#dead poets society preference

[mindful-of-ideas]

Preference: Dead Poets Society

- Studying With the Poets

Characters: Charlie, Neil, Todd, Meeks, Knox, Pitts, Cameron

A/N: This is the first time I’m writing preferences so I hope you like it and I’m open to any feedback! I tried to keep this strictly friendship but you might see stuff that could pretty well turn into flirting if you want it to (:

Charlie:

Charlie is the kind of person who needs a loud environment to be able to study. Otherwise, he will find his own distractions. That’s why you were surprised when he agreed to study alone with you. When it’s only the two of you, he mostly fidgets with pens or paper instead. Which you really don’t mind except when he steals your pens. You could have a pen on your ear or one holding your hair and he would snatch it without notice pretending he absolutely needed that one. One time he even took the pen from your hand as you were about to write with it.

“I was using that…”

“Sorry, here!” he said giving you another pen from his breast pocket.

“Will I ever see my own pen again?”

“Maybe…”

To keep him from getting bored you ask him loads of questions and he’s always happy to answer. And he’s actually really good at explaining. He will put it in the simplest terms and make really far-fetched links between things but it does help in understanding and memorizing the subject. When he doesn’t understand something and you don’t either, you will think about it out loud, debate it, bounce ideas off of each other, and most often you get to a satisfying answer.

You’re also the first public to all his presentations. And god knows he needs help with those.

“What… what was the subject,” you asked once he was done.

“The industrialization of England in the 1800s.”

“So not the last King of France?”

“How did you even get that?!”

“You’re the one who brought it up!”

That also means you’re the first one to hear the poems he writes.

Neil:

He’s the one to ask you to study with him and very quickly it becomes a weekly thing. You always study together on the same day at the same time. Still, he always asks you first and makes sure you want to be there. If you ever say no, he doesn’t pressure you or question your decision.

“How about today, Y/N?”

“Yeah, today’s fine, sorry about last week.”

“Don’t worry. Still, I hope everything is okay.”

Because he genuinely cares about how you’re feeling.

This boy is a disaster when it comes to science and math. So he’s always asking you questions, even if you’re not the best either. He prefers asking you over Cameron or Meeks because he likes the way you explain it. While he struggles with those subjects, he’s good at literature and Latin.

At some point, Todd got really sick and couldn’t help him learn his lines, so he asks you instead.

“I’m sorry, Todd must be better than me at this.”

“It’s okay, you’re really good actually. Don’t worry about it,” he answered flashing you the biggest smile.

Turns out you’re not half bad and you actually enjoy doing that with Neil.

“How come you can remember all those lines, but not the 20 first elements of the periodic table?” you asked when you were revising for an exam.

“Maybe there should be a play about it.”

“Presenting ‘The Elements of the Periodic Table’, featuring Neill Perry as number 8, oxygen, and Y/N L/N as number 19, potassium!”

He chuckled.

“That would make an ok play I guess,” he finally said.

Todd:

You asked him many times to join you when he’s studying but he always refused politely. So one day you decided to just sit right on from of him, take out your textbooks and wait for him to say something… and he never said anything. So you studied with him in silence for a while, not sure if you were making him uncomfortable (hopefully not), until you had a question.

“I’m not sure I understand what Mr. Keating wants us to do for the analysis?” you asked out loud.

“I… it’s… it’s not too com-complicated,” he finally said, “I can show you what I’ve done for my poem.”

“Yeah, that could help.”

And just like that, a silent agreement passed between the two of you. You would study together, mostly in silence, but would always be there for each other whenever you needed help.

“And that’s how you can figure out how many moles of acid you have left. Does that make sense?” you said, looking up at him.

“Yeah, yeah I think I get it now,” he answered lowering his head and smiling.

“What are you smiling for?”

Seeing he wasn’t answering you went on.

“Now please explain to me this,” you said pointing at some Latin from today’s class.

“Sure,” he said pulling his chair closer.

And he’s super good at explaining things.

He would also let you read the poems he’s written.

“That might be my favourite so far!”

“You always say that.”

“Is this the one you’re going to read tonight?”

“I- I don’t think I’ll read.”

“Can I read it for you then? I’ll tell everyone you wrote it obviously.”

“I’m not sure, Y/N.”

“No pressure, you can say no. I was just offering,” you said, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Meeks:

He is good in basically every subject so he can help with anything. He was actually the one to come up to you and ask if you wanted to study with him.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah.”

“I was wondering if you might want to study with me sometime?”

“Sure!”

