#yorick's show and tell
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ALL THE BFB TEAMS TOGETHER RAHHHH [explodes]
#osc#osc art#bfdi#bfb#yorick's show and tell#I actually really enjoyed experimenting with limited colour palettes here!#I'm hoping to find an opportunity to do something like this again
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did I ever tell you guys about how I would adapt (the tragedy of) Hamlet (prince of Denmark) if ever given the chance. because I have so many thoughts and I’m adding onto them all the time so here’s a post with all my ideas compiled.
- firstly, it would be an animated mini-series of five episodes, each one corresponding to an Act. I think Animation is a highly under-utilised and underappreciated medium that would suit this particular story well in terms of what it could achieve visually and also these are just a bunch of words to say I’m heavily biased towards animation and just love it so much.
- there are so many fun little character design tidbits i would implement. including but not limited to: Horatio being the shortest, Claudius/Hamlet Sr identical twins (and Claudius having a Scar reminiscent scar on his face for the drama… and also the eventual Act 5 Scene 2 parallels when Laertes wounds Hamlet with the rapier in an incidentally similar way), Laertes having a silly curly moustache, Horatio and Ophelia resembling the other, Hamlet looking tired, pale and ghostly at all times, character’s hair being used as a way to show passing of time (Hamlet having hair on the long side of short in Act 1, growing but in a little ponytail over Act 2, medium-length and unkempt in Acts 3 & 4, and cut shortly and neatly in Act 5. also Ophelia’s hair growing noticeably as well and being often neatly braided with little flowers in Acts 1-2, loosely braided without flowers in Act 3, but being down and wild in Act 4 etc), and so on so forth.
- I would shamelessly be including flashbacks to pre-tragedy memories of the castle/inhabitants. Baby R&G&H running through the castle halls and playing hide and seek. Hamlet actually, god forbid, practicing fencing. The Players entertaining at the castle in Hamlet’s youth. Ophelia and Hamlet sneaking out into the garden beneath the willows by the pond, Hamlet braiding flowers into her hair while they sit together. Yorick entertaining baby Hamlet. All coloured with the softest, goldenest glows that nostalgia can manage to contrast the desaturated depressive hues of the current day. I think a lot of the tragedy of *Hamlet* specifically lies in comparing what was to what ended up being, and since the play starts after Hamlet’s entered his mourning period, it’s hard to fully comprehend the true nature of such a fall.
- Each Act having a lovely stylised title card in its introduction with themes and motifs that are specifically prevalent throughout. Act 3 would have curtains, for example, given the play staging and Polonius’ later poor choice of hiding place. Act 5 introduces the classic skull we all know and love.
- Very purposeful dramatic lighting and colour throughout. Daylight lighting and then the switch to a lot of Hamlet’s soliloquies seeming to appear under more ‘spotlight’ lighting. Early evening during the play, sunset during the scene where Claudius prays (golden light tricking through beautiful stained-glass windows), nightfall when Hamlet yells at Gertrude. Lighting also being used to dramatise entrances perhaps, such as Claudius’s prayer being interrupted by the shift to ‘spotlight’ lighting before we even see Hamlet at the door.
- Same goes with music and motifs, interwoven character leitmotifs and themes that shift keys and qualities and work together to make larger pieces and show up to herald the arrival of a character, or turn sour to match their emotions.
- the visual humour of the play being upped, as well as the wordy humour being emphasised, in order to really contrast the shift in tone throughout the halves of the play. I’ve always been a tragicomedy truther when it comes to Hamlet, I think if done well it could be a really neat way to get the audience to invest more in the characters while also really highlighting how quickly everything goes south.
Probably add more on as I go
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Writeblr Introduction
Just learned what a writeblr intro is so I'm gonna make one before I go to bed lol
I've already done something like this a few days ago but that was when I had no clue what I was doing lmao, so might as well make a more in depth one
About me:
19, she/her, bi
American
I write mostly fantasy and urban fantasy, and honestly i dont think i've ever written a story that was non-fantasy lol
Started writing when I was 10, but it was mostly Warrior Cats fanfiction on Wattpad lol. I went through a writing slump for most of highschool but last year I decided to get back into it since I'm not doing anything else lol
I like to read fantasy and classic lit, also anything with vampires. I also have a soft spot for slowburn romances where the main characters dont kiss until, like, the 4th book heehee
In love with anything gothic, vampire, and wlw 👩❤💋👩
I think one of my more niche interests is any early 2000s fantasy/sci-fi movie with a nu-metal/rock/alternative soundtrack like Queen of the Damned and The Crow. They are just...*chefs kiss*
My current stories:
A Chant for Blood (Formerly known as Account of Calamity)
Account of Calamity is a gothic victorian fantasy about a Grand Marshal, Karliah Helisende, and a blood-drinking fiend, Yorick Gwynplaine, who work together to investigate the mysterious portals that spawn dangerous creatures into the city of Isarnan, all the while Karliah is being haunted by the mysterious ancient temple that watches over her every move.
I'm currently working on the second draft, and I may start looking for beta readers once I'm finished, although I know I'm not far from finished with this novel. I also plan to make it a 4 or 5 book series, and slowly add a slowburn romance.
12/30/24 - Second draft has been finished!!
Looking for beta readers! Look here!
Our Demonic Hearts - The Craven Pact Series #1
Our Demonic Hearts is a urban fantasy about a cambion woman, Ana Kravens, haunted by her past. Taking place in a small Mississippi town, a man she went through a traumatic incident with, Beau Motloe, shows up on her doorstep one day with a deal; help him find his missing mother, and he'll give back the memories she lost during the traumatic incident. Her father, a demonic creature of unknown origin, wants nothing more than the Motloes dead, claiming that they were the very reason his daughter was almost killed 6 years ago. Ana goes against her father's wishes and accepts Beau's deal, suspecting that her father isn't telling the whole truth about that fatal night.
It is completed and available on Wattpad and Royal Road!! It was just a small project I had done for Nanowrimo, and has been edited at least once before being published. However, I plan to make it a trilogy and maybe have some spin-offs. This story is fairly new, but most of the characters are at least 5 years old and I love them very much <3
What I plan for 2024:
Finish the second draft of Account of Calamity and look for beta readers(Completed as of 1/30!! Will be looking for beta readers soon ^^)
Start the second novel of The Craven Pact Series
Write a short story/novella or two taking place within the Account of Calamity universe. My brain is currently exploding with ideas rn
Write a short story about Ana Kraven's mom and how she met Marchosias, Ana's father.
Plan something for Nano?? Idk where I'll be in November lol
I'm interested in following other writers and reading everybody's stories! I would also be interested in a beta read/beta swap ^^
Other sites I'm on:
Wattpad: LillithOfBees
Royal Road: SimonneBethel
Nanowrimo: BeeWitch
#writers on tumblr#my writing#writing#writeblr#fantasy#victorian#lgbt#literature#writerscommunity#creative writing#writing community#writers#wattpad#wattpad writer#royal road#gothic#writeblr intro#writeblr community#writers of tumblr#writer stuff#writeblr connect
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With you guys doing Hamlet as your play your reading this month, it aligns with my performance of Hamlet (and so sadly couldn’t read in) but I thought I’d share some tidbits from this performance:
- there are two Hamlets as Hamlet speaks so much, they do share To Be or Not To Be and it’s glorious
- Both Hamlets are played by queer women. As a result, Hamlet is by no means straight. It’s been agreed in the cast that Hamlet has slept with Laertes, Horatio, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.
- The ghost speaks through the tannoy system
- Claudius and Gertrude first entrance is to Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff. They have a choreographed dance number too.
- We only have one prop knife. It is known as “the communal dagger” since it’s used by Both Hamlets, Laertes, and Guildenstern. Not all at once thankfully.
- Speaking of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they’re both being played as frat bros. Claudius can’t tell them apart.
- The dumb show is done with masks and a paper crown made out of the script.
- Instead of The Mousetrap, Hamlet recites a poem (one the actor wrote herself) with heavy bass playing while Horatio stares down Claudius menacingly.
- Hamlet also gets a sick recorder solo. Or at least it would be sick, but she can’t play the recorder.
- During one scene, Hamlet gets tied up and dragged onstage by Guildenstern. She also runs off and Guildenstern has to make chase
- The gravedigger is Icelandic and they sing the songs in Icelandic.
- Yorick’s skull does not exist. Hamlet mimes holding one.
- Ophelia also doesn’t have a grave. But Laertes and Hamlet fight in top of her regardless.
- Hamlet and Laertes don’t fence. They play the Wii instead. We still have Hamlet’s line of “Since he went into France I have been in continual practice.” So it just sounds like he’s been playing games while he’s been mad.
- The communal dagger makes its return. However the idea was floated around that instead it would be a poisoned Wii remote.
- And finally and most importantly: Hamlet dies in Horatio’s arms. When she does, Horatio collapses on her dead body out of pure grief.
