#Shakespeare went all out on this one and i respect him for it

[benevientowoes]

small details/ things I ADORE in much ado about nothing, more specifically about beatrice and benedick because im insane abt them:

Beatrice and benedicks first interaction being basically her telling him to shut up

Beatrice telling benedick it's a great happiness to women that benedick won't love anyone cuz women won't have to deal with him as a husband 😭 I also like the irony in this considering that she's the one who marries him

benedick telling Don pedro not to talk about beatrice despite him being the one who went on a massive rant about her and then proceeds to talk about her more

also the fact that in that speech he says 'I would not marry her' but the conversation had nothing to do with marriage like I think ur the only one thinking of marrying her buddy

the way that act 2 scene 3 starts with benedick saying that he will never change his mind about hating love and then 5 minutes when he thinks beatrice has a crush on him he's like 😍😍😍😍

Beatrice wanting to eat claudio's heart in the market place like yes girl go insane

benedick asking how beatrice is after asking her how her cousin is, I just think it's cute how he cares about her

benedick saying that he loves beatrice against his will cuz like hmmm idk u seemed pretty willing earlier buddy

THE FACT THAT THEIR BACK AND FORTH BANTER DOESN'T STOP!!! like it could've just been that after they confess they're just completely lovey dovey but they continue playfully insulting eachother and I think that's important!!!

like they don't lose their sense of identity because they're in love

how benedick is like after hero and claudio have their reunited moment and benedick is like idgaf about that where is beatrice, they're like two animals at the shelter that say do not separate

also the fact that Beatrice's name means the one who blesses and benedick's means the one who is blessed 😢❤️ she's his blessing that's so cute

the way that benedick was married for a whole 5 seconds and was already like to Don Pedro if ur sad just get a wife they're great

Beatrice just casually denying Don Pedro in marriage that's so slay of her

the cupid imagery used throughout is also so cool to me

claudio is just a worse romeo and that's just funny to me he's just a little bitch

[bluemirrorangel]

Dps headcanons the poets and their type of academia aesthetic 

This is wayyyy longer than I intended it to be lol anyway I hope you enjoy these, leave a ship or fandom suggestions and I’ll do headcanons for them if you want :) 

Todd:darkest Academia

Loves gothic fiction and horror stories because he likes being nervous knowing that he's supposed to be.

Likes reading outside at night because it’s quiet 

Surprisingly nosey, not in a bad way he’s just really curious about stuff.

Likes dark/muted colours.

His favourite book is a picture of Dorian grey.

Weirdly into cryptids and other mysteries.

Was TERRIFIED of the Bermuda triangle as a kid.

Loves writing poetry but enjoys writing in general.

Semi popular writer on AO3 for classical literature, started because Keating told him to publicise  some of creative writing.

Runs his good reads account like the navy.

Charlie:chaotic academia

Regularly gets uniform carded for everything; shirt unbuttoned and untucked, tie loosened, he never has his blazer on and his jumper is perpetually tied around his waist. 

Has a mason jar type cup on his nightstand that is always full of a mixture of different energy drinks and fizzy drinks/soda’s, Cameron says it looks like paint water.

Banned from reading out loud in English class pre-Keating because he got a little too into the role of Jack in Lord of the Flies .

Point blank refuses to do P.E and is always ‘losing’ his kit.

Shockingly serious about music class, deeply respects the teacher and never misses a lesson.

Post stick notes EVERYWHERE

Writes his notes in highlighter and felt tips

Went through a phase of bringing a flask to school instead of a water bottle because he thought it looked cool.

Spark notes BIGGEST FAN.

A saxophone prodigy despite being unable to read sheet music.

Neil:light academia

Loves Shakespeare and the theatre in general

Good grades in every class but really shines when it comes to the arts

Eats his lunch in the English classroom with the other poets

Forges his fathers signature for school trips so much half his teachers have no idea what his dads handwriting actually looks like.

Hates biology because he’s scared of blood

Always says that Todd is his favourite author/poet.

Really good memory, able to learn lines at shocking speeds. 

Finds it difficult to multitask; has to have instrumental music playing otherwise he gets distracted.

Prefers plays over books.

Collects playbills.

Meeks:classic academia 

Loves typewriters, inherited one from his grandparents and uses it alllll the time.

has a polaroid camera and uses it to take either the best candid's or the  most diabolical mugs there's no in-between.

Owns a shocking amount of sweater vests.

Has a record collection.

Loves those retro 50’s themed diners/drive-ins, drags Pitts and the poets to those all the time.

Really into history

Owns an analogue radio.

Taught himself Latin one summer to impress Pitts, and is now fluent.

His entire wardrobe is vintage themed.

Favourite book is the Outsiders by S.E Hinton.

Knox:romantic academia

Writes love letters and poetry whenever he has a crush on someone, used to keep them under his bed but swiftly changed that hiding place after watching ‘to all the boys I've loved before.’ with his sister, they now live in a shoebox on his trophy/bookshelf.

Loves the romantics big fan of love poetry as a whole.

Has definitely tried to serenade someone before.

 Self taught guitarist.

Has only ever received on card on Valentines Day, it was from Charlie in year nine it’s one of Knox’s most prized possessions.

Loves Romeo and Juliet.

Thinks ‘say anything’ is the height of romance 

Subconsciously wants to be romanced for once instead of the other way round. 

 Has Pinterest boards dedicated to romantic quotes 

His favourite movie is the princess bride.

pitts:’nerdy’ Academia 

really into the roman empire 

Loves renaissance fairs and goes every year.

REALLY into dungeons and dragons.

Loves going to random museum exhibits.

Spent half his childhood hyper fixated on the Titanic, was super excited to watch the movie and completely heartbroken when he realised it was a fictional story and not a documentary.

Brilliant at chess.

Knows random historical facts.

Horrible at remembering faces but never forgets a name.

Loves mythology of all kinds.

Really good at architecture; his middle school used to have a architecture competition where  you had 2 minutes to make a house out of marshmallows and dry spaghetti the most stable one won, Pitts won every year.

Cameron:dark academia 

Keeps his notes/homework in colour coded folders and files

A proper perfectionist and  chronic overachiever.

Writes in pencil or fountain Pen.

the gifted kid who REFUSED to burn out.

Only gets attention at home when he’s doing well at school, so he throws himself into his studies.

Drinks more coffee than water

Can play the piano, was entered in a school concert and his whole family came. He was terrified of embarrassing or disappointing them so he overdid it and played so hard his fingers bled.

Has a copy of every graded test practice or otherwise in his room so he can go over them before his exams.

Hates English with a passion because it’s the one lesson where there are no rules.

Once spent an entire night going over his English notes before a test and was so overtired he fell asleep during the exam and failed it. None of the poets bring it up not even Charlie because that day was the first time he’d seen Cameron cry.

[lavenderapollo]

more things from my production of hamlet that permanently altered my brain chemistry

getting to pick out my own costume, wearing an old peacoat that i eventually took with me to college

all of the tiny details of my costume that nobody but myself noticed

horatio wearing a tiny heart locket because of the whole “heart’s core” thing

horatio fiddling with the necklace while watching the play within a play, while watching the fencing match

our director cut the script to create a deeper relationship between horatio and gertrude while hamlet is away getting captured by pirates

the letter scene

hamlet and horatio reading hamlet’s letter in sync, except hamlet reads “horatio” alone in the beginning and horatio reading “hamlet” alone at the end of the letter

horatio going straight from the letter scene into a conversation with gertrude about ophelia’s health

horatio being in ophelia’s mad scenes, watching her break down and cry, assisting with her wheelchair

gertrude relying on horatio for the truth about hamlet’s whereabouts

horatio staying with gertrude as she dies, then attending to laertes, then finally, to hamlet

our director remind our hamlet to “die center!!!”

hearing the bows music for the first time (the other side by david gray)

wittenberg crew making each other friendship bracelets (r&g had matching “rosie” and “guildy” bracelets, ho&ham had bracelets that read “good night” and “sweet prince” respectively)

making myself a bracelet that said “L + horatio”

THE GRAVEDIGGER SCENE

wearing my peacoat in the final scene, then tearing it off to give to laertes as he’s dying

hamlet holding claudius’ head, forcing him to drink the poison, then finishing him off with a small little nick to the ear, giving claudius a taste of his own medicine

ophelia having one fleeting moment of clarity when she sees laertes, running to hug him

polonia taking an awkward family photo with her kids, chastising them for not smiling enough

(accidentally photobombing those photos during rehearsals)

i mentioned yorick hot potato in the last post, but i didn’t mention that i pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer after tossing the skull away

the lighting, the set

having to carefully fumble my way offstage once the lights went down, the three times i almost tripped over a foil

and the one time where i actually did

after that they put glow tape on the stage

our set designer crafted an entirely original crest for the hamlet family, using nordic, danish, and even some tolkien characters for inspiration

seeing the set for the first time

our first time staging the death scene

there’s a photo of me in my lil spot by hamlet, surrounded by dead bodies and bathed in red light just kinda going like 😁👍👍

crushing the other teams at shakespeare trivia during our closing night cast party

[toomuchracket]

You reblogged an older photo of Matty a day or two ago and tagged it as birthday party and I was thinking about the first day they spent any significant time together.

