding you?” He teases her, laughing as she starts to give him a serious answer. Looking over at you, he gives you a boxy smile before heading to the door.
“You know...I know a little secret,” Raising a brow at him, you make a gesture for him to continue and he whispers into Miyeon’s ear, a conspiratorial look on his face as he watches you the whole time. “Did you know that Miss Park has a secret admirer?”
She gasps loudly, putting two small hands over her mouth while her pretty eyes go wide. You resist the urge to roll your eyes and instead move a piece of Miyeon’s strawberry blonde hair out of the way of her eyes, untangling it as you do so.
“That’s not a secret Taehyung. You tell me that every time you see me.” Snorting, he rolls his eyes in turn before heading out of the door that you open for him. It’s warm outside, with the sun shining down through the forest canopy and a gentle, cool breeze causing the leaves and grass to rustle.
Taehyung’s wings, long and gossamer-thin like a dragonfly’s flicker as he moves into open space and you take in the hint of peach in the almost transparent wings. As with all pixies, his wing colour matches his hair and pixie dust.
“Yeah, but I’m gonna give you a hint this time. You know him.” Now you can’t help but laugh, leaning against the ancient tree trunk that was so familiar to you. Like all pixies in Appleseed Grove, you had also spent your early years in the rooms carved out of the old oak. It was almost tradition now, and everyone took care to make sure that the oak survived despite how it was being used as an education base.
“I know everyone in Appleseed Taehyung. So try again.” The younger pixie hums thoughtfully before winking at you.
“Okay, you may know everyone here. But your secret admirer is someone that you see every other day.” And with that, he spreads his wings and takes off, the soft fluttering of his delicate wings resulting in a glittering blur of peach as he flies off to Namjoon’s home with Miyeon safely secured in his arms.
Frowning, you watch him go before heading back inside to wait for the other parents to arrive. None of the children has noticed you leave and you lean against the wooden desk you use thoughtfully. None of the little ones had wings and you were beyond thankful for that. It was a pain trying to round them up as they moved on their little feet and legs so as a nursery teacher, you were beyond thankful that they wouldn’t get their wings until they were seven.
But you find yourself turning Taehyung’s words over in your head. He liked to tease you incessantly. It was in his base nature as the youngest son of his family and you were convinced the only responsibility he would ever accept was for the stables where he helped to train the birds that your hamlet was so famous for.
Pixies would travel from far and wide for an Appleseed bird. From the tawny owls that were perfect for anyone who needed to travel at night to the swallows that were used for general travelling needs and even the kestrel’s that were trained to help protect pixies and their land, Taehyung was surprisingly good at training them all.
No one was safe from his mischief outside of his work though and you sighed, wondering why you were letting him get to you. Still, though, he’d never given you a hint as obvious as this. Despite knowing everyone in Appleseed, you didn’t interact with everyone frequently. So that reduced the pool of suspects for your ‘secret admirer’.
If you ever had one.
Blowing out air loudly, you resolve to push his words out of his head for now. You’ve got more important things to worry about. Like little Jaebum who has started a paint fight with his fellow partner in crime Jiyong.
-
The incessant knocking on your door immediately gives you a clue as to who it is. There’s only one person who has that much pure energy and that’s your little sister, Park Jiwon. As soon as your door is opened, you’re immediately waylaid by both your younger siblings as they push past you into your home.
Groaning quietly, you rub at your face before closing the door and turning around. As a vegetable pixie, you had the luxury of living inside a baby carrot. As the name suggests, it’s pretty small and everything you owned was in this one room. A small kitchen was to the left while your bedroom to your right and a small living area further away.
Pixie social hierarchy is dictated by living status. Fruit pixies, like Taehyung, were the top as it required a lot of innate magic to keep their home sustained. Nut pixies, like your brother and sister, were on the second rank while vegetable pixies were below that. In an ideal world, it would just mean you all had different homes, with each home being directly influenced by your magic.
Your magic had manifested itself in a baby carrot, which was admittedly cute looking, Jimin’s in a chestnut and Jiwon’s in an almond nut. But pixie’s were notoriously finicky, which meant that they liked to marry into each other's social ranking. Fruit pixies to fruit and so forth. Which meant you were destined for another vegetable pixie.
You should be thankful, you guess. Only a few generations ago, your family had been rock pixies. Which meant they had no innate magic. So with your younger siblings being the first to ever manifest their homes in the nut ranking, you had hope that the future was bright for your nieces and nephews.
Didn’t help the small hint of sourness in yourself at the knowledge you’d been skipped over though. What you wouldn’t give for a better home, a nicer home. It was silly though, and you shook your head to escape the thoughts. It didn’t matter in reality, you had a good job, great friends and a loving family.
“What do you two want?” You sigh at the twins, their matching pale blonde hair the only thing you can see from where they sit on your sofa. Nut pixies were renowned for having the most similar colour palettes for their hair and wings. From the palest blonde to the darkest brown, your younger siblings had ended up on the paler end.
“Can’t we just visit our big sister?” Jimin says, a sweet smile on his face and you narrow your eyes at him. His cheeks were round and full, something he was never going to get rid of even though he was the same age as Taehyung. Same age and with the same mischievous mentality.
Unsurprisingly, they had been firm best friends since they’d met in nursery school. Which meant that Taehyung’s earlier mysterious comments had almost certainly been told to Jimin, who would have in turn told Jiwon. Because anything you told one twin would end up being told to the other as they were incapable of keeping secrets from each other.
“No. Well, yes and you do. Frequently. But I’m guessing it’s something to do with Taehyung deciding to be his usual self?” Jiwon giggles and it immediately sets off Jimin, the sounds almost the same except one had a feminine tone and the other masculine. Sighing deeply, you moved over to the kitchen and carried on making your dinner before looking at them both.
“Are you staying for dinner? It’s an apple walnut salad.” They both need eagerly and you snort in amusement. Despite the years between you all, and the fact that they had a much closer bond, you still loved them dearly and enjoyed their presence.
“So have you figured it out yet? Tae gave you such a good clue!” Jimin asks, reaching forward for your newest book that you’d taken from Appleseed’s sole library. It was run by Taehyung’s oldest brother, Kim Seokjin, who was a sweet guy if a little shy.
“What? That it’s someone in Appleseed who I see regularly? Narrows it down a little but not much munchkin.” A deep and overly exaggerated sigh leaves him and you resist the urge to poke your tongue out, not wanting to lower yourself to his level.
But he can tell what you’re feeling by the way your wings twitch. Jiwon pushes him, scolding him lightly and you chuckle at the reminder that she’s the older twin. If only by a few minutes of course.
“Shut up Jiminie. She’ll never realise,” You gasp in outrage at her quick betrayal of you and she simply flashes you a sweet smile in response. “Not until it’s spelt out for her.”
“Do you want this salad or do you want me to add in some paprika too?” Hissing, you point the knife you’re using to cut the vegetables for the salad and resist the urge to laugh at her pouting face. Jiwon hated paprika with a passion and you knew that apples were her weakness. There was no way she was giving up this dinner.
“Wonnie, you give in too easily to her.” Jimin scowls, poking at his twin incessantly until she’s squealing with laughter and wriggling around on the couch. Frowning, you watch them both and wonder how they don’t tear or break a wing. You wouldn’t think that they were both fully functioning adults with actual jobs looking at them right now.
There are better-behaved children in the nursery.
“Be nice to her, she’s my favourite sibling for a reason.” He gets up at that, so much outrage on his face that you’d think you’d just severely insulted him or something. Though with the twins, everything was a competition and so you probably had.
