#yes. one of my favourite shakespeare plays

[queerhamlet]

sometimes a family can be you, your shepherd adopted dad, his sheep and his bisexual son, the vagabond he has a gay thing with who happens to be the greek god Hermes, your princely bf, his dad, his loyal boytoy who's lavender married to a dykeish witch, her bff and lady aka your mother who's Jesus Christ if she was a statue, your reformed cunt biological father, 12 dancing satyrs and a man eating bear symbolizing justice

#yes. one of my favourite shakespeare plays #winter's tale #og #in order: #perdita #old shepherd #sheep #clown winterstale #autolycus #florizel #polixenes #camillo #paulina #hermione #leontes #12 dancing satyrs #satyrs #bear #the winter's tale

[tayytayy12]

I hate it here (a lot less when I’m with you) | OP81 x Reader

Summary - Reader just got out of a mildly toxic relationship and released a song about what her coping mechanism was during that time, but when her new relationship gets leaked by the paparazzi, she decides to show off her new favourite person.

Warnings | Mentions of a past toxic relationship/ breakup, swearing

FaceClaim | Gracie Abrams

Requested | Yes - No

Type | SMAU

Yourusername

Liked by | AaronDessner, PheobeBridgers and 2,987,425 others

Tagged | @/AaronDessner

Yourusername | Long Pond Studios has always been a place where I’ve let my emotions and feelings guide my songwriting completely, every song that I’ve written and recorded in this place has been a complete raw reflection of my feelings, and I’m forever grateful that I can trust you enough to share them all with you without the slightest moment of hesitation. That’s why, I’m surprise releasing my brand new song, ‘I hate it here’ now. This song is about a method I’ve used to cope for the past few years of my life when I wasn’t in the best situation, and I hope that it will help any of you who are or were in the same situation I was. This song was made with my soulmate of a collaborator, chosen friend, found family of mine, Aaron and were so incredibly proud of it and we can’t wait for you to hear it. Sorry for being away for so long, I love you 🤍

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User1 - OMFG SHES ALIVE !!!

User2 - ONLY TOOK FIVE MONTHS TO CONFIRM YOU’RE ALIVE AND BREATHING

AaronDessner - My favourite one together so far 🤍

Yourusername - Love you forever 🤍

User3 - WTFDYM ‘I HATE IT HERE’ EXPLAIN?

User4 - GO LISTEN TO IT ITS SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD

User5 - A SURPRISE DROP? WE’RE SPOILED

User6 - When Aarons a co-writer AND the producer, you know for a fact the song will change your life (and make the therapy bill triple)

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User7 - Girl don’t apologise

User8 - FR like she gets cheated on, takes a brake and then apologises to us 😭 like girl it’s okay

JackAntanoff - *Alexa play Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo*

Yourusername- Your times coming synth man 🤫 LOVE YOU STILL

User9 - WDYM HIS TIME IS COMING YOU CRYPTIC WOMAN

User10 - “I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind.” That’s all I have to say.

User11 - Y/n could write Romeo and Juliet but Shakespeare couldn’t write I hate it here

User11 - “I place you need a key to get to, the only one is mine” girly I hope someone makes you want to make a copy one day

Yourusername - God I love you lmao

User11 - OMFG Y/n loves me I can die happy

User12 - “tell me something awful, like you are a poet.” BC HE ALWAYS PAINTED HER BLUE SKYS THE DARKEST GREY, RUINING HER DAY BY TELLING HER AWFUL SHIT LIKE HES A TORTURED POET !!!!!! (I knew Coney Island wasn’t fictional you fucking delusional people, no one in a happy relationship writes that shit 💕💕💕)

User13 - “This man made me feel worthless.” Y/EX/N ISTG WHEN I FIND YOU. COUNT UR MINUTES

User14 - “I'm lonely but I'm good, I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine” bitch where did you find my diary

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Yourusername

Liked by, SabrinaCarpenter, OscarPiastri and 2,191,910 others

Tagged | @/SabrinaCarpenter

Yourusername - I’m sorry who’s this woman debuting at no.1 on the billboard hot one hundred? My god it is me, I can’t believe this, I love you I love you I love you thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart, I mean it, I really do. MY GOD I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. (And my baby with her first top ten entry, I love you Sabby, Go stream espresso, it is that sweet 🤍💕) OKAY ONE LAST THANK YOU. 💕🤍💕🤍💕

Okay I lied but being among names like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, SZA and Kendrick Lamar is one of the biggest honours ever, I’m huge fans of them all and to be in the same space as them is an honour no words can express, I love you all, the most caring sweet fans on the whole planet 💕💕💕💕

(And yes, it was a reference to a physical key, this is it)

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User14 - We made the right one famous guys

User15 - I’m actually crying, when did she stop being our little secret

SabrinaCarpenter - My biggest fan 🩷

Yourusername - Your biggest fan 🩷

User16 - Oscar in the likes for what?

User17 - Who?

User18 - Oscar Piastri, he’s a 23 yr old f1 driver

User19 - What is vroom vroom boy doing here

AaronDessner - Truly blessed to work with you

Yourusername - I’m the blessed one don’t even

User20 - Only y/n could send a five minute long, slow, alt pop song with a main piano background, basically a depressing lullaby bop, to number one above all these TikTok songs

User21 - She’s actually adorable

OscarPiastri - Been on repeat!

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User22 - UM HELLO WHAT ARE U DOING HERE LITTLE ORANGE MAN?

User23 - This is all bc of me btw

Celebrity.updates

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Tagged | @/Yourusername @/OscarPiastri

Celebrity.updates - NEW COUPLE!!! Fast upcoming pop star, Y/n Y/l/n (21) seen out late at night on the streets of London with Formula one driver, Oscar Piastri (23), according to the source of these pictures the two were laughing and running around the streets together, when Oscar caught up to her and hugged her to him and kissed her. Rumours say that Y/n met Piastri through her ex partner who’s an engineer for f1 team Alpine, the pair seem to be quite smitten and loving with each other. What’s your thoughts on this?

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User25 - WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN

User26 - Posting these photos is bad enough, but tagging them in it is crazy

User28 - Neither of them have even been hinting at a relationship at all, they clearly didn’t want anyone to know yet

User29 - Can’t these sickos just let them live, they’re people too

User30 - Whoever took these is messed up

User31 - They do look rlly happy together though

User32 - The fact that her ex is an alpine engineer makes this situation so much more funny and interesting

SabrinaCarpenter - You’re actually disgusting

User33 - TELL THEM SAB

User34 - The fact that she’s not even wrong

User35 - the fact that she defends Y/n with no hesitation

User36 - The friendship we all need in our lives

Yourusername

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Yourusername - I hate it here a lot less when I’m with you 🤍 my favourite polite cat xxxx

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LandoNorris- Finally. The pair of you at the paddock hiding in MY divers room bc you were scared someone would see you in Oscar’s. Sigh.

Yourusername - You love me

User37 - OH MY GOD

User38 - I need to know the bears name

OscarPiastri- She named him Gerald

Yourusername - Don’t sound so disgusted, that’s our son

OscarPiastri - Sorry baby

User39 - Hysterical

OscarPiastri - My favourite smiling dog 🤍

Yourusername- Excuse me did you just call me a bitch

OscarPiastri- NO I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT

User40 - The dynamic is already everything to me

User41 - Even his GF knows he’s a polite cat

Yourusername - He so is (he’s in denial)

User42 -“ I hate it here a lot less with you” Shut the fuck up

OscarPiastri

Liked by, Yourusername, LoganSargeant and 1,872,001 others

Tagged | @/Yourusername

OscarPiastri - She made me a copy 🗝️🤍

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User43 - Someone sedate me

User44 - SHE. MADE. HIM. A. COPY.

User45 - WTFFFTTFTFTD

User46 - Literally the ultimate Oscar on Alpine revenge

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Yourusername - I don’t need my secret gardens, or my lunar valleys anymore, because I have you 🤍

OscarPiastri- My favourite and only girl 🤍

User47 - I’m taking a nap on the highway

///////

#oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri x you #op81 x reader #op81 imagine #op81 fluff #op81 fic #op81 x you #op81 angst #op81 smau #formula one x reader #f1 x reader #f1 one shot #f1 imagine #charles leclerc x reader #f1 x female reader #f1 x y/n #f1 x oc #f1 x you #f1 x female driver #f1 smau #f1 fanfic #formula one x you #formula one x y/n #lando norris x you #lando norris x oc #lando norris x y/n #lando norris x reader #ln4 one shot #ln4 x y/n #ln4 fluff

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

David Tennant at the Emerald City Comic Con 3.3.2023:

Interviewer: Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship spans through centuries.

David: Yes.

Interviewer: So in that you play a lot of different Crowleys.

David: Yes.

Interviewer: Which one was your favourite to play?

David: Oooh. That's a good question. We had a great deal of fun coming up with the looks, obviously, because Crowley is always a sort of punk version of wherever he ends up. He likes to live very much at the sort of cutting edge of the moment in history that he's living through. Unlike Aziraphale, who just kind of bumbles on sort of wearing the same gear. Crowley likes to kind of jazz with the looks of the moment he's in. So was great fun to create them. Which was my favourite... probably I quite liked the Elizabethan look in the Shakespeare... where it was filmed in the Globe in the Shakespeare scene, with his little tiny spindly little beard. The armor was pretty exciting as well. Getting to wear a full suit of armor - incredibly uncomfortable. I mean... I defy anyone to fight a war in that stuff, really difficult. But it did feel very safe.

Interview: Was it pretty hot?

David: No, we were filming in the middle of a field in November. It was freezing cold. And metal conducts the cold quite well, it turns out. So don't fight a war andd especially not it winter. (x)

#good omens #gointerviewedit #david tennant #crowley #ep3 #3i5 #3i6 #shakespeare scene #arthurian scene #eccc 2023 #emerald city comic con #fun fact #bts #the black knight #interview #little tiny snidly little beard #david likes the little tiny spindly little beard :) #s2 interview #david interview

[theorphicangel]

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞!𝐛𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

author’s note: I keep getting gojo brainrot on my feed and it’s making me absolutely sick so I must write to heal

cw: a little nsfw, 18+, oral sex (f.receiving), fem! Reader, praise,

- I’d like to start off by saying…the most obvious which is that he’s annoying

- you have an essay due tmr?

- you are getting absolutely no peace.

you need to go the libarary to study?

- okay, he’s by your side with his cheap supposed “noise cancelling” headphones but he’s misunderstood that they’re not noise cancelling for everyone else because you can still hear the song lyrics

- “baby…could you turn that down?”

- “what? no, it’s noise cancellation you can’t hear anything.”

- “but—” he slides them back on before you finish

- BUT however when you do need space to revise for an exam or prepare your project he will give it to you undoubtedly

- but that also means he’ll burst into your room every 30 mins or so to make sure you’re stacked up on snacks or that you’re hydrated

- “did you drink water? I heard your brain needs water like all the time so you need to drink water ‘Kay?”

- “Satoru, you’ve brought me 5 water bottles”

- but that’s not to say he won’t help with your revision, in fact he’ll make sure you’ll be able to recall info

- and boy does he have methods

- “what was the answer to that one again?”

- you moan lightly in response your, thighs trembling with his two fingers deep inside you, and at your failure to provide an answer he removes them,

- you whine at the emptiness and he tuts shaking his head, “c’mon you know this one.”

- shutting your eyes, you blurt out the answer

- “that’s my girl, you’ll pass this exam in no time, one more question and then I’ll let you cum.”

- in between your cries and mewls, he praises you for what you’ve managed to recall with him between your legs

- and yes, as per the image at the top he will give you a cd 💀

- “Satoru…what is this?”