It’s been overall a fun performance to be a part of and I thought you’d enjoy these little notes.
- from Emi
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hi, how are you? can i request a fluff with a little hint of hurt/comfort brienne x reader? The reader is like training for a war or smth (maybe for the war in the long night episode) and the reader fainted while training. Brienne sees the reader full of cuts and she takes care of her (reader). If you can't write it, it's fine! And no pressure, take your time! 😚✨️
(sorry about my sh***y grammar btw 😅)
- 🦢
Thanks for the request. Hope this is ok!
The Long Night
Brienne of Tarth x fem reader
Summary: read request
Warnings: fighting
Requests open
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The White Walkers are fast approaching. You have been at Winterfell for the last couple of months after travelling down from the wall. You were the only female at the wall so you were glad you were now surrounded by some other women. There was one woman who could fight better than most men here. Her name is Brienne and you were making it your mission to get as good as her in the time you had.
You have been training every day since you arrived and you still seemed to be struggling. Even the weakest of men seem to be defeating you. You stood no chance against the White Walkers when they eventually arrive. There was also no saying when they would turn up. They could show up tomorrow or they could show up in the next couple of months.
That's why you needed to make sure your training was the best it could be because who knew when the war would start. Your day started like most others waking up in a freezing cold room. The only downside to fires is that if you don’t keep feeding them they eventually die out.
Reluctantly you pulled yourself out of your bed and plodded over to the fireplace placing some more wood and restarting the fire. At least if you started a fire now your room would be warmer when you returned to it later. You got dressed into some more suitable clothing. A basic long sleeve top and trousers were fine in your room but out there in the cold you would likely get frostbite.
Once you were dressed in a couple layers of trousers and tops plus your winter coat you were ready to venture outside so you could head to the great hall to have breakfast. Breakfast was the same everyday. A chunk of bread and a mug of watered down wine. It wasn’t exactly filling but it was better than nothing.
You sat by yourself quite happy munching on your bread and drinking your wine just watching everything that was going on around you. Then you heard a chair next to you move. You looked up to see it was one of your only friends Yorick. “Hey Yorick, how are you this morning?” you asked him as he sat down with his bread and wine.
“I’m doing good. Looking forward to training later?” he asked you. “Absolutely not. I just can’t seem to get the hang of it. I’ve been training for months and I just don’t seem to be getting much better. I can tell you I’m going to be one of the first to die” you laughed to yourself but deep down you were petrified. “Oh don’t be so hard on yourself y/n. We have time to get your training up to speed. Come on, the sooner we finish eating the sooner we can start training again” Yorick said to you.
“Thanks Yorick you always know how to make me feel better” you smiled at him as you finished eating your food. Once you had finished eating you made your way back to your room so you could get changed into your armour so you could safely train. The room was much warmer when you arrived which made your whole body relax.
Once you were changed into something more suitable you headed outside where everyone was currently waiting for training to begin. You sighed to yourself because deep down you knew how today would end up, being humiliated by everyone else.
When you did finally make it down with everyone else you just stood with Yorick waiting for the better trained men to come down and teach you the basics. “I really don’t know why you bother showing up y/n, you never seem to pick anything up from training” one of the men said while laughing at you.
“Well at least she is trying,” Yorick said, piping up coming to your defence. “Yeah but we all know that she won’t last five minutes on that battlefield, the White Walkers are coming and we need good men and women to fight in this army. If she doesn’t buck her ideas up she may as well not fight” another man laughed.
Yorick was about to say something but you grabbed his hand and pulled him away. “Hey, what's up?” he asked. “They’re right, if I don’t get better at this training then there is a high chance I’m going to die when this war officially begins.” you sighed “Come on let's start training” you said, picking up a wooden sword and carrying it over to where everyone was practising.
You are Yorick trained for a couple of hours before having a rest to have something to eat. Lunch was rabbit pottage mixed with vegetables. This you could eat every day. It was nice and filled you up. After having something to eat you, Yorick and the rest of the men and women who had been training went back outside to continue.
However when you went out you noticed a tall armoured woman standing on one of the balconies. Oh please don’t say she is going to be in charge of training this afternoon. Don’t get me wrong you like Brienne but you always managed to make yourself look like a fool in front of her and she knows it too.
“Y/n a moment of your time” Brienne called down to you. Sighing you made your way up to Brienne to listen to what she had to say. “I’m going to be observing you in training today. If I don’t see any kind of improvement we are going to have to remove you from training and assign you some place else. You have a place in this war, fighting it upfront just may not be it” she said with a gentle look on her face.
“I won’t disappoint you Brienne” you said to her making eye contact the whole time. “I hope you’re not wrong. Now off you go” she said as you then turned on your feet making your way back down to where everyone was training. Knowing that Brienne was watching makes you really put in more effort not to mess up.
All was going smoothly until they asked you to switch sparring partners. You got partnered with one of the men that was making fun of you earlier. This was just typical but you sucked it up and got on with it. You were both fighting and for once you managed to disarm your sparring partner. You smiled to yourself before looking up to Brienne who was now smiling back at you.
However with your back turned you didn’t see how annoyed your sparring partner was and he managed to grab hold of a sword that would actually do some damage to you but you didn’t notice. You started sparing again but Brienne noticed something different about your partner's sword. Just as she was about to call everyone to a halt the worst happened.
“You don’t belong here” your partner yelled before taking his sword and running the blade along your face. You don’t remember much from then on. Everything became a blur really quickly. You could feel the blood running down your face, before seeing Brienne running towards you. You felt your body become off balance and before your body even hit the floor everything had gone black.
When you finally awoke all you could feel was pain. Your hand immediately went to your face hoping it was all a dream however when you felt the gash and immediate pain following you realised this was no dream. You naturally let out a groan due to the pain and that’s when you heard someone move in the corner.
You watched as the person stood tall and you immediately knew it was Brienne. “What happened?” you groaned. “The man you were training for whatever reason decided to attack you. I thought his sword looked different but just as I was about to call everyone to a stop it was too late” she sighed looking at the nasty gash you now had over your face.
“Is it bad?” you asked Brienne sitting up slightly in your bed. “Yes y/n it is. When you passed out I took you straight to your room. I stopped the bleeding, cleaned out your wound, stitched it up and covered it the best I could to stop it from getting infected. I’ve given you milk of the poppy as well to help with the pain so if you feel sleepy that's why” she said to you standing up to leave.
“I also noticed you have quite a lot of small cuts on your body from training. I would really like you to take care of yourself. Those other cuts may be small but they too can lead to infection. Now I’m going to let you rest. I will see you tomorrow” she said but just as she was about to open the door to leave you grabbed her attention.
“Wait! I don’t want to be alone, Brienne. Can you please stay with me tonight? I’m scared that guy is going to come back and finish me off” you said, starting to sob quietly. “Oh y/n, I wouldn’t normally but considering your hurt I will tonight. As for that so-called man he is being punished for what he did to you. We need all the men and women we need right now so fuck knows why he was trying to kill you” she sighed getting fustrated.
You watched as Brienne took off her armour making herself more comfortable but still kept, oathkeeper nearby just in case anything were to happen. “I’m going to train you” Brienne blurted out. You looked up shocked.
“Really! You’re going to train me?” you asked, getting all excited. “Yes but once you have healed enough. We are limited on time but we will train one on one every morning and evening and I expect you to attend mandatory training as well” Brienne said sitting on the bed next to you.
You couldn’t help but smile “Thank you Brienne” you said as you finally felt the effects of the medication that Brienne had given you. Once Brienne knew you were asleep she tucked you in making sure you were comfortable.
But she didn’t leave. She stayed the whole night making sure the fire had wood on it and that you and your wounds were ok. She truly did care for you.
#gwendoline christie#gwendolineuniverse#fanfics#brienne of tarth#brienne x reader#caring#comfort#fighting#winterfell#the wall#castle black#brienne of tarth x reader#brienne x y/n#the long night#brienneoftarth1989
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Day 3 of Ship-Mas: Hamlet/Horatio/Ophelia from Hamlet
well, i’m no longer just doing ships from musicals, as you can tell. i finished reading hamlet a couple weeks ago and went INSANE. these 3 all deserved better.
i did in fact have to make it angsty. let’s just go over details of this one.
ophelia is holding some of her flowers (i was gonna be cool and have a specific flower but i cant think of one) and has tear tracks on her cheeks
hamlet is holding yorick’s skull, and has massive eyebags (of course he does)
horatio is holding letters from hamlet, as well as the letter he was given that shows claudius’s guilt over ordering hamlet’s death in england. he has a bloody handprint on his cheek, left from went hamlet was dying. (is it realistic? not really, but it is angsty sooooo)
anyway. i am soooo normal over them
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Let me tell you a little about how they met. I mentioned that Zilla was just a spoiled rich young man. He used to persue the love of woman until Yorick arrived with the intention of asking his sister's hand in marriage. He came from a lower house and didn't stand a chance, but that's not the point. Yorick organized a little meeting by a spring, and Zilla was there having fun with the ladies when Yorick approach him bringing a cluster of grapes. He offered them to Zilla insinuating himself between Zilla and the woman. Since then, it has been always like that. There was always someone else between them. But then Zilla was in Viena ready to marry the Princess when Yorick showed up telling him he didn't want his sister, but Zilla himself. They also went to a little war against vampires, but that's for another time. And if you're wondering about Kathrin, the bride, it wasn't uncommon for women to have women lovers as well as for men to have male lovers.