“Wrong. Anyway, I’m going to be your favourite sibling now. Because I’ll give you another hint.” Standing smugly, he crosses his arms over his chest and you pause from cutting the apples that you’d bought from the fruit market just before coming home.
“Why, exactly, do you think I care? Even if I find out who it is, nothing is going to happen. Also, stop being mean to whoever it is! They probably don’t want you to tell.” His plush pink lips pout out at your resistance to his teasing and you simply go back to making dinner, ignoring the two of them as they whisper to each other.
“You see him regularly, he’s older than you and you’ve been personally acquainted with him for your whole life.” Now that gets you to pause, frowning down at your knife as you contemplate Jimin’s words. Despite what you’d just told him, you can’t deny that you’re intrigued at the possibility of someone liking you.
It had been a while since you’d gone on a date and even then, he hadn’t been from Appleseed Grove but the next hamlet over in Greenleaf. Taehyung telling you that you not only knew your admirer but saw him regularly had reduced your list. But Jimin’s hints reduced it even further.
The list was still impossibly large in your opinion, you could already list several pixies whom you’ve known personally your whole life, but still. You can almost feel the answer. Shaking your head, you tut at him and frown as you try to push the inquisitive thoughts away.
“Jimin! What did I just say?”
Almost immediately he pouts, slumping down onto the couch in a remarkable imitation of a petulant toddler. Jiwon soothes him immediately, running her fingers through his hair and you want to scowl at their innate bond. Why was she making him feel better dammit?
“Enough, both of you. Come get a plate, it’s done and then I want you two out after you’ve finished eating. And make sure you wash your plates too!”
-
Perhaps unsurprisingly, your little brother and Taehyung do not let the issue go. You’re convinced that they’re hatching some sort of secret matchmaking mission with you as the main star. You trust Jimin of course, but you know he’s always one to get up to mischief and the combination of Taehyung and him is potentially devastating.
Still, you try to push it out of your mind as the last thing you need is to start stressing over whoever this admirer could be. And with your younger sibling, it could truly be anyone. For all you knew, it might be the sweet old man who lost his wife a year ago and is always tending to the community garden.
A shiver runs through you as that thought passes through your head. He’s nice, but certainly not what a young pixie like you wants. You have faith at least that Jiwon wouldn’t let her brother do something as mean as that. She might find the idea amusing but she probably wouldn’t let him get into it thankfully.
Opening the door to the library, you inhale the smell of fresh books with a small smile before heading inside. You’d already finished the book you’d taken out only the other day and had eagerly come back for something else, wanting a story to whisk you away in the evenings.
It helped that Seokjin was an incredibly handsome pixie too, you wouldn’t lie. The rose pink-haired man was perhaps the perfect man to run the library as he always had his nose pushed into a book and he had an almost perfect memory of everything stocked. No matter what subject you wanted, whether fiction or nonfiction, he knew exactly what you would like to read.
He was also incredibly shy and awkward, which was why he seemed especially suited to the quiet solitude of the library. Plenty of people visited it, of course, even now you could see a mother with her two young children picking out books, but it wasn’t exactly somewhere that saw a huge amount of socialising.
You liked that though and you liked his company too. It was understandable perhaps given that you spent your daily life around small children who didn’t seem to understand that they had inside voices yet. Seokjin was like a breath of fresh air to you. A very quiet, softly spoken breath of fresh air.
If ever there was anyone in Appleseed Grove that would be the most understanding of the never-ending struggles of your little brother, it would be Kim Seokjin. How he’d managed to put up with Taehyung when he was younger was beyond you because that boy was chaos incarnate. Which was another reason why you were here; you wanted to get Seokjin’s opinion on the whole thing.
He was a font of useful knowledge and had read enough philosophy and self-help books to be able to give you correct and relevant advice. Plus, he knew all about annoying little brothers who were determined to meddle in your life. There had been a rather amusing incident a few years ago where Taehyung had set up Seokjin on a date, only it had turned out his date was double his age and thought they were just going to play nuts and stones in the park with her other elderly friends.
Needless to say, it had been embarrassing for everyone involved and you weren’t sure how Taehyung was still alive. All you knew was that Seokjin must dearly love him. Either that or Namjoon had intervened to prevent one of his brother’s murder.
You really should ask him how he restrained himself because you were positive that one day you were going to have to do the same. And you did not want to see Jiwon sad because you’d had to murder her twin brother for embarrassing you.
At first glance, you don’t see Seokjin anywhere and you sigh softly. It looks like you’re going to have to search for the pixie throughout the aisles of books. Thankfully, the library isn’t too big. It takes up all the space in an old tree stump with bookcases lining the area that are all packed full of books.
Placing the book you’ve brought back behind the front desk, you begin to search through the aisles. You’re never quite sure what Seokjin spends his time doing in the library really and when you find him, he’s just crouched in front of the romance section. Raising your eyebrow, you watch him for a moment and simply take the moment to admire him while he’s not paying attention.
Seokjin is very introverted by nature which is unfortunate because he’s quite possibly the most handsome pixie you’ve ever seen. His soft hair is ruffled today, the strands made up of a range of colours from a deep rose to the lightest cherry blossom. A beautiful golden tan to his skin, round cheeks, luscious plump lips and enigmatic brown eyes combine with tall stature and broad shoulders to make him just plain beautiful.
He doesn’t notice you admiring him given how intently he’s staring at the bindings of the books, his delicate, translucent wings shimmering as they twitch in time to whatever he’s thinking. Pursing your lips, you shake your head to push out the intrusive thoughts before heading over and crouching next to him.
“Whatcha doing?” You ask lightly, looking over the novels he’s perusing and realise they’re all historical romance novels. They’re not your kind of thing as the topic of noble fruit pixies taking pity on lowly vegetable pixies or even worse, rock pixies. Society took a while to move on and you were thankful that the age of nobility had long since passed but there were still those who sought to imagine themselves in that period.
And as someone who would’ve been of the servant class back then, you had no wish to read about being ridiculed for loving someone higher up. You didn’t know whether Seokjin was interested in it or was just contemplating how to reorganise them. The shelf didn’t look to be in any specific order and if you knew anything about him, it was that he liked his things to be neatly organised.
Still, he hadn’t been expecting you as the yell he lets out is obscenely loud in the quietness of the library. Even more than that, he falls backwards in a scene that could only be described as comical.
Chuckling, you gently reach forward to help him rearrange his wings before he gets into a cross-legged position. Pressing a hand to his chest, he takes a deep breath in before exhaling slowly with wide eyes.
“Hey! Give a guy some warning next time please!” He exclaims a small hint of a whine threading into his voice in what can only be described as a Seokjin complaint. Snorting, you roll your eyes and sit next to him as you both stare at the bookshelf quietly.
“So, was there a reason you just frightened the life out of me?” Reaching forward, he takes one of the books off the shelf before carrying on removing the rest. You help him by taking on the other side of the shelf, humming to yourself with a tongue in your cheek as you contemplate how to ask.
While you knew Seokjin well enough to feel okay asking him about this, you weren’t exactly super close. He was a little older than you and almost intimidatingly handsome. Perhaps unsurprisingly, you’d had a big crush on your little brother’s best friend's older brother when you were younger. And that was a confusing enough sentence on its own.
As a result of that relationship though, the two of you had had enough interactions over the years to be called friends. Not close friends or anything, but enough that you felt comfortable talking to him. Plus, he was an incredibly calm and stable person when he wasn’t screaming in fear.
