#and that's ok in general except that they don't acknowledge it and maybe shut up more

[novelistparty]

trying to learn anything about electric guitars on the internet (or IRL) is a terrible dude-knowledge experience but sometimes there are little gems like this that ease the pain:

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rereading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Ok, so...stop me if the internet has said this before, but goddamn Tolkien is a master at using setting to affect the mood of a chapter. This forest is depressing as hell, it's creepy, and we had to deal with Old Man freaking Willow. Nobody is having a good time in this chapter, except maybe Tom Bombadil right at the end, and we REALLY need to talk about Sam for a second. So let's talk "The Old Forest."

So before we start, I've been meaning to comment on Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger's nickname for like three chapter and have just...utterly failed to do so, so as we say goodbye to him for the rest of the book, I'm just going to...I dunno, stick a pin in Tolkien's ass for being fatphobic the same way I do George Lucas for nicknaming Jek Porkins "Piggy" (and then the EU passed the nickname onto Voort SaBinring, a Gamorrean who was genetically altered but still kept a nickname that had the potential to be dehumanizing on casual observance, even though Wedge treats it like a badge of honor in Porkins's memory...guys we really need to work on nicknames because COME ON...). Like...literally both these characters have more going on with them than their girth, and we could perhaps ACKNOWLEDGE that. Especially since Fredegar has volunteered to cosplay as Frodo with Black Riders in the area. Like give the hobbit a dang break with that nickname, y'all!!! Not, I suppose, that it's really going to matter because when the gate to the forest clanged ominously shut, the group was well and truly beyond the Shire and had left hobbity things behind.

Which brings us rather neatly to this goddamn forest, and Meriadoc Brandybuck having the sheer nerve to go, "I don't believe any of the stories about boogeymen in the forest, but just so y'all know, the trees watch you as you traverse the forest, they talk, they might poke you if they're pissy, and oh yeah, they might MOVE" is just kind of astounding. Like...Merry. Are you HEARING yourself??? And then we also get this little gem from our favorite competent hobbit about the forest:

They do say the trees do actually move, and can surround strangers and hem them in. In fact long ago they attacked the Hedge: they came and planted themselves right by it, and leaned over it. But the hobbits came and cut down hundreds of trees and made a great bonfire in the Forest, and burned all the ground in a long strip east of the Hedge. After that the trees gave up the attack, but they became very unfriendly.

...So, apparently there is precedent for hobbits going full-on fucking scorched earth when threatened. And were I the Old Forest, I would also be really pissy with the hobbits for murdering a bunch of my fellow trees and literally burning the earth. Like...no freaking wonder the entire trip through this forest is depressing and creepy and it keeps shunting them away from their destination.

I also like the little details about Pippin getting so fed up and uncomfortable that he is full-on pulling an "I didn't burn your friends and I'm not going to do anything to you" and Frodo trying to sing and getting just utterly squelched by the general mood.

The writing in this section was just brilliant on a technical sentence level too; reading the twisty and shunting you away from where you want to go sentences was ENTIRELY as frustrating as navigating the actual forest was--to the point where I had to put down and pick up this chapter like three times to get through it because TOO REAL, JOHN RONALD. That's a skill you see all too rarely in books these days, that the literal sentences on the page and how they are constructed evoke the emotions the characters are feeling and you don't have to do anything to feel it with them because the writing has already got you there. Just incredible, I have to say. (And the petty part of me wants to also shoot a derisive glare and Brando Sando's philosophy of "invisible prose," point at this chapter in Fellowship, and say "suck it." Because I'm just not always that nice a human, and I am not a Sanderson girlie.)

And then we get to Old Man Willow.

I will grant Merry, Pippin, and Frodo that it is ENTIRELY unreasonable to expect them to know what genre they're in. They had no real reason to expect that the sudden overwhelming exhaustion, sudden lack of flies, and weirdly inviting willow tree were basically a venous fly trap. This is literally day one outside the Shire and they're inexperienced hobbits. They absolutely get a pass on not realizing that they were getting whammied this time around.

At which point the question "WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH SAMWISE GAMGEE???" becomes entirely reasonable, because our boy seems to like...repel magic? Here's what the text says:

Sam sat down and scratched his head, and yawned like a cavern. He was worried. The afternoon was getting late, and he thought this sudden sleepiness uncanny. "There's more behind this than sun and warm air," he muttered to himself. "I don't like this great big tree. I don't trust it. Hark at it singing about sleep now! This won't do at all!"

