#[because you mentioned them having to sneak around fiends and i found that funny]

[faythsang]

@tailoringtay // Starter Call

"It's not like I'm not relieved there's no fiends about but..."

A pause, the songstress wasn't even sure why she had taken note of it, surviving by swatting things with a racket and dashing away as soon as possible or putting them to sleep had worked well enough for her so far. But now she had company, Lenne felt better, even if she had no clue how they'd both cope in a fight.

"Don't you think it's suspicious?"

[yn-dreamlife]

Katsuki Bakugo x Reader || My Little Flower

pairing: Katsuki Bakugo x reader 

Warnings: mentions/memories of abuse, angst, guilty todoroki, guilty bakugo, Panic attacks, angst, fluff

Characters: Katsuki Bakugo, Izuku Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, Eijiro Kirishima, Shoto Todoroki, Mina Ashido, Tenya Iida.

Description: When one of Katsukis harmless insults Sends you flashing back into your abusive past you fear what he’ll think of you. Will your friendship possibly be ruined because of this? A.N: ok so I haven’t been able to watch a bunch of this show yet cause online schooling I’m going off of the fan fiction I’ve read so don’t come at me please. I love this fandom and honestly it would break my heart if I offended someone. I hope you enjoy. Also for the sake of things pretend that UA is a college 

I walk next to one of my best friends not noticing his heterochromiac gaze in me. I bite my lip deep in my thoughts i was still relatively new to the idea that I actually have to stay at UA college ever since it became a boarding school and to say I was nervous was a understatement, who would I be with? How would the rooms work? Would it be by class? What if I didn’t know anyone? What if-  “y/n,” shotos soft voice besides me brings me from my thoughts. I hummed in acknowledgement feeling my cheeks heat up worried he would be upset I was being like this. “relax.” He whispered softly placing a hand on my shoulder and letting out a warmth to help against the cool winter wether.  I felt some of the anxiety leave me.... some. Of course he wasn’t mad he knew how I got, anxious I was doing something wrong breaking an unspoken rule or not making everyone happy, worried constantly about grades, not caring for myself, all because of them. I smile apologetically at the duo colored hair boy. And he returns one back. 

But that doesn’t mean my anxiety’s of the dorm rooms would go away. We got to UA our bags in tow behind us as we walked up I saw a some of the people who have become some of my truest friends. Izuku Midoriya was standing next to Ochaco Uraraka, and I could see both there faces had a slight flush as there arm kept brushing against one another. I also saw Tenya Iida standing with them he was our class representative. I was still shocked I was in a class with such amazing people. As we came closer I also saw three other people approaching.  Mina Ashido smiled brightly at me rushing to give me a hug while leaving her bag to the two men she was walking with, I gladly welcomed the embrace needing it but never forgetting Shoto was right there because truth be told I would be crying already had it not been for his constant presences.  Due to her sprinting towards me it grabbed the attention of the group of three I had already noticed but my eyes where closed shut clutching to her. When we pulled away her two companions Eijiro Kirishima, and Katsuki Bakugo where also there now along with Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida.  “Hi everybody!” I said happily willing the heat rising to my cheeks down. Whenever Bakugo was around my heart soared and butterfly’s formed in my stomach and if I dint keep my emotions down a flower crown would soon be forming on my head. Todoroki place a cooling hand on my back calming me but I think he did it to calm the heat glaring to my cheeks as all the eyes landed on me. 

“Hey there pretty lady!” Kiri said to me smiling pulling me into a hug and I gladly hugged my red haired fiend. He was always so happy which made it easier for me. 

“So does anyone know how this is all going to work?” I asked worried maybe I was the only clueless one. Most everyone looked confused except of course for Iida. “We will be placed by classroom into rooms all classes will have one common area but all of us have bedrooms, I am unsure at the time if any of us will be sharing.” I nodded my head “Of course no boys and girls will be sharing. Right?”

He gave a pointed look to me. “W-what’s that look for?!” I shrieked as I could do nothing to hide the blush. And when shotos hand left me due to him covering his mouth as he laughed it only seemed down my neck. “Oh come on we all know you and Todoroki are together!” Uraraka spoke smiling, Shoto stopped laughing.

“Not so funny know huh Shoto?!” He only glared at me But there was no heat behind it, and looked at our friends. “Me and y/n are not together.” He spoke seriously. All there faces turned to confusion and Midoriya spoke first. “Wait your not? But you two call each other by first name and you don’t do that to anyone else!” He said defensively. “Well yeah Shoto does it out of respect I don’t do it because none of you have given me permission to do so. Besides Shoto is like my brother, I could never do anything like that.” I smiled over at him and he returned it.

“Maybe stop making heart eyes at icy hot and maybe we’ll believe you, shitty woman.” Bakugo scoffed Kirishima hit his shoulder rather roughly at the look on my face. Usually his playful insults never bothered me and I’d fire back but that one.... he Used that one. Shoto without thinking shot out in front of me shielding me from everyone as I took a few steps back slowly. Third person P.O.V

Todoroki knew the moment the words left Bakugos mouth what would happen. He quickly moved in front of you and Shielded you from view. Kirishima never liked when his bakubro spoke to you that way knowing of his feelings towards you and yours towards him but he looked over and saw as you took a few steps back. Your eyes seemed to glass over and you had a far off look, one that reminded him of the pro hero’s who had seen to much in there time.