Along with that, if anyone was going to understand how to handle Taehyung, it would be his eldest brother. Which is why you let out your breath in a long, low exhale before placing the final book on the pile.
“Did you know Taehyung has been bothering me lately?” Cringing, you realise that makes it sound like he’s annoying you. And as much as you wish he wouldn’t tease you about this whole admirer thing, he wasn’t annoying you.
“Scratch that. I made him sound bad. He’s not bothering me really, it’s just...I think Jimin and him are on one of their matchmaking crusades again. Taehyung’s been telling me for ages that I’ve got a secret admirer and I pretty much ignored him because I thought he was just making it up. Only now Jimin’s got involved and it’s someone I know and see often?” You don’t notice the way Seokjin freezes for a moment, his hand pausing over the top of the book he was about to pick up.
“Oh...really?” His voice is weirdly high for a moment before he coughs roughly, clearing whatever had caused the pitch change before it’s back to normal. “A...secret admirer? How long has he been telling you that?”
Making a face, you wave your hand aimlessly in an unsure gesture as you shrug simultaneously. “I don’t know. At least a few months I think, I haven’t been keeping track. But when I pointed out the other day that I know everyone in Appleseed Grove, both Jimin and he decided to up the ante and are starting to give me clues. So now I know it’s at least someone who I interact with and not just someone who happens to live here. Which is still a really big pool to pick from given my job.”
Sighing deeply, you stretch out one leg before moving your hands to rest on the floor behind you, holding your upper body up as you stretch. There’s a soft fluttering as your wings stretch too and you shiver slightly as they brush against Seokjin’s own, lacing his with burnished copper pixie dust. Twisting your lips, you look over to where Seokjin is sitting staring at the pile of books.
Frowning, you reach over to poke his muscular thigh playful and tilt your head when he looks up. He has an almost curious expression on his face and you give him a questioning glance. There’s no response from him for a few seconds, instead, he just seems to look over your face intently before giving you a tight smile.
“Nothing more than that? No like...name hints or jobs or anything?” Seokjin asks, looking back away from you to start rearranging the books into alphabetical authors. Watching him, you tap at your lips before sighing and shaking your head.
“No. But it’s your brother. And my brother. We know what they’re like. They’ll get me believing them and it’ll turn out to be some old guy. Or even a bird knowing Taehyung. For all I know, they’re just talking bird poop to me and there’s no one.” That gets a snort from Seokjin and you look at him in confusion.
When he realises you’re staring, he coughs awkwardly and you can’t help but smile at the way his ears burn red, a shade almost similar to the rich red of the apple he lives in. His cheeks are soon flushing too and you have to bite your lip to make sure you don’t let yourself laugh too loudly to embarrass him even more.
Still, you want to know what’s got him like that so you stay carefully quiet to let him explain himself. After a minute of silence, that’s particularly awkward, he must realise that you’re not going to let the conversation move on until you’re done. Resting his hand on the cover of the book he’s placed onto the shelf, he takes a surprisingly big breath that has your brows raising slightly.
“I’m pretty sure there’s someone. I mean...n-not that I-I know who it i-is but like...you’re so nice a-and stuff. So...I-I mean, Taehyung is probably right. D-don’t you think?” Slowly, your lips twist up into a smile as you feel suddenly shy at his sweet praise. Hearing Seokjin sound so sure that there’s someone out there who likes you makes butterflies flutter inside your stomach and you feel the small flame of hope that maybe it’s even him.
It’s ridiculous of course because Seokjin is way out of your league. Like, he’s not even in the same realm as you so there’s no point in even hoping really. He’s a fruit pixie from a long, unbroken line of fruit pixies who is also ridiculously handsome and intelligent. There’s no way he’d want to lower himself to be with you.
Still...you can’t help but have a small hope. That crush from years ago apparently never died.
“Maybe. It’s a nice thought, right? I’m not exactly the greatest catch in Appleseed though.” Now he’s the one snorting, his eyes rolling in exasperation before he lets out an expletive, pushing at your arm hard enough until you’re almost falling over.
“Don’t say that. You’re beautiful, smart and have a great job. Anyone would be honoured!” Almost as if he realises what he’s just said, his eyes go wide and his already pink cheeks redden even further. “I-I mean...w-well. Y-yeah, what I said.”
Smiling gently, you reach and take his hand, squeezing it gently in thanks before gently scooting over the pile of books on your side. Even though you’d come here to get an idea of how to handle Taehyung, you feel pretty content now given that even Seokjin thought the admirer might be real. It made you feel a little excited to know that there could be someone out there, dreaming of living a domestic life with you.
“Thanks, Seokjin, you’re too sweet. I put the book I took out behind the desk, are you okay if I take something else?” You gesture back towards the end of the aisle and miss the way Seokjin’s eyes go a little soft at you.
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine. Just...write down what you took and I’ll note it down in the lodger. And hey...just ignore Taehyung if you want. I’ve learnt that eventually, he gets bored if he gets no real reply.” He gives you a small smile, looking remarkably small for someone so big as he sits there on the floor and you give him a smile of thanks in response.
“Maybe. I was going to do that but...I mean, if it is real...maybe I should go along with it? Find out who it is. You never know, it could be my future husband or wife. I’d be silly to turn that down right? It’s a little exciting too like I’m in school again.” Giggling, you give him a bright smile before waving goodbye and heading back out.
Once you’ve left his sight, Seokjin’s shoulders deflate with the long-suffering sigh he lets out while his head flops forward. Closing his eyes, he stays that way for a moment while mentally imaging all the ways he could murder Taehyung and Jimin without their bodies ever being found. He’d read enough books to be able to pull it off, surely.
Flower stems, he hated that he’d gotten drunk that one night with them all and accidentally blurted his long-held crush for you. It was something that everyone had already figured out long ago but that night, he’d confirmed it. And of course, his little brother and his annoyance-in-arms best friend had decided to do something about it and play matchmaker.
But what was he meant to do? He couldn’t kill them now because you looked to be too invested in the mystery of it all, the romance of everything. Would you be disappointed if you found out it was him though? He knew that he was good looking but at the end of the day, he was still the shy and introverted librarian who didn’t get too involved with everyone else. Not exactly the best catch.
Glancing back to where you’d gone, he chewed on his lip slowly before taking in a deep breath. Or maybe you would be happy with the revelation. If he let it get revealed of course. Would you ever consider him as a potential future husband?
Seokjin knew that the only way to find out that was to let you find out who your admirer was. But he was suddenly struck with uncertainty at the knowledge you’d find out via Taehyung and Jimin. Surely you’d like it better if he confessed himself? It’d be better coming from him right? Or would you be angry that he hadn’t said anything when you’d sat here, talking about it so confused?
Swallowing thickly, he wondered what the right decision was. And if he’d even make that decision or make a fool out of himself for everyone else to see.
-
The next few weeks are busier than ever for you with the coming Harvest Festival. It was one of the biggest events in the year and saw all pixies getting involved with harvesting the communal gardens. Thanks were given to the goddess of the harvest, Alixtra, and everyone celebrated in the hopes of a bountiful harvest next year as well.
As such, you were not only coordinating where you were going to be spending the Festival but also helping the children to get involved. That involved getting them to make special banners and decorations that would be hung throughout Appleseed Grove while also teaching them the importance of the Festival.