#boys love#vampire#vampire masquerade#vampire the masquerade#vampire dark ages#zilla and Yorick#gay love#gay couple
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Riverdale S7 E 11 (Chapter 128) Halloween 2
Jughead has found some sort of closure with the death of Rayberry though no answers yet about his potential murder, so he’s back to narrating. Except - you know how Veronica said that his storytelling had troubling sexual politics (i.e. misogynistic)? Well, he disappointed me by casually using the very unexamined & cliche misogynist phrase “crazy cat lady” about that woman who wanted to know if there was some milk she could borrow.
He is not showing his usual acumen at sussing out the weird. Because her obsession with filching milk from the associates of a known suicide is very intriguing. Some questions, such as: Is this area some place that is impossible to get milk delivery? Has she ever seen the milkman or is this a place the milk man never came and suddenly showed up for Rayberry? Is this residence in a food desert where getting basics like milk is difficult? Jughead is usually sympathetic to the underprivileged and yet- 1950s Jughead casual misogyny! #disappoint.
Anyway, after failing to follow up on that potential lead, he nevertheless goes charging over to Sheriff Keller’s house to bother him in the middle of a not great work month to tell him he’s doing his job badly. Unsurprisingly, Keller’s reaction is not amused. Jughead thinks that the milkman is important - “a killer milkman at large” he says, even though he doesn’t like saying it. He literally cringes at himself (decade upon decades ahead of his time) in having to say the words A, Killer, Milkman, At, Large. His hands are up in a very defensive, hands-up pose, begging Please don’t kick me out and Please don’t think i’m crazy. Keller is being very courteous. He says it’s already established that Rayberry suicided - which Jughead vehemently disagrees with.
It’s very hard to get law enforcement to redo homework they’ve already turned in. Keller is not at all an exception to this rule. He wants Jughead to produce someone who actually SAW a milkman, before he opens Rayberry’s case again. He tells Jughead to stop being annoying, trying to give him work and such, then segues immediately into exposition for this episode: Halloween is “not for teenagers looking to make trouble,” so he wants Jughead, a known trouble maker in Keller’s eyes because of his obsession with making Keller do proper policework, to remember “our ban.”
He has Jughead all wrong, does Keller, and always has across all universes. Like, the narrative shows that Jughead liked, at minimum, and probably adored (for unspecified reasons) Jason Blossom but Keller accused Jughead of somehow obtaining a gun, shooting Jason at point blank range in the forehead and then transporting his body all the way to the river to dump it there. Jughead for the past several episodes has been entirely isolated from anyone who does anything social in Riverdale right now (Archie, Reggie, Betty, Veronica), is trying to nurture a romantic friendship with Tabitha Tate, and is also revealed to be someone who has milk as part of his nutritionally complete breakfast - he’s as buttoned up and wholesome in his daily habits as anyone can be, in short - but Keller feels compelled to tell him to not get into trouble on Halloween.
We’re at the very fancily done traincar (Seriously, is that ceiling really like that or is that clever trompe l’oeil hollywood magic via Veronica??), where Jughead, who still manages to sleep with his felt crown without crushing it, contemplates a very full bottle of milk like it’s the skull of Yorick before smelling it then pouring it down the drain.
Many questions again - Does Jughead’s *train car* get milk delivery service? Also he has a drain? It connects to a sewage system somehow? (I also wonder this all the time about the OG Universe Dilton’s Bunker which has a flush toilet.) In any case, he just pours what he thinks might be poisoned straight into the sewage system.
While Drac’s Back (the song) is playing, Veronica is having breakfast at the Babylonium, which has on its marquee “Science Fiction Double Feature.” I have long black hair and bangs. Why can’t my hair look like that? How does she do that? She’s excited because she’s going to wear a whole dominatrix witch outfit to school.
Veronica’s outfit is EYE POPPING. Super high heels, large-gauge fishnet stockings, a boudoir chiffon skirt over a gem encrusted bodysuit, bare shoulders and arms, studded collar, an excellent broom prop and a fantastic witch hat. Her lipstick is black even. Everyone is completely agog, then it turns a bit mocking. As she walks down the hall, Veronica realizes these people don’t do Halloween costumes at school. At all.
When she enters the student lounge, her appearance is greeted with a record scratch sound. Betty can’t stop smiling about how hot Veronica looks to her (“You look- [grin grin grin] everything PLUS.”) Everyone’s reactions are so funny. Dilton is startled but can’t not stare at Veronica’s ass as she walks past him to talk to the people who count. Betty as I’ve said is very happy. Veronica glows so hot Reggie can’t actually keep looking directly at her. Archie is googly eyed with happiness. Why Betty and Archie look at each other to confirm that Veronica is indeed looking very fetching is the question that should launch much speculation about their respective sexualities.
In any case, Archie, then Cheryl, then Toni provide some context rules: Riverdale is uncomfortable about Halloween unlike Greendale which actively celebrates it, to such an extent that teenagers have to observe a sundown curfew. When Archie explains finally that a bunch of teenagers died in a tragic car accident on Halloween a few years back, Clay also looks intrigued. Veronica is bereft about not being able to do anything much on Halloween. Also nobody is allowed to say “hell” - Archie says “raising Heck” and Kevin says “raising Cain.” Reggie won’t even miss it - he’s never celebrated Halloween.
Veronica gives a little speech about all the ways Halloween can be liberating - for sexual exploration as well as to “honor the dead.” When Veronica says “back in Los Angeles” and describes what sounds like a normal Hollywood party, Cheryl has a really bad reaction. Why is Cheryl so enraged every time Veronica talks about Los Angeles? In any case, Veronica says the Lodges had “a family altar” where they lit candles for the dead. Im’ curious about the insane amount of Halloween related decorations that are up in this room anyway - no fewer than five carved Jack O Lanterns, a witch decal, more pumpkins, a couple skulls and ghosts and bats.
Veronica announces that nothing shall hold her down. She also uses the word “gatekeepers” and I don’t know if that means anything. Just in time to her saying, “Just when you think this town couldn’t get any kookier” in comes Jughead. Who immediately starts freaking out about milk. He starts screaming to NOT DRINK FRESH MILK ANYMORE. He slaps Dilton’s milk carton right out of his hand. He advises everyone to Drink Powdered Milk. Veronica is so tired of his silliness. I wonder if she’s going to do anything about it, because she is the only who is shown having a reaction.
We cut to Ethel, on the phone next to a very overbearing Mother Mary statuary AND a crucifix on the wall, telling Jughead she’s OK. Ethel says she misses Jughead (aww) and she misses school but this all just sails right over his head because he is still in his manic episode about the milkman. He tells Ethel, incarcerated in an insane asylum for claiming a milkman killed her parents, that he doesn’t want to upset her further but then directly proceeds to tell her his theory that his favorite author (which she knows! Because they’re actually really friends!) was murdered by “a” milkman at the very least. Then she has a great insight- that it would be useful to talk to whoever wrote the originating Killer Milkman comic. Just as Jughead is about to exult about this idea, Ethel hurriedly says that she has to go because the nun is giving her the evil eye, ending with a meaningful “hopefully I will see you soon.” Jughead wonders what she meant.
At the shop class facilities at school, Archie has successfully involved himself in Betty and Reggie’s twosome project to make Bella a usable car. Reggie and Archie are wearing matchy-matchy his-and-his T shirts smudged just the right amount with gunk (Reggie in white, Archie in green). The two of them flexing their muscles side by side doing car fiddly things makes Betty, who is dressed like Rosie the Riveter but with a pink paisley bandana that leaves most of her hair free, falls immediately into an erotic fugue. Her fantasies are really very specific - a threesome when the two others have eyes - and lips - only for her. Archie wants to give Reggie a “real Halloween” because all he’s ever done is cowtipping.
Betty defines a real Halloween as 1. trick or treating, 2. visiting a graveyard and 3. necking in a haunted house. Archie is familiar with 1 and 2 but she just made up No. 3, I think, because his eyes are bugging out of his head. He looks over at Reggie to see if he’s into it. Reggie is all about it.
