12th century Yusuf, well educated, scholar and poet: *beautiful verses of romantic poetry extolling Nicolò’s virtues and yusuf’s love for him*
Nicolò whose sole literary basis of reference is the bible, panicking: your teeth are like sheep
Yusuf:
Yusuf: my teeth are what now
Yusuf, later, oddly flattered: Sheep are underrated…
Nicolò, still panicking: Your hair is like…goats coming down a hill.
Yusef, wondering if Genoa has goats known for turning in tight circles for some reason (maybe they pasture them on very tall, narrow spires–is that a thing?): …Thank you. Goats are…wonderful creatures.
Nicolò, later, worrying: Should I have used the comparisons to the dawn, the moon, and the sun instead?…No, no. Dawn is just a time of day. Sheep and goats are vital to society. Everyone knows that.
A+ gif use @selling-my-soul-for-tony-stark
Just quality additions all round.
you know what i love? the implication here that Nicoló is a practical man and thus thinks in terms of utility, the mundane and the concrete.
of course he thinks that dawn is pretty, but for him it’s just that. a pretty thing. how many times will he see the dawn? probably every once in a while, he knows it’s there and will never stop being there, but it’s not something he thinks about, it’s not something he pays attention to. it’s not his Yusuf.
sheep tho? sheep will be the source of warm when winter comes. sheep will be nourishing when he is hungry. same with goats. these animals are vital to his day to day life. his Yusuf is the loving attention a shepherd has to give to their goats and sheep. his Yusuf is the peaceful labour of everyday. his Yusuf is caring for another living thing, that will nourish you, that you need in order to survive.
this post started as a joke but now i’m emotional for Nicoló Acts of Service di Genova.
William Shakespeare: *comes along and makes elegant and poetic statements comparing Joe to something beautiful and without practical function.*
Nicolò: How dare you imply that my Yusef is merely aesthetically pleasing?!
Yusef, with a death grip on Nicolò’s arm, slowly backing towards the door and mouthing apologies: Please, Nicolò, he is just a playwright. Do not start a fist-fight with him, Nico. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.
Note that this practicality principle also holds in Joe’s canonical poetic statements about Nicky. He doesn’t compare Nicky to the moon on the basis of beauty; he says Nicky is the moon when Joe is lost in darkness. Nicky is warmth when Joe shivers with cold. He doesn’t wax poetic about Nicky’s lips; he says Nicky’s kiss thrills him. The phrasing and imagery are beautiful and poetic and passionate, but the content is about Nicky being what Joe needs, in metaphors about practical physical survival, and Joe’s reactions to Nicky (being thrilled by him and loving him beyond measure and reason). There is no empty imagery about Nicky being any sort of pretty thing that Joe merely enjoys, like a sunrise or a flower or something.
12th century Yusef: Sheep and goats, huh? *cracks knuckles* Practical imagery. I can do that. *Writes long, flowery poem comparing Nicolò to a comfortable pair of boots that keep him warm and dry and safe through miles upon miles of the wettest and iciest terrain.*
Nicolò: 😍😍😍