Sam is over here side-eyeing a tree. Correctly. Like...is this his gardener mojo happening? Because he is just this deeply familiar with plants and their ways, he can clock a suspicious tree trying to mind whammy everyone? I'd buy that, if this was the first thing, but it's NOT. There was that thing a couple chapters back where the text put Sam and Gandalf on a level, and then the thing with the elves where they were fine having a frank chat with Sam when they refused to give Frodo details because they didn't think he could handle them. The text is CLEARLY setting Sam up to be both weirdly unflappable in general and also weirdly resilient to and resistant against magic--even for a hobbit.

Like it has been established at this point that hobbit have some natural resistance to evil and magic and that apparently they're not afraid to just burn shit down when threatened, but then we get Sam out here SCOLDING people for not resisting or for misbehaving. Some of my favorite examples from this chapter include:

"You were dreaming I expect, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "You shouldn't sit in such a place, if you feel sleepy."

and

"If it don't let them go, I'll have it down, if I have to gnaw it."

Literally, Sam looked at a big, evil tree that tried to drown Frodo and squash Merry and Pippin to death and said "I will take you down with my teeth if I have to." This hobbit has exactly zero fucks to give, and there has to be more than just "professional gardener mojo" at work here. I am keeping one hell of an eye on Sam at this point, because he is weirdly unflappable and weirdly magic resistant and frankly he is ALREADY carrying this group of hobbits on his back and we're nowhere near Mount Doom.

Before we have to watch Sam try to take a tree down with his teeth though, we get Bombadil ex machina-ed out of the situation, and yet another person scoops the four hobbits off the road and out of danger to feed them and give them a good night's sleep.

This is starting to be a theme with hobbits. I am seriously starting to wonder if there is a good Samaritan law in Middle Earth that basically goes, "If you find a hobbit on the road, you are morally, ethically, and legally required to feed them and house them for a night" because LITERALLY EVERYONE DOES THIS.

And before the internet jumps down my throat: Yes, guys, I know about hospitality traditions. I know what Tolkien is going for here. But the regularity with which this is happening in these early chapters is giving me The Hobbit vibes, which I was extremely not expecting given how much the internet at large likes to go "Wow, LotR and The Hobbit are so wildly different in tone, it's like they're not related at all." I guess my point is that these first six chapters are reminiscent of that structure, and only Sith deal in absolutes.

We're going to leave it there for this chapter, because I'm not dealing with Bombadil in the machine until his chapter. The TLDR is that he shows up to rescue the hobbits from Old Man Willow here, and brings them home for dinner. We can address the rest next time.

[justafoxhound]

I'm late but for the otp ask game: (omg going through these, I feel like I know the answers to a lot of them, so I chose some fun ones heehee 😈) 3. Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.) 8. What happens if one of them gets sick? 14. How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash? 19. How do they feel about PDA? 26. What are their vices? 30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing?

No worries! I don't find many I can rb so any q's whenever is fun. And curious to hear your ideas on some of them??? 👀

Ok I had to think quite hard about these!

3. Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)

I don't know a girl who doesn't steal her bf's clothes now and again, and Talia is no different. T shirts to sleep in, jacket to pop outside in the rain, or his shirt when she's trying to be enticing 😉

Burke might borrow a scarf or something if it's lying around (which I imagine it always is), but he thinks about his image so it would have to match.

8. What happens if one of them gets sick?

If Burke got sick Tali would be a great nurse. She might surprise him really with how soft she becomes. And quite a lot of her dad's knowledge stuck (she was always smarter than the GOAT said) so an effective one too. Depending how sick he was, he'd just carry on as normal, not letting on, and probably get annoyed at her fussing over him. If it really knocked him out though, well, he'd appreciate her help so no one learned he was sick (sickness = weakness!!), but he would also be pretty arsey company.