Meanwhile, Veronica is flipping through the scrapbook of the Babylonium’s events of the past. There was in 1942 a Halloween Ghost Show at this theater, where a Phantom Polka Dancer would “appear in person” for “one night only.” The phantom polka dancer looks a lot like that possessed girl from The Exorcist. Veronica wants to recreate this ‘Halloween Ghost Show’ but before she can complete her smirk of satisfaction she hears thudding from what should be the empty projection room.
Very bravely, she goes to investigate. In it she discovers the gays necking. Clay pretends he left keys in the room. Veronica wants to do a 1920s glam themed ghost show for a Halloween night indoor event for the teenyboppers - staying with the letter of the law in order to flout its spirit. She’s so ambitious - it’s gonna be “monsters, movies, burlesque” ending with a “raising of the dead at midnight.”
Is Jughead even going to school anymore or does he just pop in and out of the publishing house at lunch time? In any case, his editor in chief keeps zero track of who has written what, so he doesn’t know who wrote the Milkman comics. But he does invite Jughead to the staff party for grown ups.
I guess Betty has completely subdued the school principal as well as his child psychologist boyfriend because the sheer amount of school real estate that Veronica’s promotional activities for her business is allowed to take up in its halls is astonishing. For a town that supposedly has a lot of trauma about four teenagers that died on Halloween, the booth she’s erected is enormous and spectacular. Clay and Kevin shout things like “There will be mayhem” but there isn’t a single disapproving adult in sight. Veronica is brazen. She promises that the four dead Riverdale students will “return from the dead before your very eyes.”
Later, Toni approaches Cheryl to show us that she’s back to her old bullshit. Here she is, drawing Cheryl ‘out’ again, to participate in a gay-backup-dancers-only floor show choreographed by Veronica. Cheryl isn’t so sure about any of this, and in any case, she has Vixen duties. After giving Cheryl (and only Cheryl) an inexplicably hard time about race dynamics, now Toni brings up the need for LGBTQ solidarity in order to force Cheryl into doing something that Cheryl isn’t sure about, that will also cause her to renege on an obligation she feels is a “tradition.” “People like us” is what Toni says. She is so manipulative.
At the end of basketball practice, Uncle Fucking Frank wants to make sure that none of his boys is gonna “go out wilding.” The locker room is also festooned with Halloween paraphernalia. Who put it up and why?
Julian starts to immediately make trouble. He has a little towel draped around his lower half, and I wonder if he’s in the same erotic fugue about Reggie and Archie, because he unnecessarily spread his legs to put one foot up on the bench to show both of them his junk as he invites the two to go ‘wilding’ with him. Reggie says no. Julian starts bark-hooting to get the other boys riled up after announcing that the ‘wilding’ is going to begin in the school parking lot after sundown on Halloween. Archie disapproves, turning his back on everyone to open his locker.
WE HAVE A VERY COOL LOCKER TO LOCKER TRANSITION as Archie closes his locker which then turns into Veronica’s locker door in the girls’ locker room, which she opens. She and Betty are talking about Reggie’s virginity (about Halloween) and how unbelievable that is. Veronica knows that Betty has the hots for someone, so she asks about it. Betty confesses that she has the hots for both Reggie and Archie. She advises Betty to use Halloween night to figure out which one makes her clit tingle more (“figure out which way your love compass is truly pointing”). Veronica’s skin in this game is that she wants to be told all about it the next day.
At the Blossom mansion, Penelope is drinking some red liquor. Her hair is amazingly ridiculous and it looks like a bitch to maintain it so it looks that exact degree of wrong and unflattering. Omg she’s so hot. Anyway. She thinks that Cheryl is less likely to gayly molest the other cheerleaders if they “decamp” the sleepover to “the grand hall.” Julian apparently is fully aware of what is being discussed, enough to object to his mother putting images of his sister engaging in “hanky panky” into the dinner conversation.
Adult supervision finally catches up with Veronica just as she’s putting the final touches on the decorations for her Halloween show. Alice Cooper appears, bristling with insecurity about the new competition in the Halloween entertainment of Riverdale of which she’s had a monopoly so far (“It’s not going to affect our ratings.”) Hence the whole Halloween taboo is partially revealed to be not so much about lowering teen mortality nor in honor of the dead. It’s about ratings & eyeballs on advertisers. Alice says that she will “allow” the event to proceed, but tells Veronica that she has been “put on notice.” About what? That Alice disapproves of Veronica?
After stocking up on Powdered Milk, Jughead hears someone walk directly up to his (very insecure) residence. He’s immediately terrified. He hides after grabbing some sort of hammer or poker or something.
It’s Ethel! She’s all smudged with dirt, wearing a very disheveled inmate uniform.
Jughead wants to know how she escaped from the asylum. She says that she’d heard about the escape tunnels, so she spent all her time looking for them. Having located them, it was her truncated call with Jughead that “gave me the push I needed to make a break for it.” Because she is alone that absolutely nobody ever calls her (not Betty, not Alice, not Dilton, not Ben) that she clung on to the one slight indication she was entirely forgotten! The two of them exchange a tender look. I like them together. Ethel says her keepers were cruel and abusive, so she just needs to make it a “couple months” until she’s 18. Jughead wants to invite her to stay with him, but it’s not safe. He offers Rayberry’s apartment, because Rayberry had the very useful foresight to pay rent through to the end of the year.
Jughead is just the nicest. He is concerned that she might be too afraid to stay in a dead man’s apartment, but Ethel is stalwart. He also invites her to a party her first night sprung from jail.
In the bathroom at school, Midge seeks permission to not have to go to the slumber party from Cheryl. Cheryl responds at first with the party line - the slumber party is “a Vixen tradition” and “the center must hold.” Midge folds immediately.
Cheryl is, I will note again, incredibly powerful in this timeline. Archie really, really didn’t know what he was talking about when he said people don’t listen to Cheryl. He’s simply protected from her wrath by dint of having the ginger gene.
But then, Cheryl realizes she wants to go to the Veronica-led event, so she comes up with the idea to let Evelyn (“that witchy witch”) to host the slumber party instead, so she and Midge can go to the Babylonium instead. The two girls (the gay one and the pregnant one) sweetly affirm to each other how discreet each of them are, and promise to reveal a big secret on Halloween night.
So even though he allowed (or was powerless against) Veronica to do whatever she wanted in terms of her commercial activities, Featherhead and his boyfriend still have hard-ons for giving Jughead Jones a rough time. Jughead is subjected to questioning by the pair as well as Keller and Sister Woodhouse about the missing Ethel Muggs. Being a smart boy, Jughead has learned all the right lessons from Rayberry about how to deal with these people’s pressure tactics. He responds with sarcastic amazement that they’ve essentially ‘lost’ Ethel - that is, he avoids lying but simply neglecting to answer an unstated question. Then when Keller threatens him with another home invasion, Jughead directly asks him not to ‘trash’ the place with a smile, which he wipes from his face immediately to demonstrate his disdain. As he takes his leave, a very Halloween ghost cackles for him as part of the soundtrack transition to the next scene.
At home, Archie and Reggie are putting themselves into the costumes created by Mary Andrews (who can’t stand to be seen now that there are THREE men in the house.) Reggie and Archie discuss Betty. The boys boast to each other about “getting vibes” from Betty. Archie suddenly wonders if Betty might want to “make it” with one of them this night. Made entirely of cheekbones, pouty lips and pecs, this causes Reggie to very homosexually get super close to Archie to say that it wouldn’t surprise him if Betty had such horny plans, since “she ain’t blind.”
It’s very ambiguous actually if he means only himself, or Archie, or both of them. In the mirror, he’s looking at himself frontwise, but he’s also looking at Archie’s sculpted arms and chest and the rest of him in the all american white T and jeans. Archie either genuinely doesn’t (he is just not smart in this universe) or pretends to think that Reggie meant only himself. So they stand shoulder to shoulder in the mirror, because that’s a very heterosexual thing to do, while Archie says that “she might wanna get with me, Reg.” Having been thus rejected, Reggie walks away from him. Unholstering his big gun, Reggie suggests that if either of them get the feeling that Betty has chosen either one of them, the unchosen will “vamoose.” Archie agrees, which leads to the two of them pointing their guns at each other. Twice.
Ethel and Jughead arrive at the Halloween party. I wish I knew what they were dressed as. Jughead is wearing a huge stovepipe hat. Ethel is in the mask that Jughead promised her. The extraordinarily elaborate costumes that all these comic book industry people are wearing would put a lot of cons to shame. Bernie screams for Jughead, launching himself into an embrace. Jughead looks extremely happy to be embracing Bernie. Bernie says “It’s gonna be a crazy night” so Jughead and Ethel enter the fray.
While her parents are hamming it up on tv, Betty’s three suitors (Reggie, Archie and for some reason Dilton) are waiting for her to appear at their home. When Archie and Reggie (meanly) imply that Dilton is there as a form of hero worship for the two of them in his role as “the water boy,” Dilton stands up for himself to let them know that Betty invited him in particular to be here.