Everyone made a move to get closer to you but you quickly stepped back again, Shoto took another step forward practically growling, but you where to busy turning around to notice as you ran off. Todoroki let you knowing you needed space for a minute but he would give you no more time than that.

“What the fuck happened icyhot?!” Bakugo spoke daring anyone to mention the worry that leaked into his voice with a glare. No one mentioned it to worried, they had never seen you like that. You had an energy like Kirishima always happy and smiling always helping others. And your reaction to the name was not anticipated. So often you would fire something back at Bakugo that he was left feeling horribly guilty. Before anyone could ask Todoroki made his way to you.

Your P.O.V

Warning abuse flashback

I ran to the only place I had felt safe in all of UA it was a hidden garden long since forgotten at the back of the school. Once I had found it the first few days of school I instantly fell in love my quirk blossomed here. I could control all things natural from the elements to plants and animals. I could make animals listen and plants grow. But I also had the power to kill said plants easily. The trail of death I left behind in the grass as I ran a clear path to anyone but i was to far gone in my mind.

“You want to be a hero?!” His cold voice echoed in the basement the voice I still longed to hear praise come from. “Your quirk is nothing compared to mine. Do you hear me?! NOTHING! And besides....” he grabbed my throat roughly making me meet his eye, “your gonna be my slave for the rest of your stupid life.” His cold eyes once so filled with love broke the last part of my spirit I had left, I bowed my head in submission.

——

“Oh shitty woman!” His voice echoed through the house to my cage in the basement i whimpered. “Be ready cause I’m just pissed of tonight!” I shook out of both fear and coldness. I wasn’t allowed to wear anything except my shackles. He liked to keep me chained up my wrists attached to a chain that was liked to a metal collar around my neck. My feet also cuffed together. Both allowing me to move but never escape. I was his slave, his dog, his shitty woman, his punching bag, and his fuck hole. I had no other purpose anymore. I haven’t spoken to any of my loved ones in months? Years? Time blurred together, especially since I was locked away in the dark damp windowless basement. I heard his foot steps come thudding down the stairs, he held a knife in his hands, he liked to make me bleed.

I can’t tell how long it’s been, hours, days, minutes? All I knew was he wasn’t stopping and I knew one more cut, one more kick, I would be gone I couldn’t stop the happiness that flooded me I would be free.

I didn’t notice Shoto coming towards me till he placed his cool hand on one cheek and his warm one on the other the two temperatures grounding me slightly  

“y/n come back, you’re in your garden remember? I got you out of there, he’s gone he can’t hurt you.” His words shifted my thoughts to what happened next.

The hope I had just felt was suddenly ripped away as the doorbell rang. He growled and stormed upstairs stripping off the bloody shirt. I couldn’t hear anything but suddenly I heard his frustrated scream through the whole house the name he cried barley recognizable since the amount of time it has been since I heard it but a part of me knew.

“Todoroki!!” I laid there stunned... Todoroki? Thoughts of a pair of heterochromia eyes popped into my brain. The piecing blue and grey, but they held warmth. I could remember his hair two colors both white and red. I heard frantic footsteps rush down the stairs.

“y/n!” I heard a man yell I flinched but looking up I was met with those warm eyes except they had worry and fear i ached to take that away my mind still foggy on how I knew him. and it suddenly all came back, the times we spent laughing so hard tears streamed down our faces, sneaking into his home to see him when his father shut him away, sparing with him, creating flowers the same color as his eyes and hair.

“Sho...” I whispered the ghost of a smile in my eye the last thing I heard was his calming voice

“Don’t worry sweet flower I’ve got you”

“Sho?” I spoke the fog slowly leaving my brain I squeezed his hands to my face. “That’s it, there you go...welcome back.” I looked around and sighed but it was quickly turned into a hitch in my breathe as I saw the path of death I had created, quickly with a wave of my hand it was regrowing, Shoto smiles at me. “Sorry about that.” I muttered quietly he shook his head pulling me into a hug, “never apologize,” He pulled me away slightly staring at me directly in the eyes. “Never.” I nodded and he smiled at me grabbing my hand and helping me stand. It was getting dark so we headed back to what was now our class dorm.

When I entered I was quickly pulled into a hug I recognized it as Kirishima and hugged him back letting him hold me for a while as Shoto walked off going to his room. When I pulled away I looked behind him not seeing anyone else. “How is he?” I asked softly. “I should be asking about you.” He smiled softly “but of course you always worry about everyone else... he’s upset, to say the least but not at you more at himself.” I nodded and kiri showed me to my room turns out we didn’t have to share much to all of our reliefs. We loved each other sure but our own space was nice. It had been several hours and in that time I decided to clean my room, unpack everything, read something and scroll through social media all to distract myself from the inevitable nightmare I would have. But of course I drifted to sleep and of course I had a nightmare. I woke up hot a sweaty shaking away the flashes of the dream, I was back with my ex but this time he made bakugo watch as he did things to me and he begged and cried even though I knew the real bakugo had never shown such emotions to me but it seemed so real.