You were also being bombarded with Taehyung and Jimin. The two mischief-makers had gotten it firmly into their heads that they simply needed to have you figure out who the admirer was and so they’d upped their game. It almost felt like you couldn’t have a single conversation with them without them mentioning it.
As much as you’d indulge them under normal circumstances however, you were a little too stressed with trying to sort everything out to truly appreciate their efforts. So the most they were doing is successfully annoying you and making you wish that you didn’t even have a secret admirer.
Honestly, it was all just becoming a little too much from them and you’d snapped more than a few times. You had more important things to be worrying about than whatever they were cooking up. And you knew that they were planning something for the Festival. There was no way they couldn’t be.
Groaning quietly, you pressed a hand to your forehead as you tried to rub away the headache that was brewing. Today had been particularly stressful with the children deciding to be completely uncooperative. You’d had to clean up so much mess along with dealing with two tantrums and three fights.
It seemed the excitement of it all was getting to them. As much as you wanted to be angry at their behaviour, which was normally excellent, you couldn’t because they were just children. Children who were being a little overwhelmed by the fact everyone was suddenly making a big deal of the Festival. If the adults were getting stressed over it, then it wasn’t surprising that the children were struggling to cope with their emotions too.
So you’d soothed the tears when some of them had gotten too upset when their painting didn’t go right and you placated frayed tempers between friends until they were hugging each other once more. The downside to being the calm person throughout it all was that you had taken on their negative emotions.
As a result, you needed to calm down and the best way to do that was to take yourself off somewhere. Which was why you were at the aviary, the home of all the birds that Taehyung helped to train. They didn’t all live there obviously, most of them lived freely and returned when called but many chose to stay in the warm, comfortable spaces made for them.
And one of those birds was Sweetsong, Taehyung’s swallow who was his pride and joy. She was, as her name implied, incredibly sweet and had a pretty birdsong when she felt like it. You had permission to take her out whenever she wasn’t being used by Taehyung as you enjoyed riding but couldn’t afford a bird. They were too expensive to maintain, unfortunately, so you simply rode Sweetsong.
You were kind of glad of it, to be honest as you loved her. Heading into the aviary, you called out her name and smiled as she chirped before fluttering down to meet you. Big, intelligent black eyes take you in for a moment before she recognises you and twitters happily, pushing her soft head against you.
Sweetsong was a typical swallow bird with indigo feathers that turned into a navy blue across her head and wings. Her breast was covered in the softest feathers of cream and white, evidently having been groomed by Taehyung recently, while the lower half of her face was a burnt orange.
“Hey girl, how are you?” You murmur to her, smiling as you stroke her face gently. She follows you out of the aviary obediently and stands quietly as you retrieve the spider silk tack that was made just for her. It’s incredibly strong and light, which is ideal given how fine-boned she was, with the underneath covered in the highest quality moss to prevent her feathers from being pulled or caught.
Looping the bridle around her head and carefully adding the saddle, you reach for a handful of grain from one of the leaf bins nearby and feed it to her while checking her over. Years of handling her meant she was content to simply wait for you and you smiled, nodding happily as you accepted she was okay.
“Okay Sweetsong, let’s go for a fly, hm?” Whispering to her, you kiss her beak before moving to the saddle. Pushing with your wings, you landed with grace and positioned yourself as you’d been taught when you were younger. Almost immediately, Sweetsong changes position and you feel her becoming more alert and ready.
Clicking your tongue quietly at her, she tilts her head in response before spreading her magnificent wings. You only get a moment to admire them though before she’s pushing off, the sound loud against the quietness of the evening and soon enough, you’re both rushing through the air as she moves faster.
Grinning broadly, you hold onto the reins and lean in so that the air doesn’t hurt as much, letting your wings find their perfect position so they’re not uncomfortable while flying. While pixies were perfectly capable of flying and did often, it was tiring to fly long distances. Which was why different birds were trained, allowing them to carry you when you wouldn’t be able to.
Rising higher and higher into the sky, you both cleared the forest with ease. Taking in a deep breath of cold, fresh air, you sit upright as Sweetsong finds an air current and begins to glide along with it. She chirps happily, singing a song to her wild free who flutter out of the treetops as well.
The forest is far below you now, the green tops of them a never-ending sight as they extend out towards the horizon in all directions. Almost sensually they move, flowing together as the wind rushes through them and you’re reminded of the rushing river close to Appleseed. It’s far stronger than the simple creek that slithers through the Grove but the movement of the canopy reminds you of it for a moment.
Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and simply enjoy how relaxing it feels to be so high. There are no worries up here, no stress or anxiety. No secret admirers or annoying little brothers. It’s just you and Sweetsong with the final rays of the sun painting a striking image across the sky in pinks, oranges, purples and yellows.
This was exactly what you needed after the day you’d had. After the month you’ve had really. It was just...relaxing to have nothing to concern yourself about for an hour or so. Sweetsong flew steadily for you and the day was ending beautifully, making you positive that you’d made the right decision to take her out.
“Ah girl, what am I gonna do?” You sighed out, reaching forward to stroke the silky soft feathers of the swallow’s head. What you were asking that question about exactly, you weren’t sure. A lot of things were uncertain lately and you just didn’t know how to handle it all. Still, it felt nice to just ignore civilization for a while and instead just fly.
So that’s what you do for the next hour. The two of swooping and soaring through the air, travelling a good distance before heading back home. You can tell that Sweetsong is happy to just be able to fly how she wants given the cute noises she makes the whole time and you can’t help but laugh at them. Despite Taehyung being an annoyance for you lately, you wouldn’t deny that he’d done a good job with training her.
His pride and joy.
Appleseed Grove isn’t visible from the air at first, not unless you have a hawk’s vision. But the lower Sweetsong gets, the better you get to see your home. The small oil lamps have been lit for the night, giving the Grove a warm and cosy look while you see a few stragglers who are out enjoying the last of the evening light.
All around the Grove is a range of fruits, nuts and vegetables that are home to so many pixies. Single pixies and whole families of them arranged neatly in whatever magic is inherent to you all. A few tree trunks are hollowed out for social needs such as the school but otherwise, it’s a burst of pretty colours that blend.
Landing at the aviary, you quickly get off Sweetsong and set about getting her ready for the night. The bridle and saddle are removed while you quickly go and get the feather shine Taehyung had developed long ago. Running it along her feathers gently, you smiled at her pleased and content noises and kissed her beak once more.
Once she is ready to go back in for sleep, you walk in with her and give her a nightly feed. When Taehyung had agreed to let you take her out whenever you’d also agreed to care for her when you came back. That meant grooming her once finished and feeding her, along with cleaning her tack.
Which is why once you’ve got her all settled, you sit down on one of the small seats made from a broken branch to begin cleaning. The spider silk bridle is so light and dainty in your hands, yet you know it’s near enough impossible to break. Still, it can get dirty quite easily and the moss has to be cared for to make sure it doesn’t go bad.
“Y/N?” Your name is called makes you jump in surprise, the sound loud and unexpected in the quietness of the aviary. Looking around at the entrance with wide eyes, you frown for a moment in confusion at the sight of Seokjin before giving him a friendly smile.
“Hey Seokjin, how are you?” You ask politely, watching as he moves inside from the doorway. He’s playing with his hands, fingers pushing and rubbing against each other and you frown as you realise that he’s nervous for some reason. Although it was Seokjin and he wasn’t exactly famed for having an outgoing disposition.
“Hi, I’m err...I’m good. Yeah, good.” Tilting your head at him, your eyes narrow as you wonder what’s so wrong. He sounds like something’s wrong and you go to get up, unsure if you’re needed for something. Although what help you could be, you didn’t know.