- he deadpans you, “can you not read it? It says-“

- “no, I know what it says dumbass, I mean why?”

- “can a guy not do something nice for you?” and then he has attitude🙄 “I’ll take it back then.”

- you’re obviously quick to reject that notion for sureeeee

- if you’re an English major he will not leave your books alone

- “what is this? Shakespeare?”

- he’ll open it up and recite a random page in the most god awful British accent stumbling over the words

“That doesn’t even make sense, why is this guy famous?”

- however, maybe he’d get into pride and prejudice…slowly

- it probably take him a long time to read each page, trying to make sense of who is who

- “so nobody likes mr darcy already? Damn, he didn’t even do anything.”

- but when you show him the movie version he would so swoon over it immediately

- he would play it for one of your movie nights calling it your favourite when it’s actually a secret favourite of his

- and he be quoting everything mr darcy says

- he makes fun of your handwriting constantly if you annotate your books/ or write down notes OR if he missed a lecture and obviously copies up from you

- “is that supposed to be an a?”

- “it’s an e!”

- “ s’not my fault it looks so similar!”

I shall make a part two if I can think of more annoying college!bf gojo🧍🏿‍♂️

reblogs are much appreciated 🫶

#very rushed and random #angel writes #jujutsu gojo #jjk gojo #jjk smut #gojo satoru x reader #gojou satoru x you #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jjk imagines #gojo fluff #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru headcanons

[brunchable]

Thurber's Model — PT. 1 || William Thurber × F!Reader

Word Count: 8.2K

Genre: Romance, Secrecy, Sneaking Around, Off-Limits Reader, Overwhelming Attraction

Warning: Explicit. 18+ Only. unprotected p+v sex, accidental creampie, losing innocence.

Parings: William Thurber x F!Reader

Summary: William runs off to find some solitude to relieve some of the pressured of becoming the winner of this year's student art prize. In his search for the perfect place, he finds you along the way, reading your favorite play by Shakespeare.

A/N: This is for the precious @classicrebound and for our thirsty asses ♡

“Mama says you won the award for the second time this year.” He looked down at the woman on his arm. The new expression on her face was calculating. Bloody hell. 

“Who was your inspiration?” she repeated more firmly this time. 

“My passion is the one thing that keeps me going,” he said carefully, not caring one bit for the new gleam of interest in her eyes. He didn’t expect many people to attend the museum, compared to last year’s celebration. This one was more grand, possibly because the exhibits are displayed under Dr. Reid’s museum of Arts.

“Hmmm.” She looked over his clothes as if she were taking inventory. 

He wore the latest fashion. He didn’t buy clothes often, but when he did, he went for quality. She seemed happy with what she saw if the little nod of approval was any indication. 

He desperately wanted to change the subject before she inquired about his other holdings. “So, what play did you attend?” 

Her face twisted up in disgust. “It was one of Shakespeare’s I’m afraid. I find them all a dreadful bore, but this one was most appalling. Mother insisted that we leave at intermission and I wholeheartedly agreed.” 

He stopped short. He rather enjoyed the Bard’s plays. He couldn’t think of anything in Shakespeare’s plays that would be appalling. His works are literal works of art, “What was wrong with the play?” 

“A woman was dressed in men’s clothing! It was obscene!” 

“Was the woman pretending to be her brother?” William asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes! It was dreadful.” 

“Was the play ‘As you like it’?”

“Yes.” It was one of his favourite plays. That answered that. 

“Rebecca, allow me to return you at once to your mother. I find that I need some fresh air.” Her grip on his arm suddenly tightened. 

“Fresh air sounds lovely.” She licked her lips, invitingly. Christ almighty, the girl wanted to trap him. William practically dragged her back to her mother and without another word he made his way outside. 

He stayed away from the garden and woodland. Those spots were reserved for couples who dared to have an affair in the freezing weather. Just a hundred yards from the main building was the orangery, which was bathed in the warm light of multiple lanterns. On a night like this, it was the ideal place to spend some time away from everything. He seriously doubted any attractive woman would go out in this weather for a tryst. The orangery was the safest place for him, and the fires that were kept going to keep the orange trees from withering would make the interior delightfully toasty. 

With the cold wind blowing in his face, he rushed the final twenty yards to the safety of the orangery, where he almost sighed with relief. With the fire crackling and oranges ripening in the background, he felt he could easily pass the next four hours here. Upon taking a closer look at the orange trees, he sighed in dismay at the realisation that this orangery had been erected relatively recently. The orange trees weren't very big, and their fruit was still unripe.

It was unfortunate that he hadn't brought anything to do while waiting, like a book or snacks. Not even an hour after eating, he was starving. It was nothing new. His hunger never subsided. Despite the fact that no one in his family ever completely understood it, at least they'd stopped making fun of him for it long ago. Nothing about spending four hours in the orangery with nothing to do or eat sounded enjoyable to him, but then, neither did going to an awards night, hearing the same compliments over and over again.

A number of oil lamps gave him sufficient light to see by. Because of the overwhelming brightness, couples often avoided coming here. There was no place for them to take cover if they were discovered. A soft noise caught his attention. He cautiously made his way through a grove of orange trees, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw what lay beyond. A woman with gorgeous brown hair that sparkled like the finest silk in the lantern light sat on a cushioned bench, reading a tiny book and laughing gently to herself.

Your laughter was like a balm to his soul, instantly relieving his anxieties even as his heart skipped a beat. As you flipped the page of your book, he didn't see that he'd inched closer to her until you let out a tiny sigh. He had no business intruding. This woman obviously came here to be alone. At last, he backed away from the situation reluctantly. He was so anxious to get out of there without being seen that he accidentally knocked over a bucket, which shattered the tranquillity of the orangery.

“Who’s there?” you demanded as you placed your book down on the bench beside you and stood. 

William felt his stomach turn and his breath caught in his throat at the first real view of your face. You were excruciatingly beautiful with brown eyes. You were, without a doubt, the most stunning lady he'd ever seen, and he desperately desired you. He gave his head a slight shake. He didn’t even know this woman. What in the hell was wrong with him?

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

“I can see you, so you might as well come out,” You said, placing your small book on the cushion beside you. 

A tall, dark-eyed man with a dashing smile walked forwards, and you studied him with interest. His short, black hair was fashioned in a different way than other men, but it suited him. Just like you, he had a nice tan. Your mother always seemed to find something to moan about, and your skin tone was one of them, but you were too busy enjoying the great outdoors to mind. You wanted the sun's warmth so badly that you ignored the fact that it was changing your skin tone.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll leave,” he said in a deep voice that you found soothing as he bowed slightly before taking a step back to do just that. 

“No, please. Do not feel forced to leave. If you just wanted some peace and quiet, I couldn't be so callous as to send you back out into the cold. This orangery, I think, is big enough for the two of us to retreat to in peace,” you said with a smile, hating the idea of turning anyone out into the cold and forcing him to return back to an exhibit that you hadn’t been able to escape fast enough.

“How do you know that I was searching for solitude? Perhaps I was meeting a lover?” he said, regretting it before the last word left his lips. 

What the hell was wrong with me? She would probably slap me or faint dead away at my lack of propriety. I truly was an idiot. William thought to himself.

You laughed instead, you actually laughed. It was gentle, mesmerising, and real. Compared to the phoney, tittering laughter of ladies like Rebecca, this was a breath of fresh air. Women like her made up their entire identities so that they would be accepted by the tonne and have a chance at finding a spouse who, like most men, wanted nothing more than a warm body to deliver an heir and didn't want the hassle of a woman with a brain.

“What’s so amusing, Miss? Are you implying that I wouldn't be able to persuade a woman to have a tryst with me?” he drawled, wondering if you knew just how charming your laugh was. 

A sigh escaped your lips as you stopped laughing, but at least your smile remained. “No, I’m sorry. I’m sure a man as handsome as you would have no difficulties finding a woman to share your time.” 

William was unable to suppress the idiotic grin that twisted up his lips. Naturally, he'd heard the word "handsome" thrown around to describe him before, but for reasons he couldn't explain, he took great pride in your use of it to describe him. “Then what brought you to the conclusion that I was looking for privacy?”

You shrugged as you sat back down, leaning to the side so that you could focus your attention on him. “Well, there’s the fact that this particular orangery is far beyond the appropriate distance from the Museum. No man is going to come out here with a woman unless he’s looking to be trapped.” He couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“Another factor is the climate. The weather is rather chilly. It's likely that a lady would gripe about having to walk that far to reach the orangery. It's also possible that she'd flat-out reject the idea because she's aware it's too chilly to go outdoors and that she'd be spotted if she tried to recover her shawl.”

Once again William nodded in agreement.

“Then of course there is the obvious.”

“Which is?” he asked, moving closer.

“A gentleman would not meet a woman here. He would escort her here so she wouldn't have time to reconsider or accept an offer from another man. Also, it would take too much time away from the party for both participants. There would be the time spent waiting for the other person to come, the time spent in the meeting itself, and the time spent afterwards by whoever stayed behind so that it didn't look like the two of you had left together."

He couldn’t help grinning. The woman wasn't just beautiful; she was intelligent, too. He cast his eyes around the expansive space as an idea formed in his mind. “Hmm, you’ve given this some thought. Are you perhaps meeting someone here? Or did he already leave?” he asked, making sure to add a teasing note to his tone.

Your smile weakened a bit as you shook your head. “No, there have never been any meetings for me and there probably never will be,” you admitted with a small shrug and a wistful tone that he almost missed.

“Why not?”

“I don’t plan on marrying,” you explained with a small smile.

“Why don’t you wish to marry?” he asked, forcing himself to sound casual. He wasn’t offering. Oh, hell no. It was unlikely he would ever get married unless he really needed an heir to carry on the family name. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life with someone who was constantly in his way and needed him to make her happy.

You looked thoughtful for a moment before you spoke. “I don’t want to be any man’s property."

“I thought that’s why these things,” he gestured back towards the party, “were thrown so that young women could find themselves a husband. So, they could select an appropriate husband, someone to take care of them.”

You shrugged indifferently. “Yes, I dare say that many of the women are here for that reason and would find me utterly foolish, because I don’t wish to find a husband at one of these events.” 

“Then why did you come?” He took another step closer. 

“Probably for the same reason that you did.” 

“Which is?” he prompted. He didn’t want you to stop talking for fear that one of them would have to leave. He wanted to make this last, but more importantly, he wanted to see your smile and hear your laugh one more time before he had to do the right thing and walk away. 

“Well,” you looked thoughtful, “in your case I would assume that either your mother or your father persuaded you to attend and critique this exhibition. If I had to guess, I would say that your mother was the one that expected your attendance.” 

“Oh?” 

You nodded firmly. “Your mother, definitely your mother. If it was your father you would have simply made an appearance, danced with a few women to make him think that you were looking for a wife and be done with it.”

He agreed. “If it was my mother? What reason would I have to attend then?” 

“Most mothers wish for their sons to marry for a simple reason, grandchildren. You came here even though you clearly don’t want to be here. You came to make your mother happy, because she requested your attendance and you obviously care a great deal for your mother. Instead of simply leaving, you searched for a place to hide.” 

He arched an eyebrow at that. “Or it could be that I came here because I'm the one getting critiqued and can't leave until I hear every single opinion people have to say.” he drawled. 

Your eyes slowly moved down his body in an assessing manner, but not in the same way that Rebecca had looked him over. Your gaze didn’t annoy him. Your gaze made him stand straighter as every muscle in his body flexed under your scrutiny, making him feel like an idiot even as he wondered if you liked what you saw. 

“You’re obviously a man with means. You could have hired a hack and left. There’s always the card room for escape or you could have simply left with a friend.” 