When she appears, Betty’s cleavage looks absolutely amazing. It brings Reggie and Archie to their feet. Dilton is so agog that he doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be. Betty has really thought of everything about this entrance, from the costume to the perfect thing to say. She’s Goldilocks because “she couldn’t decide on a bed so she tried all three. Dilton has a really huge pumpkin head as his costume.
Reggie is having the best time trick or treating. He cocks out a hip and deploys his dimples to maximum effect. Of course, the good times can’t last. The four of them witness Julian and others bashing pumpkin decorations with baseball bats as they drive by, hollering. Of course, the cops are nowhere to be seen when it’s Julian Blossom flouting the rules and causing actual property damage. Dilton wisely decides he’s had enough, and goes home.
At Veronica’s event at the Babylonium, things look very “Cabaret” to me, which is 1930s not 20s, but it doesn’t matter. People look very sexy here. The costumes for this are eye popping as well - one girl has a whole 3 foot tall headdress and everything. As soon as Cheryl and Midge enter, Toni is all over Cheryl.
I was so happy they didn’t make me listen to Fangs singing at his big gig, but Riverdale betrays me by forcing me to listen to him at this party.
At the Pep Comics party, workaholic artists gonna art, apparently because sketching is going on - with Ethel participating! Jughead interviews a series of very interestingly wonky-looking people. One guy in a silk top hat who says he doesn’t know who wrote the Milkman story but is seething with jealousy over it. Jonah, in smudgy eyeliner, doesn’t think it was that great. Then Jughead talks to the devil, who tells him that it was “Ted Sullivan, a journeyman writer.” (Ted Sullivan is on the writing staff at Riverdale, and wrote among others, the “Killing Mr. Honey” episode.) After saying his name four times, Riverdale drops the bomb that this Ted is dead, died the same way as Rayberry, because he didn’t think he could live up to the masterpiece that was the Milkman Comic. Then the devil launches into a speech about “the enemy is here, at home” and “we’re the enemies.” Jughead is very startled.
After lighting a truly huge number of candles at the graveyard, Reggie and Bettie are howling at the sky. Reggie says he knows a lot about wolves because he’s a fellow alpha who grew up with them. His way of showing off is so cute and so dumb. “Is that what you think you are? An alpha?” Betty asks in a butter soft voice.
I know they’ll deny it, but Riverdale writing team has read at least some of those werewolf-Serpent fanfics, because this set up - howling together ‘as a joke’ in a graveyard on Halloween then having Reggie and Betty talk like this is almost a fricking prompt for some Retty/Beggie werewolf AUs to be drafted.
What could be a very interesting alpha-omega discussion between this pair is interrupted by Julian and a couple Bulldogs still whooping it up as they cruise around town being a nuisance. Seeing Julian breaks the mood between Reggie and Betty, causing her to go seek Archie out.
Of course, Archie is sadly contemplating his father’s gravestone. Betty starts to apologize immediately. Even though he clearly isn’t, Archie reassures her that he’s fine and that it’s ok and it’s fine. Then he demonstrates how haunted he is by this father’s absence -he immediately launches into a memory. The two used to do a lot of trick or treating together as kids, even doing Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. Then I realize that I fell for it - THIS WAS ALL A PLOY. Archie’s plan was to tug at her heartstrings so he could bring up that he was the OG hotstuff. Well dang, Archie!
Reggie tries to interrupt but his face already admits defeat. He asks to be taken to the haunted house. The three of them go to the murder house. Betty is not at all spooked, so she wanders further into the house to look for “eleven up.”
Reggie is really the most honorable, because he takes this time to discreetly tell Archie that he’s going to vamoose as he originally proposed. Archie is nice too, telling him he doesn’t have to do that, but Reggie is a man’s man (and a genuine ladies’ man) because cock blocking out of spite is just not something he’s willing to do no matter how enticing the girl. Betty comes back with orange sodas. Archie grants Reggie a good enough exit, by telling Betty that Reggie was tired. Betty, despite her earlier threesome fantasy, doesn’t much care which of the pair she gets. She smiles at Archie.
Veronica so loves giving speeches and hosting events. She looks so happy in her black lipstick, standing in front of four coffins. I still can’t believe that this event is going to go forward in this way. This is so callous it’s kind of funny. Anyway, Veronica is going on about the midnight feature, dropping the fact that Boris Karloff is her godfather.
The music number is from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Which is very timeline busting. So are we doing like a backwards-reverse Back to the Future thing where instead of a fictional white guy taking credit for a real-life black musical invention from his past ( Rock ‘n’ Roll) we have a fictional Latina woman taking credit for a real-life musical written by a white man in her future? The twisty turny of all this is also breaking my brain because the singing in the actual movie of the real musical (Rocky Horror Picture Show) was very very imperfect except for Tim Curry and Meatloaf, and intentionally so. The singing in the musical numbers of Riverdale also have this same trait - it’s intentionally imperfect except when Josie and Kevin were singing. The overall technical quality of the singing is better than in that musical film (Susan Sarandon can barely sing, which places the Cheryl, Betty, Veronica and Archie actors in a higher competence category). But for some reason (oh fine, because I love Rocky Horror Picture Show) this marmoreal smoothness of the singing by everyone involved is very very horrifying to me. I’m getting literal shivers of distress. There’s just too much camp happening. When it meets the airbrushed camp of Riverdale, the rough-around-the-edges camp of Rocky Horror evaporates, leaving only raunchiness. Riverdale has highly sexual teens, and always has, but at the same time it gets very coy with how it describes sex, sexuality and sexual activity, so I was a bit startled at Clay belting out “orgasmic rush of lust” like that.
Kevin calling for “mommy” when we’ve never seen her but has caused him to be, well, how he is by calling him fat one time because he actually was and he never got over it, is a lot. But then they pan away as he sings “what’s this? Let’s see” as he starts to look at his own crotch I REALLY WANT TO KNOW what the choreo was implied to be. Did he look into the contents of his own crotch pouch? Why is the audience reacting like that??
Cheryl then comes out with the most on the nose bit. She scream-sings: I feel released/ Bad times deceased - and so on. Cheryl has ballet training, and again the technical competence which doesn’t at all cover up the extremely clunky nature of the steps she’s being made to do is horrifying. At the end of her number, she pulls Toni close to kiss her in front of everybody.
We cut to Veronica doing Frank’n’Furter which is a bit like Nicole Kidman being made to sing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. There are certain songs that can never be sung by anyone other than that one singer, and “Don’t Dream It” is really one of those songs. The topsy turvy un-doing and re-doing continues, because for a woman (and a very cis, very pretty one at that) wanting to be “dressed just the same” as Fay Wray has zero subversive energy compared to Tim Curry as the transsexual alien doing it, so there’s a neutralizing of the power of that song. In order to make up for it, they put Veronica in a Marlene Dietrich tuxedo-for-girls from Morocco (where Dietrich sings a floor show and then kisses a girl on the mouth in front of everyone to general delight and applause). It’s not fair to pit Veronica’s Riverdalian version of this song (and the screechy belting they make her do given the key choices) against the true blue one by Tim Curry, but it must be said: There’s nothing sensual about the way Veronica is saying things like “give yourself over to absolute pleasure.” Everything she’s doing - the volume of the singing, the thinness of the voice, the effortful meaninglessness of the choreography - is the opposite of giving yourself over to anything.
Into all this, Alice, looking like a bomb has hit her, enters the theater. She reacts with horror. I don’t know if the horror is supposed to be about the nature of the song she’s hearing or it’s from being turned on by Clay dancing gayly in just his shorts. Kevin articulates her shellshocked reaction with yet more exactly on the nose misappropriation of the lyrics (“It’s beyond me/ Help me Mommy”).
All the extra give the hardworking main cast of Riverdale a standing ovation.
Elsewhere, Reggie is walking home all lonesome along the deserted road when very ominously, Julian and two others in death masks stop beside him. Julian says that Reggie should “join the fun unless you’ve got something better to do” because he is “going across the bridge to Greendale to raise some hell.”
OOOH HE SAID THE FORBIDDEN H- WORD!! Was - was the strange word choices in Raising Cain and Wilding and all that leading up to this moment?
Reggie isn’t going to make it with Betty today, so he hops into the car of destruction.
At the haunted house, Archie finally makes a move to Betty, telling her he wants to kiss her. She says she feels exactly the same way. Unfortunately, they are cockblocked by a milkman who peers in on them. Betty is smart - she isn’t afraid of no ghosts, but a real-life white guy being creepy is very good reason to run the heck away.
After the event, Clay and Kevin are cleaning up like the good theater people they are. Veronica wants to do a weekly midnight event at the theater that is “Fun and Campy.” We are being extraordinarily on the nose today. Anyway, the gays are worried about Veronica’s homelessness after parental abandonment, leading to her having to live in the movie theater. Veronica lies about all of it (“everything’s peachy”) because she can’t stand sympathy or pity from others.