I walked out to the kitchen the mere thought of his eyes looking that way and my ex made me once again cry. I bit my hand the way I always did and before I knew it snow was falling above me.

“y/l/n?” I heard a voice behind me I turned around and saw none other than bakugo. The sight of his eyes made the sob I was holding back rip from my throat. They where the same eye from my dream the same look of pain and sadness in them.

“Katsuki-” I stopped myself despite my sobs. I felt a surge of dread wash through me. I knew I called him that in my head but to say it to him felt so rude without permission. I fell to my knees my hands taking position in front of my chest clasped together as I softly whispered

“I’m sorry I meant no offense bak-” I was cut off my soft hands cupping my face and sweat pants clad knees brushing against the skin of my own bare knees. “Don’t, katsuki is fine. I’m more concerned about what’s wrong?” I pursed my lips shaking my head. He sighed as he hoisted me up into his arms and began walking into the living room type area. He set my on the couch and then sat himself down next to me. “So tell me y/n, what’s wrong.” I took a deep breathe studying myself. He gave me all the time I needed and I was grateful. I sighed running my hand through my hair as I stood up. “what I’m telling you only Shoto knows I’m trusting you to keep this information to yourself.” He nodded sitting up and I felt like he had the same commitment to that Silent promise As he did to trying to be number one hero. “I was with an ex... and we where together towards our senior year of high school. You probably didn’t notice but well we went to the same high school you, and i know you knew that. But you probably didn’t notice my absence towards the end of the year. Well my boyfriend snapped or something and he... he made me his slave. Locked me in the basement, kept me chained, he would abuse me in every way possible. Sexually, physically, mentally, emotionally... and well Shoto... when he found me I was an inch from death and I was ready to welcome it with open and willing arms... that was a year ago.” His breathe hitched.

“Thanks to someone’s quirk a lot of the memories are gone... for the most part, I still have triggers and nightmares. One of those triggers being what he used to call me. I was his fuck hole, his slave, his... shitty woman.” I watched his hand fly to his mouth anger seeping into his eyes. “And today, I called you- oh my god I am so sorry!” He truly looked like he was about to pass out. “Is that why you where upset just now? Because of me? I can get my room transferred probably I’ll do whatever I ca-” I shook my head. “no not directly you, it was a nightmare I had but well uh.... you where in it.” I watched color leave his face I knew what he thought so I quickly stopped the thought from continuing by adding “my ex was doing those things in front of you! He was making you watch and I had to watch you... I had to watch your beautiful vermillion eyes be covered in pain and sadness and worry. And well you came into the kitchen and that’s the exact look i saw. And the reason it affected me is because I like you katsuki. A lot and honestly I’m sorry, because who wants some broken cry baby to be head over heels for them but I am and I understand if you don’t wish to speak to me again.” before I could comprehend what was happening I was being pulled into his arms. His scent of burnt sugar and caramel invading my senses. His hands moved through my hair and I hummed at the feeling.

“i feel the same way about you baby.” I sighed as I moved closer to him and he in turn pulled me into his lap. He rubbed his hands steadily up and down my back as he layer down on the couch. “I’m sorry all of that happened to you, I’m sorry I said that to you, and I’m sorry that I never went to check on you in high school. Truth is I did notice I just thought you moved or something.” We sat in scilence for a little while till I spoke up again.

“Katsuki...” he hummed “what am I to you?” He moved my head so I was looking at him. I saw his vibrant eyes and they warmed me throughout even my whole soul. “you... you’re my little flower, so delicate under harsh conditions but no matter how heavy the foot or how harsh the winter you’ll come back as vibrant or even more vibrant than before. You are my light, and my everything and if you will allow me the honor my girlfriend.”

Tears brimmed my eyes “Oh god, I’m sorry. Don’t cry! Shit! Um-” I cut him off smiling and he sighed and visibly relaxed.

“i would love nothing more than to be your girlfriend, firework man.” I gently leaned down my lips a hairs breath away from his and he leaned in closing the distance I sighed I had wanted this since I first layed eyes on him. It felt so nice.

“Goodnight katsuki.” I whispered as I kissed his jaw cuddling back into his warm bare chest on,y now realizing his attire but not caring enough to be embarrassed. “goodnight my little flower.” The last thing I heard before drifting into sleep was “ill protect you, always.”