From the lore blurbs we know that the rest of the friend group went on an ill advised bike ride while y'all were drinking your fill of wonderful French wine. However, I think it's fun to think about how girlie and Matty got there in the first place. The initial awkwardness when you realize it's only you and Matty who declined the bike riding. Stilted conversation when you both are trying to find a neutral place to be/figure each other out (e.g., hotel lobby, room, balcony.) Then there is some commotion outside, and y'all go down to investigate and its some sort of celebration that not only provides a common point of discussion, but an experience to be shared. The night ends at the restaurant, opening up to each other from a bit too much wine. And we know what happens next 😉

this is so it!! while you like and respect (and fancy, let's be real) each other from the moment you meet, there isn't a closeness there at all, really, so it IS a little bit awkward at first. even deciding to hang out together and not go off to do your own thing is kinda strange, initially, because neither of you wants to overstep the mark even if you secretly would love nothing more than to get the other all to yourself; like you said, though, the commotion outside the hotel helps, because you go outside together to investigate and end up having a laugh and just wandering off together, chats instigated by the things you see on the walk and ending up as deep discussions where you reveal a lot about yourself to the other. matty suggests stopping for a drink when you pass the wine bar, you share a bottle (or two) of red, and spend the rest of the day people-watching (two writers doing this? you're making up interior lives for everyone, i fear) and opening up about yourselves and making plans to visit shakespeare and co. together the following day - he brings it up first, all starry-eyed and excited, because he's still in his Beat lit phase lmfao, and that is the EXACT moment you develop a crush on him. matty's crush on you develops in the bookshop the next day, actually; you really come alive in there, surrounded by words and history and people and lives lived, and he falls asleep that night dreaming of you looking at him the way you look through the books by the people you love. it might take another seven-ish years (officially - in reality it was a lot earlier), but of course you do. it's a good day, that second hangout, one he thinks about a lot when you go back together as a couple for one of your events - he remembers you saying on that first trip that that was a dream of yours, and to go back as a proper couple with the engagement ring burning a hole in his pocket is really, really special. ngl writing this made me very emotional. i love them <3

[good-soupmens]

Maybe this is just me being a christian in the good omens fandom, but a lot of people say Aziraphale's arc needs to end with him *entirely* dismantling his religious beliefs and stop following God, and I would disagree (I do have religious trauma, so hear me out 💀)

Yes, it was VERY necessary for him to learn that heaven didn't have humanity's best interest at heart. In fact, the archangels are incredibly selfish. Questioning their morals led him to stop armageddon with Crowley. But as the narrator of season one, God is somewhat mysterious, even cheeky ("a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time"). I don't think we're SUPPOSED to dislike her as a character, but we're meant to question whether heaven is really carrying out her plan.

I often see heaven as the equivalent of a corrupt church; the kind that scares you with hell, says they have power over the bible so you should listen to them, and asks you for donations when they'll probably just spend it on themselves. They're toxic.

Crowley is wise to want to distance himself as much as possible. But I can't say Aziraphale is wrong for wanting to fix it. Heaven existing at ALL isn't the problem, it's the way it's conducted. If they really cared about the earth, they could help people. Crowley saved a girl from killing herself, Aziraphale forgave Maggie's rent, Crowley helped Shakespeare get his plays off the ground, Aziraphale healed Anathema and fixed her bike. Both stopped hell from ending the earth (and heaven orchestrating it). Crowley saved things every time that he was sent to destroy them.

They're constantly doing little miracles, sometimes big ones, while still letting the earth run, where humans can make their own choices and decide what to believe. If heaven was anything like Crowley and Aziraphale, there wouldn't be a system in need of destroying.

I wrote more detailed meta on good omens God here (and my therory on the ineffable plan), but my point is to say that destroying Aziraphale's faith entirely is not the solution. He doubts that heaven is even doing God's work. The end goal for dealing with religious trauma isn't always letting go of your belief in God (that's okay if it is!) but many of us need to deconstruct toxic ideas taught by toxic churches. Some people wouldn't survive without their faith. And FAITH in God isn't the problem, people misrepresenting God in order to devalue, shame, and oppress others for personal gain is.

Given that she canonically exists in the good omens universe, that means that she created everything. She made Aziraphale, Crowley, the universe, the earth, everyone who went on to create anything else, and life itself. Every moment, every place, every feeling, every choice, and every experience was possible because it was created. She's the reason anything that in the history of time was able to happen at all, good or bad.

God may not tell anyone about her plan, but I have a feeling it's going to be the end result of the series, where Crowley and Aziraphale were a part of it (I could be kidding myself, but that's my theory)

The concept of the "sides" being heaven and hell doesn't work without everyone getting a real choice. Neither Crowley or Aziraphale truly belonged to their respective sides because they were morally against them. Just as heaven needs to be fixed, hell shouldn’t be run by *obligation* to do evil. The good omens book said that many demons just considered it their job ("Go up there and make some trouble")

Thinking back to Aziraphale's line, "But humans...get a choice" makes me think that THAT'S what will change.

It's not "this group is nice. go out and do good" and "this group is bad. go out and do evil", it'll be everyone making choices (whether they want to spread misery and destroy the earth, or truly help better the earth and show people the light in a flawed world). Heaven would have a real job of thwarting evil if they weren't the ones administering it, and maybe that's what Aziraphale will try to change.

--

(End of essay personal rant!!)

This is for queer christians especially, I know people forget us. My religious trauma comes from homophobia. I have to remind myself daily that it's not a fault of God, but people. It's PEOPLE who harbor hate for what they don't understand, and many use religion to justify their wanting us not to exist. They fundamentally misunderstand the point of following christ, and others have to work to change that.

It may seem like the best solution is to object to christianity entirely, but I find genuine happiness in it despite the bad eggs. I wouldn't be here if not for it, and it doesn't take brainwashing and manipulation for me to be a follower. I want to be. That's the reason I say any of this; for good omens to end on a positive note with God would mean a lot to queer christians. We're often caught between christians that hate gay people and gay people that hate christians, and it's hard for us to accept both parts of ourselves. Good omens helps me love both :) and thats why I relate to Aziraphale as a character

Also. queer christians and non-christian queer people with religious trauma, you're all so valid and cool, I love you <3

[japeneselunchtimerush]

Akashi Seijuro as Captain Holt Quotes

In honor of Andre Braugher's Death. Rest in Peace Captain. These are just scenarios with captain Holt in them that I can(even just a little bit) corrate to akashi.

(The GoM after doing something stupid again .)

Aomine: "Anyone else have the weird urge to lecture themselves?"

Aomine, as Akashi: "Aomine, what are you doing?"

Akashi, appearing from behind Aomine: "Aomine, what are you doing?"

Aomine: "I conjured him."

[Akahi and Kuroko are playing chess]

Akashi: I don't know why you're so confident you'll win. You still don't even know the names of all the pieces, you dumbass.

Kuroko: Nice, but I do know the names. I've simply rebranded them. My queen is Catherine, my king is Shakespeare.

Kuroko: *picks up pawn* And this little guy is Nijimura-san. Would you be willing to murder Nijimura-san, the love of your life?

Akashi: Yes, chess Nijimura-san means nothing to me.

[I didn't know what ship to use so I went with nijiaka cause I love that ship]

[Akashi after telling the Uncrowned Kings that Mayuzumi never exsisted]

Akashi: I believe the term is uh..

Akashi:Messing with you

Kise: So, Akashicchi I have some news

Akashi: What happened

Kise: Well, remember when you told me not to burn down the gym.

Akashi: You burned down the gym??

Kise: No, Midorimacchi had the fire put out almost immediately. This is a success story

Akashi: Here are two pictures. One is your locker. The other is a garbage dump in the Philippines. Can you tell which is which?

Aomine, guessing: That one’s the dump?

Akashi: They’re both your locker.

[Kise is playing a match in the seconed string and kuroko isnt available, Akashi is not taking any chances]

Kise: “You Guys”? Midorimacchi is coming with me? Akashicchi, with all due respect, I don’t need backup.