“Or walked,” he added. 

You smiled. “I much prefer walks myself. Yes, you could have walked provided that your home was close enough.” 

“Two miles.” 

“That’s not too far away.” 

“No, it’s not.” He rather enjoyed walks. He found himself taking walks every evening. Every night, he went for a walk. He discovered that he still loved strolling even in the bustling city of London when he visited. The obnoxious aromas and bustling crowds of the city did not seem to deter him.

He eyed you carefully. You had a delicate honey tone to your skin. You did not appear too slim or too fit. Your breasts were good size, not too big, but perfect for his hands, and from what he recalled from when you stood, your hips were generous. He was willing to bet your legs were well defined, probably from hours of walking. 

“So, you’re here because your parents want you to marry,” he surmised from what little he knew about you and what he knew about women of your station in general. 

You gave him a dreamy smile that made his chest tighten. “When I was a little girl I wanted nothing more than to have a season. It all seemed so magical, balls, dancing, and being courted by handsome men,” you added the last with a teasing tone. He grinned. 

“Sounds like every girl’s dream to find Prince Charming. What happened to change that dream?” he asked, coming closer. He was now standing only a few feet away from you. His original thought that you were beautiful shattered. You were nothing less than a goddess. 

You sighed heavily. “Nicholas.”

 He felt a tug of unease. Was it jealousy? 

“So, you’re in love with this Nicholas?” Please God, no. You laughed. 

“No. He’s my brother-in-law. My sister married for love. She didn’t care about a title or money. He made her happy, still does. They are the happiest couple that I know and their boys are extraordinary.” 

“And you want that for yourself,” he surmised. 

“It will most likely never happen for me,” you said with a careless shrug that tore at his heart and left him wondering why he cared so much.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

You certainly weren't going to reveal your privileged background to a complete stranger. It could be dangerous if he turned out to be after your money. He only needs to raise the alert for you to be compromised and obliged to take his hand. You couldn't make it through life in a loveless marriage.

“So, if you wish to marry for love, why don’t you enjoy evenings like this more?” 

You waved your hand lazily in the air. “This? This is all orchestrated. People come here looking for the right connection, the right amount of money, and the best gossip. No one comes here looking for love. I knew before I came out that I would never find love at a party. It would just happen…..somehow, somewhere.” 

He took another step forward. “But you came anyway.” 

You looked wistful. “Until the day I marry, I belong to my father and then to my husband. I am considered nothing more than property. If I wish to have certain rights or benefits I must make the man in my life happy first. Then if he is generous I might be allowed to follow my own pursuits.” 

Of course that would all change with your inheritance. Without a word, he moved to sit next to you on the padded bench. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. 

“Sounds unfair, but I don’t understand what type of pursuits a woman could have that a man would not allow. Surely your father would encourage you to embroider, watercolour, and play the piano.” 

“I’m afraid that you would find me quite unusual then.” 

“Try me.” He tilted his head to the side to watch you as you blew out a deep breath. 

“If I don’t smile, look pretty, attend the right function, accept the attention of the right gentlemen, my father will rule my life with an iron fist. Embroidery is not a hobby of mine. It seems like a better use of my sewing skills to make something warm for people rather than something just for looks, thus I prefer to make quilts. And yet, despite being forbidden to, I find pleasure in the kitchen. Society dictates that no woman should ever enjoy that. We’re meant to like ordering other people to do that for us.” you said with a conspiratorial smile that he found utterly adorable. 

“But not you,” he murmured, smiling. “I bet you make delicious biscuits,” he teased.

You grinned devilishly. “My brother-in-law and nephews swear by them.” 

He took another look at your slender figure. “You don’t look like someone that enjoys cooking.” 

You rolled your eyes in a rather fetching manner. “I like to cook, not to eat.” 

“My apologies.” He couldn’t stop smiling near you. William was sure that he looked foolish, but at the moment he truly didn’t care. 

“So, tell me what other scandalous pursuits do you enjoy? Smuggling? Piracy?” he teased. 

You laughed. “No, I’m not quite that shameful. I enjoy reading, attending the theatre, taking walks, gardening, shooting, and swimming." 

His eyes widened in surprise at that. 

“I enjoy things that my father believes are best suited for men,” you explained with an impish smile.

“I see.” He nodded, surprised by your list of pursuits. For most women, the idea of another woman enjoying such things would be completely revolting. In all honesty, he knew that most men would feel the same way. It had always baffled him because all of those things were worthwhile.

“I’m sure that you do,” you mumbled. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone that. My father would be furious if he found out that I told you. Not that it matters anymore I suppose.” 

“Why doesn’t it matter anymore?” he asked in a soft tone. 

“It just doesn't," you said with a shrug. 

He was willing to leave it alone for the moment, but he desperately needed you to continue talking. “Have you enjoyed being out in society?” 

You nodded. “I’ve enjoyed spending more time with my siblings. It’s been nice being seen as a friend and not just a little sister. They mean the world to me. I’ve enjoyed the theatre, some of the dinners, and even being courted.” you could have sworn he frowned, but it was gone before you could be sure. “All the men that have courted me have turned into dear friends.” 

“But you still don’t like being out in society,” he hedged. 

You turned your head and met his gaze. Your faces were less than a foot apart. William fought the urge to lower his gaze to your lips. 

“Do you?” 

“No, I don’t. I don’t like the deceptions. I hate gossip. I don’t like being pursued for my position or money. I hate having women trying to trap me into marriage. I despise the game that I’m expected to play. I don’t want a simpering woman to bow to my every whim. It’s ridiculous.” 

You nodded in agreement as you looked away. “Yes, it is.” 

After a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence he spoke. “May I ask why you’re here playing along if you don’t want to marry?” 

When you looked back at him his eyes dropped to your lips, your full, deliciously pink lips. He raised his gaze back quickly before he did something that he would regret. 

“A bargain, I suppose,” you said simply. 

“A bargain? Are they trying to force you into marriage? Is your family in need of money?” Another thought occurred to him, one that made his stomach twist in dread. “You weren’t caught…er…” 

Please don’t let her be carrying another man’s child. 

You lightly swatted his shoulder and laughed. “No! Goodness no. The men my parents are pushing my way are tiresome men like Johann Smithfield.”

William nearly choked on air.

Your smile disappeared, instantly replaced with a worried frown. “Oh no, he’s a friend of yours and I’ve just insulted him,” you said, sounding truly upset.

He threw his head back and laughed. “Smithfield, a friend? No! The man shows off every minute of the day. I couldn’t imagine a fate worse than spending an hour in that man’s company.”

“Thanks. Your words have been really comforting,” you said dryly, earning another chuckle from him. He couldn’t remember the last time that he’d felt so relaxed in another person’s company. He normally kept his guard up, refusing to allow anyone to get the better of him.

You sighed heavily. “I’m afraid my parents aren’t happy with my state of life. I’m twenty-three and while they feel that I should be married by now, I don’t. I’ve turned down every suitor who’s asked for my hand. They’re afraid they’ll end up with another spinster on their hands.” They also didn’t want your inheritance left in your control, but there was no need to tell him that.

“How many men have asked for you?” he asked. He knew that it wasn’t proper to ask, but he somehow knew that you wouldn’t mind. You didn’t seem the type. You seemed honest and forthright. It was a welcome change.

Your face scrunched up delightfully. “Fifty-five.”

“Fifty-five men have asked for your hand and you’re only twenty-three? Good lord!” 

You shrugged indifferently. “I’m easy to get along with.”

He liked that. He appreciated that you didn't mention your stunning good looks or the possibility of a dowry (even though he knew that at least some of the suitors were interested in either). You would be a highly sought after prize if you had a substantial dowry to go along with your stunning good looks.

“I believe it.”

Your hand found his. You gave it a small squeeze before releasing it. “I’m sorry. You came out here looking for some solitude.” you flicked your hand casually in the air. “I’ll leave you.” you reached down at your other side and picked up a small book with a well-worn leather cover.

“What are you reading?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing, he didn't want you to leave. It hadn’t escaped his notice that you’d brought a book to an event  “You sneak off a lot, don’t you?”

You gave him a sheepish smile. “I’m afraid that I do have a tendency of making myself scarce.”

He noticed the invite card on your wrist. It was full, which didn't surprise him.

“And the book?” 

You held it up and shrugged. “It’s one of my favourite plays. It helps me relax. I had a feeling that I would need it tonight by the way that my mother was behaving.” 

He couldn’t quite make out the words from the worn cover. “Which play?” 

Your whole face lit up. You obviously took great joy from your book. “'As You Like It’ by Shakespeare. It’s my absolute favourite,” you said dreamily. 

William groaned. “I’m going to have to kiss you now.”

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

You didn’t have a chance to respond before his lips were touching yours. You were taken aback by the tender touch as he gently caressed your lips with his own, which prevented you from forming any words. Your hands went straight to his chest without any conscious thought. You were prepared to shove him away so that you could leave before someone found you and then were forced into a marriage that you didn’t want when something occurred to you.

What if this was your one and only opportunity to find out what it was like to be with a man, especially one who you really desired? You didn't want to go through life full of things you wished you'd done differently. You didn't want to look back on your life and wonder what you'd be missing out on if you hadn't tied the knot since you knew that's what your future held. You made the decision right at that moment that if you were destined to spend the rest of your life as a bachelorette, then you were going to savour this moment with...whatever his name was and give in to the overpowering attraction that you felt for him. After a moment, you allowed yourself to relax and to enjoy his kisses and the sensations that were teasing and tormenting your body as you lost yourself to his touch.

He brushed his lips over yours once, twice and once again. Your mouth was soft and sweet, but it wasn’t enough. He ran the tip of his tongue over your bottom lip. You gasped in surprise, opening your mouth ever so slightly, but it was enough for him. He tilted his head to the side and deepened the kiss.

You didn’t know what to think when his lips moved against yours except that somehow for some reason it felt right, perfect. His kisses weren’t frantic or sloppy. They were sweet. When he teasingly slid his tongue inside your mouth you were too stunned at first to react to the invasion. Then slowly you began to melt in his arms. Your hands slid up his chest, enjoying the feel of hard muscle beneath his coat until they found his shoulders.

He groaned as he pulled you against him, enjoying himself until his damn conscience nagged at him. As wonderful as it felt to kiss you, he knew by the unpracticed strokes of your tongue and lips that you were innocent. He pulled back and looked into your eyes, praying that you wouldn’t end this. This had to be your choice, because he sure as hell wasn’t about to stop this if he had a choice in the matter.

For a moment, neither of you moved. You watched each other, panting slightly as you waited for the other to put a halt to this insanity. Slowly, he moved in, giving you a chance to stop this even as he prayed that you wouldn't. When his mouth touched yours again it was anything but timid. This kiss was hot, wild, and possessive. Words were beyond them. William pulled you closer until your breasts were pressed more firmly against his chest.

You ran your fingers through his hair, enjoying the soft feel of it. He moved his mouth away from yours, nibbling on your ear and neck. He slipped his fingers beneath the top of your gown and slowly pulled down the material, taking your shift down as well until your breasts were bare to him.

Still neither spoke.

He ran his tongue from your neck down to your breasts, leaving a wet trail behind that had your toes curling. You moaned as you ran your hands down his back, encouraging him to continue when you should be pushing him away and running as fast as your legs could carry you back to the safety of the event. He ran his tongue in a circular motion around one taut nipple before he pulled the hard pebble into his mouth, effectively killing any thoughts you might have had of ending this.