[thecorteztwins]

(Just a small thing for @awkward-snake-girl starring her OC Mattie with the Serpent Society again! No funny Fabian cameos this time, but someone else does show up! Connected to THIS and THIS fic! I know it’s mentioned in the latter that Monsoon met Black Mamba when he picked Haven up from the prison that she and Tanya were both at, and yet it comes off in this fic like they’re meeting for the first time. How do I explain this? I don’t! Because I don’t really care about continuity, JUST LIKE CANON MARVEL! ;D ) Mattie was hanging out at the house shared by Black Mamba, Asp, and Anaconda again. She had become a pretty common guest there; today she’d come over to deliver the new dancing costume she’d made for Asp---just because her clothes came off during her act didn’t mean they shouldn’t look beautiful!--but then stuck around just to chat and watch TV with the other ladies. “Man, I don’t get why he’s spending time with Sandra,” Blanche criticized the male lead, “Donna’s obviously the right gal for him, she gives him everything he needs.” “Not excitement,” Tanya explained, “Not adventure. And most importantly---not emotional support. Donna just puts food on the table. Sandra feeds his heart.” Blanche snorted, “Don’t think his heart is what he’s following here.” “Well, okay, that too,” said Tanya, “But can you blame him? The poor guy is just starved for a little romance.” “Yeah I’d blame him!” Blanche replied, “I’d bust his face!” “He shouldn’t be with Sandra if he’s with Donna,” Mattie semi-agreed, “He’s got to pick one or the other.” “Well, that is the point of the show,” said Cleo analytically, “Were he to choose too quickly, we would not have our full thirty minutes of salacious fantasy entertainment. Nor if he made the right choices in the first place.” “Can we watch the nature channel next?” Mattie requested, as more poor life decisions played out on screen. “Only if it’s no more snake shows,” Blanche said, “Yer startin’ to make me hate my own codename, I’ve had to hear it so much!” “Now Blanche, she is our guest,” said Tanya, “Though, Mattie...are you sure it’s REALLY the snakes you’re craving? Might they...represent something else? How long has it been since--” “Tanya!” Mattie shrieked, turning red, “No, I just really like snakes! Come on, you’re the Serpent Society, you should get that!” “Hey, don’t pigeonhole us,” Blanche replied, “We got diverse interests.” “I’m just saying,” Tanya continued as Cleo sighed with her fingers against her own forehead, “Women have needs too, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And if you need help meeting a man who can help, I can---” Her next words were lost in a gale of wind so strong that even from outside the house, the roar consumed all other sounds, rattling the windows and even causing the TV to shake. “Hey!” Blanche ejected, stretching out her super-elongated, super-muscular arms just in time to catch the television as it plummeted towards the floor from its sleek stand, “What’s with the freak storm?! S’Margaret Hamilton outside?”! That was when the door exploded in a million splinters. “RELEASE MISS MATTIE GRANGER!” a voice boomed from outside, yet there was no one on the doorstep...only the violently whipping wind.

“Come out and make me!” bellowed Anaconda, running out on the stoop, her fists clenched and ready to meet the face of whoever was doing this, just as soon as they showed it. “Up here, fiend!” called the voice from above. Anaconda accordingly looked up, as did Asp, Mamba, and Mattie, who had all come outside too. Levitating among the whipping wind was a tall, muscular Indian man with dark skin, a harsh face, and long wavy black hair. “Whoa, who ordered the beefcake?” Black Mamba quipped. “I don’t know, girls---but I’m hungry!” Anaconda answered, shooting out one of her extendable arms with a fist clenched at the end. “I do not wish to hurt you,” the man called over the winds as he dodged the blow, which was slowed by the force of the air itself, “I merely come to rescue Mattie---give her up, and you shall not be harmed this day.” “You know this man?” Asp asked. “I do!” said Mattie, embrassed at the situation, and yelled up, “Monsoon! Monsoon it’s okay!” “Mattie!” he yelled back, “Are you hurt?” “No! Monsoon, these are my friends! They didn’t kidnap me, we’re just hanging out!” “Oh,” The wind began to still, and he seemed to deflate, but then suddenly he tensed again, “Are they making you say that?!” The wind returned, stronger than ever and accompanied by warning rolls of thunder, and the three Serpent Society squad women were lifted into the air, even Anaconda, yet Mattie was left safely on the ground. “They have no power over you, Mattie!” “I know! They don’t! That’s why you can be sure I’m telling the truth, we really are just hanging out!” “We were watching TV, you dumb jerk!” Anaconda shouted. “Yeah you stupid hot gorgeous musclehead!” Black Mamba added. “It’s fine, Monsoon!” Mattie pleaded, “Please, put them down!” Monsoon looked at the women, his face blanching under his dark skin as he began to realize what he’d done. “Please, Monsoon, put them down!” Mattie repeated. “Yeah, put me down---so I can pummel ya! Bet you’re not so hot in a fair fight!” “Anaconda, I sincerely doubt stating your intentions honestly will incline him to---oh, thank you sir,” Asp cut herself off as she found her toes touching the ground again, Monsoon having settled them down with great care. He began to ask if they were hurt, and to apologize for the misunderstanding. Began to. Before one of Asp’s venom blasts hit him full in the chest. She was polite. It didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed. Monsoon, who had not yet descended himself, began falling like a rock. Mattie cried out, but Anaconda smirked, “Don’t worry, princess---Mama’s got him!” One of her elongated arms caught him halfway down...then slammed him into the pavement twice as hard as he would have hit it from merely falling. And then...then the other arm got involved, and they began to constrict him like two great snakes. “No!!” Mattie cried on, tugging on Blanche, though the bigger woman didn’t even notice. “Yeah, ‘Conda,” smirked Tanya, “It’s not fair for you to finish him off before I get my turn too!” “Please, no, he was just here to save me! And he didn’t hurt you guys!” Which is why we won’t kill him, said Asp, though that looked like a surprise to Blanche, and one she was not pleased with. “We’ve just got to show him why it was a bad idea either way,” Tanya continued, “I mean, come on Mattie, we can’t have people thinking you can just show up and trash the Serpent Society. Got a company reputation to maintain, you know?” Mattie whimpered, but she seemed to realize that this was as good a result as her protests were going to get. Blanche, now curious what her teammates were about to pull, released her captive, her arms returning to normal length and crossing over her broad chest, ready to return to their foul play should the punishment meeted upon Monsoon be unsatisfactory to her. “We won’t do anything permanent,” Black Mamba promised as she sauntered towards Monsoon’s massive form as he pulled himself from the ground. Wow, he was still conscious? And moving? The stamina on this guy! She was impressed. Not many guys could get back up after a blast from The Asp OR a big hug from Blanche, let alone BOTH. “Hey big boy, I’m not gonna hurt ya.” She leaned over, knowing he would get a good view of her cleavage, “In fact, I’m going to make you VERY happy...” Then she stood back up and kicked up, hard. She loved baiting them before the hit. “...is what I would say if you weren’t Mattie’s boyfriend. But since you are, I’d hate to make her watch you with one of my love phantoms. So I’ll settle for this.” Monsoon did not fight back physically, nor summon more winds. Maybe he was just too worn out and hurt, but to Tanya it looked more like he was simply accepting the attack. Black Mamba might not be that much of a physical fighter, but she had enough experience to know this guy could have fought back more if he’d chosen to. Weird. Weirder still, he’d looked away from the free view of her rack. Wow. He must REALLY be faithful. Poor guy, he’d looked downright embarrassed! Guys, huh? Not humiliated at all over getting trounced by three girls----three and a half, really, Blanche was at least one and a half on her own--- but breasts apparently made him have to avert his eyes. Must be a progressive type. Or a really conservative type. Funny, how much those two tended overlap in some ways. “Your guy is a real catch,” she said to Mattie as she returned back to the others, “Not only did he come wind-riding to your rescue, he didn’t even try to sneak a peek at my tatas when I bent over. Class act. I’d keep him if I were you.” “He’s NOT my boyfriend, Tanya!” Mattie protested, before rushing over to Monsoon’s side, “Aloba! Are you okay? Oh my gosh, Haven is going to be SO WORRIED!” “Er, Mattie, if I may make a request...I would actually...prefer you did not tell her?” END                  