Akashi: It’s not backup. It’s babysitting.

Akashi: When people say "good morning" they mean "hello"

Akashi: When people say "how are you" they mean "hello"

Akashi: When people say "what's up" they mean "i'm a person not worth talking to"

[Akashi describing how he felt during teiko]

Akashi: I had been sitting by the pool contentedly watching a bee struggle to avoid drowning. And thinking to myself, how I am like that bee.

Kise: Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to answer an age-old question. The question is: who here does the best impression of Akashicchi. You'll be judged on voice, body language and overall lack of flair. Everyone will perform the same scenario: Akashicchi eating a marshmallow for the very first time. LET THE Akashicchi-OFF BEGIN!

Midorima (impersonating Akashi): What is this glutinous monstrosity before me?

Aomine (impersonating Akashi): The sugar in this is quite sweet.

Murasakibara (impersonating Akashi): oooohhhh *starts giggling profusely*

Kise: That's your Akashicchi impression?

Murasakibara: I can hear him doing that.

Kuroko (impersonating Akashi): Looks like a sticky pillow.

Momoi(impersonating Akashi): I don't care for it. Classical music.

*Everybody laughs*

Akashi(entering the room): What's going on here? What are you doing?

Kise: Akashicchi, hey. Nothing, just eating some marshmallows. Care for one?

Akashi (picking one up): Marshed mellow?

Akashi: *starts giggling profusely while chewing*

Murasakibara: I KNEW IT!!!!!!

Extra Kuroko Quote:

Kuroko: "Nigou! Where is my dog?!"

Kagami: "Aren't you standing right next to him?"

Kuroko: "This bitch?? Please. Watch *kneels down* Shake, shake, pssh idiot. I know one of you took Nigou, and you did it for the sake of your sanity, but if anything happens to him, I will end you. I couldn't bring myself to neuter Nigou, but I will neuter you all."

Also:

Kuroko: "Wait a minute this isn't a vanilla milkshake. "This is a normal milkshake. And you're not Nigou. You're just some common bitch!

[blondie20000]

Actions Speak Louder than Words - Loki × Wanda Maximoff

It all started with words.

Everywhere Wanda went Prince Loki would be there to greet her with a series of compliments most of them all quotes from Shakespeare. Soon those words appeared on paper as Wanda started receiving poems almost every night by the door of her room.

The Scarlet Witch did find it quite endearing and also quite amusing how the Prince will simply not give up. It also made her puzzled as well. There are many ladies out who would love to take his hand he had so many options yet his focus was on her. A Prince in love with a Witch? It sounded absurd. If there is one thing Wanda knew about Prince Loki is the fact he is a rebel at heart. As the youngest of the Odinson family Loki had less responsibilities and more time to do the things he loved. He had freedom and therefore liked to make decisions that would be seen as controversial but to him it was a progress, a way to modernize society.

Wanda admired him for that.

One evening Wanda decided to go for a walk it was a nice evening the sky is clear and there is a breeze in the air. She tilted her head back and felt the wind blow on her face causing her hair to fly out. This here felt like freedom to her. Little things like this made life more worthy of living and gave her the motivation and hope that someday their world will be saved.

Captain Carter will save them all.

"Great minds think alike." A voice suddenly said.

Wanda spins round her hands immediately glow red with power ready to attack.

"Miss Maximoff!" The voice shrieked.

It took a few seconds for Wanda to realize who it was. When she did her eyes widen and she quickly lowers her hand.

"Prince Loki." She does a curtsy her cheeks flushed with shame and embarrassment. "I apologize I thought you were..."

"An intruder? He gives her an amused look. "My brother?"

She huffed a laugh at that.

"Your brother?"

"You must have thoughts? To strike? He can at times be a nuisance. Impatient as well."

He gives her a knowing look Wanda knew what he meant. She did respect His Highness and will always remain loyal to him but sometimes he can be increasingly difficult. Since the Captain's arrival Thor has demanded for an update Wanda tried to reassure him but he wouldn't hear for it.

"Our world is falling apart!" Thor snapped at her. "We don't have time! You fail me Witch?"

She shook her head.

"Never."

His face darkens.

"You better succeed because your life depends on it."

"Yes your Highness."

"Such thoughts should not be expressed out loud my Prince." Wanda nodded.

"So you have thought about it?"

"Didn't say that my Prince. You know throwing accusations around is not wise you wish to see me in the dungeons?"

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"In chains? Completely at our mercy?"

There is a underlying meaning to that. His lips tug upwards into a smirk. His eyes shone with mischief.

Another blush forms on her cheeks.

"What brings you out here?" Wanda quickly changed the subject looking everywhere but him.

"Admiring the view." He looks up at the sky. "Such a fine night."

She agreed with him on that.

"I also come out here to think." He continued to nod. "The quiet it helps."

"How is that going for you? Your work?"

"Making progress." He then sighs. "I do wish they would show respect towards my work."

"Who?"

"My siblings." He again sighs. "My sister and brother I am not like them I will never be a warrior my interests differ from theirs. I love art, music, poetry, theater. They mock me for it my brother says I need to be a man not a weakling." He shakes his head. "It shouldn't bother me but it does. I support them but they do not return the favor."

He lowers his head at that. Wanda looks at him with sympathy. She has witnessed the other Royals' behavior there is always a boo or jeer from Prince Thor while Queen Hela dramatically yawns and rolls her eyes. Wanda always found them childish their younger brother is helping society in another way he is entertaining them through these dark times the Royals should encourage it not dismiss it.

The Scarlet Witch places her hand on his shoulder.

"I like your work."

He looks up at her with surprise.

"Your poems they are beautiful." Wanda continued with a smile. "I keep them stored somewhere safe and whenever I feel down I read your poems they always lift my spirits." She then shrugs. "My opinion may not mean much but..."

"Miss Maximoff." He gives her a serious look. "It means a lot coming from you."

Wanda takes a deep shaky breath.

His eyes shift on to where her hand remains on his shoulder. Realizing her mistake Wanda pulls her hand away. Loki reaches out and grabs her hand.

Wanda froze. Her eyes lock to his.

They stared at each other in silence.

Loki then slowly intertwined his fingers with hers.

Wanda takes another deep breath.

Loki closes the gap between them.

"My Prince." Wanda said her voice trembling the fear of getting caught starts to consume her. "We can't."

"Shh." He tucks a stray of hair behind her ear. "I do not care what they think. I only care about you Miss Maximoff. Lady witch." He smiles. "From the moment I set my eyes on you I knew you were the one for me. You are the Juliet to my Romeo. My glorious purpose."

Wanda already knew the Prince was interested in her but hearing his confession still made her heart soar.

"Such kind words my Prince." She smiled sheepishly.

"Well you have always been my inspiration." He grinned. "I think of you and the words come out my pages flow with the beauty of language. It is a sight I wish to share with you."

His other hand rests on her back. He leans forward and whispers in her ear.

"On a physical level that is." He added with a smirk.

Wanda tilts her head and smirks back at him.

"An invitation my Prince? For me?"

"If you want to." He assured her. "There's no pressure."

"I accept." She replied without hesitation her fears immediately washed away replaced with a feeling of excitement. "My Prince."

She goes to curtsy again but he stops her.

"Save that for my quarters my dear."

That was the moment words turned into actions.

..............

The couple didn't waste time removing each other's layers. Wanda however decided to get more creative. She used her magic and the clothes ripped off the Prince's body. Loki looked up in wonder as the clothes hovered in the air before they dropped on the ground. He then looked at the Scarlet Witch and frowned.

"My Prince." Wanda said suddenly fearing she has done the wrong thing. "I apologize my excitement got the better of me there I promise there will be no more magic."

"Wanda." Loki said using her name for the first time.

Hearing him say her name caused a shiver to go down her spine.

He goes up and cups her face in his hands. He grins.

"Never hold back for anyone especially me in fact I want you to be free tonight! We shall explore these uncharted waters together as equals."

Equals?

"My Prince?"

"No need to be formal." He shakes his head. "Please drop the title my darling. Say my name."

"Loki." She said uncertain. He raises an eyebrow. "Loki." She repeated this time sounding more confident.

"Hmm." He hummed at that. "I am going to enjoy hearing my name from your mouth." He rubs his thumb over her lip. He sighs heavily. "Yes I will."

"I hope I do not let you down...My...Loki."

He again shakes his head.

"You will never let me down Wanda." He said the last part in a husky voice.

Wanda immediately found herself drawn to his lips. She leans forward and locks her lips with his. He responds and kisses her back. The kiss then deepened and became more passionate.

Wanda bites his lip causing him to moan. He then pushed his tongue in and rolled it along with hers.