If Tali got sick he'd expect her to just get on with it as well, though she isn't the type to whine. But would he offer up a lot of support? It hurts him a little to see her hurting, but I'm not sure he'd acknowledge that until she was already upset with him :( Boy is learning. Tali would be used to having to get on with things, considering how the vault was quite short on population to maintain it. But daddy was a doctor so she’d be missing that compassionate medical aid, it was a time when she got most attention from James and now probably the least from Burke. ☹

14. How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?

Burke is thorough, careful, unbothered by fools, so things won’t get out of hand with Talia’s impulsivity and temper. He has to have everything under control and Tali can see it so it calms her down a lot.

Talia likes to joke around, is headstrong and outspoken, so maybe Burke doesn’t take himself so seriously so constantly. She’s also very sociable and likeable, and perhaps it rubs off on him so he can be a bit more normal. (Moriarty does call him a ‘class A weirdo’ or something in game haha, I think I toned him down a bit but he should have some oddball vibes hehe).

How they clash, hmm, I think they can both be stubborn, leading to fights. Neither wants to apologise after a fight. They both struggle to admit weakness, express their needs, stymying deeper intimacy... At least for now.

19. How do they feel about PDA?

If Burke wants to engage, to any level, he will. He doesn't care. What's going to happen, someone will see them and he'll feel embarrassed?? He doesn't know the meaning of the word. I feel like I wrote him more sombre from the middle-latter part of the fic, but he's quite unpredictable if he's feeling up for some antics (general antics, not just 👀 lol). However if he doesn’t want to or it would put out the wrong image at the time he will shut it down abruptly, even just holding hands. It's quite confusing to be dating him.

Talia doesn't mind doing it, seeing it, whatever. Except for ghouls. Seeing that probably topped seeing a ghoul for the first time as the Scariest Moment of her life (or maybe just new category, Grossest Sight).

26. What are their vices?

Haha, well Burke is almost all vice isn't he? Greed, arrogance, jealousy, wrath, deceit, and the boozing and smoking. I feel like they drink more around each other, when things are coasting along quite well anyway. 

Talia has always been struggling with anger and doubt, though she gains a lot of self confidence and pride in surviving Events, and being around Burke is only going to gas her up more hehe.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing?

Burke is going to pick some evening gown or cocktail dress isn’t he? With sexy shoes completely impractical for walking anywhere, and underwear that he doesn’t realise can’t be worn with the dress because the straps show or something.

Talia would just try to dress him more casual, with a bit of attitude. She like the bad boys. I imagine she somehow got him wearing a chain or two...

[bookishlyxnerds]

Insecure

Art by Marching Space

Story by Candy and Mickey

Instagram: @_bookishlyxamazing_ / Tumblr: bookishlyxnerds

Words: 1,151

Class 1-A of UA was a giant family. Of course, there was Bakugo, who wasn't all that close. Then there was someone like Izuku who had a mumble issue (trust me an intervention is soon to be held). Or perhaps Tokoyami who... Is a bird. What I am trying to get at here is that not all families are perfect. That sometimes there are really tough times. That's when family matters, when help is needed. Even from the least expected people.

···

Today could be considered like any other day. Bakugo had one of his occasional meltdowns. Mineta got beat up. Twice. Everyone was exactly as they should and would be. The exception, however, was Kirishima.

Today was one of his tough days.

Generally, Kirishima is optimistic, honest, trustworthy, and the 'justice keeper' or rather when he calls people out on their bullshit. But today he just wasn't; his insecurity got to him.

He mostly listened with the occasional words. He mostly keep to himself, though he would fake a laugh here and there. He had a sad look in his eye, but he hid it well. It seemed it was only something Bakugo noticed.

When lunch arrived, Bakugo decided to talk to Denki, find out what the problem was.

"Pikachu, we need to talk" Bakugo announced to Denki as he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to the hallway. Surprisingly, Denki just went with it.

"What do you need, B--" Denki asked.

"I don't need a fucking thing, lightbulb." Bakugo replied, insulted.

"No I was wondering what I could-"

"You could shut your damn trap and listen!" Bakugo growled, his red eyes glimmering with annoyance.

Denki remained silent.

"What's up with the Hedgehog?"

"Kirishima?"

"Just answer the motherfucking question!"

"Oh... Uh... I don't really know... He has just been acting his… normal self..."

"You short circuiting in the head again because I swear-"

Denki laughed, "No I'm not." A thoughtful look crossed his face, "Why don't you ask him what the issue is if you think something is wrong?"