[garden-ghoul]

appendix blog, part 3

“working out... is.... good?”

Hey so I’m skipping Eorl, I already blogged him, or at least I read him. I don’t conceptually separate those processes any more, thanks fiends. I, uh, I meant to type friends there but let’s call it a Freudian typo.

Ah fuck yes after the list of Rohirrim kings it’s time for DURIN’S FOLK

So “Durin is the name that the Dwarves used for the eldest of the Seven Fathers of their race.” Are we ever going to hear about the other six fathers, or is it one of those things where dwarves are extremely close-mouthed about it and only Durin, who they cannot ever shut up about, is ever mentioned near other races?

Durin “slept alone” until the awakening of his people. Did all dwarves sleep alone? Is this a gem kindergarten situation? Please say yes. Please say there is a Durin-shaped hole somewhere that is only known to dwarves and they like, sometimes try to fit themselves into it. The one who is the same size and shape as the original Durin becomes Durin the N+1th. “This hole was made for me,” he declares, and fits himself into it. Everyone cheers, and then they fish him out with a hook before he can slide too far into the mountain. Anyway during the time of Durin VI the dwarves, who are in an absolutely defensible position but are too bored to stop mining, wake up a balrog and have to flee. Durin VI’s son Nain goes to Erebor and finds a very nice rock; most of the Khazad-dum dwarves go to the Grey Mountains in the north, because exploring is fun and profitable! Unfortunately north of the mountain everything is full of dragons. “At last Dáin I, together with Frór his second son, was slain at the door of his hall by a great cold-drake.” I really like the implication I just made up, that the north is full of dragons because they migrated from Angband.

BTW Dain’s other sons are Thror and Gror. Apparently there’s something absolutely essential about the fabric of Ea that makes all peoples independently name their kids dumb themed names. Someone during the Song of Songs or w/e they’re calling it these days accidentally kept repeating one of their trills and it became a line of code essential to the nature of life. Fuck this.

Thror goes to Erebor again, and he makes lots of friendly alliances with other dwarf clans and the humans who live near Erebor (’northmen’). UNFORTUNATELY you cannot have a great and extremely wealthy time around here without a dragon hearing about it, so Smaug the Golden comes to say hi. Thrain II and his dad Thror (original flavor) flee in secret, and then Thror goes into Khazad-dum (possibly it was a suggestion of his Ring). Thror’s bff creeps over to the doors of Khazad-dum and a bunch of orcs are hiding behind the doorframe with Thror’s corpse, presumably working his jaw like a puppet, and laughing their asses off. Written on Thror’s face is the word AZOG. He is king of Khazad-dum now. Thror’s bff tries to take his body for burial, but the orcs throw a sack of small change at his head. It sounds pretty funny to me, but for Nar it’s probably a horrifying parody of a weregild, and an insult. When he looks back, the orcs are hacking up Thror’s body to feed to the local crows. Omg I hope orcs and crows are friends.