“N-no, don’t get up. It’s okay. I just...I mean...I have something to tell you. Myself. Before others tell you. I just…” He swallows, his face paler than usual and you watch intently as he wipes at his brow with shaking hands. “I want you to hear it from me. And I’m sorry that I haven’t told you before now. But…it’s just...it’s you.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, you wonder what he’s talking about as he’s making no sense to you. Who was going to tell you something? And what did he need you to know so desperately? You only really saw him when you went to the library so you couldn’t think of anything hugely important. Unless you’d forgotten to take a book back or something.
“I-I like you. It’s me. Your secret admirer. It’s, well, it’s me. I err, I don’t remember when it started or anything b-but it was a long time ago. I just...y-you’re so pretty and outgoing. I never knew h-how to talk to you properly like that. And I didn’t think that you’d like me like that either. But then you said that about Taehyung and Jimin and I panicked because what if you found out from them and not from me?” He continues to babble for a few minutes but all you can focus on is two immediate facts.
Firstly, he likes you. As in...romantically likes you. All those crushes you’d had as a teenager immediately come rushing to fore as you try to understand the fact that Kim Seokjin, the incredibly handsome and intelligent Kim Seokjin who was way out of your realm, liked you. This must be a dream or something.
The only explanation.
Secondly, he was your secret admirer? That gets the biggest frown from you as you try to comprehend it. Taehyung and Jimin had been pretty clumsy with their hints obviously, but they were right in the hints they had given you. You did know him well and you did interact with him frequently.
Plus, the fact that Seokjin was Taehyung’s older brother and Jimin was Taehyung’s best friend...it all made sense. Though why they’d started their crusade to get you together, you weren’t entirely sure. You were positive that you hadn’t given any hint to the fact that you could potentially like Seokjin.
Pushing those thoughts out of your head though, you decide that the most important concern right now is to make sure that the fruit pixie doesn’t give himself a heart attack. Which looks a distinct possibility given how stressed he’s looking right now.
Giving him a gentle smile, you reach out and take one of his shaking hands and invite him to sit next to you. The way he almost falls onto the seat has you biting your lip to stop yourself from laughing though it’s not helped by the way his eyes are so wide, almost like he’s seen a ghost or something.
“Hey, hey, Seokjin. Please...just calm down. It’s okay. I’m not going to be mean or anything. Just...take a breath and explain it to me properly. You’re my admirer? You like me?” The way your lips curl up into a smile as you say those words is mirrored by the warm and fuzzy feeling in your stomach.
Seokjin pauses, body stilling completely for a second as he acknowledges what you’ve said before nodding slowly. He’s not looking at you now, instead focusing firmly on the ground before him. Licking at your lips, you wonder how to handle this and it goes quiet for a few moments.
“Wow, teenage me would be dying of excitement right now,” You tease him lightly, pushing at his shoulder with your own as you grin at his surprise. “And I’ll be honest...adult me is pretty happy with this news too. You like me? A vegetable pixie?”
That gets a snort of derision from him and you almost sigh in relief at how his annoyance with the intricacies of the pixie social hierarchy is stronger than his nerves. Leaning into him a little, you inhale deeply and smile at the sweet scent he gives off.
“I don’t care about that! Who cares?! It means nothing other than your magic chose that to manifest in. Some of the smartest pixies in history weren’t fruit pixies so why does it matter? I mean, you teach the future of our society in school and…” He carries on with his rant, his strong brows furrowed inwards as he gesticulated wildly to go along with his anger.
It makes you feel a little warm at how he repudiates the societal expectations that you’d both grown up with. Pursing your lips, you let him finally finish before he takes a deep breath to steady himself. Then he looks directly at you, those beautiful and emotive mahogany eyes feeling like they’re staring deep into you.
“I like you Y/N. I-I’ve never dared to say it before because I didn’t think you’d like me back. I’m nothing like you and I know that. But I was with some friends one night and we got to drinking honey sugar so I was a little drunk and...yeah. That’s where Taehyung and Jimin found out about my feelings. I don’t know if I was going to get the courage to tell you but when you told me what they were doing...I couldn’t let you find out that way. Nor did I want to get blindsided by their scheming. If you want to reject me then…I-I’d rather you do it in private than whatever they’re planning.” He finished, round cheeks flushing a red that makes him look rather sweet while his eyes almost seem to shine in the low light.
You don’t respond for a minute, simply looking him over carefully and you note the way his broad shoulders seem to slump at what he probably thinks is a rejection. In reality, though, you’re just admiring how brave and bold he was to come to you and tell you this. Tell you his feelings that he was planning to keep to himself because he thought there was no chance.
All this, so you didn’t get hurt or upset at finding out who your admirer was. There was some selfish nature too as he didn’t want to get rejected in a public setting but still. You could only imagine how difficult it was to put yourself and your feelings out here like this while having no idea what the potential outcome could be.
Reaching for his hand, you take it and gently squeeze it reassuringly. He looks down and swallows hard when you manoeuvre your hands until your fingers are laced together. Lip quirking, you note how natural it looks to have them like that before you glance back up at him.
“I’m not going to lie, Seokjin. I didn’t exactly expect it to be you. I mean, I thought it would be nice but I thought that you were way out of my league and that I had no chance. So to find out that it’s you? I mean...I can’t think of anyone who I’d rather it be now. More So because you found the courage to tell me without letting me get suckered into whatever our brothers were planning. I appreciate that I do.” Pausing, you run your finger along the back of his hand and trace the veins and tendons there.
Seokjin doesn’t respond, instead just letting you explore while you get your thoughts together. You wanted to make sure that you did this right because you certainly were not planning on letting Seokjin walk out of here with a broken heart.
“I’m happy it’s you. And I can’t say that I feel exactly the same, but I know that I want more with you now. If you’ll accept it and accept me?” Once more, Seokjin’s eyes widen to the point that you’re almost surprised they don’t fall out. His wings twitch and vibrate almost intensely behind him, rose pink pixie dust fluttering to the ground as his nerves get the best of his control.
“Really?” Is all he blurts out, his plump lips forming an ‘o’ shape of surprise and you snort with laughter as you nod. Poking at them gently, you then let your fingers trace lightly over the smooth and silky soft skin of his cheek until you’re cupping it.
“Really. I’d be an idiot to say no to this offer! You’re quiet and shy, yes, but I love that about you. You’re also so intelligent and kind and funny. Always willing to put a smile on everyone’s face, even if it’s at the expense of yourself. There’s no way I’m going to turn you down, Mr Kim. So the question is...do you want this to become a relationship? An actual, romantic relationship with no interference from our brothers?” He’s silent for a moment, simply staring at you in what looks like awe.
It makes you wriggle in your seat, the spider silk bridle still carefully in your lap while the gentle sounds of the sleeping birds above you both form a piece of natural background music. Finally, though, you see his shocked face turn into one of pure happiness as his eyes practically light up with excitement, his cheeks rising as the smile on his face grows so broad.
“Yes! Definitely, of course. I mean...are you serious?” Giggling, you nod as he continues to stutter out questions to you. Squeezing his hand once more, you grin broadly as he almost floats off the seat in pure exhilaration, his wings releasing so much pixie dust that you can see it glittering in front of you as it floats on the gentle breeze.
“One thing though,” You say, causing him to pause with dread seeping into his expression. “We are going to get our own back on our brothers.”