“It’s just I saw the face you made after we got back the physics exam and I figure… maybe I could help… not that I think you’re not good or that…”

“You’re okay, I could really use the help honestly.”

He tries so hard to not make it seem like things come easily to him so that you don’t feel like you’re ‘slowing him down’. He answers all your questions and takes the time to make sure you understand. He’s not the best at explaining but he does it differently than your teachers do, and that’s what helps you the most.

He also is the most patient of all the poets and puts up with everything you do.

“You realize you’re under the table. Table which you could use to write your homework on,” he said, not even bothering to look at you.

“The world is calmer down here,” you answered.

“The world is…”

Not even a second later he is sitting by your side.

“Yeah, I get what you mean… it’s like we’re under a wave. You did forget about the normal force, however.”

“Goddammit!”

Knox:

When you two are studying alone, no one actually believes work is getting done. It always seems like you’re doing anything but studying. But you are getting work done. You could be blasting music so loud that no one else except you two could concentrate. Or you could go on bike rides while quizzing each other the whole time.

But mostly you just gossip while doing homework. You gossip so much. No one gets how you can talk and study at the same time. You can even study different subjects yet still understand what’s happening.

“Ok, but is Chris okay with that?”

“Yeah, she is, that’s the best part! Did you get x=3π for number 4?”

“3π + 2nπ, so when are you going, next week? ‘Rosam’ is accusative right?”

“Yes. No, the one after. When are you going to find someone for yourself, we could make this a double date?”

You blush.

He’s also the mastermind behind every mnemonic trick you’ve ever used. Some of them only make sense to you two and Meeks hates absolutely all of them.

“So, you know the greatest integer function?” he started.

“Yeah…”

“Overstreet, don’t” shouted Meeks from across the room.

“No, go on,” you said.

“So, when it’s regular you have these parameters we call ‘a’ and ‘b’, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So if you’re confused about which one does what, just remember that you can only hit your foot on the step height so that’s your ‘a’!”

“How is that…”

“Because when you hit your toes on something you go ‘ahhhh’!”

“That’s brilliant,” you said smiling at him.

Pitts:

You started studying together by accident. One night, all of the poets were studying together when one by one they left, leaving the two of you alone. At first, it was awkward. You would basically sit in silence and occasionally would ask each other questions. But slowly he warms up to you and you start getting more comfortable. As you spend more time together, you start sitting side by side instead of in front of each other.

“Fu…” you started saying.

“Y/N, don’t,” he said giving you a disapproving look.

“But the science won’t science!”

He burst out laughing.

“What is it, you don’t understand?” he asked.

“The science… just all of it… I’m so dumb.”

“Alright, look at me,” he said turning to face you, “wait, I need to lower myself, I want to see your eyes… ok that won’t work, get up.”

You complied, curious to see where this was going.

“Still too tall,” he continued, “here get on the chair.”

Once again, you complied.

“That’s it, now we’re eye to eye. Y/N L/N, you are not dumb. Now come down, I’ll do the problem with you.”

He gave you his hand and you jumped down smiling. This is one of the few moments where you can see his goofier side and you’re not complaining. He always makes sure you feel confident and happy before continuing his explanation. 

That’s about the only time he looks you in the eyes. When he reassures you and wants to make sure you understand what he’s saying. Otherwise, he’s often doodling while explaining stuff, so your notes are covered in flowers and mushrooms and stars.

Cameron:

This boy writes down EVERYTHING during class. So whenever you missed something you just go and ask him to see his notes. And he’s always happy to help you out. Even if he writes everything down, it doesn’t mean he understood everything, so he often relies on you to explain it.

“What does that mean?” he asked pointing at something in his notebook.

“What does it even say? Cameron, you’ve got the worse handwriting!”

“There is a parallel to be drawn between magic in Julius Caesar and religion in Ancient Rome,” he said grumpily, “that’s what I wrote.”

“Oh,” you said chuckling, “I think it’s simply that the way magic is presented in the play is similar to what the Romans thought of magic. At least in the beginning of Rome and the empire. Didn’t Shakespeare actually use like an Ancient source about that?”

“The main source for historical details was Plutarch’s Parallel Lives,” he said reading from his notes, “your right!”

He is also really stubborn. He wants to understand things by himself and find a way of studying that will work perfectly for him. He won’t go to the next problem until he solved this one even if it takes him hours.

“We could just ask Meeks,” you said.

“Absolutely not!” he answered, “Meeks won’t be there at the exam, we need to understand on our own.”

[ugh-cam]

New DPS post!!