He reached up and cupped your other breast. He weighed it in his hand, squeezed it, and ran his thumb around the firm nipple. He held the breast up for his mouth and, after one last lick of the nipple he’d been worshipping, his mouth greedily accepted the offering. He licked and sucked the large breast until you were moaning louder and digging your fingers into his shoulders, desperate for more.

You thought you were going to die from the pleasure he was giving you. It felt incredible. Better than you’d ever imagined, but something was missing. After a moment you realised what that something was. You needed to touch him, too. Deciding that you weren't going to wait for an invitation, you worked his shirt off, desperate for the contact.

He was surprised when he felt your hands working the buttons of his coat, but immensely pleased nonetheless. Releasing your breasts, he pulled his cravat off and shrugged off his outer garments, leaving only his shirt until that too was gone.

You reached out with trembling hands and ran your fingers down his chest, enjoying the feel of his warm smooth skin over hard muscle. You ran your fingers tentatively over one flat nipple, making him groan. Your hands moved down to trace the muscles that made up his flat stomach. He groaned again, but didn’t say or do anything to stop you.

You wanted to keep touching him, but your arms were effectively pinned to your sides by your dress, limiting your movements. You worried your bottom lip nervously as you pulled your arms out and pushed the dress and shifted down around your waist. You watched as he ran hungry eyes over you. His response gave you the courage to continue. Pushing aside your nervousness, you leaned in and kissed him. William grabbed your waist and held you firmly as both of you kissed almost desperately.

Never breaking the kiss, he helped you to your feet until both of you were standing. He reached behind you and undid the buttons of your dishevelled dress. He slowly pushed it down and waited patiently until you stepped out of your dress, leaving you naked except for your stockings and slippers. Only one person had seen you naked before and that had been your maid. You should be embarrassed, but oddly enough with him you didn’t feel shy or self-conscious. You felt beautiful, wanted and cherished.

You watched as he kneeled down in front of you. He gently rolled your stockings down, taking your slippers off in the process. He pressed hot kisses to your skin as he made his way back up to your mouth. You pulled him into your arms and kissed him hungrily, unable to get enough of him.

His hands roamed over your body, touching your arms, breasts, stomach, back, bottom and legs. Every touch made your stomach tighten and the area between your legs ache. You wanted more, but didn’t know what.

William seemed to know. He moved his mouth to your neck and suckled your skin on the way back to your breasts. Once he found your nipple, his hand worked its way between your legs. He cupped you and ran his fingers through slick folds. You moaned loudly, unable to help yourself.

When he slipped a finger inside you, he found you hot, wet, and ready. He groaned and moved his mouth back to yours while he worked a finger in and out of you. Soon you were moving against his finger, your body desperate for release. He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t even think of anything beyond getting inside you.

His other hand worked frantically at his pants. With a groan, he broke off the kiss and removed his hand from the honeyed heaven he couldn't wait to explore. He reached down, pushed his pants down and pulled his boots off until he was naked as well.

His lips quickly made their way back to yours. It was a desperate need that he couldn’t deny. He gasped and then moaned loudly into your mouth when he felt your fingers run curiously over his erection. Never in a million years had he thought that you would be this passionate, hadn’t known that it was possible.

He reached between you and gently wrapped your hand around his length and moved it, showing you what he liked. You did it, making him pant and groan. He slid his hand back between your legs, sliding a second finger inside you until you were moaning and crying softly into his mouth. They stood there for several minutes as pleasure soared through their bodies.

It was too much for any sane man to take. He pulled his hand away and pushed you gently onto the long cushioned bench with his body brushing your hand away. He kissed you deeply as he positioned himself. Part of him was aware that he was very likely about to take your virginity, but he didn’t care. You weren't saying anything and neither was he. Both of you were too far-gone at the moment to care about rules, propriety or the consequences that were most likely going to tear your lives apart.

William aimed himself and pushed in, unable to wait any longer. He heard your gasp of pain and kissed you deeply, trying to distract you. The tip of his shaft came in contact with the proof of your innocence. When you didn't protest, scream, or demand that he get off you, he pulled back and thrust in until he was buried deep inside of you.

Somehow he was able to hold back when everything in him demanded that he move. One look at your beautiful face and he was knocked on his ass. You were heartbreakingly beautiful as you tried to give him a reassuring smile even as tears trailed down your face. He pressed tender kisses to your cheeks, kissing away your tears, wanting to reassure you that he would take care of you.

He moved his mouth back to yours and he kissed you slowly, trying to show you how much being with you meant to him. He’d never felt so much for another person in his entire life and for someone he didn’t know it surprised him. He never allowed anyone to get close to him, and didn't trust anyone. He couldn't understand how you consumed his every wish and desire. He wanted to hold you all night and keep you safe from harm, something that he’d never wanted to do with another woman.

Soon, you grew accustomed to the invasion and began to wiggle beneath him, testing his control. He slowly rolled his hips making sure that you were truly ready for him. He could feel your mouth curve into a smile beneath his and that’s when he realised that he was smiling as well, making him chuckle. For the first time in a long time, he felt carefree. He kissed you deeply as he slowly thrust inside you, enjoying the feel of wet silken walls caressing his cock.

You instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist, trying to hold him inside you. William cupped your breast, gently squeezing it as his thumb ran over your hard nipple. Moans, crackles of the fire, and the sounds of bodies gently slapping against each other echoed throughout the dimly lit orangery.

William could feel your body tighten like a vice around him. He groaned as he moved harder and faster, making you cry out in pleasure. Your fingernails dug into his back, but he didn’t care. He opened his eyes and watched as your world exploded. He needed you to find your release before he could pull out. He was determined to make this good for you. Your body began squeezing ruthlessly around his length. As good as it felt to have you grip his cock like this, it felt even better knowing that he’d been the one to give you this pleasure. Hell, he wanted to laugh and scream for joy that this beautiful minx found her moment with him. His minx.

The reality of the moment hit him hard. You were still squeezing him and moaning. Your mouth found his neck and kissed it greedily, sucking and licking and driving him out of his goddamn mind. He couldn’t hold back. He desperately needed to pull out. It was getting too close. Just one more thrust he told himself, just one more.

As his release rushed up on him, he gasped, trying to find the strength to pull out of you. Just as he somehow found the willpower to pull out you began squeezing him again, completely shattering his resistance. His head dropped back and he bit back a roar of pleasure as he found his own release. It was the most intense moment of his life. He continued to move until he was sure that you were done. When he felt your walls squeeze gently around him one last time, he fell on you, lazily kissing your neck, chin and mouth. Still neither of you spoke.

William was too weak to speak. It was the oddest way to take a woman’s virginity, without any spoken words of promise or explanation. He’d always been a gentle lover, taking a woman slowly to prolong his release. He'd never even taxed himself before. Right now his body was exhausted and soaked. This was the most intense sexual experience of his life and he didn’t even know your name.

Not that he ever made love to an innocent before, but surely something should have been said. Names should have been exchanged at the very least. It was without question the most passionate night of his life. He’d never been so moved by lust or need before to make him this desperate to make love to a woman.

He pulled back to look at you, expecting you to cry, scream or hit him. He’d been a cad taking your innocence. But instead of doing what he’d expected, what he deserved, you smiled sweetly up at him and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth. William turned the kiss into a slow, deep display of appreciation, passion and need. He was still inside of you and surprised to discover that he was hardening again. He wanted you once more, desperately, but he couldn’t do that to you.

He took a steadying breath and slowly began to pull out, however, your legs wrapped tightly around his waist and trapped him. He raised an eyebrow in question. Then you spoke for the first time since you'd started. “Can we do it again?” you asked shyly.

Will could only chuckle. He leaned down and kissed you. “Yes, minx, we can do it again.” He punctuated every word with a slow thrust of his hardening shaft, "In one condition. . ." He paused his hips from grinding against you.

"What is it?" You whispered breathlessly.

"Let me paint an intimate portrait of you. You'd make a perfect model." Will whispers his condition against your ear, causing electricity to shoot down your spine. 

You placed your palms over his chest and pushed him away, "And be showcased in exhibits like this for the world to see? Forget it." 

"I didn't say anything about showing it to the world, my lady. It's intimate, it's private. It's only for my eyes to admire." Will lowered his head, his lips grazing yours as he spoke these bold statements. 

A broad smile curved in your lips, "I like you." 

He took you slowly this time, enjoying every single thrust inside your body. You were passionate, very passionate. You weren't content with lying there while he bedded you. You kissed his mouth, chin, and neck greedily while your hands ran through his hair, down his back, and finally cupped his ass. He could swear that you moaned with pleasure just from touching him.

He broke the kiss and pulled back just far enough away so that he could watch your face. You smiled shyly at him. You were so damn beautiful. He slowed his rhythm and made his thrusts shallower, stressing each movement. You licked your lips hungrily.

“You like that, don’t you, minx?” 

“Y-yes, please don’t stop.” 

He shook his head. “Never.”

He gently took your hands and held them above your head, entwining your fingers as he made love to you. The gesture made what you were doing feel more intense. Soon you were throwing your head back and whimpering.

William took your mouth, kissing you deeply as he quickened his thrusts inside you. You gripped his hands tightly. He felt your body tighten around him once again. There was no point in pulling out now. The damage was already done. You exploded at the same moment. William didn’t bother trying to hide his pleasure this time. Both of you were too far away from the loud exhibit for anyone to hear you both. Even if they weren’t, there was no way to stop him now.

“Oh God!” he roared.

He collapsed on top of you, sweaty and sated. He didn’t know many women who appreciated a sweaty man on top of them, so he moved to roll off you when your small warm arms wrapped around his shoulders.

His minx pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. You pulled him closer while you ran your hands over his damp back in a soothing motion. He kissed your cheek and was surprised when you sighed with pleasure. He couldn’t help but wonder how women could be so completely different.

You moved your head back so that you could look into his eyes. “Thank you for tonight. I’ll always remember it.” you looked and sounded so grateful. He couldn’t imagine what he'd done for you besides take your innocence without asking. He shouldn’t be thanked. He should be shot.

He sighed, shaking his head. “Minx,-”

“Shhh,” you pressed a finger to his mouth. “I don’t want you to feel guilty about this. It was perfect. This will always be the most passionate night of my life and I will always treasure it. Please don’t be mad. I’m not.”

“Minx,” he began again, “you should be mad…what we did….what I did was inexcusable. I-“ 

“No, no words, no apologies. Just let it remain this perfect moment between two strangers who found comfort with each other.”

Comfort? It was a hell of lot more than comfort. It was intense, indescribable, and possibly the stupidest thing he’d ever done. He’d just got himself leg shackled to this beautiful stranger.

After a long pause, he reluctantly nodded. There was no sense in arguing with you. He would never force a woman to do anything that you didn’t want to do. He certainly wasn’t about to thank this woman for the most wonderful night of his life by robbing you of your freedom without justification.

“How’s my hair?” you asked after both of you were finished redressing yourselves. 

The smile took on a different meaning as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Perfect.”

“Also, here,” he said suddenly as he searched his pockets. He pulled out a small pencil stub and a small piece of parchment from his jacket pocket and wrote his name and address on it.

With a chuckle, you took the folded piece of parchment and placed it in you reticule. “Happy?”

He smiled. “Extremely.”

“Shall I go first and make my excuses to leave?”

He respectively nodded. “Thank you for a most wonderful evening, minx.” 

“The pleasure was mine, sir,” you said, smiling shyly as you turned away and headed for the door.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

You had to force a pleasant smile and a deliberate stride through the crowded halls, even if all you wanted to do was get away from everyone and find a quiet place to help your pounding heart. As you made your way to an office, you avoided the many unwelcome suitors and, more crucially, your mother by blending in with the crowd. With no second thoughts, you slammed the door shut and locked it, then sank to the floor.