-
The Harvest Festival always began early in the morning, when the first rays of sun began to lighten the sky and the birds sang their first notes for the day. For as long as there was natural light, pixies from all over Appleseed Grove would work together to harvest the crops before celebrating during the night.
It was your favourite time of the year. You were able to see the fruits and vegetables that had been carefully grown over the summer months and know that the winter was going to be easy this year. A year with a bad harvest meant that winter was a struggle, and no one wanted that.
But so far today, you've helped to harvest the strawberry fields. A few strawberries had left your basket and made their way into your mouth, their succulent bodies were ripe with juice and bursting with a sweet flavour. It was customary for pixies to indulge in some of the harvests, as long as it wasn’t going to impact on the overall crop.
You’d already filled six baskets with the luscious red fruit, the pile of strawberries being carefully placed by more volunteers into boxes. These volunteers had the most magic in the Grove, and they used that magic to seal the boxes. This meant the contents remained in an almost frozen manner, staying fresh for the coming months instead of rotting away.
No one knew how it worked really, nor did anyone know how they did it. It was just something instinctive that they did. You knew because you’d asked Taehyung one year. His family was rich in magic and they were always part of the sealers. He hadn’t been able to give you an answer as he didn’t know how he did it, just that it happened without conscious thought.
Through a little subtle influence, you’d managed to make it so that Seokjin was one of the sealers at the strawberry fields today. No one knew that you were together yet. It had been two weeks since you had agreed to start a relationship. Two weeks that had been almost dreamlike for you.
You visited his home after dark, feeling like you were breaking the rules or something, and enjoyed his company throughout the evening. Sometimes it was just making dinner today, feeling very domestic, other times it was reading against each other in silence. There had been a few incidents where the two of you had gotten a little more...involved than you’d anticipated, resulting in you having to rush out of his home in the early morning in the hopes you could get back to your home and change your clothes.
It was all very exciting and exhilarating, made even better by the fact that you loved to see the warm smile of happiness that spread whenever he looked at you. If you’d thought he was handsome before, then it was nothing compared to now when you could have him however you wanted him.
You were pretty sure you were fast on the track to loving this pixie.
The only reason you were both remaining quiet about your relationship was so that your little brothers wouldn’t find out too early. You’d been entirely serious when you’d told Seokjin that you wanted to get back at them. They had far too much fun pranking people and you felt it was time that they got a dose of their own medicine.
Seokjin had just fully agreed, laughing at the thought of outsmarting Taehyung for once. And he’d loved your plan as well. The both of you were going to have to be impeccable actors tonight.
For now though, you’d had to just settle with subtle touches of each other whenever you’d passed, a hand running along his back or arm or a gentle squeeze of your arm when you handed him another basket of strawberries. The smiles between you both were perhaps a little softer than one might expect, your eyes a little more loved up but no one was looking too closely.
It felt nice though, to have someone to smile and laugh with. You just couldn’t wait until it was finally out in the open, even if Seokjin was a little nervous about how people would react. For you, you didn’t care about the general population’s opinion. It was the parents that worried you a little.
Oh, your parents would be ecstatic at you getting into a relationship with one of the most eligible pixies in Appleseed. It was a step up for you, going straight from vegetable to fruit and Seokjin’s family were well respected. But you were worried about how they would react to you. For Seokjin, they would probably view it as him lowering himself.
You had hope though because Seokjin had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t care about anyone else’s views in regards to that. He liked you as you were and he’d told you many times over the last two weeks that he had never wanted anyone else. Which was always surprising to hear, but it warmed your stomach still.
Now though, the light in the sky was beginning to wane as nature painted it in streaks of oranges, yellows and reds while the sun began to set. The lanterns around the Grove were being lit and the bubbling sense of excitement seeped into the atmosphere.
You’d finished picking only around half an hour ago, the strawberry fields officially empty of any of the fruit. The boxes were all sealed and had been moved to the communal storage where they would remain until they were needed. Many other pixies sat around as well, chattering with each other as they waited for the final signal.
Seokjin was sitting next to you, tiredness etched into his face as he blinked blearily and you snorted, reaching over to push at him slightly.
“What are you so tired for? You weren’t walking the fields and picking!” Teasing him, you grin as he pulls a face and lets out an outraged yell. It gets a few looks from others but they just turn away with a smile, used to the way Seokjin was the loudest quiet person they’d ever known.
“Hey! I’ve been busy too. I just...I’m not used to all this manual labour stuff, you know? Or socialising this much. I work in a library for a reason.” He states plainly, his face carefully blank and you can’t help but snort in amusement. Perhaps it was different for you. Being a teacher meant that you spent most of your day on your feet, running around after children and picking up their stuff.
Shaking your head slightly, you can’t help but lean against him and enjoy the warmth he’s giving off. The nights are slowly beginning to get colder and you’re already not looking forward to the coldness of winter. Frost and ice were not friendly to a tiny pixie and you shuddered at the thought of it already.
The fear of your wings freezing and breaking was something that began in childhood and never quite left.
Remaining quiet for a few minutes, you found yourself almost dozing off on Seokjin’s shoulder. The hard work you’d done throughout the day was combined with how comfortable and safe you felt with him, his now-familiar scent soothing you and lulling you to sleep.
The sudden ringing of a bell throughout Appleseed Grove, the sound echoing off the trunks of the giant trees surrounding you, causes you to jerk upright. Eyes wide, you almost don’t hear the way Seokjin laughs as you realise your wings are fluttering in fright. Glancing behind, you grimace at the sight of the glittering pixie dust left from your wings, orange dust shimmering in the light.
“Finally!” You exhale, standing up and stretching with a tiny groan. A warm hand resting on your suddenly exposed stomach makes you grunt, shrinking back down and looking at Seokjin with wide eyes. He simply grins and shrugs, gesturing to the fact that almost everyone had practically sprinted off anyway.
“No one’s looking, it’s okay. Come on then, sweetpea. Let’s go enjoy the evening!” Seokjin doesn’t take your hand to lead you down to the centre of the Grove, instead resting his own on the small of your back and gently guiding you there. Smiling at him, you take a moment to quickly kiss his cheek while you have the chance before eagerly rushing past the now barren fields.
The bell signalled that the harvest was complete and stored away for winter. It also meant that the partying could begin, with everyone making their way back to the hamlet and getting ready to celebrate through the night and give thanks to Alixtra for what she had blessed you all with.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” You say to Seokjin once you reach the first homes, looking up at him and giving him a bright smile as he nods. He doesn’t kiss you, but his hand lingers on your back before you go. You’re not sure what he’s going to do, for now, perhaps go and pay his respects to Alixtra at the Harvest Shrine.
But you’re on a mission as you have a specific job to do now.
Searching through the Grove, you eventually manage to round up your entire class and have them all gathered around you. The children have spent the day running through the various fields and playing, encouraging their parents and the other adults to work well while enjoying themselves. Now they all stand before you, looking suitably tired yet excited.
Children did not participate in the harvest itself, but they did have an important role to play during the Festival. Alongside helping you decorate and creating a suitably atmospheric mood for Appleseed Grove, they were also the ones who would make offerings to Alixtra for a good bounty next year as well.
Each child had a fruit or vegetable that had been picked today, the biggest and best of each crop held tightly in their small hands. Smiling at them all as you counted them, you crouched down and brought them all in closer.
“Okay everyone, we’re going to do this just like we practiced, remember?” They all nod at you seriously, their faces carefully restrained while their eyes gleamed with repressed emotion. “Good, come on then. Everyone’s waiting!”
