91Disclaimer – You recognise it, I don't own it.
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Tim was working on his laptop when a Skype call came through.
"Damian?" Tim blinked, "What do you need?"
"I require your assistance, Dra… Timothy."
"Please don't call me that. What do you need?"
"I… I was told that it was impolite to refer to a friend or colleague by their surname."
"In some cultures, yes. However, at the turn of the Twentieth Century in the UK it was extremely common for men to refer to their closest friends by either their surname or a nickname, often derived from the surname. This was due to the common usage of surnames as an identifier in British Boarding Schools; so it was also an indicator of being of upper class. You may choose to address your friends in whatever manner you see fit, providing that they also agree with the designation. However, I personally am uncomfortable with the use of my full first name. I would prefer it that you either address me by my surname or by my preferred nickname. What is it that you require?"
"I need to know how better to interact with people."
"In what capacity?"
"I do not see a need to make friends with my educational peers; however, I do not wish to stand out as a loner amongst them. I have seen the results of being perceived as weak. I am of the belief that Father would disapprove of my rectifying the misassumptions of a bully. So I desire to not be perceived as alone and thus defenceless."
"You need to know how to make allies." Tim clarified.
"That would be suitable to my purpose."
"Dick would be a better person to approach in this matter. He is the Social Butterfly of us."
"I do not wish to become such a creature. I am satisfied simply with the creation of allies."
"First I need to know about the kind of people you wish to ally yourself with."
"What details are pertinent to your inquiry?"
"General age. Are they a group already? If so, what is their common interest? Why this group? Current social status? Are they the popular kids or the bullied? How do the other students refer to them?"
"They appear to be loosely allied with each other. But I believe this is due to mutual wariness of other cliques in the school. They are referred to as Geeks… Or Nerds."
"Ah… First of all, Geeks are not necessarily Nerds. Geeks have a keen interest in a hobby of some kind. A Nerd is more academic in their hobbies; and those hobbies are more likely to have an academic bent. A preferable turn of phrase would be Boffin or Professor. More respectful as well."
"Understood. How would you advise I approach them?"
"First you need to know their hobby. Any clues that you've noticed?"
"One of them has a t-shirt with the phrase "Arwen is a Horse Thief" on it. It seems to be his favourite."
"Ah… Does any of them wear a ring on a chain around their neck? It would be a gold ring, but a silver chain."
"Yes."
"You have some bonafida Tolkien fans. Probably into other stuff as well. But that's a good place to start."
"Tolkien?"
"The author of a book series that later got turned into films. The books were better than the films, which the t-shirt reiterates. Pointing out a discrepancy between the books and the films."
"How should I approach them?"
"First we need to get your knowledge of their specialist subject up to speed. We'll cover Tolkein so that you have your icebreaker. Then we'll look into other subjects as needed. You can't fit too perfectly. Otherwise they might get suspicious."
"Nothing is ever perfect. They might suspect a mole."
"No. Only criminals would do that. But they might think you're faking it. Trying to set them up for a prank or something along those lines. We can reduce that by finding things that you can enjoy to portray to them. I can already think of a few you might enjoy."
"How would I best learn about this Tolkein?"
"As I said, the books are best. I would recommend reading them… Or using Audiotapes. You could put them on while you work on your art. I would suggest that reading is better, as the books come with maps that help put things into perspective."
"You mentioned a film series?"
"Yes. You would need to watch them. Although I have to warn you, they are very long. Very good, but very long. The full series is over twenty hours long; consisting of six films."
"I would need a guide through the series. Someone to inform me of pertinent information. Would you be willing to do so?"
"I'm invalided at the moment. It would not be advisable for me to return to Gotham in my current condition; I also promised Kon and Bart that I would not leave for a while."
"I believe that by utilising Skype we would be able to overcome this obstacle."
"You sure you wish for my assistance in this matter? Dick or Jason or Babs or Steph could help."
"You are my best resource in this matter. They do not have the knowledge you possess… Besides, I would rather they did not know about this."
That was embarrassment Tim could see in Damian's eyes. Shame that he was having to ask for help. Shame that he couldn't manage something as simple as making friends without assistance. For all that Damian claimed that he didn't need friends… He wanted them.
Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted was the most terrible form of poverty. And a poverty that Tim knew well. While Damian projected the image of being a solitary creature by nature… He wasn't. He desired company of some kind. Why else would he attach himself so closely to his pets?
"Okay." Tim conceded, "When would you like to start?"
"I have time now."
Tim's mind flashed to all the things he had to do. All the tasks he needed to complete. Everything he wanted to check up on.
Then he looked at Damian's hopeful face. Despite all of his years amongst the League of Assassins, Damian had never learned deception. Merely masking of his emotions. And Tim was very good at seeing through such masks.
"Okay," Tim smiled gently, "First thing you need to know, is that we're not going to watch them in the order they were filmed. It is better to watch them in the order of the books. So we start with An Unexpected Journey."
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"What language are they speaking?"
"Sindarian. It is a constructed language."
"Is it a complete language?"
"It has a vocabulary and grammar. It is as complete a language as any."
"Is it possible to learn?"
"With time and patience."
"Do you speak it?"
"Yes."
