One of the more notable characters who came to the Island as part of the Ex Libris storyline was Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Here is what happened.
[08/28 06:12pm] Rookie Hamlet wears a sword, a black cloak and a suit of deepest black. His face is noble but pale and lined with sorrow.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner looks at the gun, it chirping locations softly. Juliet, Jungle outside Kittania. Robye, Jungle outside Kittania. Don Quixote, Beach east of Squat Hole.“
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner whispers, “This is great.”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner looks up and sees Hamlet, just as the gun beeps out Hamlet, Common Grounds.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner sighs. There is a part of her that would have really liked the chance to sit down and chat with this one before he went.
Rookie Joey looks to Dusk. “You want me to handle Kit, you deal with Hamlet, and Reverb's near Squat, aren't you?”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner approaches the Shakespeare character slowly, tilting her head to look at him. “Hamlet? Are you ready to go home?”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner glances at Joey. “Well, we only have one of these right now, so it's going to be slow going.”
Civilian Reverb whispers, “My gate goes to Pleasantville currently.”
Rookie Hamlet taps Duskrunner on the shoulder. “Good madam, I pray thee, of thy courtesy, hast thou seen the king?”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner sticks the gun back in her sash for a moment. “Frankly, there's no rush just yet. We'll have to track them all down, but there's no rush.”
Rookie Joey looks at Reverb. “Yes, but you're CLOSE. If you want to help that is.”
Librarian Skidge is back, abruptly. Singed. That last void threw her into a nearby star. “I AM TOO MUCH IN THE SUN,” she yelps.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner turns to Hamlet, shaking her head. “Nay, I hast not.” Old theatre habits die hard.
Rookie Joey turns to Dusk. “I think I can get Robyne and Juliet to come back with me..”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner chuckles at Joey. “It's alright. We'll get them all in time. And besides, the ones it named so far are pretty harmless. We should probably take the effort to hunt down the most dangerous first.”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner shakes her head at Skidge. “You ok? Sheesh, it's been a rough day for you, huh?”
Rookie Hamlet looks at Skidge, and smiles. “There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark.. but he's an arrant knave.”
Rookie Joey looks at Skidge, forlornly, whatever that means.
Librarian Skidge perks into a grin, in spite of it all. “Things are neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”
Civilian Reverb nods. “So, which ones are that? Is Grendel still about? And the Roc?”
Rookie Hamlet shakes his head. “I have that within which passeth show; these but the trappings and the suits of woe.”
Librarian Skidge pats Joey on the head. “Relax, kid, he's from the greatest play of all time.” Which she now intends to misquote horribly.
Rookie Hamlet grimaces. “A beast, that wants discourse of reason, would have mourn'd longer.”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner listens to Skidge and Hamlet, with something akin to envy on her face. Then turns to Reverb. She consults the gun.
Librarian Skidge shoots back with a cheerful, “Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, To give these mourning duties to your father.”
Rookie Joey stares at Hamlet. if he's got the right play this is the not-so-cold-blooded king killer. Or was that Macbeth… Probably was Macbeth.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner whispers, “Well, let's see. I think the top concerns are Nyarlothotep, Grendel, Roc, Cthulhu, and Heathcliff.”
Rookie Joey listens to Skidge, and bursts out laughing.
Civilian Reverb whispers, “Great Old Ones?”
Librarian Skidge turns to Duskrunner and quips, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead,”
Rookie Joey literally, rolls on the floor laughing.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner nods. “Yeah, hence the top of the list.”
Civilian Reverb has played enough games of Arkham Horror to be very, very cautious about them.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner smirks. “Isn't that my line?”
Civilian Reverb sighs. They should have kept that Fungle guy about, he claimed he was a shaman, right? Magic helps.
Civilian Reverb stabs at the Gremlin, but misses. The Gremlin seals a T.
Rookie Tobias lands in the middle of the common grounds, morphing to human. <What's up guys?>
Rookie Hamlet shrugs at the mention of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. “They did make love to this employment; They are not near my conscience.”
Rookie Joey pauses, then begins laughing again.
Rookie Joey waves enthusiastically to Tobias. “Hello! Are you stuck like that?”
Rookie Joey did not see the morph, apparently.
Rookie Joey keeps waving. “Apparently not!”
Rookie Tobias whispers, “It's my normal body now, but I got my morphing powers back.”
Civilian Reverb smiles, and puts a hand on Tobias's shoulder. “We found a strage machine of sorts. come have a look.” He motions for Dusk to try using the D.E.M.
Rookie Joey grins. “So you're no longer a nothlit?”
