I love this! I’m super excited to see where it goes.
I’m so excited to see where this goes! I love me some Shakespeare so seeing this just made me happy 
This is a lovely game, and I think it is a wonderful twist on Hamlet. I always enjoy seeing these stories told from a woman’s point of view (such as with Jean Townsend’s Guinevere) and I found More Things to be charming. For a first attempt at writing, it was very engaging!
I noticed some errors in pronouns for Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, but that is an easy fix.
I’m really glad that you shamelessly plug yourself in the subreddit because I had completely skipped over this!
Something that I would like to suggest is a choice for Ophelia to decide that, if applicable, she does like Hamlet after he made his confession. Maybe even during the beginning of the next chapter when she was thinking back on her friends fondly? The latter might be a good place to set Guildenstern’s and Rosencrantz’s flags too.
Right now, if she didn’t say she had a crush on him at the start, or flirted with him that one time early in the flashback, there are no other chances to reciprocate the guy.
eep, thank you all for your very kind comments everyone!
Something that I would like to suggest is a choice for Ophelia to decide that, if applicable, she does like Hamlet after he made his confession. Maybe even during the beginning of the next chapter when she was thinking back on her friends fondly?
@Greyscales you know, i’m really glad that you said this. i wanted to leave hamlet’s route a little more open, but i was kind of cautious about it coming across as being like “ophelia, do you fancy hamlet? are you SURE? okay but, really, DO YOU?” if you know what i mean haha. it’s good to know that it wouldn’t feel out of place for her to reflect on her feelings in the present day 
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I absolutely loved the update and can’t wait for more. Also I love the way other Ro’s are written every each one them has such a unique personality!
Totally! Despite it being the ‘canon route’ the play takes, so to speak, I’m glad Hamlet wasn’t pushed. Perhaps the choice to pick Ophelia’s romantic preference could be unlinked from setting up hamlet_romance too?
The chapter 3 update for More Things In Heaven and Earth is now live! I have had a lot of fun writing for this update and I hope that you enjoy playing through it.
Ophelia can now spend her afternoon having a nice misty chat with Hamlet on the ramparts or going for a run (/walk) with Horatio. By night, she is dragged out of bed (will anybody ever let the poor woman have a full night’s sleep?) for a ~spooky~ encounter.
I have also introduced a save system (woo) which I hope will be useful for exploring all the different routes through Ophelia’s day. I will caveat that, though, with the fact that it will probably break next time I do an update.
Total word count (including code): 70569
I am always very eager to hear from you (be that here, on Discord or on Tumblr) so please let me know what you liked, which characters are your faves and which bits you weren’t as keen on!
What to expect in the next update:
For the next update, I would like to reform the relationships system a bit, increase the personalisation of Ophelia’s thoughts/dialogue based on her personality and (finally!!) add the Guildenstern ball scene. You’ll also be able to see the spy!Ophelia have her conversation with Hamlet and the consequences of the ~spooky~ night-time events of Chapter 3.
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Really like the story and the ros Alexandra Olivia and Marcella are great so going to have to try all three of their paths.
I noticed in the beginning when you get the options to be known as… when choosing someone who is quiet and thoughtful it increases the jovial and intuitive stat shouldn’t it be the opposite?
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when choosing someone who is quiet and thoughtful it increases the jovial and intuitive stat shouldn’t it be the opposite?
@Yalung Oh yes, it definitely should - thanks for flagging! I’m glad you enjoyed the ROs
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Finally, I found time to play the entire thing! Ahhh it was such a wonderful experience! This could be the new Guinevere. I adore the group of friends Ophelia, Hamlet, Horatio, Alexander and Oliver make. Their relationship felt so real and natural, and wholesome. You could really feel they all love each other and have that special complicity.
I did not mind the time skips at all! And we have so many and diverse choices for our Ophelias. I read the original play a few times, and your retelling is amazing. I much prefer ir over the original, sorry William. But maybe that’s because I’ve always been more partial to his comedies, and you give us the chance to bring some joy to this tragedy.
Now, I have to talk about romance of course! I admit I have only pursued one romantic path so far, but that RO charmed me so much that I had to make it clear to all others I wanted nothing more than their friendship. I’m talking about Reynaldo! Ahhh, I suspected it in the first chapter, but later on it was clear he has secret feelings for Ophelia. I love the angst, and how hard he tries to hide them. I can be patient. He’s worth it! I’m really hoping for more scenes with him 
The other ROs are really charming as well, I want to replay and choose them all, especially Hamlet because, well, Hamlet and Ophelia ARE Hamlet and Ophelia after all. And his devotion is adorable.
Great job so far dear author. Thank you for sharing this 
EDIT: I’M STALKING YOUR TUMBLR AND ALL THE ASKS ABOUT REYNALDO ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME WITH ALL THIS NEW INFORMATION OH GOD HE’S EVEN BETTER THAN I THOUGHT
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I love this new update!! I have to say this is my number one favorite WIP so far because of the story, mood, characters, etc everything! Keep up the great work
Eeeee thank you guys so much for your lovely comments! 
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If memory serves me correct, this has gone through some rewriting and I think it gives a stronger foundation of Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet as rewritten! Even though I know Hamlet is canon, the free-spirited types (Horatio and Oliver) are speaking to me so I’ll be replaying to check them out.
Hello! I am just popping up for those who watch this thread that don’t follow me on Tumblr, to say that I have released a little Valentine’s Day extra.