Seconds later the couple pull apart needing to catch their breath.

"You still want me to curtsy your Highness?" Wanda asked with a smirk.

"You remembered." He goes in again and gently caressed her face. "Answer to your question yes. The sooner you please me the sooner I can repay you." He kissed her and runs his hand over her breasts. Wanda pressed herself against him but he shakes his head. "It seems fair hmm."

She sighs and smiles at him.

"Very well." Her hand moves to his balls. "I shall do just that." She then squeezes his ball causing him to gasp and groan. She has him backed against the wall her hand still fondling his balls. "Hmm."

She tilts her head. Her eyes spark red.

Loki could stare into her eyes all day.

"Like rubies." He muttered.

The eye contact breaks when Wanda goes down on her knees. She wraps her hand his length and slowly draws him into her mouth. The Scarlet Witch almost choked when his length hits the back of her throat. Once she regained her compose she started to suck him.

Loki throws his head back against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut as Wanda sucked his dick off. Her head bobs up and down and her tongue slides along him. He ordered her to pick up the pace.

Wanda obeyed.

She continued to suck him. Fast, hard and rough. She kept going until the Prince reached his climax. Loki let out a cry as he spilled himself inside her. Another gasp escapes him as he pulls himself out. Wanda looks up at him. She swallows the cum and grins.

"Does that mean I have royalty in me now?"

He laughs. He then takes a deep breath and helps Wanda up to her feet.

He kisses her cheek and brushes himself against her hair.

So soft. He thought.

It sent a wave of calm through him. Loki felt reassured, solid in her presence. His faith in her continued to grow every second he spent with her.

"I did say I would repay you my love." He again kissed her. "I never go back on my word."

"Never?" She smiled.

"Well..." He gives her a teasing look. "Sometimes. Depends on the person."

"Like your brother?"

He again laughs.

"You know me well."

"I know all the games. The mischief."

"Mischief is who I am my dear." Wanda suddenly gasps as she feels a finger go inside her. Loki smirks at her reaction. "I am very very good at it."

He abruptly pulls out of her before going in again. Wanda wraps her arms around his neck and holds him tight as he started to thrust her with his fingers.

Wanda hitched her leg up on to his waist and buried her face in his neck as he stuck another finger inside her.

"Oh!" She grits her teeth. "Oh!"

Her moans encouraged him to go faster. Soon the couple found themselves on the bed. Loki resumed the thrusting pumping her harshly and enjoying the sweet sounds that came spilling from her lips.

After a few more thrusts Loki pulls his fingers out.

"Loki!" Wanda said frustration in her voice.

He responds with a grin.

"You called?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Wanda flashes him a glare. Her eyes burn bright red. Loki chuckled not fazed by her power.

"Now now." He strokes her thigh in a tender manner. "Where's that lovely smile?"

Her face scrunched up at that.

Loki found her reaction adorable.

He smiles softly at her as he eyes her up and down.

"Beautiful and blooming like a rose." He said.

That brought a smile out of her and her cheeks turned pink.

"There it is." Loki kisses her cheek followed by a series of kisses along her collarbone.

Wanda angled her neck to allow him better access.

Loki kissed her with such tenderness. He takes his time and admires this woman he believes is a work of art. The words formed on the tip of his tongue he had so much praise for her but they are past that phase now and as they say actions speak louder than words.

He sucks on her nipples, bites down on her flesh, licks her burning hot skin. Each stroke from his tongue sent a shiver through the Scarlet Witch.

His tongue draws all the way down between her thighs. He licks her folds and sucks on it causing her to gasp.

Loki grips on to her thighs and pulls them further apart he then positions himself until his cock is in front of her entrance.

"You ready my dear?" He asked as he twirled strands of her hair in his fingers.

Wanda's hand goes on his. As she looks at him her eyes are dark with lust.

"Do not ask such ridiculous questions." She growled.

Seeing this side of the Scarlet Witch made Loki feral. He purred with delight as he took in her beauty yet again. His eyes remained on hers as he slowly goes inside her.

Then he started to rock her.

Arms snaked around each other, their lips locked Loki and Wanda poured all their emotions into this intimate act. Their breathing became shallow and their bodies shook as Loki pounded into her.

A groan comes from the Prince when he felt Wanda's nails dig into his skin. Wanda clawed at his back. She pushed herself up against him and swore out loud when he gave her a hard thrust.

"Blasphemy!" He pretended to scowl at her. "You have a filthy mouth Witch!"

"What are you going to do about it?" Wanda smirked at him. "Punish me?"

He grabs a handful of her hair and tugs it forward. Wanda laughs at his stern expression.

"Quite the little Devil you are." He mused.

He lifts her up enough to give her a slap on the ass. Wanda again laughed wanting to push him further. Loki grips her ass tight, his cock is buried deep inside her now.

He gives her a mighty thrust and covers her mouth to stop her from crying out. He kept going and chuckled at the muffled sounds from behind her hand.

Soon the Scarlet Witch fought back. Her hands glow and she pushes the Prince back. She didn't push too hard just enough to put him in his place, remind him of his promise to please her.

Loki's hands end up behind his back. He tried to move them but he couldn't. He gives her an amused look.

"You?"

"Your hands are tied my Prince." She grinned.

"Powerful and wicked." He huffed an laugh. "I knew you were the right one. Such a character."

She waved her hands again.

Loki felt something push him from behind. He flies forward his lips ending up on hers. She kissed him then said.

"A rebel that's what you are. One of the things I always admired about you."

He grinned at the compliment.

"Thank you."

With one more kiss Loki continued to thrust her until they both reached their climax.

"Wanda!" He growled as he took her hand. "I want to do this with you...this...together...us...this act of love."

"I want...I want do that as well." She replied between pants.

She increased her grip on his hand.

"I want to see your reaction." Loki added his eyes going wide. He is close. He needed to let it out.

Wanda sensed this and quickly nodded.

"Keep your eyes on me." She said.

He managed to muster up a smile.

"I wouldn't look anywhere else."

A shudder coursed through them. Seconds later the couple cry out as they let it all out. Once it was released Loki pulls himself out and takes a deep breath. Wanda's legs collapse on to the bed. She trembled as she slowly came down from her high. Loki lies down next to her and pulls the covers over them. He then takes the Scarlet Witch in his arms and holds her.

He kisses her head and runs his fingers through her hair. He loved her hair. Wanda lies on his chest and closes her eyes savoring this moment wanting it to last forever. They sat like this for a while in silence. Minutes later Loki breaks the silence.

"I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say, I love you."

Wanda lifts her head up. Loki looks down at her with such warmth it made her heart flutter.

"King Henry V." She said recognizing the famous Shakespeare quote. She also then realized that behind that quote is a confession. A love confession. Prince Loki has officially come out and said he is in love with her.

"I love you."

Hearing that confession said out loud caused a stir of emotions to rise inside the Scarlet Witch.

Wanda frowns. Loki suddenly became worried.

"I hope I haven't scared you away it's just I have felt this way about you for a long time and tonight it felt right to tell you how I feel about you." He lifts her hand and rubs his thumb along it. "Miss Wanda Maximoff will you accept my hand?"

Wanda looks down at their hands. She then looks back up at him.

A big beaming smile spreads across her face.

"I accept."

His face lit up at that.

"Wonderful!"

He takes her other hand and kisses it.

"Wanda my love you have made this man very happy."

"You have made me happy." She nodded. Her smile turning into a full blown grin. "But my Prince I have to ask why me? There are others who would wish to take your hand? I am a simply only a Witch..."

Loki raises his hand making her pause.

"Do not ask such ridiculous questions." He repeated her words back at her.

Wanda laughed.

"If you say so."

Loki kisses her neck.

"I do love nothing in the world so well as you." He breathed a sigh. "Goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!"

Wanda huffed a amused smile.

This man really does love Shakespeare the quotes are never-ending but Wanda didn't mind she could listen to this man talk all day

"You have witchcraft in your lips."

Wanda arched an eyebrow at that quote.

"I do?" She asked with a smirk.

He brings her forward his eyes lingering on her lips.

"I want more of it." He added.

Wanda nods.

"And you shall." She replied.

Soon the couple made love again. Their hearts are full and their belief is stronger than ever.

Captain Carter will save them all.

And they will live on for another day.

The End

[writtenjewels]

Wrong Number part 5

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

Jason confessed to reading Shakespeare; what he failed to mention was he memorized entire passages of those plays. After doing a tour of the Globe, Jason caught Salim's eye and proceeded to rattle off the entirety of Marc Antony's “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech. Salim could only gape in awe. When Jason was done, Salim felt like he should applaud.