[dailytraingirl]

happy national poetry day to my favorite poets‼️

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

"Todd? Are you up?"

"Neil?" Todd replied into the darkness of the room. "Are you okay?"

"Just thinking," Neil said softly. "You write good poetry, you know."

Todd smiled, glad that Neil couldn't see him. "It's nothing special..."

"Oh but it is!" Neil exclaimed, earning a few groaning boys from down the hall. "Your poetry is amazing. Spectacular, even. I want you to write for me one day."

Todd was confused. "What?" he gave an awkward chuckle.

"I want to perform your work," Neil said as if it were obvious. "You're going to be famous and I want to be the first one to read your poetry on stage."

"Actually?" Todd asked. His chest felt tight, like it was swelling up. "You mean that?"

Neil smiled, rolling his head to face Todd. "Of course."

[neilperryismine]

I have no idea what my sexuality is but I just realised that if I was a character in a film I would definitely be headcanoned as bisexual/lesbian/demisexual so maybe that’s cleared that up…just thinking about dps and how the poets would try to understand their feelings compared to how we see their sexuality/ship them (time period issues/internalised homophobia etc)

[good--merits-accumulated]

book Todd and movie Todd are separate entities of course but how about book Todd compared to movie-if-he-had-a-happy-ending Todd? personally I always think of book Todd as far more boisterous than movie Todd even if movie Todd is shown to be getting there, maybe more stereotypically loud and teenage-brash. movie Todd, even in a universe where his character growth isn't stunted by Neil's death, has always felt quieter to me - I think even as he grows up and becomes more confident and easy in his own skin, the quietness remains. not in an anxious way, it's just that I think he's a quiet man. maybe with a razor-sharp wit that comes out only sometimes and knocks everyone on their ass every time he speaks. any thoughts on this

[giolovesyousm]

the idea of neil and todd giving to each others poems wrote by themselves is too cute for me.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Even if I'm not as good as Shakespeare,

I would like to give it a try.

He wrote about how his lover was more lovely and temperate,

but for me,

you are exactly as a summer's day.

Bright and beautiful as the eye of heaven,

which you always bring with you;

when your face lit, you look like the sun:

brought here on Earth just for me.

My heart skips and hopes he could have that light in his pocket."

-Todd @ Neil

"My dear poet,

you say I bring the sun with me,

but you don't know about the moon

you have inside of you.

Shiny and clear on the quiet water,

always reflecting someone else's light.

You will learn how to shine on your own, and if you can't...

I'll continue to lend my light to you."

-Neil @ Todd

[michelangelos-last-judgement]

wait I saw in your latest post that ya fantasy isn't your genre. what is if I may ask?

Mostly historical fiction. Think Les Mis or I, Claudius.

I love more "dark academia" oriented books too, like Dead Poets Society or The Secret History.

My favourite author is Hemingway, with Island in The Stream being one of my all time favourites. The Old Man and the See, The Sun Also Raises, To Have and Not to Have are also up there.

But it's not like I don't like fantasies! More on the fantasy side, I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Poppy War. She Who Became The Sun is also great.

The only genre that I don't read and I really don't like is romance. It's ok if there's romance as a side plot, but when it's the whole plot... boring. Definitely not for me.

[ronispadez]

Todd Anderson earrings post

[saint-starflicker]

I guess I'm switzer-Cameron?

[ post by Downstar @downstar_ao3: Just a reminder that fictional characters aren't real people that need to be held accountable for their actions. They are vehicles to tell a story. Their flaws and contradictions are a feature not a bug. And appreciating the role they play in the story is not a moral failing. ]

[deprivedofbraincellsandsleep]

I got 3 new books, one as a gift, and stopp books r so expensive and I feel so guilty everytime I buy one snd I always regret buying them and I alr spent sm money today and arghhhh😭😭😭

[crushedleavess]

10 people i’d like to get to know better

tagged by @bubonicbabybell <3

Last song: meat is murder by the smiths

favorite color: orange 🍊

last book i finished: bliss montage

last tv show i watched: supernatural (s12)

sweet/spicy/savory: savory? i honestly dont have a preference

relationship status: single

last thing i googled: stardew valley wiki 💀

current obsession: dead poets society + the sims 4

looking forward to: halloween! and nanowrimo

tagging > @laceyc0bwebs @thelifeofagirl @chiiiiiiiiiiiiiii (i have no other mutuals and am lowkey scared to tag people i follow so sorry this is supposed to be 10)

[gayteensupreme]

grahhhh i need to get my ears pierced and i need a choker or smth

I want to start a new picrew chain because I found this really cool one yesterday:

Here's mine:

I'm going to tag: @leftenantjopson @a-french-guardsman @icarusinfreefall @mushroomslovesyou @benjhawkins @ambivalent-engines @hiddenmapleleaf @beggars-opera and @fleur-de-paris (and anyone else who'd like to join in!)