I’m a somewhat absurd human, so naturally, the idea that I had was ridiculous and culminated in me writing a modern-day AU where Ophelia is at University and goes to a house party at her pal Hamlet’s house (drawing heavily on my own ridicuIous student experiences). It’s basically just a bit of silly fun, so please don’t take it too seriously and obviously it’s non-canon. I hope you all enjoy it!
You can play 7 Minutes in Heaven and Earth here.
Total word count (inc. code): ~14,000 words
Average playthrough: ~5000 words
Based on a poll, I’ve so far finished routes for Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Reynaldo, but I hope to add routes for the other 3 ROs at a later date.
As ever, thanks for reading 
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Thank you SO much for this. Is Rosalind from Romeo and Juliet? I love your version of her.
Can AU!Reynaldo meet Canon!Reynaldo and BEAT HIM UP??? Oh my God, AU!Reynaldo was amazing. WHEN HE CLOSED THE DOOR LMAO. He was SO forward with Ophelia, I’m shocked. I’m guessing it’s because they’re “equals” in the AU, but STILL. My God.
BOY, HAMLET??? That was hot. “I fucking hate you all”. Same, buddy. How dare they. Also I’m wondering if they were being loud and what was Horatio thinking at that moment lol. Gimme angst. I’m really looking forward to the Horatio one. Hamlet really is the cutest and most adoring RO though. True love at any cost 
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Haha I’m so glad you liked it! I think she’s originally from As You Like It. Rosalind actually can feature in MTIHAE if you make the right choices to learn her name - she’s one of Ophelia’s servants.
Yeah, I had to think for a really long time about how much of Reynaldo’s personality in MTIHAE is down to his role in society and how much is just how he is. There are definitely still similarities (this is still only one of the handful of conversations that he and Ophelia would have had in the 18 months that they had known of each other, he is still quite serious and he still uses his words sparingly) but I just felt that he probably would be a lot more direct in 7 Minutes because he’s generally quite a direct guy.
Omg Horatio’s thoughts would have been juicy - he definitely would have known what was going down and he would definitely not be thrilled about it.
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I was thinking of Rosaline from R&J. Very similar names 
I like this. I think its funny that Hamlet confesses his love for Ophelia only to be rejected by her because she isn’t interested in men and he doesn’t know why he was rejected either.
I know zero about Hamlet but had a lot of fun with this! I’m torn between Olivia and Marcella, but I think I’ll go with Marcella. She’s so clumsy, squeaky, and adorable 
Ngl usually that annoys me but for some reason I found it really endearing this time around. Maybe it’s because she rolls with it instead of dwelling on how awkward she is lol. I’m looking forward to the next update!
Some feedback
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I liked that I could tell Hamlet I loved him even though I didn’t, and that Ophelia rationalized it as not wanting to “risk a further outburst”. Though later on if I go off with Olivia I have the option to tell her I told Hamlet I loved him after she confesses her feelings for me, and she gets hurt by this and leaves without another word from me. I would’ve liked if those of us who lied explained we were only trying to calm him down instead of just saying we told Hamlet we loved him and nothing else.
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In Alex’s office there’s an extra bit of dialogue about “itching for some way to exercise my intellect” if you have high cerebral. I think this dialogue would be fitting for those with a high(er) knowledge stat as well, it’s one of the stats I was focusing on and was surprised Ophelia didn’t seem to care (my cerebral wasn’t high enough).
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If I check on Hamlet there are options to tell him I lied about loving him, and he’s understandably upset. I wanted to see if I could get through the scene without telling him and there was an option for me to say I loved him as a friend. He didn’t seem too hurt (like he is if you outright admitted to lying), after I confessed to loving him earlier I thought he would’ve had a stronger reaction. I think there should’ve been some acknowledgement here if we said we loved him and didn’t admit it was a lie.
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While going to meet the ghost with Horatio and Marcella there’s an option to say “You certainly seem to be enjoying her company…” if you walk with Horatio. I’m romancing Marcella and thought that would be taken into account, but it seems I’m jealous of Marcella stealing Horatio’s attention rather than the other way around. I think that option could play out differently if you romance Marcella (ex. him saying he’s not interested in that way, or teasing me for being jealous), or neither/both of them.
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If you go late to the meeting with the king you still have the chance to see the scene but your dad will be upset. If you skip the meeting entirely you just go to bed. Depending on what you said to your father about Hamlet earlier (namely knocking him unconscious
) he’ll basically demand you show up at court with him, I think if you didn’t go (especially if he specifically told you to) he should stop by and say something before you go to bed.
Bugs/Typos
In Alex’s office:
I reply gently, resting on hand on her across the desk, “I hope that you understand.”
I think this was meant to say “one”, or “a/one hand on her’s”?
When kissing Olivia:
I draw back, gasping for breath, and $!(g_name) rests her forehead on mine for a moment, grinning broadly.
Don’t know if this happens with the male version as well.
Two bugs when talking to Horatio on the walk and selecting “I should tell Horatio that Hamlet told me he loved me.”:
- I lied to Hamlet and said I loved him too but got the dialogue where he says “But he did not believe that you shared his affection…”
- Instead of getting the rest of Horatio’s scene I get put on Hamlet’s route instead:
Pronoun errors
Leaving the party with Alex:
“I hope you do not mind?” he adds, still gazing out at the ocean but now with a small smile.
Going to Alex’s office:
Alexandra looks over her shoulder as we round a corner and spots me a few paces back. She pauses to allow me to catch up, but rolls his eyes and taps his foot a little impatiently as she does.
Telling Olivia Hamlet’s being weird:
Olivia raises his eyebrows inquisitively, “How so? I have not seen Hamlet since he left Wittenberg where he seemed… well, like Hamlet.”
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