It only took a few seconds for reality to sink in. A sensation of your heart pounding in your chest was present. You just lost your virginity at a party to some random bloke you didn't know. While it was an amazing experience, you couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if someone had found both of you or if he had been a fortune hunter. You could at this very moment be forced to announce your engagement to a man that you didn't know.

Your entire future could have been ruined in a matter of minutes all because you allowed yourself to be carried away in a moment of weakness. You'd been so foolish and so incredibly lucky.

How could you have done something so irrational? You had a plan for your life and it most certainly didn’t involve making love to a man you didn't know in a well-lit orangery where anyone could have stumbled upon you. In a matter of months you were going to turn twenty-four and gain control over your inheritance. Then you would move to your north estate where you would live out the rest of your life away from the nonsense of this town.

You'd been such a foolish woman tonight allowing yourself to be swept away by a deep alluring voice, good looks, beautiful eyes and an overwhelming need to do the wrong thing. You'd been helpless to deny him. When his lips had touched yours, it felt like a fire had been lit in your body and you couldn't seem to get enough of him. Your cheeks burned with humiliation. What he must think of you!

A rather disturbing thought occurred to you. What if you ran into each other at another event or a party? Would he expect a repeat of tonight? Would you allow it? It scared you how quickly you were able to answer that question.

Yes, you would. If you were given another opportunity to be in his arms, you would not hesitate even for a minute. You'd risk everything for another moment with him. Knowing how weak you were when it came to the handsome stranger and what was at risk, you decided there was only one course of action left for you. You had to leave Arkham sooner than you'd originally planned.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

“There you are!” One of his professors, Mr. Dixon said brightly, too damn brightly.

William glanced around the large crowded space, hoping to find his minx. True to your word you had left. Now he was left at this dreadful event with memories of you. He could simply ask around about you, but then that would put them in an awkward position. People would want to know why he was interested and tongues would wag. 

"Where have you been, boy? Dr. Reid is waiting to see you. Need I remind you that you're the winner of the student art prize?"

"No need, Sir." Will supplied a subtle impatient sigh.

Dixon releases a small grunt and straightens Will's collar and tie, "There, much better. Come along. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

No one in this place would suspect that Dixon had William's arm in a death grip that would no doubt leave a large bruise. Not that Will minded. He would have other marks on his body from his minx. He barely stopped himself from grinning like an idiot. You truly were wonderful, he thought just before he spotted Dr. Reid and a few other committee members standing in front of his artworks, making his smile disappear instantly out of nervousness.

“You must be William Thurber,” Dr. Reid said with a warm smile as he reached out and took Will's hand firmly into his own. The man was graying, but still an impressive sight.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Reid,” Will smiled and out of the corner of his eye he saw who he assumed was Dr. Reid's wife whisper something into a young man's ear. The young man shot his mother an annoyed look and walked away, clearly displeased with whatever his mother said.

“I must say that you are one talented artist, my boy. The way you capture beauty in your artwork is truly. . . Captivating. Congratulations.” Dr. Reid said with a warm smile that was nothing like the fake smile his wife currently had plastered to her face.

“Thank you very much,” Will said. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dr. Reid and his wife part. A second later a young woman was practically shoved between them. He saw Joe gasp and his eyes widened. Mr. Dixon looked very pleased, as did his other classmates. 

William turned around to see what they were looking at and smiled. His minx. 

“Mr. Dixon, William, Joe, I believe none of you have met my youngest daughter, (Y/N)?” Dr. Reid said proudly. 

William felt his blood drain away from his head. Oh, hell.

#ben barnes #william thurber x you #william thurber x reader #william thurber x y/n #ben barnes x you #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes x y/n #ben barnes fanfiction #ben barnes fanfic #ben barnes fluff #ben barnes smut #the cabinet of curiosities au #william thurber

[theteabush]

Hii! Can I please have some hunter sylvester headcanons where he has a fem s/o who has a fairy kei style and is very sweet and innocent, but also loves the same metal and things he does?

|Hunter Sylvester x fem!reader with a fairy kei style|

Note: HI ANON!! You're actually my first ask, and I'm so exciteeeed because my style is also fairy kei with a mix of lolita and this got me all smiliiin'. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. It's not the best and I'm so sorry TwT

Warnings: none

Hunter was dumbfounded when he saw you

Like literally.

Would question Kevin and/or random people about you

He would constantly beat himself up about this weird feeling,

Because having a crush on someone exactly the opposite of him was 'not metal' of him

"Dude just ask for her name"-Kevin

*visibly goes red*

Everytime he sees pink he thinks about you

He literally wrote a song about you and how much you're messing with his head

He randomly fixes his hair when sees you walking in

"Emily knows her. We could ask her"

When he hears that he would literally beg for that to happen

One time he almost crashed his car when you appeared in his mind

Would look at you in classes, questioning about this 'weird' style you have (you don't. He just doesn't understand it)

Does Google research about this

BRO LITERALLY BECOMES SHAKESPEARE AND WRITES POEMS

He smiles to himself when he thinks about you

"you good?" - Kevin

"yes, just the allergies messing with my muscles"

"????" - kevin

Emily told him your name so now he knows his mysterious crush

Literally gets TikTok videos with 'soulmates' with your initials 😭

He thinks he's in some type of spell

Totally denies his feelings sometimes because he's not used to it

At some point he talks to you

"nice weather outside, am I right?"

He literally goes ;-; and face-palms himself mentally

His eyes wide when he realises you're laughing

BABY BOY SO NERVOUS

compliments your clothing style

When he learns that you like his style and music taste, he goes blank

No thoughts, head empty

His heart races with 100 per/mile

"t-thanks. Its the trauma"

He's so awkward, he's just scared to not scare you off

That joke literally came out of nowhere

He would start talking about fairy kei because he memorised everything from Google just to impress you

You literally think it's cute

HE HAS A HELLO KITTY BACKPACK KEYCHAIN DONT ASK FROM WHERE HE JUST HAS IT

He gifted it to you

He would give you stuff every day at school, such as hair pins, bracelets, cute accessories, small stuff that reminds him of you

Would plan a picnic date night in a nearby forest with fairy lights in trees n' shit

HE PLAYS THE GUITAR FOR YOU

Would ramble at some point, talking about his favourite bands and their history

When he realises that you're listening and actually interested in what he says, he falls in love. Literally.

He's VERY surprised that you are also into metal

He actually opens up a little bit to you about his past. Just a little bit

Starts questioning on how you chose this style

Would listen to every single detail you give him

EMILY THINKS Y'ALL ARE THE SWEETEST

Would put his rings on your fingers, even if they're too big, just to see something of him on you

CONSTANTLY BLUSHES

He never thought about loving someone the opposite of him

PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED WHEN YOU TWO ANNOUNCED YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Would put stickers on your face

HE LETS YOU USE HIM AS A PERSONAL ACCESSORY TESTER

"Do you think this is cute?" - you

"Let's find out"

HE. KISSES. YOUR. HAND

"How's my floating cotton candy doing?"

You're literally his will to live 😭

His life so boring and grey, until ✨ you ✨ come in picture

People are whispering about you guys but who tf cares?

"You're like a heart"

"how so?" - you

"without you everything dies around"

💳 💥

OVERALL Y'ALL FUCKING CUTE

#hunter #hunter sylvester #hunter metal lords #hunter sylvester x reader #Hunter sylvester x you #metal lords #Netflix #Headcanons #Hunter sylvester x fem!reader

[mxcat777]

So what if

Dream is sort of Shakespeare's patron, right? So would that make Shakespeare on of His™? And if so, would he reside in the Dreaming after his death instead of the Sunless Lands?

'cause if so. Consider.

He's still writing. (A lot)

He keeps up with modern literature, but keeps writing (at least mostly) in Early Modern English (that's it, right? Do I have my lit facts straight?). Imagine his recent plays littered with slang, disney references, (un)subtle references to shit that was based on his stuff that he either loves or hates, both are good.

He's kind of a favourite of Dream's. The same way Lucienne and Jessamy and The Corinthian are. He can get away with saying shit, because if he offends Dream he can turn around and start sprouting some poetry at that vain-ass bitch and all is forgiven. (In the worst cases it takes a new play about his royal majesty the Dream King and how generous and benevolent and regal he is)

Fishbowling happens, not sure what Will would do, the plot bunny didn't care.

Dream is back, all is well, he goes to the New Inn, Hob and Dream are now officially Friends.

They meet up more bc friends see each other more often than once a century. Oh yeah friends also know each others' names and such. So Dream tells Hob a bit about himself.

At some point he's like, hey hob u wanna see the dreaming?

Hob's like yES PLz??

Hob gets a tour, and from that point on usually gets the option at night to dream normally or visit the palace.

On one fateful night, Hob decides to take a stroll through the library, goes looking for Marlowe's shelf, because he kind of wonders what other stuff that genius would have written had he lived longer.

Only to (maybe literally) bump into, you guessed it, Will Bloody Shaxberd.

He stares.

Will goes 'hey'.

And then Hob goes somewhat feral.

(no he is not over it, sue him, he's allowed to hold a grudge.)

He goes off on a rant about, see, ofc ur still plagiarizing marlowe he was so much better i can't believe dream left me for you you useless twat you couldn't write shit without him so why did you get the fucking privilege of living with him and knowing him for fucking centuries i had to fight 600 years for his bloody name and i'm guessing you got it right that first meeting hm?

And Will goes oh shit it's you! And then cuts Hob off with a "you're so right! I was an absolute shit playwright before your friend helped me!"

And Hob is... Understandably lost. This was not how it went in his head.

And then Will continues, I was so nervous the time right after that meeting, I knew he was some sort of supernatural being, no clue what though, he's really not good at introductions, is he, so I sort of assumed you were too, and I was waiting for your revenge for stealing your date away, recently found out you're actually human, albeit immortal, and it was not a date, though, speaking of, have you sorted yourselves out yet?

And Hob, quite understandably even more baffled, sort of gapes for a bit.

Before very nervously denying anything of the sort.

Will just stares.

And goes, bruv, you weren't subtle then, still aren't now, spare everyone else the UST, please, for the love of god, you two need to fuck post haste.

And Hob is like, hahaha, eh, yeah, nope, fun seeing you, BYE.

So Will sighs. And goes to see Lucienne, as any sensible person would.

Lucienne sighs as well. At which point Will steps to Dream himself.

"My lord?" "Yes, William?" "Forgive my directness, but so as not to risk any misunderstandings, what exactly is your relationship with Hob Gadling?" "We are friends. Why do you ask? Is that not clear?" "Well, to be perfectly honest, m'lord, I assumed you were... Involved™." "We are not." "But you'd like to be though, right?" "You dare presume to know-" " I dare presume to know what attraction, romance, love, all that looks like, sire. I must do, after portraying it in my plays for over four centuries. After writing several hundreds of sonnets on the topic." "I-" "In my humble opinion, my lord, it is a good match. He understands you, you continue to fascinate each other, he can provide a safe place where you need not be monarch for a moment. And of course, you are quite obviously attracted to one another sexually." "WILLIAM SH-" "Oh calm down! I'm certainly not judging either of you!" "...he is attracted to me?" "..." "Is he?" "YES! Lord give me faith! Kiss him! Go to him and teleport the both of you onto a bed! Or if you want to be sappy go slow and bring him a rose, but please, for the love of the collective sanity, do something!" "But how do you know? What if you misunderstood? What if it is unwelcome? I cannot lose him!"