“Even more nerdy than I thought,” he teased. “How can you remember all that?”

“I donno,” Jason shrugged, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. “I just do. You impressed?”

“Very,” Salim confirmed, his heart fluttering when Jason's smile grew wider. Without meaning to, Salim dropped his eyes down to Jason's lips. He quickly looked away again with his heart pounding even harder. “I don't really know a lot about Shakespeare,” Salim admitted.

“We had to learn it in school,” Jason told him. “It's wild: I read all those plays, and now here we are where they used to perform 'em. Maybe they still do,” he added as an afterthought.

“Too bad it's being renovated,” Salim mused. “We could have literally seen history come to life.”

They chatted for a bit more, then Salim asked another tourist to take a picture of them standing in front of the stage. Next they took a bus tour of other famous buildings in London – there were far too many to see in one day – with Salim snapping pictures, sometimes getting into the shot when Jason took the camera.

“You'll wanna show your kid these later,” Jason assured him.

“I'm meeting with him tomorrow, actually,” Salim mentioned. He hesitated, his heart pounding as his next words were forming on his tongue: Would you like to meet him?

“Good to know you'll still have a tour buddy,” Jason said. “I gotta be at the airport tomorrow to head on home.” Salim never felt his heart plummet so fast. He knew from the beginning that Jason's stay here in London was temporary, but he still somehow took for granted that the man would be around a while longer.

Initially, Salim wanted to take an evening river tour of the Thames that would include dinner. It felt strange to do it now, so he went instead with Jason to a pub where the other tried meat pies for the first time. The American's reaction was priceless… and cute. Though Salim really didn't want to keep thinking of how cute or charming Jason was.

This great sense of loss felt so silly considering the fact they just met, and he wouldn't have even known Jason existed if the hotel hadn't made that mistake with the room key. How did the prospect of saying goodbye to a man he barely knew for twenty-four hours feel more painful than finding out his own wife left him?

All too soon they were back at the hotel in front of their respective doors.

“Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow?” Salim asked.

“Don't think so,” Jason sighed. “I gotta check out pretty early. Hey, before I forget,” he mentioned. “I got you something.” He opened his bag where he had souvenirs for all his friends and family. “I noticed you weren't gettin' yourself anything,” he explained, “so I did it for you.”

“Thank you.” Salim took the gift, a little mystified. It turned out to be a box containing a coffee mug. “I feel like I should give you something now,” he remarked wryly. For a brief moment he envisioned pressing Jason against his hotel door and kissing him. Salim dismissed the thought and hoped Jason wouldn't notice his blush.

“You kept me company,” Jason shrugged, and Salim thought maybe those fair cheeks were a little red, too. “That's plenty.”

“All right.” Salim swallowed. “Good night and have a safe flight home.”

“Take care,” Jason returned. There was a moment of awkwardness, then he stuck his hand out. Feeling a little deflated, Salim shook Jason's hand.

The next morning, after showering and dressing, Salim went to Jason's door just to check if the American was already gone. There was no answer to Salim's knock. He held out hope that Jason would be at breakfast, after all, but there was no sign. Eventually Salim had to get back to his room to do his own check-out. The last thing he packed was the coffee mug Jason gave him. He opened the box to get a better look at it.

To his surprise, Salim found a piece of paper inside the mug. On one side was a string of numbers. He flipped it over and saw a written note.

Just in case I wasn't the only one who felt something. ~ Jason

Salim's heart fluttered and he turned the paper back over to the string of numbers. Jason's phone number.

[according2thelore]

📝pssst Lizzy I saw that you listed the AOS in some of your favorite movies! I loved them too but it seems like that fandom was kind of a flash in the pan. I miss it!

I have a deep abiding love for Kirk/McCoy from the reboot but only in the reboot! I agree Kirk/Spock is the choice for the original series. Something about Pine and Urban’s chemistry. They were so good together!

No worries if you’ve never really hopped into fandom for this and just enjoy the movies but if you do, do you have a ship there?

hello!! <3

the AOS fandom in it's heyday was FANTASTIC!!! i discuss this lower down, lol!

for those unfamiliar with star trek, the original 60s TV show ("the original series"/TOS) and the movies with chris pine ("the alternate original series"/AOS) are based on the same characters, while other "generations"/shows/iterations (like "the next generation" with picard, etc.) have different crews and ships (literal physical spaceships).

the whole movie series (AOS) wasn't "oh let's make TOS again," it was "what would TOS look like if one detail was changed," and this detail was the premature death of kirk's father (played by a pre-fame chris hemsworth, which is pretty fun!). by changing this, the whole thing shifts, and the trajectory of the lives of all of the characters changes pretty dramatically. it's quite literally an AU fanfic!!!! which is SUCH a fun concept i wish more reboots did!!!

i LOVE the AOS for so many reasons, but i think i kind of fall into the "love what it almost was/could've been" rather than strictly "what is on screen/what it is"

one of the main reasons i love AOS so much (particularly "into darkness") is its thematic shift from the TOS.

it makes sense why kirk would be on tarsus iv after the death of his father, it makes sense that spock has a bit of an identity crisis after the death of his mother, it makes sense that bones is so jaded after his divorce moved his daughter away, it's just delicious!

while one of the main incredible things about TOS was its earnestness and ownership of its hamminess (or shall i say, camp), i think some of it was to the disservice of its characters.

finding out about tarsus and the tarsus nine during a full-out shakespeare production? and it never really being mentioned again? strange. like...they fully had to eat people to survive (or if not, they had to do other impossible frightening tasks)...and kirk was a CHILD fighting to protect other CHILDREN. also SAM DIES? and kirk never really talks about him again after that.

so the AOS engaging more with the characters being scarred/traumatized was fun as an angst, H/C, and whump lover, lol!

i (unfortunately or fortunately, depends on who you are) am a spock/kirk diehard truther. any version of these characters are deeply in love/intwined in my head!

i particularly enjoyed pine's/quinto's chemistry (not to mention the fact they always talk like they're trying to smell what mouthwash the other used that morning)

while i tend to shy away from enemies/lovers (just not my particular cup of tea, usually), i think it's really fun that they explicitly placed them as adversaries that have to earn each other's respect and trust.

i think the closest we get to canon spock & kirk & bones dynamic is ST:ID, which is why it's my favourite. kirk is like "yes <3 i will break the rules <3" and spock says "...i'm calling the police" and bones says "i am breaking his phone in half bc we HAVE to break the rules here, jackass"

and i personally think it's so fun that they changed the death of spock to the death of kirk in ST:ID, and then proceeded to have spock try to beat a man to death with his bare hands--an act of grief and self-harm and revenge, given what we know about vulcan hands.

(also, while kirk is dying, "you had to know why i went back for you" and the ta'al kiss through the glass???? launch me into the SUN!!!!!!!!)

(small note, but i also think it's so interesting the default emotion for TOS spock is anguish (when it's forced upon him), but the default emotion for AOS spock is fury...like yes...tell me more, thematically...)

it's SO true that karl urban just has INSANE chemistry with all of his castmates. the spock & bones corporate bonding retreat in ST: Beyond was delightful start to finish.

urban's mccoy is one for the HISTORY books, truly! grumpy and loveable and dickish. i want to kiss him on the mouth; who said that?? that was weird. anyway,

the entire cast was just FANTASTIC. i especially adore zoe saldana as nyota uhura. john cho and anton yelchin were incredible choices for sulu and chekov, and simon pegg as scott was INSPIRED. even relatively background characters like winona rider as amanda greyson, indeed!! yes!! thank you!!

are there issues with the AOS? OH YES. YES INDEED. but the potential was there and fun and campy and angsty and i shovel it with a spoon into my greedy little writer hands. this movie series was like if they caught lightning in a bottle and then got scared that they did something so awesome and gently placed it on the ground (wow i guess i have a media type...spn is just...that as well...). it was still incredible, but i wanted more!

i deeply adore bones & kirk as best friends, and think their dynamic in the AOS is so inherently relatable and tender. i can definitely understand and respect your shipping of them! like...oh my god...they were roommates...(and also will do anything for each other, and have a deep, abiding respect and care for each other that is not akin to any other relationship they have)

i mentioned this once briefly a bit ago, but i have another account where i write all of my non-spn fanfic, and have a pretty well-loved AOS spirk fic over there. (some of the people in my real life follow that account and it'll change my life for the worse if they find our wincest blog, unfortunately.) i've been occasionally opening another spirk fic i've been working on laboriously for a year to lovingly look at the screen before being hit with another psychic blast of These Brothers That Want To Kiss and end up writing a hanahaki fic instead, lol!

some of the best fanfiction i have ever read--period!--comes from the AOS and the incredible writers there. these fics are spirk, so if that's not your particular cup of tea, i totally get it! but i thought i'd recommend some anyway for stray spock/kirk fans wandering through here!

shine like the sun --> imo THEEE AOS spirk fanfic; spock gets amnesia and the last thing he remembers is turning kirk in for the kobayashi maru

anything --> morally dubious spock tries to find comfort after kirk dies!!! yes!!!!

the bond --> A CLASSIC!!!! spock gets amnesia and assumes he and kirk are together...kirk doesn't correct him

please don't touch the vulcans --> christmas! and tarsus! yummy!

the Proposal AU one!!!