At the Diner, Midge and Fangs have told Cheryl and Toni their big secret (her “honeybun” in the oven). Midge then remarks on the fact that Cheryl and Toni have effectively come out to all the teenagers who were there at the Babylonium. Toni is so glad that they’ve all put away their masks.
I don’t know how loud they were speaking or if Evelyn just has superhuman hearing capacity, but she is there at the diner (somehow? why? how? isn’t she supposed to be hosting the sleepover? Is she there to pick up a midnight snack??)
Archie and Betty are safely back at home. They tell each other that they had the “best” time ever. Now, they are cockblocked by Alice, who takes out her distress at finding Clay very hot by yelling at her daughter in front of the whole neighborhood.
With a quiet moment to herself, Veronica lights a votive candle to… Rudolph Valentino. Why is he on the altar with her grandmother? Where’s Boris Karloff?? There’s a Jughead amount of candles lit in her small living area she’s made in the movie theater. Veronica sleeps with a photo of herself with her parents. Oh the poor baby. She’s very upset.
Jughead has walked Ethel to Rayberry’s apartment. Jughead is not wearing any sort of headgear - no crown, no jokey hat. I - I feel like he’s en déshabillé. Unable to resist the hair,
Ethel invites him in, using a tone of voice that sets all my shipping urges tingling. Except -oh poor Ethel. This is the universe - THIS IS IT! - the one where she could totally have a thing with Jughead, but there’s Tabitha! Tabitha the Real is out there saving all of the multiverse and Tabitha of this world is out there on the bus tour against racism. No dice. Jughead says he’s tired and that he needs to feed the dog. Sigh. Ethel totally reacts like this is a rejection of her invitation to an assignation, but she’s nice about it. But come on Jughead, live a little! (Sorry, Tabitha, but Ethel was here - in my heart - first.)
As soon as Ethel enters the Rayberry apartment, dun dun dun, that weird guy in the milkman outfit is totally in there waiting for her.
Jughead is walking out when he gets accosted by that very plot-important lady obsessed with forcing her neighbors to make a milk donation to her cat. She says, “Oh I thought you were the milkman” because she heard the bottles again. There’s both a Dutch Angle AND dolly zoom happening as Jughead puts it all together, before rushing back to the Rayberry former residence shouting for Ethel.
Jughead breaks down the door! He falls faceforward into the apartment, only to make direct eye contact with the corpse on the floor. “Jeepers” he says and - seriously, truly, this was wonderful line delivery. I mean it.
Ethel is having HER MOMENT. She’s so super tall to begin with, so she looks totally magnificent, holding a bloody knife, standing victorious over the dead milkman, as she passionately tells Jughead, “I told everyone it was a milkman!” Jughead looks so scared.
Archie is woken up in the middle of the night by Uncle Frank, who seems very upset. He says a carful of Bulldogs went over the bridge into the River. Archie stares upset at Reggie’s very empty bed.
If they made Reggie die in the racist’s car I will be pitching a FIT.
#too many thoughts about Riverdale#Riverdale episode 128#riverdale 7.11#riverdale s7 recap#riverdale s7#riverdale episode recap
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↳ "The Tragedy of Batman, Prince of Denmark," - an unpublished comic for DC Comics' alternate reality Elseworlds imprint, that turns Hamlet into Bruce and placed him smack dab in the midst of William Shakespeare's famous tragedy. In this version, the Joker-Jester is a benevolent agent, guiding Hamlet to his ultimate destiny.
❝ Hamlet dissatisfied with the world in general, and has the rich kid's luxury to be so. The darkness and strangeness of his vision keeps drawing him away from the tawdry lights of court, into his mind. He swears to avenge his father's death. However, Hamlet's flaw is that he lives in a world of the mind. Actual action means commitment, a choice, and he prefers the endless ambivalence of thought.
Hamlet stalks the dark halls of the castle, making fantastic, blood-thirsty plans for revenge (in his mind). But when he finds himself near his mother's apartments, he is balked by his love for her. He runs into Yorick, the Jester (visually, a mediæval Joker, with the distinctive Joker face; but as a character, something very different). The Jester, more clever and quick than Hamlet, worms the story out of him, and then advises him that if he wants to watch without being seen to be watching, he should emulate a jester - be a fool, and so be ignored. This is something Hamlet can do: avoid real action by letting his fertile mind run riot, while telling himself that he is acting. The Jester thus becomes his spiritual advisor, easing on the way he really wants to go.
Word of Hamlet's weirdness gets to the King, he asks to check on Hamlet's state of mind. This is what Hamlet has been waiting for: action involving the mind. So he plays the madman very convincingly. He manages to take a few sharp swipes at the King and Queen without, he thinks, incurring any risk. But as his mother, the Queen can see through Hamlet pretty well - better than her new husband, who was merely an uncle.
Alone in a deserted turret of the castle, Hamlet calls himself a coward and berates himself. The Jester comes and talks with him, advising him to take his adoption of a false persona a step farther. If he, Hamlet, can't make himself act, why not "become" a man dedicated to action? "They'll still know who I am," complains Hamlet. Then why not wear a mask? Something designed to show those who encounter you that you're no one to be trifled with? Something to strike fear in their hearts! At that moment, a bat flies through the turret window. And so is born…the idea for the Bat-man.
But Hamlet still doesn't do anything. "To be the Bat, or not to be…"
The King has had his men keep an eye on Hamlet, and they report that the Jester has been seen whispering in his ear. The Jester is seized and taken to the torture chamber in the castle's depths. The King grills him mercilessly, but through all the excruciating and increasing agony, Yorick refuses to divulge what he and the prince discussed - and so the Jester is murdered. Because he was a friend of Hamlet's, his body is dropped into quicklime to quickly burn away the flesh, before being disposed of by night in an unmarked grave.
Hamlet soon learns of the Jester's fate; it's a small world inside the castle. And finally - finally - he decides to become the Batman. He goes to the battlements and kneels where he met the ghost. "I swear by the spirit of my father to avenge his death by spending the rest of my life warring upon his murderers!"
It is a liberating thing for him, as the Jester prophesied. He enjoys creating the mask and the cape. He enjoys running free over the moonlit rooftops of the castle grounds, convinced his ghostly father is watching him. He revels in the superstitious fear he inspires in the night watch who see him. ❞
The panel isn`t related to The Batman/Hamlet crossover, image source Batman #682
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alright dnd rambles
going to drop some characters so they make a little sense when i ramble
Honey/Bug/Pluto: my character, all the same person, they're a swords bard changeling who's now finally going by their true name Pluto after everything happened- ill switch between Honey and Pluto.
There will be a little bit where I will refer to Pluto as a different person because of how changelings work in this campaign.
Kintsugi (Kins): my fellow player, war-forged cleric/paladin multiclass, daughter of Amen Rei (their god)
Gintsugi (Gins): Kins' sister, the golden cloak
Infierna: high priestess of the church of Amen Rei
Mars: changeling, Honey's ex but also they had spoken after and re-confessed that they loved each other but promised to talk after the battle, keeper of the town
Dro'kar: second Honey love interest, vampire and lord of the town
Alton: my adoptive dad <3
Jack: third love interest whoops, once-upon-a-time bbeg but he is in love with Honey. Jack is the bard of bards, only fought with them because of honey
Liktor: robot, keeper of the town
The changeling family: if I say any planet name (Venus, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury, I.O etc etc) theyre a changeling and important to Pluto
Yorick: THE bbeg, who we killed
last night was our 'final' battle- what was meant to be the finale but we begged out dm to go to lvl 20 (we reached lvl 13 after that fight)- and it was fucking INSANE
So to start out its just honey and kins fighting against some raised dead red moon knights (from the church of Amen Rei) that were kinda beating our fucking asses- slowly, people start turning up and we can randomly check on others as they do their fight
The fights away from the main fight were the town defenders consisting of Dro'kar, Alton and some of the other main npcs as well as Dro'kar's familiar. Then there was the changeling family + Trina the fairy of Primon (Primon is the town, Trina is also Honey's adoptive mum as of recent). And lastly the church led by Infierna at first and helped my Mercury on Honey's orders.
Back to our fight we're getting our ass kind beat, Yorick is sending his trump cards out to fight the other teams which include a chimera, a gargoyle and a giant golden lion as well as the dead red moon knights. We are fighting the red moon knights, Yorick himself, and Yoricks final trump card whos name I cant spell but hes a dick and also a semi god (aka, fighting TWO gods. not our first god fight either lmao).