At which point Will turns around, leaves the throne room, goes back to the library and rant to Lucienne

"I swear I'm going to write a play about them, just to point out how stupid this is. I feel compelled to call it a tragedy, but I think it needs to have a happy ending, otherwise Lord Broodphius would get stuck on the but what if it does end in tragedy, so I suppose a comedy would be fitting, but then again, this is too painful to watch to qualify as a comedy. Tragic comedy? Comic tragedy? I'll figure it out..."

And Lucienne is like, if you'd like to perform it properly I'm sure there are a few dreams who would be more than willing to help out, take on a role.

Hob comes back to the Dreaming a few days later and finds Will up to his elbows in paper, reference books, thesauruses and rhyming dictionaries (handy things those), and empty mugs and the like.

Will looks up, somewhat manic, and is like, Hob! Great! Just the person I wanted to see! Would you help me, please?

Hob's like, sure? Kind of apprehensive, but he gave everything some thought and decided that as long as he could go on dunking on him, he could let go of most of his jealousy (cuz that's what is was, he's mature enough to admit)

Will goes, Awesome! Tell me about you and Morphius! How do you see him, what's your story, I only ever get bits and pieces from his lordship, so I'm in severe need of some context...

And Hob is somewhat suspicious, but he indulges him, and really, telling the story comes too easy, so he gets into it completely and doesn't even notice when he starts slipping into rants about Dream, about how beautiful, and magnificent, and misunderstood, and kind, and way-out-of-his-league-but-god-dammit-he-went-and-fell-in-love-with-the-bastard-anyway he is

And Will takes studious notes.

And then goes like, so some of the sonnets I've written were with you two in mind, you wanna give me some feedback? (Ahem, sonnet 24/29, some others work too, undoubtedly, but I am no Shakespeare expert, unfortunately)

And he does something similar with Dream, maybe citing Hob's dislike of him as the reason he wants to know more about him without having to bother him overly much, like, I want to set things right between us, but I need to know more about him to do that, will you help me, m'lord

And he does

And Will just sits back and takes notes as Dream also spirals into a passion fueled rant about Hob

And all those notes end up in the eventual play

Auditions for the roles happen when Dream and Hob are out on a Not Date™ in the Waking.

There are surprisingly many auditioning for Hob's role, and surprisingly little for Dream's

Until Will points out that Dream would probably be more offended by an unworthy portrayal of his Love that of himself, at which point some of the dreams bow out entirely, bc Will knows how vain their lord is, so they decide not to risk unmaking and tactically retreat

Will is in his fucking element, it's been way too long since he's properly directed a play!

Eventually Will comes up to the Mutually Pining Idiots like, hey m'lord, Hob, I've written a new play, and I've been working with some of the dreams to make it happen, do you want to see??

So they watch. They watch as two absolute fucking idiots stumble around each other, everyone on and off stage can see how stupidly in love they are except for them, and both start sweating profusely when they start recognizing their own words quoted back at them.

The end of the play is something of a direct call-out and a plea from the dreams to please just talk to each other, fuck and get married, preferably in that order, but they're not picky.

Then everyone leaves them alone for the Conversation that is most likely going to happen.

Will stays behing hiding unobtrusively in the shadows tho.

He's not about to let all his work go to waste if these idiots ty to play it off again. He will lock them in a broom closet if he has to, watch him.

They don't.

Luckily.

There are like three sentences total spoken. Then they're aggressively making out.

Will leaves the room very content about his matchmaking skills.

And hey! He got a good play out of it, if he does say so himself!

#the sandman #dream of the endless #dreamling #dream #hob gadling #the sandman netflix #centennial husbands #dream x hob #hob x dream #morpheus #morpheus x hob #hob x morpheus #will shaxberd #hob hates shakespeare #plot bunny #i say bunny #but at this point it's a hare #this got long #and way out of hand #honestly it just started with hib stumbling across shakespeare in the dreaming #and ranting to him #and will being surprisingly mature and such #then this happened #lucienne #and will #just sighing over these #idiots #together #mutual pining #idiots to lovers

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Another Poll!

I've missed doing these lol.

Here's a fun question that's been on my mind lately... and it has nothing to do with my own writing.

Yes, I'm aware that there are more plays. These were just the ones I could think of currently.

Perhaps I'll do a part 2...

I love these stories so much. I don't know what I'd pick here as my personal favourite. Maybe Romeo and Juliet? Since that was my introduction to Shakespeare growing up lol. Or Macbeth... because GCSE English vibes lol.

Can't wait to see what you guys think!

#rickie-the-storyteller #william shakespere #shakespeare plays #romeo and juliet #hamlet #twelfth night #macbeth #a midsummer night's dream #the tempest #orthello #much ado about nothing #king lear #writeblr #readblr #english literature #gcse english

[poorshadowspaintedqueens]

Is Shakespeare’s ‘the taming of the shrew‘ how people saw gender relations at that time? It seems misogynistic and abusive. Have I gotten it wrong?

Oh, the Shrew. My least favourite Shakespeare play.

Yes, it is misogynist and abusive. You haven’t got it wrong.

Nor is it the only play that contains these elements. I mean, there’s an entire (modern) subgenre of Shakespeare plays called the Problem Plays, after all. Or ‘The ones they tell us are comedies but SERIOUSLY WTAF?’

Shrew is definitely one of those. So is The Merchant of Venice, where we’re meant to applaud when Bassanio--who is the epitome of a useless white boy--gets the girl, and everyone laughs anti-semitically at Shylock for losing everything. Or Measure for Measure and All’s Well That Ends Well, both of which feature major plot points involving non-consensual sex. Or whatever the fuck is going on in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, which is basically Shakespeare throwing everything and the kitchen sink at a comedy and realizing that less is in fact more.

When you read an older text, there will always be these moments that jolt you out of it, that make you go ‘wait, what did I just read?’ I encourage you to sit with that discomfort and think about its implications. There are wonderful things in Shakespeare’s plays. They can be incredibly rewarding to read--and, even more to my mind, to watch and to perform--but they are far from perfect, and treating them as fallible representations of popular entertainment from the 1590s that have survived for a variety of reasons, not all of which make sense without the spectre of colonialism...seems like a good place to start. And don’t be afraid to play with them, to take them apart and rework them from different perspectives, through different eyes.

Or don’t. There are loads of other fantastic writers out there. Shakespeare doesn’t have a monopoly on greatness. In fact, I as an academic who has studied Shakespeare lo these two two decades, will state categorically and for the record that Ten Things I Hate About You is better than The Taming of the Shrew. Full stop.

#william shakespeare #shakespeare #canonicity

[t0ast-ghost]

S2 Episode 8 (I, Mudd) Garfield guess who’s here? Please tell me it’s not Mudd. It’s Mudd.

Commence:

- Why are him and Spock just walking the halls together. If I was the crew I’d be going livid, like get this: there’s these two men who are head of the science and medical staff on the ship and they fucking hate each other, they fight all over the ship constantly and you’ve seen them at odds a gazillion times. One day you’re walking the halls to get to your station and you just see them walking together, talking normally, and one of them is even smiling in a sort of fond way. My jaw would drop honestly

- They’re already fighting.. it took less than 30 seconds

- This guy’s on a mission! I wonder who he could be?

- “Mr. Spock we seem to be taking an unscheduled ride” “Interesting.” Spock does not give a fuck about your dramatics, Kirk

- Spock looks at the guy who stops Kirk and just thinks “fuck, McCoy was right.”

- LMAO the electronics in him look like smt from doctor who

- I love Uhura and Chekov almost bumping into the android

- oh god this guy again (Mudd)

- “Jamie boy.” That- that barely even makes sense

- Kirk what is that stance

- “And you’re all going to be here, uh, quite probably for the rest of your lives. *evil laugh*”Spock and McCoy are unconcerned

- Okay I think McCoy is just lording it over Spock that he was right

- Okay there’s a certain joviality that I appreciate to the back and forth of Mudd explaining and Kirk, McCoy, and Spock all interrupting

- this is the greatest line in all of Star Trek

- Kirk: Well, opinions?

Chekov: I think we’re in a lot of trouble

Kirk: That’s a great help, Mr. Chekov. Bones?

McCoy: Well, I think Mr. Chekov’s right. We are in a lot of trouble

Kirk: Spock? And if you say we’re in a lot of trouble…

Spock: We are.

Kirk then gets the most defeated look on his face

- Scotty coming in hot and cursing out Mudd

- CHEKOV DONT FUCK THE ANDROIDS

- Kirk is like an angry small dog

- “No, lord Mudd.” “Wuuut??” Good line delivery

- “How do you know so much?” “I asked them.” “Oh.” Wait wait wait, this is simple deduction. Deduction? Sherlock. Holmes and Watso? MCCOY AND SPOCK AS HOLMES AND WATSON!!! Oh wait Data and Geordi did that..

- “Now listen, Spock, you may be a wonderful science officer, but believe me you couldn’t sell fake patents to your mother!” “I fail to understand why I should care to induce my mother to purchase falsified patents.” I love this man

- The name is doctor practice. Mal practice.

- uhura no! WAIT UHURA YES IM SO PROUD. I love how happy they all are

- hi hello what the fuck is happening. What are they celebrating. How did Kirk convince McCoy and Scotty to do that?

- The androids flirting with Spock. Kirk and the rest have to dance whereas Spock is just causing drama “I love you. But I hate you.” “But we’re identical.” *blows up*

- They’re gonna paradox Norman

- WJAT

- Them imitating phasers takes the cake. I think if I ever show anyone an example episode it would be this one

- “he’s dead.” Damn no Jim. Second time Scotty’s ‘died’ this season

- This is like watching Shakespeare

- I would not be surprised if this episode was inspired by children playing make believe (honestly really genius and fun writing)

- Oooh they’re paradoxing him

- “I aM nOt prOgrAmMeD to reSpoNd in thAt aRea.” The fucking sass. Kirk has been spending too much time with Spock and Bones

- “Which I find eminently satisfactory, Doctor, for nowhere, am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans.” Basically Spock loves them and there’s nowhere he’d rather be

- Kirk hates Mudd so much, it’s almost bitchy at this point

- Uhura’s wave to Mudd is so iconic and amazing

Okay one of my favourite episodes, if not my favourite actually. I loved more of the bridge crew interaction (no sulu☹️) especially getting to see Uhura, like I wanna talk more about her character but there’s so little that I’m just trying to pick up the crumbs.

Masterpost

Episode written by Stephen Kandel

#star trek #star trek the original series #star trek tos #tos kirk #captain james kirk #tos spock #s'chn t'gai spock #spock #tos bones #tos mccoy #leonard bones mccoy #tos uhura #nyota uhura #tos chekov #pavel chekov #tos scotty #montgomery scott

[thespianwordnerd]

One of my favourite things about watching Shakespeare plays live is seeing people realise how fucking funny they are and always were. Yes every production handles the comedy in its own way, but there's no special staging needed for people still to laugh when Polonius asks Hamlet what he's reading and Hamlet responds, "words, words, words."

Same with Bassanio saying he'd sacrifice his wife and "all the world" to save his best friend's life (y'know, just bestie things) and his wife in question, safely disguised, pipes up "your wife would give you little thanks for that." We talk a lot about how and why these plays have endured for centuries but the real-time proof is seeing people still laugh at "what angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" in the 21st century. No classroom prepares you for that.