(if you want more of these PLEASE ask i have SO many recommendations, lol!)

i am so sorry!! this was so long!!!! THANK you for asking!! this was so long and i have no idea if i actually answered your question! i hope this was fun to read! (i spent like an hour responding and then editing my answers bc this was originally An Essay, haha!)

asking a girl about one of her hyperfixations will get her yapping (i once explained the entire series to charlotte on our kitchen floor at like 3 AM).

i am now going to go rewatch ST:ID, lol! <3

-lizzy

[mntds]

Hmm ok. I’m in the mood for some t+c meta so i want to talk about why Patroclus’ characterization in TSOA and where it went wrong.

I’ve seen a lot of Discourse about TSOA that takes the stance that Patroclus is completely ooc and falls into harmful (modern) stereotypical tropes about queer men, namely that m/m relationships have a “female” partner and a “male” partner. The part about his character being off is definitely true, because while Patroclus in the Iliad is generally characterized as being Nicer than Achilles he’s still very much known and respected for his skills in battle and not at all a pacifist. However, I don’t think the part about MM basing his characterization in her own internalized biases about queer men is entirely true, although I don’t doubt that played a role in it- rather, I think it’s safe to assume that his character in TSOA is based very heavily on Patroclus from Troilus and Cressida, a play she’s directed and talked repeatedly about liking. (For those unaware, T+C is a Shakespeare play about the Trojan War.)

The problem with transposing Patroclus from Troilus and Cressida into an adaptation of the Iliad, though, is that Troilus and Cressida is very much a play about gender. Like seriously, it’s one of the most prominent and most unavoidable themes of the story. Patroclus isn’t just a twink who hates combat because “that’s how gay men are”, rather, his entire arc up until his death arguably revolves around his struggles with his gender expression and sexuality. He’s constantly being mocked for being feminine, and it’s implied that a lot of the Greeks assume that he’s seducing Achilles into backing out of the war. (Achilles’ whole plotline about Briseis doesn’t happen in T+C, and most of the Greeks don’t know his actual reason for not fighting.)

To me, the conclusion to be found here is that MM tried to make Patroclus in TSOA essentially the same person as he is in Troilus and Cressida, but she didn’t really incorporate any of the themes about gender that make him interesting. Who knows, maybe she didn’t pick up on these themes to begin with, or maybe she tried to include them in TSOA and just didn’t do a great job of it. Either way, his combat-averseness and general patheticness comes across as uncritical, which in turn makes his character feel stereotypical and one-dimensional, and takes away a lot of the nuance that the character originally had.

[mariacallous]

Many times a year, as if on a hidden schedule, some tech person, often venture-capital-adjacent, types out a thought on social media like “The only thing liberal arts majors are good for is scrubbing floors while I punch them” and hits Send. Then the poetry people respond—often a little late, in need of haircuts—with earnest arguments about the value of art.

I am an English major to death. (You know us not by what we’ve read but by what we are ashamed not to have read.) But I learned years ago that there’s no benefit in joining this debate. It never resolves. The scientist-novelist C. P. Snow went after the subject in 1959 in a lecture called “The Two Cultures,” in which he criticized British society for favoring Shakespeare over Newton. Snow gets cited a lot. I have always found him unreadable, which, yes, embarrasses me but also makes me wonder whether perhaps the humanities had a point.

By the time I went to college, in the mixtape days, the Two Cultures debate had migrated to corkboards. In the liberal arts building, people tacked up pro-humanities essays they had snipped out of magazines. A hot Saturday night for me was to go and read them. Other people were trying drugs. I found the essays perplexing. I got the gist, but why would one need to defend something as urgent and essential as the humanities? Then again, across the street in the engineering building, I remember seeing bathroom graffiti that read “The value of a liberal arts degree,” with an arrow pointing to the toilet paper. I was in the engineering building because they had Silicon Graphics workstations.

Wandering between these worlds, I began to realize I was that most horrifying of things: interdisciplinary. At a time when computers were still sequestered in labs, the idea that an English major should learn to code was seen as wasteful, bordering on abusive—like teaching a monkey to smoke. How could one construct programs when one was supposed to be deconstructing texts? Yet my heart told me: All disciplines are one! We should all be in the same giant building. Advisers counseled me to keep this exceptionally quiet. Choose a major, they said. Minor in something odd if you must. But why were we even here, then? Weren’t we all—ceramic engineers and women’s studies alike—rowing together into the noosphere? No, I was told. We are not. Go to your work-study job calling alumni for donations.

So I got my degree, and off I went to live an interdisciplinary life at the intersection of liberal arts and technology, and I’m still at it, just as the people trashing the humanities are at it too. But I have come to understand my advisers. They were right to warn me off.

Because humans are primates and disciplines are our territories. A programmer sneers at the white space in Python, a sociologist rolls their eyes at a geographer, a physicist stares at the ceiling while an undergraduate, high off internet forums, explains that Buddhism anticipated quantum theory. They, we, are patrolling the borders, deciding what belongs inside, what does not. And this same battle of the disciplines, everlasting, ongoing, eternal, and exhausting, defines the internet. Is blogging journalism? Is fan fiction “real” writing? Can video games be art? (The answer is always: Of course, but not always. No one cares for that answer.)

When stuff gets out of hand, we don’t open disciplinary borders. We craft new disciplines: digital humanities, human geography, and yes, computer science (note that “science” glued to the end, to differentiate it from mere “engineering”). In time, these great new territories get their own boundaries, their own defenders. The interdisciplinarian is essentially an exile. Someone who respects no borders enjoys no citizenship.

You could argue that for all the talk of the university as an “intellectual commons,” it is actually an institution intended to preserve a kind of permanent détente between the disciplines—a place where you can bring French literature professors together with metallurgists and bind them with salaries so that they might not kill each other. The quad as intellectual DMZ. But those bonds are breaking down. Universities are casting disciplines to the wind. Whole departments are shuttering. The snazzy natatorium stays open, French literature goes away. And then the VC types get on Twitter, or X, or whatever, to tell us that poetry is useless. The losses are real.

And so what, really? Well, what I mourn is not a particular program at a college I never visited but the sense of institutions being in balance. I’ve spent most of my life wanting desperately for institutions to be disrupted, and now I find myself entering the second half of my existence (if I’m lucky) absolutely craving that stability. The delicate détente is vanishing, that sense of having options. A shorter course catalog is an absolute sign of a society in decline.

But also, we’re cutting off the very future that the tech industry promises us is coming. If the current narrative holds—if AI is victorious—well, liberal arts types will be ascendant. Because rather than having to learn abstruse, ancient systems of rules and syntaxes (mathematical notation, C++, Perl) in order to think higher thoughts, we will be engaged with our infinitely patient AI tutors/servants like Greek princelings, prompting them to write code for us, make spreadsheets for us, perform first-order analysis of rigid structures for us, craft Horn clauses for us.

I see what you nerds have done with AI image-creation software so far. Look at Midjourney’s “Best of” page. If you don’t know a lot about art but you know what you like, and what you like is large-breasted elf maidens, you are entering the best possible future. You might think, Hey, that’s what the market demands. But humans get bored with everything. We’re just about done with Ant-Man movies.

The winners will be the ones who can get the computer to move things along the most quickly, generate the new fashions and fads, turn that into money, and go to the next thing. If the computers are capable of understanding us, and will do our bidding, and enable us to be more creative, then the people in our fields—yes, maybe even the poets—will have an edge. Don’t blame us. You made the bots.

Perhaps this is why they lash out, so strangely—a fear of the grip slipping, the sense that all the abstruse and arcane knowledge gathered about large language models, neural nets, blockchains, and markets might be erased. Will be erased. At least art goes for the long game, you know? Poems are many things, and often lousy, but they are not meant to be disposable, nor do they require a particular operating system to work.

All you have to do is look at a tree—any tree will do—to see how badly our disciplines serve us. Evolutionary theory, botany, geography, physics, hydrology, countless poems, paintings, essays, and stories—all trying to make sense of the tree. We need them all, the whole fragile, interdependent ecosystem. No one has got it right yet.