Thrain and Nar muster a ton of dwarves to fight, because this will not be borne. They cut through most of the orc strongholds like butter BUT Azog has been saving his strength in Khazad-dum. “So began the Battle of Azanulbizar, at the memory of which the Orcs still shudder and the Dwarves weep.” I LOVE. The fact that absolutely everyone who was involved with this battle in any way has inherited trauma about it. War is no good for anyone at all! Azog has a jolly old time doing murders, until he realizes that HIS guys are actually getting more murdered! He kills Nain and laughs at him, but Nain’s son Dain unexpectedly kills him. It’s accounted extremely heroic, because Dain is like, 16 in dwarf years. It says that “long life and many battles lay before him, until old but unbowed he fell at last in the War of the Ring.” Wait um. Do you mean... the one that takes place in Lord of the Rings? Were dwarves fighting in that?? This is taking place WAY after the Last Alliance isn’t it?? No okay I looked at the end and found the answer, which is that the War of the Ring actually was like 100 years long but relatively low-intensity for most of it.

Anyway,

When at last the battle was won the Dwarves that were left gathered in Azanulbizar. They took the head of Azog and thrust into its mouth the purse of small money, and then they set it on a stake. But no feast nor song was there that night; for their dead were beyond the count of grief. Barely half of their number, it is said, could still stand or had hope of healing.  

Half of everyone is dead or dying, and the dwarf alliance still uses their last bit of energy to be petty. Iconic.

Thrain wants to claim Khazad-dum and live there, but everyone else flat-out refuses. Still a balrog in there, dude! I mean, it didn’t bother the orcs, though. I don’t think balrogs really discriminate between orcs and other sorts of dudes, so maybe they could sneak up and kill it in its sleep! But Dain says that the world must change and some other power come before Durin’s folk will live again in Moria. That was Gandalf, right? He did slay the balrog. I hope the dwarves can come back now in the fourth age!! It’s going to take so much fixing up but like... it still exists, mostly intact. A chance to reclaim their heritage.

Thrain and his son Thorin go into exile with the few people who will still follow him--almost everyone is pissed that he got their entire families killed and they can’t even go get treasure in Khazad-dum. So Thrain and co settle in the east of Ered Luin. There’s a bit here about how the Seven Rings turned out to be totally pointless for Sauron because you simply Cannot enslave dwarves.  “They were made from their beginning of a kind to resist most steadfastly any domination. Though they could be slain or broken, they could not be reduced to shadows enslaved to another will.” I love the implication that because dwarves were sculpted--note that we never hear AFAIK what elves or humans are made of!--they are more substantial and solid. Mmm I think they have a super solid connection to Arda, and just as even Arda Marred is still largely influenced by the Valar dwarves cannot be wholly corrupted. IDK it’s just the,,, shadow vs stone thing. Sauron enslaves people and it destroys their substance. Dwarves are too substantial? Someone help me out here.

Thrain is still influenced by the Ring, though, driven to go in search of Erebor and its treasure again.  

As soon as he was abroad with few companions he was hunted by the emissaries of Sauron. Wolves pursued him, Orcs waylaid him, evil birds shadowed his path, and the more he strove to go north the more misfortunes opposed him. There came a dark night when he and his companions were wandering in the land beyond Anduin, and they were driven by a black rain to take shelter under the eaves of Mirkwood. In the morning he was gone from the camp, and his companions called him in vain...

I love how fairy-tale-ish this passage is. Wolves pursued him! Evil birds shadowed his path! He vanished utterly into air! Sauron was the boojum all along! I’m jazzed about this. Less jazzed about the following explanation: he was kidnapped and tortured in Dol Guldur. Whatever, I guess.

Meanwhile Thorin, who is now king, hammers away on his anvil. It will keep his arm strong. Hella.

Thorin meets Gandalf by accident in an inn in Bree and is like “hey I have been having dreams about you, that’s pretty weird right?” “No no,” says Gandalf, “actually I have been dreaming about you too.” And THAT is how The Hobbit happened.

Wait omg it says here Fili and Kili are Thorin’s “sister-sons.” THIS IMPLIES THE EXISTENCE OF A SECOND DWARF GENDER... WTF... don’t fucking toy with my heart like this Johnald. AH--

Dís was the daughter of Thráin II. She is the only dwarf-woman named in these histories. It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need. They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. This has given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves 'grow out of stone'. 

 It is because of the fewness of women among them that the kind of the Dwarves increases slowly, and is in peril when they have no secure dwellings. For Dwarves take only one wife or husband each in their lives, and are jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of dwarf-men that marry is actually less than one-third. For not all the women take husbands: some desire none; some desire one that they cannot get, and so will have no other.