Walking through the crowd of pixies that surrounded the Harvest Shrine, you smiled at them all in turn as they gave way to you and your little procession. Cooing and soft murmurs of joy rippled through them as they took in the sight of the tiny children and their big harvest, each small face full of concentration that made them look even more adorable.
Reaching the Harvest Shrine, you bowed your head reverently to the carving of Alixtra before gesturing to the children. Each one came forward and placed their harvest onto the wooden altar, bowing their head as you’d taught them before taking a step back. This continued on until everyone was done and the shrine was filled.
Looking them over as they stood in a straight line, their hands all linked together as you’d taught them, you grin before nodding your head to let them know they could finish.
“Thank you Alixtra for this harvest. Please accept our labour and bless us for next year.” The words were carefully monotonous as each child tried hard to remember what they’d learnt. You bite your lip to prevent the smile that wants to leave as some of them mess up their words but overall, it’s good and you feel unbelievable pride at them all.
Once done, they look at you and burst into grins and cheers of excitement as you nod your head in satisfaction at them. Laughing finally, you crouch and accept all their hugs before watching as they rush off to find their parents. The noise level increases exponentially as everyone begins to celebrate finally. There are no more rituals to perform, just excitement and fun to be had.
Looking around the Grove, you take in everything for a second with a smile. The lanterns give everything a warm, friendly atmosphere as they bring an orange glow to the bark of the surrounding trees. Festive bunting strung from house to house and tree to tree flutter gently in the soft breeze. The scent of honey glazed pine nuts and hazelnut crusted apple slices dances through the air lazily, causing your stomach to rumble in anticipation.
The familiar outline of your younger brother catches your attention though, his sweet laugh reaching your ears as he hands Jiwon a strawprise. It was a terrible name that had been coined long ago by a travelling pixie who had introduced it to Appleseed Grove. Half a strawberry coated in a sticky honey glaze and grilled before being coated in orange peel. It was delicious and a favourite snack to enjoy when the weather was warm.
You’re not surprised to see your siblings together. They are twins after all. What’s even less of a surprise is the way Jimin’s eyes light up when he spots you, his smile growing even bigger and brighter.
Sighing deeply, you steel yourself as you realise this is going to be the moment. The moment that Jimin and Taehyung have been working towards. When they would finally reveal to you who your secret admirer was.
What they didn’t know though, was that Seokjin and you had been working on your own plan to ruin their own. Whether or not you’d manage to pull it off was an entirely different story. It all depended on if you could both act it out properly without hurting each other or anything.
You’d find out soon enough though. Jimin was herding Jiwon towards you and it was only when they started moving that you realised Seokjin and Taehyung had been there too, hidden by the pixies waiting to be served. Neither of them had noticed you yet, both talking to each other intently while nibbling on their snacks.
Scanning over Seokjin, your stomach flipped at the sight of him. He was beyond handsome, entering the realm of ethereal. How you’d ended up being the one to gain his affection was still a mystery. He made a striking figure against everyone else around him, his height equal to Taehyung’s but towering over your smaller siblings.
While you’d been busy with the children, he must have slipped off to clean up after harvesting as his broad shoulders were highlighted by the white, silk shirt he wore. A lean waist tapered into his dark brown trousers, showing off his long legs which ended in the elegant leather boots. But you mainly focused on his face, admiring how nature had been so kind and generous to him.
His peony pink lips were plush and plump, glistening from the sticky glaze of the maple treat he was eating and you knew from experience that they were just as soft as they looked. Pink hair looked almost artfully styled on top of his head, making his tan skin even richer in the low lights while his eyes were creased in happiness as he laughed at something Taehyung said.
You loved Seokjin’s eyes. Even before you’d started dating, you’d always thought he had the sweetest eyes. Gentle and kind yet intense as well, the long dark lashes that surrounded them giving him an even more dramatic look. Yes, nature had fallen in love with Seokjin and you couldn’t blame her.
When combined with his patient, kind and inquisitive nature, it was impossible to not fall in love with him.
Which was a thought for another day, as even you knew that it was far too soon to be thinking such big thoughts like that. Still, your wings fluttered in anticipation at the sight of him as you hoped they wouldn’t betray the fact you were happy. It wouldn’t do to let Jimin and Taehyung achieve their little goal.
It’s not long before they’re greeting you, joy-filled on all their faces and beating out the exhaustion of all the work from today. You’re careful to act very politely with Seokjin, hoping you two aren’t letting on that you’re a little closer than your siblings might realise. As far as they were aware, you two were only acquainted and didn’t particularly consider each other friends.
“You’re free for the night now, right?” Jimin asks, slinging his arm around your shoulders before squeezing tightly. Cringing from the tight embrace, you poke at his side until he’s yelping and pulling away with a pout before holding out the strawprise he’d brought over for you.
“Thank you. And yeah, I’m all done now. Everyone else finished?” You didn’t think anyone else had any other jobs to do tonight but you weren’t entirely sure given how busy you’d been arranging your own time. Everyone shakes their head, including Seokjin, and you smile at them all happily.
“Great, then we can all just enjoy the night. Did you all have a good day?” The five of you move off to find an empty spot of grass, close enough to the festivities to be able to see, hear and smell everything but far enough that you can all hear each other without having to shout. Fluttering your wings slightly, you shift until you’re comfortable with them before realising that Taehyung and Jimin had moved around until Seokjin was sitting next to you.
It took a surprising amount of effort on your behalf to not reach out and touch him, especially when he’d placed his hand so close to yours on the ground. From this angle, he almost glowed in the gentle lights and you wanted to just rest your chin on your knees and watch him, fascinated with how quickly you’d fallen for him.
A sudden tickling sensation against your highly sensitive wings has you stiffening with wide eyes, glancing behind quickly to spot Seokjin’s translucent wing resting against your own softly. Twinkles of pink dust mixed with your burnt orange to create a beautiful image and you bit your lip as you turned back around, pleased with the subtle physical affection he was giving you.
Your wings were the most sensitive part of you with each pixie taking plenty of care to look after them. They weren’t as fragile as they looked, but it was considered especially rude to touch another’s wings on purpose. That social norm changed when you were in a relationship though and it was considered more intimate.
No one could see what Seokjin had done, but it made your stomach feel warm and tingly. Hiding your smile behind the strawprise that you eat slowly, you listen to Jiwon and Jimin start to argue over who had picked the most blackberries today. They’d both been based in that field and as usual, it had turned into a competition.
The argument certainly wasn’t helped by Taehyung making inputs now and then, grinning when both twins glared at him for ruining their point. Finishing your snack, you sighed and shook your head at all three of the younger siblings.
“I swear, is it impossible for you three to be around without it devolving into bickering? I see fewer arguments from the children I teach than from you all.” Jimin sticks his tongue at you in what was a very mature move while Jiwon scrunches her face up. Chuckling at them both, you glance over at Seokjin with a raised brow.
“Hey, don’t look at me! Taehyung and I don’t fight all that often.” He says with a laugh, holding his hands up almost like he’s trying to protect himself. That gets a snort from Jimin who looks at the fruit pixie next to you sardonically.
“Please, you live to bicker with Tae! And that’s nothing compared to when you’re around Jungkook. The three of you together are even worse than Jiwon and me.” Seokjin’s ears turn a delightful shade of red at Jimin’s accusation and he splutters as he tries to reject it. Giggling, you reach out and brush the hair from his forehead affectionately before letting your fingers trail to his now hot ears.