Rookie Tobias does not like the looks of that machine.
Librarian Skidge gestures at the Dane. “Yea, tho' he be mad, yet there is method in't.” Horribly misquoting again.
Rookie Joey makes his 'oh noez' face at Reverb. “Let me talk to him first!”
Rookie Tobias whispers, “Not anymore.. how do you even know what a Nothlit is?”
Rookie Joey grins “Let's say I'm something of a.. fan.”
Rookie Hamlet looks about, taking in his surroundings. ”'This is not England! 'Sblood, there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out.“
Rookie Tobias whispers, “What?”
Civilian Reverb nods at Joey. Have at it.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner pauses in her use of the gun. Let Joey have his conversation before Tobias gets put back in his book.
Rookie Joey laughs. “Tobias, I know a little of you and your friends, and if we could just talk, then I'd get you right back to them.”
Librarian Skidge decides to abandon direct quotation. “Wouldst thou return to Denmark?” Lucky. It would appear Hamlet vanished from his play right around the time he was taken by pirates.
Librarian Skidge realizes that this means he has no idea what's going to happen, considers telling him, then changes her mind.
Rookie Joey looks around. “Tobias, excuse me, I'll just be a moment.” He goes into a trancelike state.
Rookie Tobias does feel he needs to get home, to get back to the fight “Sure.”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner waits quietly, looking a little sad. All of these characters were going back to their books. It was like a home coming for them. She shifted her thoughts away from that.
Rookie Hamlet says, “They said I was mad, and sent me to England to recover my wits. Or if I did not, they thought 'twould not be seen, for there all men are mad.”
Librarian Skidge headtilts. She has always wanted to ask, ever since she and her English AP professor had a three-day long debate that drove the rest of the class..well. “Are you mad?”
Rookie Hamlet smiles slyly. “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.”
Rookie Tobias Tobias notices Hamlet, and remembers the Three Musketeers from last night. He starts putting two and two together “Wait, no way. Am I..?”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner blinks, surprised at that answer.
Civilian Reverb observes there is a moderate breeze coming from the east today.
Civilian Reverb nods at Tobias. “Yes.”
Librarian Skidge probably should have seen that one coming. “Well, Great Dane..” she's always wanted to call Hamlet that..”you should probably be getting back to Denmark.“
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner should not have expected deviation from his words in the play. But still, a real answer would have been nice.
Rookie Tobias whispers, “Not possible.”
Librarian Skidge headtilts, getting an idea. A gleam enters her eyes. The ending always did bother her, everyone dying like that, Fortinbras walking in to a slaughterhouse with no explanation..
Librarian Skidge glances at the Deus Ex Machina. Well. It probably could. “Your Danishness?” always wanted to call him that, too, “could you do me a favor?”
Rookie Hamlet says, “I shall in all my best obey you, madam.”
Librarian Skidge sidles in close. “When you get back, tell everyone you were beset by pirates, else they will think you truly mad, and you'll not get your revenge.”
Civilian Reverb shrugs. “Did you hear where you ended up? We call it Improbable Island.” Right on cue, thunder rolls and a tiny fluffy cloud manages to obscure the sun for a moment.
Librarian Skidge adds, after making sure nobody's looking, ”..and take care of Horatio. Make sure he..survives.“ She figures he'll understand, when the time comes.
Rookie Hamlet is startled. “Horatio?”
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner quirks a feathered brow at Skidge. She was messing with powerful things here.. but then, would it change the story? Or just the versions that were copied? She didn't know.
Librarian Skidge nods solemnly. “Horatio.” She then pulls out the McGuffin Gun and aims. “Ready?”
Civilian Reverb smiles at Tobias. “It's not the end of the world you know. So, what will it be? Stick around and fight Improbable Monsters, or try and see if we can get you home?”
Rookie Hamlet lifts his chin. “The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!” He takes a deep breath. “The rest.. is silence.”
Librarian Skidge pulls the trigger. A flash, and Hamlet is gone. She goes to the hopper..and drops both the original and the copy in. There is a shudder, as the universe realigns itself.
The Mimsy Borogrove Duskrunner blinks. The realignment was uncomfortable.
Librarian Skidge's fish is abruptly there. “Did you..did you just..DID YOU JUST CHANGE THE ENDING TO HAMLET?!!”
She raises her head. “Improved. The ending. To Hamlet.“
[08/28 07:05pm] <DICE> Librarian Skidge pulls the books out and shows the ending to fish. “See? Better. Hamlet convinces Horatio to stay alive and tell his story. Solves one heck of a plothole.”