"Me? Ask porcupine what's wrong? Shit, you really are fried up there aren't you?" Bakugo had an aggressive look cross his face and scoffed, walking away leaving Denki alone.

···

For the rest of the day, Bakugo remained concerned about the wellbeing of Kirishima. No one seemed to notice or cared. Bakugo was upset about that, to say the least. Friends are supposed to help each other out, right?

Bakugo got up from his seat in class and walked over to Kirishima, who sat besides everyone else, most likely to seem unbothered. One didn't have to be a brainiac to see he was obviously faking.

His walking stopped in front of Kirishima, his eyes looking down at the boy. "Hey Porcupine, we need to talk..." He looked around to the others, “Alone.”

Kirishima looked up, he looked exhausted, “Alright?” He got up and walked to the other side of the room with Bakugo. "What can I do for you, Bakugo?” he inquired

Bakugo halted his usual approach, the one that involved screaming and yelling, and thought for a bit before continuing. He signed, calmed his expressions and looked dead into Kirishima's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

The sad eyes were filled with a sparkle of surprise. Kirishima was the least of all to expect Bakugo being concerned. Or quieter. "Uh... nothin'. I am fine, B-Bakugo," Kirishima replied as he plastered a fake smile on his face followed by a fake laugh (it sounded more like a huff).

"No. Your not."

"I am."

"Really?"

"Yup,"  Kirishima answered, popping his p  to try and make it seem true. Bakugo knew one thing, Kirishima never pops his p’s.

"Alright. Explain something to me first."

"O-ok?"

"You say that you're fine but your actions speak otherwise. You haven't talked as much as usual, which is very surprising, you haven't sought out the manliness of our classmates. You've just sat here, in your seat all fucking day and it's really god damn annoying. I ain't the smartest kid in here but I ain't going to play dumb on this one, Porcupine. So you'll tell me what's wrong or you end up through a wall, deal?"

Kirishima was silent. What could one say to a 'speech’ like that? How could he tell Bakugo how he felt? How he was a horrible hero? That he was nothing, a speck of dirt, compared to his friends; to the hero's he looked up to with all his heart? How could he do that? It was so Unmanly! So cowardly!

“Kirishima… I am asking as a… a… a friend,” Bakugo stated, his hands shoved in his pockets, biting the inside of his cheek.

A sigh escaped Kirishima. He never talked about it. With no one. His blatant disaster of quirk. So how could he talk to Bakugo about it? But here Bakugo was, standing in front of him, wanting to know what was wrong.

Bakugo was never like that.

Kirishima let loose a sigh. “I… I… uh… I'm not a good… w-well I-I mean I am just… I guess… I-I can never truly be a good hero.” Kirishima threw up his hands into a quick shrug, “And that m-makes me upset and insecure…”

Bakugo blinked, “What do you mean you can't be a good hero?”

“Like I-I am not a good hero. I d-don't have a flashy quirk or athleticism or-or incredible smarts. I get hard and I can't even hold out that long using it. I-I am not sure I s-should even be here, ya know?” Kirishima pressed his lips together to keep from crying.

“Kirishima.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You're fucking stupid,” Bakugo stated. This left Kirishima completely surprised and really sad. Maybe he shouldn't have told Bakugo. He felt stupid.

“Yeah, I k-”

“You're a great hero. I mean, come on man, you single handedly protected Fatgum and helped dipfuc-” Bakugo cleared his throat, “Midoriya get that little girl. You are really, really, really optimistic and, I'll admit, it's fucking obnoxious but that's you. Everyone here wouldn't make it without you. You help when everyone is down or just need a pep talk. Let's not forget to mention, you call everyone out on their bullshit. Like I do that, b-but... you do it way better.

“You are brave, optimistic and put others above yourself. That is a hero. You don't care about being first, winning, the acknowledgement; you are a good person and will be an even better hero.

“A great hero, even!”

Kirishima was dead silent. It seems the class was too because no one spoke a word. Not one.

A smile spread on Kirishima's face, “Can you repeat that last part?”

A smirk rose on Bakugo's face, “Tsk, I know you heard me. You're a great hero, Shitty hair. No doubt about it.” He turned on his heel and swaggered back to his seat, this left Kirishima… well, shook.