[cosmicalls]

if you like dead poets society, you may like these!

just for fun: a little list of movies, shows, and books i like that i feel have something in common with dps. hopefully you'll find something you'd like, too!

not in any particular order. just the order that i thought of them in really

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A Separate Peace

by John Knowles - published 1959

a coming-of-age novel set at an all-boys new england boarding school. follows two boys, Gene and Finny, and their experiences during the summer and winter sessions of 1942. talks a bit about WWII and what role the boys may have to play in that, but it stays pretty focused on the school and the emotions involved during this time in one's life. all the growth and transformation and oddly homoerotic, perhaps very codependent, friendship of a bildungsroman that we love to look for.

one of my personal favorite books, even considering that it was assigned reading. i truly believe many of you would like it and i know for a fact some of you can vouch for me

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky - published 1999 movie adaptation: dir. Stephen Chbosky - released 2012

follows Charlie and his general struggles of high school and with being, well, a wallflower. from goodreads: "Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite."

very emotional. that's all! i preferred the movie, but i liked the format of the book being completely in letters that Charlie was writing. they're both good! (if you watch the movie, the english teacher's name is Mr. Anderson. so do with that information what you will...!)

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Matilda

by Roald Dahl - published 1988 movie adaptation: dir. Danny DeVito - released 1996 musical adaptation: dir. Matthew Warchus - released 2022

a young girl with an aptitude for reading discovers she has telekinetic abilities at the same time she begins attending school. unfortunately, the principal is an extremely harsh woman, and none of the students seem to enjoy it there. Matilda uses her courage and newfound powers to change her environment for the better, both at school and in her abrasive home.

such a good movie, a childhood favorite. the musical has a great soundtrack too!

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Good Will Hunting

dir. Gus Van Sant - released 1997

a janitor is recognized as a mathematical genius by an MIT professor, and he goes on an emotional journey to embrace his intellect. starring Robin Williams, our dearly beloved inspiration, as the therapist Will goes to see for much of the film.

i only saw it once and my description is lacking but ooh it hurt...... just trust me on this one

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A Series of Unfortunate Events

by Lemony Snicket - published 1999-2006 tv series adaptation: aired 2017-2019

JUST HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE okay. it's about a trio of siblings, orphaned, who are shuttled from one parental unit to another while being followed by a man after their immense wealth. they quickly discover they are in the midst of an intellectual conflict in a secret organization. they must rely on only each other, seeing as all the adults around them are wildly incompetent and/or unhelpful. and it is filled to the brim with literary references!!

both versions have really fun and witty narration, and the tv adaptation is extremely faithful. i don't know how else to describe it without going overboard so i'll settle for not descriptive enough! just trust me. yes it is a kids' series and yes it is one of my favorites ever. it's the vibes of it all

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If We Were Villains

by M.L. Rio - published 2017

about a group of Shakespeare theater students at a very pretentious arts school who find themselves in a very high-tension dynamic following a disaster that occurs after their halloween performance of Macbeth. lots and lots of Shakespeare, lots of dramatics, and the book itself is divided into five acts.

i finished this in about two nights and it was extremely creatively inspiring. it was a bit predictable, but that's not a bad thing. it still had me clutching my pearls and dropping my jaw

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"The Artist of the Beautiful"

by Nathaniel Hawthorne - published 1844

a romantic era short story about a man who feels utterly trapped by his occupation. he would rather concern himself with the delicate beauty of nature, and he attempts to realize this in his passion project - much to the disdain of the people around him.

a bit of a sneak sorry. i just think it's just in line with neil's whole thing you know. it's a lot of long and flowery sentences but it works really well i promise

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The Breakfast Club

dir. John Hughes - released 1985

the letterboxd synopsis really says it all: "They only met once, but it changed their lives forever. | Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently – and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same."

i don't have much to add and to be honest! kind of a stretch for this list! but i have faith

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obviously there are other shows and movies with the dead poets society leads, but i wanted to sort of branch out a bit for the bulk of this list. i will still list the ones i had in mind though

House M.D. (2004-2012) - tv series about genius diagnostician Dr. Gregory House and his team at a hospital in new jersey. Robert Sean Leonard stars as House's best friend and head of oncology Dr. James Wilson. very comedic but also very heartwrenching.