Why did they even mention Dis? She doesn’t do anything. I’m retconning, this, obviously. Dwarves just have a super low fertility rate, and woman gender is one of those things that like... doesn’t translate well. There’s no woman gender, because dwarves haven’t invented gender. There’s just dwarves who are currently capable of bearing children. I can’t remember if I got this from Pratchett or not, but it’s a good chance. I just really like the idea that dwarves kind of nod and smile uncertainly when asked to understand a culture that has genders. “Humans really do have an exceptionally high fertility rate,” murmurs one to another. “A lot of ‘women.’” “One just can’t keep track of them,” sighs the other. This is kind of incoherent because Tolkien is actively trying to ruin it, but whatever. Moving on.

After the fall of Sauron, Gimli brought south a part of the Dwarf-folk of Erebor, and he became Lord of the Glittering Caves. He and his people did great works in Gondor and Rohan. For Minas Tirith they forged gates of mithril and steel to replace those broken by the Witch-king. Legolas his friend also brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and it became once again the fairest country in all the westlands.

Nice! Gay! Also holy shit, mithril gates. Where the hell did they get all that. Hey maybe Sauron had a huge stockpile of mithril and some people went to sift thru the wreckage of Mordor and reclaim it. Radical.

We have heard tell that Legolas took Gimli Glóin's son with him because of their great friendship, greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf. If this is true, then it is strange indeed: that a Dwarf should be willing to leave Middle-earth for any love, or that the Eldar should receive him, or that the Lords of the West should permit it.

Hey. Hey. That’s gay.

[analeoftwocities]

Book Read: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki Beer Paired: Grimm After Image (Double IPA) 

What We Love About the Book -- 

Why do we read? To escape? To understand? To belong? To relate? I think there are a million reasons that we read books. Of course the human need to story tell and communicate is at the center of this, and although there are really only three or four central characters in Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, this novel understands the importance of human connection through storytelling. It does this on many levels. First, by connecting the reader to the actual plot of the book, but also within the book as Ruth struggles to piece together the story she finds in Nao’s diary, as Nao tells the story of her great-grandmother, and as Nao reveals her story as well. All of this makes up a moving story that shows the importance of human connection through our own stories and the stories of those we surround ourselves with.

Here is what the book blurb says …

“On a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, a Hello Kitty lunchbox washes up on the beach. Tucked inside is the diary of a sixteen-year-old Japanese girl names Nao Yasutani. Ruth – a writer who finds the lunchbox – suspects that is it debris from Japan’s 2011 tsunami. Once she begins to read the diary, Ruth quickly finds herself drawn into the mystery of Nao’s fate. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Nao, uprooted from her home in the U.S., bullied at school, and watching her parents spiral deeper into disaster, has decided to end her life. But first, she wants to recount the story of her great-grandmother, a 104-year-old Zen Buddhist nun, in the pages of her secret diary…Full of Ruth Ozeki’s signature humor and insight, A Tale for the Time Beingdeftly blurs the line between fact and fiction.”

Intrigued? I hope so. This book is really lovely. It is real and simple, but also an inspiring testament to the human spirit with all its beautiful flaws. Some of the most enchanting parts of the book are its moments of magical realism. Although very much within the real world, sometimes heightened or almost magical things happen. Now, I’m not talking about flying broomsticks or magical realms (although I very much enjoy that as well). Instead, I am talking about the ability of one girl’s diary to affect and connect both her life and the lives of several others across the world, or the magic of a 104-year-old nun named Jiko, to bring peace to many with very few words. There are dreams and there are realities in this book. There is fact and there are stories. The magic of A Tale for the Time Being is in the extraordinary hands of ordinary people.

This book also touches on the very important subjects of depression and mental health. As you read, you watch the characters struggle in heartbreaking and powerfully human ways. It is so important that issues and problems such as these are spoken about, loudly, and Ozeki does not shy away from the reality and the severity of these remarkable human moments. Instead she writes about them, eloquently and seamlessly understanding the painful moments, as well as the lighter moments. At one point, Nao explains, “I’m a ronin, which is an old word for a samurai warrior who doesn’t have a master… The way you write ronin is 浪人 with the character for wave and the character for person, which is pretty much how I feel, like a little wave person floating around on the stormy sea of life.”

However, don’t be intimidated. Although it deals with serious and often painful issues, A Tale for the Time Being also gives you slice-of-life humanity, with all its quirks and charm. Nao’s beautifully, real voice, will connect to any reader as she navigates her teenage world and all that comes with it. It seems that although she has tackled some very difficult themes and issues in this book, Ruth Ozeki’s skill lies in finding the humanity and the relatability. Her writing style and characters are mirror images, as as readers we can see real life and ourselves reflecting back.

Which is why, A Tale for the Time Being, is so thought provoking. It has been a long time since I read a book that left me thinking about life so much. Many times throughout the book the characters question the importance of self in relation to time and existence on a universal scale. How are we, as individuals, important or even noticeable in relation to all beings across all of time? And, furthermore, how can we leave a mark or even make our existence worthwhile, because if we can’t then is it even worth existing? These questions haunt the minds of the two main characters Nao and Ruth, and seep into the mind of the reader. Nao writes, “…since these are my last days on earth, I want to write something important, too. Well, maybe not important, because I don’t know anything important, but something worthwhile. I want to leave something real behind… If you waste time, is it lost forever?” The theme of time beings illustrates these struggles and persists throughout the whole book. Nao explains that, “A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and everyone of us who is, or was, or ever will be.” This Zen Buddhist idea of a time being is powerful, and empowering, and unsettling. It fuses everyone and everything. How appealingly inclusive, but discouragingly trivial it can make one feel.

