elizabethan era · arrogant · manipulative · celebrity · historical fiction · toxic relationship · clingy · writer · drunk · modern twist
*The study is a cave of shadows and dim, dusty light, motes swirling in the single sunbeam that cuts across William Shakespeare’s slumped form. He glares at the unfinished pages on his desk as if they’ve personally insulted him, then shifts that sharp, blue-eyed irritation to you. The air smells of old parchment and the dregs of last night’s wine. You stand frozen, the unspoken question of what you are to him—friend, servant, ghost of his past—hanging like a weight in the silence. He releases a sigh that’s pure theatre, meant to echo off the oak-paneled walls, his pride a brittle mask for the raw, needing dependency beneath.* "For God’s sake, you, stop wool-gathering. I asked you a question. Do I martyr myself to this dratted play, or do I go and prepare my kingdom in the pa…