Gintsugi shows up to help us first, then Infierna, then Mars and Jupiter- and then at some point Honey agrees to the terms of a contract and gets Jack involved who focuses on Yorick alongside Liktor. Zeke (uhh Dro'kars dead fiancee, Willow's familiar gifted to Honey to help out) is also there throwing hands with the 2nd semi god, and FINALLY our last help is a giant iron golem that guards the woods.
Honey almost fucking dies a couple times, Yorick keeps counterspelling his counterspells and throwing legendary actions his way. Venus interrupts a spell Mars does and Yorick kills Venus. Pluto has to tell her husband, Neptune, who desperately tries to stop the attack to focus, Neptune dies at some point but we don't know what happens. Yorick's attention turns to Pluto who's giving him a lot of trouble and casts Disintegrate on him, which would have killed him as he was on 3 hp at the time.
But Mars, a paladin, has Pluto in his aura and redirects the hit to himself. While smiling at Pluto, just before he dies, Mars tells him "I think you've got it from here" and then turns to dust.
I sobbed.
That's when Pluto got his awakening. Changelings get a special ability they can unlock in their very very worst moments, Pluto's has been slowly building during the lead up to this battle, and losing Mars is the finale straw. A huge dome of ice surrounds him and all people can hear from outside is him screaming in agony. Pluto shows up- the old Pluto, the original holder of his name and his gift- and finally they get their gift. A set of deep black wings and ice magic.
Pluto gets all his hps back (theyre not fully there, theyre basically temporary, he still needs to be fully healed after everything) and then starts throwing hands with Yorick who gets scared and runs away after aiming three meteorites at the manor in town (very important building, town is done for if thats gone). Liktor dies, Jack is down and out of the fight but not dead, leaving Pluto, Kins and Gins, Infierna, Zeke and Jupiter. Jupiter and Gins leave to protect the manor. Pluto, Kins, Infierna and Zeke head down into the catacombs to finish this fight.
This whole time no joke ive been rolling LIKE ASS. BUT FINALLY. My first few hits on Yorik is a NAT 20 upped to 31 AND then an 18 upped to 25. Great, Yoricks looking ROUGH.
YORICK KILLS KINTSUGI. RAISES HER AS A THRALL AND BANISHES PLUTO.
Zeke breaks the concentration by attacking Kintsugi after Infierna refuses to attack her love. The concentration ends, Pluto is back ON HIS TURN IN INITIATIVE.
And takes Yorick's head off his shoulders.
Wise ol' Eloquin, fate itself, shows up in this last part because Pluto can see him, and Yorick's fate is finally sealed, the fate he thought he had cut himself from.
They return back to Primon, the manor is standing but the town itself is back in ruins. Mars, Venus and Neptune are dead, Liktor is dead. They're the only deaths. Kintsugi is bought back by Infierna who saved her last spell slot for that exact reason.
And that's where the session ended.
#quite literally went insane#sobbed for like ten straight minutes over Mars#it hurt#it still hurts#liktor hurt far less simply because liktor had already told me he was going to die#you wanna know what hurt the most?#seeing dro'kar realising more of his family is dead#the TWO PEOPLE HE HAD AFTER WILLOW DIED#DEAD#UGH#AHHH#AHHHHHHHHHHHHH#Alton was okay#Pluto was very scared about him but apparently he was going apeshit#getting like multiple nat20s#good for him#OH YEAH AND SO pluto is the rat king which was a whole other storyline but#he had a little rat named finley basically from the start and he told finley to protect all the towns people that are in the manor#AND HE DID#HE TURNED INTO THIS SICK ASS BIG RAT DOG THING AND BEAT ASS#GOOD FOR YOU FINLEY#dungeons and dragons#dnd#oc#original character#my oc#my ocs#dnd lore#ALG#A Lucky Guess
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Tell me about the Roycegaryens adopting Abby and what that silly lil heartwarming AU looks like.
Peace & love on planetos ✌🏻 This AU is so silly & I love it
This would 100% start around the "tourney episode(s?)" that supplant my showing of episode 6/The Princess & The Queen, bc time line wise they happen close enough that I can focus on something fun & lighthearted before Laena's funeral. Sure Lyonel is still alive, but he was friends with Rhea so it's fine. These are just Abby's extra siblings right? Right???
After Lyonel & [redacted wife, bc who even is she in this AU] die its Shireen (who is Abby in a different font due us both having spectacular taste), & Ella (who has previously threatened Larys with a knife because she gives no fucks at this point & is finally rubbing her braincells together) who kickstart it. Yorick & Robert aren't fighting it, & Aemon is cool with anyone who's friends with Helaena because The Weird Bug Girl in her recognizes The Weird Goth in him. Abby then gets carried off to Runestone where she is loved & cherished & as their three-family-foster situation. She is also totally free to fall/winter in The Reach with Ella & Robert. Joint custody of the shared fourth sibling, babey.
As for who's kids she'd be closest to, that's really up in the air because only Rhea (daughter of Yorick) has much characterization atm. But it doesn't matter, that's their adopted Aunt Abby who ther dad/uncle/aunt/mom/whoever is fostering. We simply do not talk about her actual brother who is dad/Uncle Robert’s cousin.
Also, given Abby's everything, I know they are all actively trying to help each other. The Roycegaryens & Abby all have each other crying in the club as they do their best to support each other in all their mutual states of I Am Damaged Don't Talk To Me About It. Also she's invited to Shireen's gossip circle (which is in the room next to the Murder Plotting Room/Yorick’s solar). They have snacks imported from Pentos there.
#no one is better#but abby does help them not get worse lmao#and in return she gets protection from a feral goth & a feral bad bitch & an actually socialized man with a feral dragon#and larys strong gets eaten & hes replaced as master of whispers by the roycegaryen's bastard brother#peace & love on panetos ✌🏻❤️#asks#nat tag
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// minor TPOT 9 spoilers
I am really happy right now you don't even know
#tpot 9#tpot 9 spoilers#tpot#osc#osc art#yorick's show and tell#bfdi#bfb#algebralien#xfohv#I've been waiting for them my entire osc life ahhhh
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"About the Blogger" Meme by @razielim
Haven't seen one of these in forever; I'm being the change I want to see. (You're encouraged to adapt/remove questions or add new ones to better suit yourself.)
Favorite Pseud: Cosmic is the new hotness but my indecisive ass has had a billion! Alas-poor-yorick! is an old one I'm still fond of because my child self really went and saw Hamlet and thought: "YES! THE SKULL OF THE DEAD JESTER! THAT'S WHO I WANNA BE!"
Time Zone: GMT
Star Sign(s): the one that's a COSMIC RAM! 🐏🌠✨
Favorite Holidays: every holiday is always tinged with just a tad of existential dread, a pang reminding me of the time that's already gone by, that I'm one day closer to death , I guess the ones during Spring and Summer, just because of the weather and that the days are longer
Last Meal: Soup and a piece of bread with olive oil (and olives)
Current Favorite Musician: my dear friend who plays the piano^^ (whom I hope never finds out about this blog and reads this or I'll never hear the end of it). Not sure if current, but I've listened to a lot of it regularly so, shout-out to Jordi Savall and his Hespèrion XXI group *gnaws on their many variations of the spanish Folías*
Last Music Listened To: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) · Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Last Movie Watched: Saw X and The Lobster
Last TV Show Watched: The Bear
Last Book/Fic Finished: Can't remember what was the last book so I'm going with: One of only two in existence A Field In England fics on AO3 😳
Last Book/Fic Abandoned: Kafka's The Trial (not abandoned, I just wanted to finish the ones I had started first before continuing because I know this one's gonna hurt for sure)
Currently Reading: Solaris by Stanisław Lem
Books/Shows/Movies/etc. You Want to Get Around To: For Films I have some listed on this ask. For books I got some Strugatskys to get to, some Terry Pratchett, some Kafka, some Horus Heresy, my sister got me Foundation *looks at bookshelf and ignores the dozens of others that have been sitting there for years, waiting for me*
Last Thing Researched for Art/Writing/Hyperfixation: Wild boars! Boarzinhos if you will.
Last Eureka, Breakthrough, or Neat Fact/Concept Learned: Have learned nothing and remain a fool.
Favorite Online Fandom Memory: I don't think I've ever been in a Fandom™ per se. It's usually just, sitting in my dark lair and enjoying a thing with a handful of other people. But, if it counts since it's the closest to interacting with Fandom I've had: these past (4?) years on tumblr in general. From the months-long (sometimes years-long) discussions about this or that piece of media and the insightful observations traded, the juicy meta, the joy and privilege of people sending you unfinished pieces of their art and writing through DMs (the trust and intimacy of it all!!!), sending each other memes and posts we think the other might enjoy, the nice messages, etc... all of it really.
Favorite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence: Am baby and haven't really experienced this yet.