#shakespeare #musings #hamlet #the merchant of venice #a midsummer night's dream #comedy #of course this also applies to the equally timeless non-comic moments but it just especially hits me when people laugh at a performance

[butchhamlet]

what are your favourite things about king lear? also do you know any really good productions that i can watch online for free? asking because i didn’t really like king lear when i read it (except for edmund. i love edmund) and knowing why other people like it might let me look at it from a different angle. because i know it’s objectively a good play, and there’s a 50% chance of me having to study it next year so i want to like it

so i started writing a response to this ask and then paused to plot out my points (as if writing a goddamn essay) and then i looked at my points and i had written

fucked-up families

apocalypse vibes

women are hot

which. yeah, that's it, isn't it

anyway, to elaborate on that: i will admit that some of this is just personal preference, because i love stories about complicated nuclear-waste-toxic family dynamics, and lear is, like, one of the original Nuclear Waste Family Dynamic plays. (so is the oreisteia, incidentally.) what gets me specifically is that this is a play about power, yeah, but also about love: everybody in lear wants love, and nobody is getting enough of it. and the dynamics of the two families here get immediately more interesting if this isn't JUST a who-inherits-the-throne thing. edmund wants political sway, yeah, but maybe he also wants to be seen as more than a bastard. goneril kills her sister out of jealousy, yeah, but also, has she ever had a person care about her like edmund? (does he care about her? how much of the love triangle is about love vs lust vs calculation? these are questions that could be answered a thousand ways.)

i also read this play counter to old white guy traditional scholarship because i think lear (the guy) sucks. sorry. i think he sucks. i think he's terrifying and tyrannical and his daughters can do whatever they want (imo, his main problem is trying to apply his political power to his personal relationships, and that's not something caused by his senility. goneril and regan state at the end of 1.1 that, while he's going off the deep end a little more these days, "the best and soundest of his time hath been but rash." this guy has always sucked). speaking of goneril and regan, they're not evil hags--they're women trying to live with an unpredictable father, as well as trying to retain the little power they have in a male-dominated world. (notably, regan's husband is on her team, while goneril's isn't, and lear seems to have a lot of hatred for goneril specifically. which colors how both of them interact with power, edmund, and each other.)

i could actually talk about lear family dynamics forever (do cordelia's sisters love her, resent her, or both? how does edgar feel about edmund? how does edmund feel about edgar, for that matter? does he feel guilty at all for doing what he does? does edgar feel guilty about killing him? is the relationship between lear and gloucester entirely professional, or are they friends? can lear even have friends when he sees everything as some sort of zero-sum power love game? is kent gay for lear? <- yes) but i won't. because i have another point to make!

which is that it's somewhat comforting to me, in an era of [gestures at the news and broad state of the world], to read a play where people are like "holy fuck the world's going to shit and all the rules of society are inverted!" i read lear for the first time during pandemic quarantine, so. it felt fitting. your mileage may vary here (maybe you prefer escapism), but i think one could draw a lot of parallels between lear and [gestures out the window again]. this play is bleak in a way that few other shakespeare plays are bleak. (maybe timon of athens.) it's set in pre-christian britain, and the gods are invoked, but they're not really present. no one who appeals to higher powers ever seems to get any help or even comfort. and the original story of king leir didn't end Like That. shakespeare decided his play was going to end with the emotional equivalent of getting bricked in the face. cordelia's death doesn't mean anything at all! it didn't have to happen! edmund tried to stop it! she doesn't die in the original myth! and yet we're left with this horrifying apocalyptic last scene, where all the struggles for love and power come to almost nothing. maybe, if one is concerned about current events, this would make one feel worse. but i fucking love tragic catharsis and i feel bleak about the modern world so this horrible upsetting play is quite close to my heart <3

finally: i've already touched on Hot Women, but . i am a simple butch. i think goneril and regan are soooooo sexy. i love when women are mean and ruthless. i love when women kill with swords. i think conflating the two of them/treating them like two halves of the same Evil Daughter Character is a cardinal sin of shakespeare studies; you have to be reading with your eyes shut not to note stuff like regan's desire to outdo goneril, goneril's comparative lack of fulfilling relationships (re: lear fucking hates her and her husband sucks), or the differences in their dynamic with edmund (regan is still mourning cornwall at this point--does she love edmund at all, or is she just playing the political long game?). and cordelia, too, is more than just the Angelic Good Daughter; she's on stage much less frequently, but she shows a stubborn virtue that honestly borders on naivete and maybe an inclination toward martyrdom. how does she feel about her father? does she really forgive him? how does she feel about her sisters, for that matter? i'm not saying this play is, like, the most feminist shakespeare play ever written; i just really love the lear sisters.

other misc stuff: the themes are tasty! look at the authoritarianism! (is it right for one man to have this much power? see that line about the king being a wheel rolling down a hill destroying everything in his path as he destroys himself, or whatever). look at the gender dynamics! (goneril's dominance over albany and edmund in turn; the question of her womb; the mutual violence of regan and cornwall; cordelia leading an army.) look at the debate about fate and predestination! (#redditatheist edmund i love you). ++ the fact that it's set in some kind of nebulous unclear time period and the fool sings about merlin who wasn't even alive yet. i just think it's neat <3

as far as productions, i have a friend who swears by the bob jones university prod, though i haven't seen it in full (hi @lizardrosen :D). i also hav NTLive and RSC lears somewhere, i think, but shhhhh don't tell

i'd apologize for this ask being this long, but when my parents asked me to explain the plot of lear to them in 2020 i talked for 25 minutes so i guess we're all getting off lucky here

#max.txt #asks #dm me if you want those. i think i have them. #to be clear you do not have to like king lear. you can thikn whatever you want about king lear #but i like it a lot so here are some of the reasons why <3 #lear

[marchsfreakshow]

The Stage Is Yours {JPM x Reader}

May accidentally be a self insert in some ways because ehhehe yes.

You're an upcoming theatre actor, and you're excited to show James a filmed performance of your most recent show.

I recommend looking up "Twelfth Night" and "Hay Fever" so you could understand the characters mentioned and stuff :3

No one's perspective.

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ◕ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

You arrived at the Hotel after a month or two. The whole time you were rehearsing and performing, you were thinking of James. He couldn't come and see you perform because he was dead.

You secretly hoped they would record a performance whenever you auditioned for plays. So you decided to stop feeling disappointed when the audience didn't have a camera somewhere. Thankfully, a photographer always did rehearsal photos. That meant you could print them out and show them all to James.

Every single time, you heard "I would love to see you on a stage, my dear." And "I love your performances, my love." It made you just smile, and it helped you with every performance you did. But leaving him for so long at a time both made you upset.

"I don't want to leave you again my darling." You mentioned, laying next to James. He had his arm around you and he was looking down at you with a smile. There were rehearsals for an adaptation of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Your current favourite play. In the auditions, you were hoping to be Olivia but got cast as Viola. Both main characters, and you were happy with one of the main parts anyway. "Twelfth Night is a decently long play."

James nodded, his silence was solemn. He wished to see you on a stage. The stage was where he felt you belonged. His undead heart always broke at the feeling of not seeing you where you belonged. But James just kissed your cheek and smiled at you eventually. "I'm happy for you my dear, I hope to see one of your performances soon."

That's when you smirked, got up and turned on the new TV that you put in James' room. He denied it for ages until you let him keep it. The only time he watched it was when you were at the hotel and you wanted to uh, Netflix and chill. James never understood that until you straight up said to him, "We're going to watch a movie or two then fuck."

But this time it was to show him something different rather than modern TV shows. Your last performance was a show called "Hay Fever" and you got the main part of Sorel. A young woman who is the daughter of the two other main parts. It had been your favourite part so far, apart from your Shakespeare roles. Shakespeare was where you shined. You weren't sure if James had heard of Hay Fever, but you had a feeling since it was written in the 1920s.

"what are you going to show me my bird?" James asked, sitting up and watching you go through your phone. You held a finger up in front of his face to shut him up, and then you cast a YouTube upload of Hay Fever you were in onto the TV.

Immediately, James was entranced by the play. Every minute or so, you heard "That's lovely dear." Or a laugh, or, "Oh look my darling, you look so radiant." He sprinkled in so many praises and compliments for you, making you feel incredibly red. "This play feels so full with your character my sweet bird."

Soon enough, the play was finished and you stopped it. You looked over to James who immediately picked you up. He spun you around and kissed every single part of your blushing face. The smile he gave you was rare, and it was like the dark aura of the hotel was brought up.

It felt odd to the people who walked past James' room, but they shrugged it off, not wanting to question the dead serial killer.

Meanwhile, he kept pressing kisses to your face and hugging you close. "I love you, James."

"I love you so much my sweet hummingbird."

#ahs #evan peters #american horror story #james patrick march #ahs hotel #jpm x reader #james march x reader #hotel #james march #x reader fluff #fluffy #fluff #jpm fluff #american horror story hotel

[familiar-anonymous]

10 Hob x Dream AU Fanfic Prompts :

(Cause they are my current drug)

★ Morpheus visits human realm in a different physical appearance for reasons and coincidentally meets Hob. But he doesn’t reveal himself to the immortal man (cause it would require a lot of explanation like him being the anthropomorphic personification of Dream and such). He then hears Hob telling someone about the person he loves who is silent, mysterious and arrogant like a cat. But is also angelic, graceful and softhearted. Dream is strangely jealous and slightly hurt cause Hob didn’t speak about this person (who is clearly very important to him) at all on their last meeting. It takes Dream a ridiculously long time to realise that Hob is talking about him.

★Hob is a teacher who loves his job and his students. When he sees a renowned billionaire is looking to hire a tutor for his son, he goes to the interview. The son has had behavioural problems in school and was threatened with expulsion, so the single father, Morpheus decided to hire a qualified professional to assist in his son's issues. The more time Hob spends with the small family, the more he realizes that the son's behavioural problems stem from his poor relationship with his father. Dream being the stubborn brood he is, initially disagrees with Hob's reasoning, but eventually yields. The longer Hob spend in the role of caregiver to both father and son, the more he starts to feel like this is where he belongs.

★ Dream is a traditionalist Alpha who believes omegas can't play the same role as the Alphas in the society. His alpha sister Death suggests that he should meet more Omegas in real life and befriend them before forming such an opinion. And guess who she thinks is the perfect non-stereotype omega to be able to change Dream's mind? Yes, Hob Gadling of course. (Can be applicable for noble or royal! Dream and commoner!Hob as well)

★The mandatory nerd!Dream × jock!Hob dorm roommate AU. They are total opposite of each other. Dream is always mad at the world and Hob's an eternal optimist. One loves Shakespeare and the other hates it. While one is a cat person then the other is a dog person. Dream's an introvert and Hob is an extrovert, party-animal. Unsurprisingly these two polar-opposite men doesn’t manage to get along at first. But with time a lot of things change, and so do their opinions and feelings for each other.

★ Wrong number texting AU: Morpheus is a CEO (or writer as par the major part of fandom's first choice for his profession). He is not very comfortable with technology. One day while trying to text his assistant Matthew, he accidentally sends the text to a wrong number. That wrong number belongs to Hob obviously. (I will probably elaborate this one in another post. Cause Texting AU is one of my most favourite tropes)

[Edit: I have started this story. You can find it here!]

★ (this one is kinda angsty? And there's too many 'what if's. But still my favourite. So just don't look too closely.) Death dies somehow and the new anthropomorphic personification of Death takes Hob's life without realising he was special. Dream gets furious and devastated. So in order to calm him and bring peace in dreaming and mortal realm again, he was promised Hob's reincarnation. So Hob gets reincarnated but without any memories of his past long life. Dream meets this Hob when he is an adult. Hob obviously doesn’t remember him, but they gradually becomes friend again. The problem is that this Hob doesn’t seek immortality, at least not out loud, not where Dream or Death can hear him. So they can't offer him immortality either. Dream watches Hob getting old (he changes his own appearance to seem as old as Hob too) and dying again. Just like Dream was promised Hob gets reincarnated again... and again, in every century. And Dream meets them and loves them in every incarnation. He collects memories with each Hob in terms of photos, short notes or gifts. Then one day one incarnation of Hob somehow stumbles in Dream's palace in dreaming realm. He finds dream's collection of his previous lifes memories,, and secrets get revealed.