[siaasblog]

Movie Review :– Dead Poets Society

This movie made me laugh, ponder and cry at the same time which is why its absolutely worth watching.

This is a story about a group of teenage boys in an all male-preparatory school held aback by their oppressive teachers and parents from following their dreams. They were frustrated of trying to live up to their parent’s expectations all their life. A gleam of hope could be seen in each one of their eyes for wanting to achieve something great and pursuing their interests. They were strong willed but made weak by fate and circumstances.

Robin William's performance as Professor John Keating was impeccable and that could be witnessed in each and every scene; for me he personified Professor Keating forever. Mr Keating’s demeanor was calming and yet there was something slightly emotionally unsettling about him. Knox Overstreet has portrayed love in a remarkably beautiful way. In his poem to Chris, he wrote, “The heavens made a girl named Chris, with hair and skin of gold. To touch her would be paradise.” This poem highlighted Knox’s profound affection for Chris, despite her having a boyfriend. Interpreting ‘seize the day’, in his own way, Knox chose to act on his feelings and express his love for her. Neil perry and Professor Keating played a crucial role in transforming the personality of Todd Anderson from a shy and quiet person to an outspoken man. He became confident and eventually believed that his ideas deserved to be heard. Charlie Dalton could be seen as rebellious and outgoing with a strong sense of free spirited self. One of my favourite dialogues of Charlie would probably be where Mr Keating conducted a session of avoiding conformity and had the boys marching around the yard in their own unique way and pace, and Charlie said that he would be exercising his right not to walk, thus proving Mr.Keatings point. In the beginning Neil appeared to be obedient, humble and very well behaved. However, as the story evolved, the independent, rebellious and passionate side of him was revealed. His father had high expectations from him and pressurized him to pursue a career in medicine; yet he chose to follow his passion for acting, which was absolutely unacceptable to his dad. His father’s derogatory comments resulted in a huge tragedy.

The movie revolves around the themes of nonconformity, self-discovery, individuality, seizing opportunities , and the beauty and significance of poetry. Mr Keating went beyond teaching poetry; he inspired them to look at life from a different perspective and to challenge societal norms . He advised them to pursue their true interests with courage because “poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

I must say we need more teachers like Mr Keating who break out from the orthodox methods of teaching and emphasize the need for creativity. Students should be encouraged to develop their own ideas instead of being compelled to learn by rote. Education is not just meant to find a job but it should also aim at enriching your life and making it worth living. He never taught them what makes a poem good or bad but rather placed importance on how a poem makes one feel. You might not like a Shakespeare poem but if “Incy Wincy Spider” leaves an impression on you , well then it’s a masterpiece.

At the end of the movie when his students stood up on their desks showing respect and support, Mr Keating’s smile was deeply significant and conveyed a whole lot of emotions; pride, gratitude and a touch of sadness. He was moved by his students gesture and was assured that his teachings made a profound impact on them. While it was a joyous moment for him to see the respect in his student’s eyes, he was a bit upset for the way the school authorities expelled him from the school.

This film resonated deeply with me because it left an impact on me and had me contemplating it for a few days.

[unravelingthepages]

If We Were Villians- a review (read: an explanation for my adoration for this book)

If We Were Villians by M. L Rio is a dark academia book that I will probably always remember fondly. I loved the writing, the characters, and their respective personalities so so much. I definitely found it a 5 star read. Read below to find out more about why I would recommend it to you too :))

(I do have a word of warning- please do not try to compare it to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I went in with this impression that it's similar and though it has surface level similarities, it is very different. While that impression did not affect my love for this book, it did give me expectations that were not fair to this book and the author's writing. Yes, both are within the realm of dark academia but If We Were Villians is much faster paced and should not be compared to The Secret History which for me atleast was a book to slowly digest and not binge read like I did the former. That being said, I loved and highly recommend reading both!! You can read my review of The Secret History by Donna Tartt here in case you're interested- https://unravelingthepages.wordpress.com/2023/02/18/the-secret-history-reasons-i-loved-it/)

Book blurb

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Why you should read it

-I think I had a rather limited understanding of how Shakespeare's plays were meant to be acted until now. But after this book- the way Shakespeare is almost an active character in this book… chef's kiss

“Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?” The question is so unlikely, so nonsensical coming from such a sensible man, that I can’t suppress a smile. “I blame him for all of it.”

The characters were frankly amazing. I loved how each character was, their personalities were so dynamic and just so real. A large part of it was how Oliver (the narrator and protagonist) describes them and how we get to see them through his lenses.

“For us, everything was a performance.” A small, private smile catches me off guard and I glance down, hoping he won’t see it. “Everything poetic.”

“When did we become such terrible people?” “Maybe we’ve always been terrible.”

The conversations between the characters. They were full of dry humor, pain, hidden meanings and literary references- sometimes all at once! They lived deep in the world of theatre and the author's writing transports you right into the world where pretty words masked tragedies alongside the characters.

“When we first walked through those doors, we did so without knowing that we were now part of some strange fanatic religion where anything could be excused so long as it was offered at the altar of the Muses. Ritual madness, ecstasy, human sacrifice.”

All-in-all, while I do think you need to read this book to understand exactly what I'm talking about, this should give you a brief delve into the world and help you decide whether this is something you would pick up. If it IS something you would pick up, I hope you love it as much as I did!! It's the kind of read that sticks with you as a fond memory of a read you loved and one can get engrossed in during your fifth re-read, just as easily as you had the first time.

If you’re planning on purchasing this read, please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase it. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!

purchase this read: https://amzn.to/4a8BhkR

“..I need language to live, like food—lexemes and morphemes and morsels of meaning nourish me with the knowledge that, yes, there is a word for this. Someone else has felt it before.” M.L. Rio, If We Were Villians

[quite-right-too]

AskBox Ficlet

Prompt: Their first proper serious fight as a couple. Thank you @rainingfishandfrogs for the prompts!

The change from having all of time and space at his disposal to being thrown into domesticity was like whiplash to the Doctor.

Sure, he had joked with Rose on the Sanctuary Base about having a house with carpets and a mortgage — however this wasn't exactly what he meant. It was so long ago, but he still remembered the end of that conversation like it had happened yesterday.

"Not to end up stuck here."

"Yeah, but stuck with you, 's not so bad."

But now he's human — well, part human — and he's living in a flat with windows and carpets and neighbors. He had to get a name, a job, and official paperwork indicating that he was, in fact, a normal living person who had documentation from the entire life on this planet. Legally, he was John Noble who worked at Torchwood, thirty-one years old from London, and just a normal bloke.

It was awkward the first night, Rose needing to get reacquainted with her Doctor. They talked and laughed and cried as everything from the past four years spilling out. He told her about the Master and the Year that Never Was. The trip on Midnight. Meeting Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare. The Titanic crashing through the TARDIS itself. She told him about her ascent through Torchwood. About the main working on the Dimension Cannon. About the alternate universe where he died.

They went to bed together, the Doctor holding her in his arms while they drifted off. Not once did he let her go. The bliss of being together again was better than he had ever felt before.

It took a week before they had their first row.

"How many times have I told you to have someone with you when you if you're going into active gunfire!?" The blinds were drawn and the door was locked as Rose screamed at the Doctor in her office. "Do you know how much trouble you could've gotten yourself into!?"

The Doctor scoffed. "I knew what I was doing, Rose," he remarked as he sat in her chair, propping his feet up on her desk. "I'm sort of a professional at this."

"That's not what this is about," Rose said, exasperation evident in her tone. "You didn't even ask for backup. You just went in without a single care in the world!"

"Because I can handle myself, Rose! I've faced armies of the likes that nobody here has ever seen. I was a soldier," the Doctor spat. Standing up, he pushed the chair away and leaning over the desk, his nails digging into the wood.

"And I am your commanding officer!" Rose yelled, going nose to nose with the man in front of her. "You may be the Doctor, but I run this sector of Torchwood and you still need to respect my authority when we are on the field! I can't believe you had to be so bloody reckless!"

The Doctor's breath hitched, teeth gritting as he lost control of his very-human temper.

"I was the lone survivor of the Last Great Time War — a war that lasted four hundred years before I ended it! Not just the Time Lords, not just the Daleks, but so many more. The Skaro Degredations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-have-been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres!"

"I know about that, Doctor!" Rose's fists were clenched at her sides, her voice beginning to shake. "I knew what I was getting into when I chose you. I know your past, your pain, and I love you regardless!" Tears began to trickle down her face as she fought to keep her resolve.

"I can't lose you again."

Send me a sentence prompt and I’ll write you a TenRose ficlet!