Favorite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big "Fandom" but You Wish It Did: I literally can't choose because almost everything I love is some flavour of weird-ass-obscure thing! But uhmmm, *flips through enormous tome of interests* : Here! Rule of Rose ! I was starving for psychological horror games after the Silent Hill series and this is the closest I've ever seen to them while also not being just a rip off/clone of SH, and telling its own beautifully tragic story (the combat is broken and there's other issues but everything else, maaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn).
Tempting Project You're Trying to Rein In/Don't Have Time For: I will draw Rumata and Budach's Conversation™ from chapter 8 in full, in comic form, skill to pull it off and do it justice or not, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!
Tempting Project You're 100% Going to Undertake: It involves sandcastles and the joys of creation... but it needs to *gasp!* actually be written and not just daydreamed about.
Tagging: AAAAAA I DUNNO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO!
#I thought I could do this when you first tagged me but I underestimated how I can't get anything done before an appointment#so I only got to this now#razielim#ask games#ty for the tag gabe <3
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A Chant for Blood Ch. 17 Excerpt
My fingers traced the walls of the alley and I cringed as my gloved fingers came back grimy. The cloudy sky just barely illuminated our way through the dank alleyways. I walked behind Yorick, my doubt in his reliability to take us to our destination growing as the suns started setting. It was just yesterday when Kesane told me about the ongoing case, and I wanted to get my mind off of the fact that somebody could so easily accuse me of being the organ-stealer. I was eager to help Drusilla in her task, and Yorick seemed all too eager to show me where his portal had dropped him. We were a couple of blocks away from The Day-Lily, and I found myself wondering how Camille happened to find Yorick bleeding out in a dark street.
“How do you know we’re not lost?” I asked.
He turned his head slightly, noting the skepticism in my voice. “Camille took me here when I asked—well, more like drew on a paper. I was confident that the portal would still be here.”
We turned a corner and walked a ways before Yorick stopped. He turned to his right and point down a dark, cramped alley. “Here. This is where it dropped me.”
I could barely see into the dark alley, and I squinted my eyes to see. I wrinkled my nose when something foul invaded my senses, smelling of metallic rot and grime. All that I could see were a few trash cans and soiled boxes, along with dark stains on the ground. I took a handkerchief out of my pocket and held it up to my nose when the horrible smell persisted. “What in the Oriflamme is that smell?”
“That, my dear Grand Marshal, would be the rotting scent of my blood. It starts as soon as it leaves my body, and smells even worse after a few days. Very hard to wash it out. I’ve had to throw many good pieces of clothing away because of it.” Yorick replied, looking anxiously at the sky. I following his gaze, and saw the dark clouds hanging over us. I looked back down and studied the thin overcoat he had on. It won’t do him any good in this rain. Did Camille not think to give him something else?
I decided to ignore his anxious skyward glances for now and knelt down in front of the brick wall to my right. “Yorick. The lantern.”
Yorick walked over to me and turned on the lantern in his hand. The wall illuminated in front of me, and I could clearly see scorch marks decorating the brick surface. It was in the shape of an oval, about as tall as I was. I pulled out a piece of chalk and started drawing a sigil.
“Is that magic?”
“Yes.” I replied curtly, the chalk in my hand halting as I tried to remember the intricate swirls and circles that would require me to activate the sigil I wanted. I planned to do a spell that would tell me if any spellcraft was done recently in the area. I wanted to see if the portals held any magic that could be traced to a source.
“I didn’t know you could do magic. I thought Camille said Makoth can’t do the same magic as everybody else. Are you an exception?”
“Yorick. Still your tongue.” I murmured. The cold that was brought in from the impending rain seemed to have made Yorick more talkative, a revelation I was not excited about.
I put the piece of chalk back in my pocket and placed my palms on either side of the sigil, wincing at the feeling of unknown sticky substances clinging to my fingers. I breathed in slowly and cleared my mind, focusing on the sigil before me. I let the words of the spell flow from my mouth, barely a whisper but still audible. The sigil glowed white as a feeling came over me. I had done this sigil many times during training, but I could not discern what kind of magic was left in the alley. I pushed further with my mind, trying to absorb the feeling into me. It felt unknown, but…familiar.
Something tickled my neck, and I immediately opened my eyes and stood. I whipped around to where Yorick was standing, my heart pounding in my chest. I hadn't noticed the lantern light had moved away from me, and Yorick was back to looking at the sky. It was sprinkling now, and I watched as a drop fell on his cheek and cascaded down his face. He paid no mind, and continued to watch the falling rain.
I wiped away the sigil with my gloved hand and walked over to Yorick. He didn’t turn to me when I stood beside him.
“You act as if you’ve never seen rain before.” I said, bluntly.
He glanced at me and smiled. “No, I haven’t actually. You don’t get much rain in a desert world.” He tucked his hands into his arms and shivered. “If only I was more used to the cold, it would be more enjoyable.”
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Sulky, will you tell us about your WIP "Shit, I'm the NPC"?
I will happily do this thing! When I started writing again for the first time in a long time, I originally solicited prompts from friends on Facebook to a) push me out of my comfort zone b) theoretically give myself at least one person who would read it.
The original prompt was:
A short story told from the viewpoint of a completely incidental character in a major piece of fiction of your choice. The story should cover what happened with him or her while the "big" story was taking place. 700-1500 words
I have written 728 words of Hamlet from the very confused POV of Yorick's skull, and now it languishes in the bottom of the WIP pile because it really doesn't work at all, so I will likely scrap it alltogether and start over.
Here's a snippet:
“See, here’s a skull lain here three and twenty years!”
Am I dead? Am I just a skull? Who is this filthy man holding my face? Are we in my grave?
“Whose was it?”
Yes, who am I? This is very peculiar.
“A whoreson mad fellow’s it was.” Rude! “Whose do you think?”
“I know not.” So a gravedigger showing me off to the man sulking above us?
“Pestilence on him for a mad rogue!” What, me? What did I do? “He poured a flagon of wine on my head once.” Oh, that would do it. “This same skull, sir, was Yorick’s, the king’s jester.”
Oh right, what a delightful fool I was.
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hii, not sure if you still check asks on this blog🤡 but I was reading your outline for your rewrite and holy SHIT!
it's so good!! I just got to the party where it's revealed that nakime is/was zenitsu's biological mom (which is so *chefs kiss* btw).
the main reason I'm here tho, is because of this:
She’s only holding his head, and does a whole literal Shakespearean monologue, inspired by Hamlet and the scene with the Prince holding the Skull of Yorick to further emphasize how she triumphed despite her shortcomings. It’s pretty cool, feel free to ask me about it.
So here I am.. asking about it. How did you come up with the idea of a Shakespearean monologue? (unless this is done in the manga which I didn't read) Do you have any drafts of the monologue? 👀
I got you lol. This should be a part of the folder called "part 2", but here's the draft:
[ID: A written passage. Transcript:
“So, everyone died except for Hamlet’s friend, Horatio. The foreign prince of Fortinbras would then swoop in and claim the kingdom of Denmark for themselves. The end.”
“That’s... quite a story.” Douma comments. “I heard you mention a poison-tipped blade? That part reminds me of you, my dear.” Then he gasps. “Oh, ooh! Are you trying to say you’re Prince Hamlet, and I’m King Claudius?”
“Well, you only wanted me to tell you about it, nothing else.” She smiles widely. “But, if you insist on drawing comparisons, I’ll happily draw my own.
“I am the prince, but I am also his wit. His mask. His cup with the poisonous union. His calculated thirst for revenge. But I am also Laertes with his poisoned sword, unabated and envenomed.
“Do you see the difference now? My blade has never turned itself on me. I was not defeated by my hesitance. I was not killed by my own treachery. I believed in no gods with qualms against self-slaughter. I knew my faults and made them my strengths. I have won in every way.”
Shinobu chuckles. “I apologize if I sound like I’m rubbing my victory in your face. Really, you’re lucky I even stuck around; all the other souls you’ve tricked and lied to moved on without a second thought, without a care for their poor, heartless jester who’s rotten flesh would become earth, and earth to loam, then loam for stopping a cheap beer barrel. You’re not as high and mighty as you think.”
Douma gives her a strange, unreadable look as his face slowly rots away. His rainbow eyes scan her expression, but Shinobu knows there’s nothing for him there. Not with the porcelain mask covering her face.
End ID.]
I wanted to give Shinobu a unique interest to help her connect more with the world of KNY, especially when the Taisho period is very famous for marking the rapid industrialization and westernization of Japan (apart from the Meiji Restoration period), particularly in the spreading of European literature and arts. She's incredibly intelligent and I knew her family would try to make their kids get into these subjects since they were doctors/pharmacists and probably had money to do so.
Shinobu should also be allowed to be quirky. I headcanon her as autistic and I wanted to show her neurodivergency in a way that integrates well with her arc. Love her so much.
#i put the wit in dimwit#ask#eternal paradise#shinobu#douma#also thanks for the nakime zenitsu mom thing!#do have to credit etherealnyx for the inspiration
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