But, as daunting as these questions and themes feel, hope sneaks in as the voices of these two women empower and inspire each other, all without ever meeting. Somehow across time and space they are able to influence and help each other, even in the darkest abysses, by encouraging connection and understanding amongst the people they encounter. Tell me this is not what we need as humankind right now?

I loved reading A Tale for the Time Being. I usually devour good books, reading them as fast as my eyes and brain will let me. This however took me a bit longer to get through. Not because I didn’t like it, but more because I needed to sit with it. Oftentimes, I wanted to think about what I was reading. To ponder what Ruth and Nao were pondering on. I found this funny, because in the book, as Ruth reads Nao’s diary, she tries to follow Nao’s timeline, not reading ahead but instead reading one day and a time.

“How do you search for lost time, anyway? As she thought about the question, it occurred to her that perhaps the clue lay in the pacing. Nao had written her diary in real time, living her days, moment by moment. Perhaps if Ruth paced herself by slowing down and not reading faster than the girl had written, she would more closely replicate Nao’s experience.”

Somehow, subconsciously I ended up doing this too. I ended up letting the characters effect me in real time, and letting their stories sink in as they let them sink into themselves. This is the type of book, whose characters stay with a reader. I think that more then the story, it is the characters whose influence and insight come to life. Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being is why we read: to escape the troubles of life, to find a cathartic outlet, to find humor in darkness, and to come back and connect to each other through our shared humanity and experiences. Like the warm and bright sun on this spring morning, A Tale for the Time Being, will refresh your aching soul, and comfort you heart.

**Just as a side note I wanted to mention, the bamboo plant that Chris and I included in the picture feels very relevant to this book as well. It was my grandma’s. She passed away two years ago, and Chris and I inherited it. Although she was not a Zen Buddhist nun or an anarchist, like Nao’s great-grandmother, she was very important in both of our lives. Her influence and wisdom (and oftentimes goofiness) still pepper our lives. Anyway, we put the bamboo in the picture, and it was only after that we realized it significance and parallel to the book. Kismet, right?!

What We Love About the Beer 

Now I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, or a beer by its label, but first impressions are important, and the floating/dancing people all over Afterimage’s label instantly aligned with Ruth Ozeki’s time beings. It seemed to me like the visual of this existential idea of all beings as a part of time and space together. So, it looked the part, but did what was inside that can match as well?

Yes. Below is what Grimm Artisanal Ales gives as their description for Afterimage on their website.

“Juicy, juicy, juicy.  Hazy orange, soft carbonation, plush fruity aromas.  Immense mango, marmalade, pine, honeysuckle, and lemon flavors.  Smack dab in between Lambo and Tesseract on the sweet-to-dry spectrum.  Just a hint of bitterness.  On draft, plus 200 cases of hand-labeled cans for all you aluminum fiends.  First Grimm can ever!  No hoarding, drink now please.”

Drinking this beer is like taking a sip of something really special. In the book, Nao explains Zazen, her “SUPAPAWA” (or superpower ), a form of meditation taught by her 104-year-old great-grandmother, Jiko. She says, “…in other words, no matter where you are…you return your mind to zazen, it feels like coming home…Zazen is a home that you can’t ever lose, and I keep doing it because I like that feeling, and I trust old Jiko, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to try to see the world a little more optimistically like she does.” That is what I instantly thought of when I drank this beer. It’s like taking a sip of all the good things in life, but with a little bit of bitterness as well. Not to mention all the fruity, flowery, juicy, parts of this beer, make me think that if I closed my eyes I would be sitting in a Japanese monastery, on the cliffs above the ocean.

Its almost like Grimm made this beer for A Tale for the Time Being. Then again, in my book Grimm can do no wrong. It is one of my favorite breweries. Up until now Grimm Artisanal Ales has been a “nomadic brewery,” using the facilities of other breweries to craft their beers. However, this spring they will be opening their own brick and mortar brewery in Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, New York (another parallel to A Tale for the Time Being, as Nao and Ruth each struggle to find their respective homes). Can you hear us cheering with excitement? The other amazing thing about Grimm is like the odds that brought Nao’s diary across the ocean and into Ruth’s hands, each of their beers is a limited edition release, with no guarantee of ever being released again. So, if you can get your hands on this beer, or any of their beers for that matter, don’t hesitate – just drink!

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SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT! OUR INAUGURAL POST! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK OR SAVORED THIS BEER? WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR THOUGHTS, AND THAT MAYBE THEY HAVE INSPIRED YOU TO GO OUT AND READ A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING, OR DRINK AFTERIMAGE…OR MAYBE NOT.  WE’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK! LEAVE A COMMENT OR SEND US AN EMAIL, AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG FOR MORE.  ANYWAY, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE CYBERSPHERE. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, @AN.ALE.OF.TWO.CITIES AS WELL.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO BRING YOU MORE #TALESANDALES!                                                            ALWAYS, ALEXANDRA & CHRIS