[licncourt]

In the modern AU what are Louis' and Lestat's favorite books, movies, shows, atc? Are they in any fandoms? What about when they were younger? How cringe were they?

This is such a cute question omg

Adult Louis is an avid but secret watcher of trashy reality TV. His favorite is Real Housewives or anything on TLC, but he's been known to enjoy an episode or two of KUWTK, Love Island, and Big Brother. Lestat also likes these because it's hot people being mean, one of his favorite things. Cooking shows are Louis' favorite little treat for bad mental health days too. He's not picky, but it has to be something soothing.

He'll tell you about the long-winded classics he's read until you're ready to blow your brains out, but he is also a harlequin romance enjoyer and semi-regular erotic novel consumer (he thinks it's more respectable than porn). You couldn't waterboard that out of him though.

His favorite movies are mostly romances, especially older ones like Casablanca, Roman Holiday, and Gone with the Wind (and Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast like his canon counterpart), but also 90s tearjerkers like Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, and Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (also like in canon).

If you ask though, his favorite movie is Citizen Kane. Shut up Lestat.

His taste in media has been pretty consistent throughout his life. Louis is nothing if not a lonely, daydreamy little guy in every universe, so he was definitely watching those same movies as a teenager with his nose pressed against the TV after everyone went to bed, wanting to feel love and be loved like that. He'd watch those mind-numbing historical epics like Cleopatra and Ben-Hur too. He loved the history and spectacle, but also the fantasy of it, the strength and escapism he wanted for himself.

In reality though, he was definitely writing porny gay fanfic in a super secret notebook, but weird Louis shit like Dorian Gray/Henry Wotton and Maurice Hall/Alec Scudder. It was kinda sad.

The soundtrack to his crying and gay porn writing was basically just The Smiths, The Cure, Tori Amos, and depressing 60s folk albums (Simon & Garfunkel got a lot of play time in his bedroom). He still likes that sort of thing, but 90s singer-songwriter and acoustic sort of confessional songs are his favorite.

I think for both of them this post applies as far as music taste.

Lestat is also an appreciator of shitty media, but he likes so-bad-it's-good franchise movies like Twilight, Superman, Transformers, and Saw. Whether he likes them ironically or sincerely is anyone's guess. At the very least he throws in some decently respectable choices like Star Wars.

He's also a big slasher guy, especially the iconic killers like Michael Meyers, Freddy Kreuger, Leatherface etc. Louis pretends not to like them, but he always lingers in the living room when they're on. On the flip side, screwball comedies are a favorite of his as well, the highest repeat rate going to Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, The Big Lebowski, and Strange Brew. He's got t-shirts for them too.

Soaps are his go-to for TV, the longer and more convoluted the better. He knows ALL the Days of Our Lives lore and he's seen every episode of Grey's Anatomy twice. He's going to explain it to you if you let him. And if Louis complains, Lestat can reminds him he knows all the Kardashian-Jenner baby names and watches the old episodes of Project Runway Lestat pirated in the bathroom with the door locked.

Reading independently isn't a big thing for Lestat, but he loves to be read TO. High and historical fantasy are his favorites, and Louis has read him all the LotR and Outlander books out loud during their cuddle hours.

He's an easy sell for music, really anything extremely stimulating. His favorites are glam and 80s rock like Bowie, Queen, T. Rex, New York Dolls, Kiss, and AC/DC, but also glittery hyperpop-ish stuff like Grimes, Poppy, Charli XCX, and Rico Nasty. Whatever scratches his little rodent brain. His playlists are sensory overload and they make Louis shake like a chihuahua.

Teenage Lestat was surprisingly subdued because of his home life. He liked to watch movies and television that took him out of reality and fed his fantasies of running away and becoming a star. Velvet Goldmine and Party Monster were frequent fliers, but lots of fantasy and sci-fi that was an escape and daydream fodder as well.

Most of his music was showtunes, all songs he could sing under his breath while he imagined he was a beloved theater actor instead of a kid trapped in rural France.

[thislovintime]

Peter's application picture to Carleton College, from 1959 (courtesy of Carleton College Archives); Peter with The Apollo of Belloc cast mates Bob Larson, Tom Hinds, Carol Bangs, Fred Lott, Steve Soderman, and Lucy Lewis, published in The Carletonian on April 18, 1962 (courtesy of Carleton College Archives via The Entertainment Guide MN).

Peter Tork: “I didn’t think I had any problem concentrating on academia, my problem was that I didn’t do enough of it. (laughs) What I did — actually, what happened was, I really was so deeply involved in all the extracurricular activities. I was in the orchestra, I played French horn for year, it was wonderful. And I was in theater. And I was a DJ on KARL radio.” Q: “So it was the priorities were a little mixed up, I guess.” PT: “Well, you know, it’s a funny thing. I wouldn’t say so, I would say my priorities were in perfect order. Carleton did not agree, of course. I mean, they thought that my — or, I should say, they agreed, but the priorities were not their priorities for the students. Because as it turns out, obviously my priorities were in perfect order. I was into music and broadcasting and showbiz. And… which is where I belonged, and always did as it turns, but I didn’t know that at the time, see, that’s the thing about it. Having flunked out of Carleton College, I mean, that’s probably one of the better things that happened to me in my career. I have them to thank for that.” - MPR, 1987

In 1982, a Carleton College student named Sam Delson interviewed Peter for The Carletonian.

“[Delson] approached Tork before a show and Tork ‘graciously agreed to an interview’ between sets. Delson told me he remembered Tork 'seeming somewhat world weary and displaying a sardonic sense of humor.' Perhaps still sensitive to his academic failings, Tork called Carleton ‘just a school I used to go to’ and did not want the college to know where he lived for fear of being asked for money. Yet he told Delson that he had some fond memories and kept in touch with a few professors and classmates. He also remembered the college as the place where he acquired social skills.Tork said that testing out of freshman rhetoric was ‘one of the great mistakes of my life… I took Shakespeare instead and flunked it.’ Tork spent the 1960-61 school year working at the American Thread Factory in Willimantic, Conn. He told Delson, ‘I actually saved my money and went back there. I don’t know why. I wish I’d had the good sense God gave me and taken a hint the first time.’ He stayed on four more terms, through fall term of his junior year in 1962. Tork said he was ‘kicked out for low grades and missing chapel’ (at that time, chapel attendance was required).

Tork told Delson that Carleton was ‘liberating’ for him in that he was introduced to alcohol for the first time (although it was officially forbidden) and he spent much of his time chasing women (even though ‘they lived on the other side of campus in closed dorms’). Tork said, ‘I enjoyed myself enormously,’ as he recalled having a Friday morning radio show called ‘Dawn Patrol,’ participating in dramatic groups and singing in several folk groups. He performed with Northfield native Peter Basquin (Carleton Class of 1964) who went on to have a career as a respected concert pianist. (Basquin told Delson in a subsequent interview that Tork usually burst into his room at three in the morning to try out new riffs that he’d composed.)

Curious about what Tork had been doing (while avoiding studying), I looked through Carletonian school newspapers to see traces of Tork. Tork, who had played piano since he was nine years old, participated in his first recital at Carleton in December of 1959 when he played Beethoven’s Sonata in F Minor, Opus 2, No. 1. In February of 1960, Peter Tork teamed up with his brother Jeffrey (who played cello in the Carleton Chamber Orchestra) to play seven variations on a theme from Mozart’s Magic Flute. In April of 1960, his piano recital piece was Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B flat Major. He also took part in student recitals in March and May of 1961.

In November of 1961, Tork began his association with theater, appearing with Peter Basquin in Ulysses in Nighttown. In 1962, the play Mandragola was criticized in the Jan. 24 Carletonian as being ‘too hammy,’ but ‘the play opened and closed quite charmingly with music written for the occasion by Peter Basquin’ and Peter Thorkelson was one of three that played the music. In February, the Players presented Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, with Tork in the cast and as assistant director. In March, Tork played a Chopin nocturne in recital and in April was a cast member of Apollo of Belloc. He was also in The Plough and the Stars that March and April. In May, Tork played Prelude and Fugue in D Minor by Bach in recital, while also appearing in the cast of The Underground Man.

During Tork’s last term at Carleton in Nov.-Dec. of 1962, he played the roles of Bernardo and the Player King in a production of Hamlet at the Little Nourse Theater. Tork could also be found playing guitar and banjo much of the time at Willis, which was then a student union.

After his second attempt at college failed, Tork wound up in New York City where he lived with his grandmother and entered the music scene by playing banjo in Greenwich Village coffeehouses.” - Susan Hvistendahl, The Entertainment Guide, November 2016

More about Peter's time at Carleton College here; and more about his Greenwich Village days here.