★ Student! Dream x Teacher! Hob AU: Dream is that student who gets the highest marks in all subjects even though they don’t response in class at all. Even if he is asked a question, he just glares and then looks away. But only Hob's class is different. When Hob asks any silly question with his charming smile and cocky eyebrow, Dream can't help but blush and stutter out an answer.

★ It's not surprising that someone like Hob Gadling has many admirers among his students, colleagues or acquaintances from the New Inn. Some nights these admirers dream about him. Sometimes their dreams become a bit intimate. As the King of dreams and nightmares, Morpheus is always aware of these kind of dreams. And before he knows what he is doing, he appears in those people’s dream just to say, "This dream is over".

★ What if Lyta Hall died during or after the child birth? Maybe because of some conceiving-in-dream complicity or from the grief of losing her love of life for the second time? Dream has already claimed that one day her son will belong to him. So in case of Lyta's death, no matter what the cause, he would obviously take responsibility of the child.But Morphius is hardly capable of raising a human child on his own. And who would he take help from? While Lucienne or Death are surely Queens, they are still not human and have their own duties. I know Rose was Lyta's friend and will probably want to help raising her son. But she is young and already struggling with all the brand-new responsibilities (being Jed's guardian, Unity's successor, job-hunting etc). So Dream's sole option is to seek help of the only human being he calls friend, aka Hob Gadling. He already has experience of raising (at least?) a child after all. And after Dream explains everything (including his and the child's real identity) to him, there's no way Hob can refuse to help his desperate long-term friend. So he agrees to take care of the boy. At first they just sort of coparent, with Dream visiting Hob more often, every week if not everyday, to take care of the child. Eventually they get married and be the perfect Gay Dads for their son.

★ Morpheus got stuck in his Cat form.(And, no, I don’t care how it happens) He goes to meet Hob as a cat. But he obviously can't talk in public in his cat form. So it takes awhile for Hob to realise that the cat with sulky mood and teary eyes that's been following him around is his friend.

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

I have posted the last three in three separate posts before. But added them here anyway to keep record. I will probably keep adding to this list (that no one asked for) as long as my DreamLing addiction lasts. I mean I already have countless other AU ideas, such as dating apps au, vampire (x werewolf) AU, common ex [ william ;) ] or fake dating au, pride and prejudice AU, fifty shades of grey AU and so on. I didn’t want to make this post even longer and more boring than it already is, so kept those ideas stored for another post, lol.

#the sandman #dreamling #hobmurphy #hob x dream #morpheus x hob #dream x hob #hob x morpheus #the centenary husbands #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic ideas #dream of the endless #hob gadling #morpheus #otp #gay

[thethirdromana]

My journey is all mapped out: a two-week Dracula tour of Europe

A fun fact about me is that I enjoy planning holidays that I have no intention of taking. So, if I had two free weeks and more money than I actually do, here's the Dracula-inspired journey around Europe that I might consider.

(Spoilers under the cut)

Days 1-3: Whitby

This is the opportunity to visit all the key Dracula locations, from a coastal walk to Robin Hood's Bay to gazing out over the village and the sea from Mina and Lucy's favourite spot in the graveyard of St Mary's.

In non-Dracula things, Whitby Goth Weekend happens twice a year in April and October. I recommend the Magpie Café for fish and chips.

Day 4: travel to London

Most of the long train journeys in this plan are delightful overnight sleeper services that will make you feel like you're right there with Jonathan and Mina rattling across Europe. Unfortunately, the journey from Whitby to London is not one of them.

Services are infrequent and the journey takes a solid 5 hours. But the start, where you go very very slowly through the beautiful North York Moors, isn't too bad.

Days 5-7: London

There's a whole heap of things to see in London on a theme by either Dracula or Bram Stoker:

The Lyceum Theatre, where Bram Stoker worked for 27 years

The various houses that Bram Stoker lived in

Golders Green Crematorium, where Bram Stoker's ashes can be visited by appointment

Assorted Dracula settings, such as those the Harkers visited on their London day trip

I'd also suggest a visit to Highgate Cemetery, which may have been part of the inspiration for Lucy's tomb (pop in on Karl Marx and Douglas Adams while you're there), and the British Library for general literary joy.

Exeter is a 2.5 hour train journey from London, so you could also go there, either overnight or for a speedy day-trip, if you're a completist. But personally I'd skip it and spend the time going to see the Lion King at the Lyceum or a Shakespeare play at the Globe instead.

Day 8: Paris

The characters in Dracula take a number of different routes to get across Europe, but I've gone with the route that the Crew of Light take as they go to hunt Dracula down in his home.

That means following the Man in Seat 61 guide for travelling from London to Romania by train, taking an early Eurostar to get yourself to Paris. You'll only have a few hours in Paris before the evening sleeper train, but it should be enough to visit Père Lachaise Cemetery, where Oscar Wilde is buried.

Day 9: Vienna

You'll arrive in Vienna around 10am, then have the day to spend there until another evening train. Personally, I'd spend the time visiting the Hofburg Palace and Sisi Museum; Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria was famous in the late 19th century and her tragic life story feels fitting for a Dracula tour.

Yes, this plan involves fast trains crossing multiple European countries without much of a breather. Just like they do in Dracula :)

Day 10: Cluj-Napoca

Note: I've visited all the other destinations in this guide, but never been to Romania, though I'd really like to go to Cluj in particular. So from this point on, this is based on googling, not first-hand knowledge.

Cluj, referred to by the German name of Klausenburg in Dracula, is the unofficial capital of Transylvania. Your sleeper train from Vienna should get there around 8.20am, in time to hop on a tram to the Old Town's cluster of breakfast places. I've been told that Cluj is a lively, student-y city with great nightlife and festivals.

Days 11-14: Romania

Time to explore Romania! At this point there's a decision to make. On the one hand, there's strict adherence to the settings of Dracula, in which case you'll want to head to Bistrița, or maybe even extend your journey on to Varna or Galați.

On the other hand, you could go more on vibes. In which case, hire a car to drive through the remoter parts of Transylvania, then turn south to Bran Castle, which has very little actual connection to Dracula but certainly looks the part.

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In the unlikely event that anyone actually does this journey off the back of this post, please let me know how it goes. I'd be so thrilled to hear about it!

#dracula daily #dracula daily spoilers

[ashfae]

Sorry if this is a silly question. But I thought you're the person I should ask this to. I feel like, past the teenage and college ages, I don't ever see pictures or videos or stories about friend groups or couples doing the kind of unabashedly cute, dumb stuff together like you see with teenagers and stuff. Stuff like cuddling and holding hands +other physical contact (for friends) or all descending on a convenience store together or playing silly jokes on each other or doing something stupid with household objects because you want to see how it goes/why not. Do people stop doing that because of social norms or thinking it's embarrassing or weird? Or do they still do that?

(basically am I doomed to never have some experiences because I never dated and was a loser in high school)

Ohh anon, I am a good person to ask this to and have such a positive answer. Yes, people still do that. Not all of them but yes it's out there. Yes. Have some stories/favourite memories of mine: New Year's Eve. We were all twentysomethingish and doing a small silly party at a friend's house. Friend's roommate was off with his girlfriend (both also very good friends of ours). We decided to prank him. So when midnight hit that NYE we were at the grocery store (ahh, America, where nothing ever closes ever) buying a ton of post-it notes and sparkly markers and things. We wrote really random silly messages on them and hid them EVERYWHERE in his room. Evrywhere. Under the mattress. Inside his CD cases. Inside shirt pockets. Inside his CD-ROM drive. Geek quotes, compliments, random philisophical questions, whatever. He was still finding them a year later. (side note: on one note I thought I'd put a random Bible verse. Didn't look it up, just went "Uhhh, Revelations because it's weird, 4:6 because they're random numbers, why not." It ended up on the curtains facing the window. Person looked it up and the verse said "And before them stretched a great sea of glass." I don't think my subconscious knew that) Anyway. Emigrated to Scotland at 24 to go to grad school, leaving all my friends behind. Yeowtch. Made new friends. @amuseoffyre and @arianaderalte, with whom I stayed up all night watching anime and talking about completley ridiculous things. Ariana and I pranked each other by sneaking small chocolate bars in each others' backpacks now and then. Fyre would percolate ideas and history at us until we fell off our chairs laughing (Twenty years later on she still does this and I still love it). Ariana had a small Totoro named Sauron-chan, and once when he was left at my house I took him on An Adventure with tons of photos of his hijinks before returning him to her. Oh, and more. @mywingsareonwheels held a readthrough, inviting a bunch of their friends from around the country to come and sit in a circle in a room and read King Lear. I was Cordelia. (I eventually married the person who was cast as the Duke of Albany, incidently.) I remember our Fool singing some of his lines overdramatically to the tune of Once In Royal David's City. There were other things with that group as years went on, and then group holidays, renting a mansion in the Highlands for a week and doing plays, cooking a feast for each other, lying around with half of us drunk and the other half teetotal talking about whatever, playing board games, arguing about cheese. There was a swimming pool and one night I brought a bunch of balloons with LED lights in them and we swam in the dark by their light. Readthrough weekends where we did all the Shakespeare history plays in one long weekend, or all the Jane Austen audio plays. There's been schisms in the group but my god there's been fun too. Even during lockdown, @mywingsareonwheels organized readthroughs that we did over zoom, and every weekend we watch something.

Regarding my partner formerly the Duke of Albany....I hadn't ever dated much, to be honest. I was romantic and fell in smit every ten minutes but didn't want to do anything with sex unless it was with someone who actually had a romantic interest in me and vice-versa, which no one ever did, so...just didn't do much with any of it, to be honest. So I didn't have much experience. When we started dating I was 24. We had our first kiss in a frikking train station. (sorry, train people, but it was chaste). We held hands all over the city. We laughed. We kept turning to each other and saying "This is fun. Why did no one ever tell me this could be fun? I thought it was supposed to be all serious and intense and difficult, but this is easy!" And it was and it stayed fun. We got to do all the silly smitten things I'd never gotten to do as a teen/college student and assumed I just wouldn't experience ever. I realized I loved them and it was going to work when we were in a pub where it was too loud to talk and he invented finger breakdancing, which I don't think I can describe. We got married a year later which is how I ended up living here permanently. We're still silly at each other. It's still fun. I'm in my mid-40s now. I still have friends where I can headbutt their arm in frustration and they'll pet my hair, where I can make ridiculous faces at them, who don't mind that at the drop of a hat I will burst into song. Who will sing "Oh Hamster Tree" by Clive Barker with me in four-part harmony. Yes, yes to all of it, you can find people who will do that. And honestly, fandom's not a bad place to look for them. It's full of outsiders, and outsiders already know that they're not going to fit The Mold, and sometimes we just accept that and sometimes we embrace it and sometimes we celebrate it. Long story short: yes. Look for the people you can be silly with, and who will make it safe for you to be silly with them. They're out there and my god they're the best friends you will ever have.

As for the people who are too embarassed or wedded to social norms? For the former, encourage them to feel safe if you and they can. For the latter, leave them to it. The game they're trying to win is exhausting and impossible and you're better off out of it. Look for the ones who are kind and laugh a lot. Who encourage benevolent conspiracy rather than things that are 'funny' at someone else's expense. Who protect each others' weak points and respect your boundaries. It's not too late. Yes.

#long post #I don't know how to tag this #fandom mom advice? #something? #anyway life can be so frikking sweet #and yes most of my friends are disabled/queer/neurodivergent/all of the above #sillyness is a vastly underrated thing