“Are you serious?” Taehyung suddenly shouts, causing you to jump in surprise and look at him with wide eyes. Your expression quickly morphs from one of a shock to confusion given the dual looks of surprise mixed with consternation on both Jimin and him.
And then you realise what you’d just done. The overly affectionate physical affection you’d just given Seokjin in a very public environment when you weren’t an overly affectionate person in general. On top of that, Seokjin had accepted your touch without complaint and without flinching away, something he would have never done before you’d started a relationship.
“Oh, apple trees.” You curse, pressing the palm of your hand to your face as you realise that instead of Seokjin and you ruining their plan, instead, you’d ruined your plan to ruin their plan. All because you can’t keep your hands off the handsome pixie next to you.
The quiet sigh from your right lets you know that Seokjin has realised that the game is up too. Thankfully though, he doesn’t appear to be too bothered by it. Instead, he just takes the opportunity to take your hand, lacing his fingers with yours and giving you the softest smile that makes his eyes shine with happiness.
“You two are together?” Jimin asks, his eyes wide as they dart from Seokjin’s face to yours then to your hands and back again. It almost makes you laugh at how surprised he looks and you realise that you at least got some victory in that they didn’t get to do whatever they were planning. Maybe this was the better result anyway.
“Yes. We did want to let you two go ahead with whatever you were going to plan tonight and then ruin it all for you to make up for all the times that you’ve annoyed us but that hasn’t worked.” Sighing, you shuffle a little closer to Seokjin before resting your head on one of his delightfully broad shoulders. He smells just as good as he had this morning and you wish that it was just you two, enjoying each other’s company alone amidst the revelry from everyone.
“Wha...when...when did this happen?” Now it’s Taehyung’s turn to have that outraged tone to his voice, which makes you feel a little better really. As much as you liked him, it was nice to finally have the upper hand this time.
“A few weeks ago. I’d gone to the library to take a book back and talked to Seokjin, telling him about you two and my ‘secret admirer’. Obviously, my ‘secret admirer’ was worried about what you were going to do so came and confessed before you could embarrass him. Or me.” Glancing up at Seokjin, you note his ears are going red again and smile softly, leaning to press a kiss to his cheek.
“We wouldn’t have embarrassed you…” Your younger brother trails off but his awkward expression catches him out, letting you know that they were probably planning exactly that. It’s made even worse by the way Jiwon snorts and rolls her eyes, pushing at Jimin’s shoulder hard.
“Liar, I’ve heard you two. I’m glad you spoiled it,” She grins at you before clapping her hands together in excitement, pure happiness shining from her as she looks you both over. “You’re so cute together!”
Now it’s your turn to feel shy and you press your face into Seokjin’s shirt, causing his chest to rumble as he laughs quietly. Letting go of your hand, he wraps his arm around your waist while carefully avoiding your wings, gently stroking your side in reassurance.
“Wonnie! Why do you always give up so easily?” Jimin pouts, his lower lip pushing out further than you’ve seen it lately while his eyes go wide and glassy at her. It has zero effect on his twin sister though who just sighs heavily before pushing him hard enough to have him falling over.
“I don’t give up easily, I just know when to not make a fool of myself.” She points out, crossing her arms and ignoring her brother’s attempts to get back in her good books. Taehyung doesn’t even try, just looking both Seokjin and you over carefully before sighing and nodding slowly.
“Okay, you ruined our plans. But it doesn’t matter anyway. You’ve done what I wanted, which is you started my big bro!” Now he’s giving you that trademark boxy smile, his excitement almost palpable as he wiggles in place. Watching him with a raised brow, you look up at Seokjin for potential advice but he just shrugs, obviously used to Taehyung’s changing moods.
“You’re not...mad?”
“Of course I’m not! I kept hinting it because I wanted you to date him. I know I can be annoying but I’m not cruel. I knew Seokjinnie had a big crush on you and he’d be good for you. So I don’t care that our plan failed because I still achieved my goal. Now you just gotta marry.” That has Seokjin spluttering, coughing up the honey water he’d been sipping at carefully until you’re patting his back in amusement.
“Steady, steady.” You murmur to him, trying not to laugh at the aghast way he looks at Taehyung. Eyes flickering over to Jimin, you watch as your own younger brother gets that look in his eyes that says he’s already planning mischief and you sigh deeply.
“You two are having nothing to do with any potential future engagement, do you hear me? Let us be for a while!” You curse at them both, shaking your fist and making Jiwon chuckle. Looking at her, she holds her hands up to placate you while shaking her head.
“Hey! I’m not getting involved in this so don’t get mad at me!” She pleads and you look away from her, lifting a brow as you look from Taehyung to Jimin carefully. Neither of them says anything but you note with a sinking feeling that they’ve both got those carefully neutral expressions painted on their faces.
The expressions that say they’re going to get up to something.
Almost immediately you stand, pulling Seokjin up with almost pure strength while you point at the two mischief-makers with narrowed eyes. “Don’t even think about it. Let us just enjoy the fact that we’re together, do you understand? And don’t you dare pressure Seokjin into anything!”
Grabbing Seokjin’s hand, you quickly walk away through the crowd before you can hear either of their protestations that they wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing. Seokjin doesn’t say anything either, just letting you lead him between people while you both ignore the fact that your obvious closeness was making subtle waves throughout.
Everyone knew everyone in Appleseed after all, so it wasn’t surprising that people noted your newfound affection towards the librarian. Thankfully though, no one was too inclined to say anything and just let you both go until you were on the other side of the grove, close to the aviary.
The soft cooing of the birds as they settled down for the night complemented the now subdued noises from the festival, letting you both feel like you were still part of everything while giving you both your own space. Leaning back against the fence, you carefully shift your wings over the top until they’re resting carefully before letting out a deep sigh that quickly evolves into a groan.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Seokjin cuts you off with a fingertip to your lips, an equally gentle smile on his own as he looks down at you fondly. The lighting isn’t as great here but he still looks beautiful.
“It’s okay Honestly, I’m not the best actor so I wasn’t looking forward to trying to keep a straight face. I’m glad we just got it out there.” His voice is calm and you can tell he’s genuinely not upset at you ruining the plan, perhaps even relieved that you can now both just be together without any of the cloak and dagger behaviour you’ve both been doing.
Although it has been fun to feel young again when you slunk around like you were trying to avoid your parents.
“Yeah...me too. Now we can just...be together. Normally and in the open.” You grin up at him before wrapping your arms around his waist, enjoying the way he feels so solid beneath your hands. Resting your chin on his chest, you close your eyes and simply take in a deep breath, enjoying how peaceful and calm everything seems to be at this moment. How much you just enjoy being around Seokjin, something you hadn’t even realised until you’d started dating.
“You’re happy, right?” Seokjin asks quietly, resting his cheek on your head while his arms come to embrace you around your shoulders. Nodding against him, you give him an affirmative noise as well, unwilling to ruin the moment.
You don’t need him to tell you that he feels the same. The way his arms tighten around you and the soft kiss he presses to your forehead lets you know, causing you to smile as you simply enjoy the moment while the rest of Appleseed Grove celebrates around you.
Despite the annoyance you’d felt at both Taehyung and Jimin only a few months ago with their secret admirer nonsense, you owed them for the fact that Seokjin had finally gotten the courage to tell you his true feelings. Not that you’d ever let them know that of course. But most of all, you were just thankful that Seokjin had decided to come forward.
You may have only been with him for a few weeks now, but you already couldn’t imagine your life without the beautiful fruit pixie in it anymore.
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