Tape (2001) - three friends meet at a motel room and dredge up and argue over unpleasant events of the past. starring Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard.

Before Sunrise (1995) - from letterboxd: "A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together." Ethan Hawke plays one half of the lead duo.

and yeah there's a LOT more but those are the ones i've seen and sincerely recommend. not to say others aren't good but this is a (very) curated list you see.

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phew that's not as many as i thought i had in my back pocket but it's still pretty good. plus, there's some things i havent read/watched yet that perhaps would have made it but alas! such is life

absolutely add to the list if you'd like!! let's all share our favorite stories

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

your post from yesterday about preferring Riddlers to be working class just reminded me of something that bothered me abt the one bad day issue (aside from like. everything else) and it's that OBD Riddler being from a well off fancy private school background just ..doesn't work as well? imo his 'edwardian gentleman but neon green' bit simply works better when he hasn't been raised in the dead poets society and instead leans more, well, carnival conman doing it for the aesthetic

OKAY thank you that reminded me that I need to get back to this

the Riddler is like SUCH an anomaly and an embarrassment of a character (and I say that with AFFECTION) because there's, like, no really good reason why he should have lasted long enough to become such a core Batman villain, certainly not part of a big four with Catwoman, Penguin, and the Joker. the fact that he's survived and stayed relevant so long is a HUGE fluke and now he's one of those elements that's iconic enough that people would complain if it was gone but problematic enough that writers feel like they HAVE to justify his existence.

"problematic" here doesn't mean, like, politically distasteful, just that he's. I mean. you know. he's a guy in a green leotard doing bad riddles. unlike most of Batman's most iconic villains he doesn't have any particularly well known backstory, he doesn't have any deep personal connection to the Bat, he doesn't even have any unique powers or abilities or horrific inhuman appearance he's just. he's just some fucking guy who's kind of refused to fade into obscurity an accidentally became an staple of the lore along the way.

so there's this like metatextual need to justify him as a plausible threat by styling him as a highly educated super genius. One Bad Day was an especially egregious example because King made him so damn near omnipotent that it genuinely stopped making sense, not to mention trying to make him seem scarier by trying to say the plot of the Killing Joke was actually the Riddler's idea that he just? passed off to the Joker?

like stop. doing this. stop trying to make him scary stop trying to make him serious he's just a guy. he's just a silly goofy little guy who's Like That because he sucks. I'm just. I'm tired. let him be fun.

[mrrecaswife]

Oh captain, my captain! (You will be missed)

(CW: death (heavily implied to be reader), heavy angst, I'm so sorry but so not sorry at the same time, I'm rolling along with the 'Mr Reca is a cremator' theory, also guess who saw that one YouTube short of Jimmy Fallon's tribute to Robin Williams, remembered that they watched Dead Poets Society a couple of months ago, and got sad, do you really want a 🍪 if you got the reference right this time...?)

He knew it had to happen at some point, he just didn't know that it had to be now.

Mr Reca always prided himself on his composure and genius mind. Even if he was crazy, he could direct perfectly well, and all movies whom he deemed worthy to be associated to were masterpieces to be remembered.

You were the greatest he had seen in a while. The way you glided effortlessly on set and the voice coming out of your lips was worthy of worship.

And worship you he did.

The only instances you were on screen were when he was the director. The way you looked at him made his heart beat like crazy. He couldn't get enough, and the role that you landed as an eccentric teacher in a slice-of-life drama about souls of poets in a school nearly made him tear up at your honest performance.

The way you went about, showing all the children in school and all the children in potentially the universe itself the meaning of that one saying, Carpe Diem, was honest and heartwarming.

'Oh captain, my captain!' you started as you stood up on the table, ensnaring the director into your performance. He reaches out and-

The memory slips though his hands, a fragment of the past long gone.

The reel clicks, and the screen goes blank. The memory ended, but Mr Reca can't seem to pull himself off his chair, instead preferring to stare dumbly at the screen, his hand still held out. It takes him a while to realise where he is, and what he was doing.

Your disappearance had come as a surprise. The up and coming star had faded away before it could shine at its full potential. He still couldn't believe that you, who showed so much potential, just left him like that. Did you not care for him? Did your relationship with him mean nothing?! Whywhywhywhydidn'tyousayyoulovedme-

Simply put, you were gone.

And you'll never come back again.

(Oh, captain, my captain.)

(Seize the day. Look at things from a different perspective. Learn to live.)

(If anyone saw his red eyes as he got out of the projection room, no one commented on it.)