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"He is too kind. It is not wise to leave behind someone so filled with anger and hate."
"It is interesting to note that in the original story Gollum bet the ring in the Riddle Game and parted ways amicably with Bilbo. However, in order to ensure continuity between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Tolkien rewrote the chapter. First edition copies of the Hobbit contain the original story, which was explained to be a lie that Bilbo told."
"That does not excuse his actions."
"
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"Tauriel is a movie only character. But I don't feel she detracts from the series significantly. Additionally it never states anywhere that all Elvish Warriors are male."
"A female warrior… I approve."
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"A foolish King to be so enamoured by gold and jewels."
"Perhaps, but everyone has a weakness."
"Tt."
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"This character is called Figwit."
"That is a strange name, even considering the other names in this world."
"It was created by fans. It stands for 'Frodo is Great… Who is that?' Apparently the phrase that ran through a fan's head when she first saw him."
"He was called Lindir in the first film."
"Well remembered. Yes. Due to his popularity he was brought back for successive appearances."
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"And this is the Trope Namer for 'Kneel Before Frodo'."
"I do not know that word… Trope."
"A Trope is a literary stereotype. A common pattern in stories, whether literary or visual. Such examples would be 'Disguised in Drag', which is used in at five separate stories of Scheherazade. Or 'The Corpse Stops Here' which is basically the entire plot of The Story of the Hunchback."
"I follow. How many Tropes are there?"
"Far too many to count."
"What is the significance of this particular one?"
"It is the action of an entire crowd bowing to one character, who up until that moment wasn't perceived as important to the scene previously. It is usually for one of two reasons, either the character is 'King Incognito' and has just removed their disguise; or they have performed a heroic act and saved the kingdom, and the King is kneeling to them, thus everyone else does so out of courtesy."
"This being an example of the second."
"Precisely. In Mulan, there is another very good example."
"People recognise these Tropes?"
"They may not know the names. And they may not consciously recognise them, but they recognise them."
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"That was an interesting series. I can see why some of my peers are fascinated by it."
"How far are you through the books?"
"I have just completed the Fellowship of the Ring. The books are significantly slower to progress through."
"Yes, Tolkien was good at that. You are progressing well. Do you have a plan as to how you are going to approach the group?"
"I have failed to identify the best angle to utilise."
"I would suggest combining it with your art. Shows a softer side. Draw one or more of them as an Elf, a Hobbit or even a Dwarf. You could take the other option and draw one of their bullies as an Orc or a Goblin, but I'd advise against it. You'd make an unnecessary enemy, even as you made allies. You are a gifted artist. Something I suspect you have been keeping hidden from your school-aged peers."
"You are correct in your assumption. You believe that my creative endeavours would endear me to these people."
"Yes… It's a Trope."
"I do not follow. You informed me that Tropes were literary devices. Creative devices that occurred regularly in media."
"Yes. However, humans like to find patterns in their lives. We compare what we experience to what we have experienced before. Whether in reality or in fictional media. If people see a pattern they recognise they assume the rest of it is true. For example, when you started occasionally volunteering with the animal charities, you invoked the Trope 'Pet the Dog', which implied that you weren't as nasty as you were initially appearing. That lead to the Trope 'Jerkass with a Heart of Gold' and the 'Rule of Empathy'. I used Tropes to make people like you."
"Utilising patterns that they had already established, albeit potentially subconsciously, and projecting those patterns onto me."
"Precisely. The artist side of you will invoke the 'Bruiser with a Soft Centre'. A strong character, who appears intimidating, but turns out to be kind and protective to those he cares for. Give yourself a few years and some growing, and it'll be the 'Gentle Giant' Trope we're invoking. Or potentially the 'Troubled, but Cute'. Or even the 'Genius Bruiser'. I'm assuming that you're going to take after Bruce's build rather than Talia's. There's already leanings in that direction."
Damian accepted the comment with a touch of pride.
"Is there a place where I can research Tropes more thoroughly? I had not anticipated them being useful for interactions in real life."
"There's a website. I'll send you the link."
"What other facets of popular culture do you believe I should investigate? In order to flesh out my appreciation of them, so that I may portray the character required to ally myself with my peers."
"There's a few I'd suggest. Although some I'd like to suggest, but I believe you might perceive them to be beneath you initially."
"Tt. It would be foolish to dismiss something, before investigating it fully. Particularly something a trusted ally had suggested."
Tim blinked for a moment at the last sentence. That… That was not something he had ever expected Damian to state.
"Okay, I'd suggest some Japanese Manga, although you may prefer the Anime versions. Particularly Yu Yu Hakusho and Bleach. However, I wouldn't suggest watching either of them around Jason. I don't think he'd appreciate it. Particularly the Yu Yu Hakusho."
"What wouldn't I appreciate?" Jason's voice cut into the conversation, moments before his face appeared on Tim's computer screen, "And why not?"
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Please Review.
I write stories because I can't draw. I have all these images in my head that I cannot reproduce. So I try and describe them with words. If anyone else would like to try to translate what I have written into what they think I saw in my head, they have my permission. I only ask that I be notified of it, so that I may look and go "OOoooh!".
Many thanks to my reviewers:
Loftcat27 – You're welcome.
BatWingteenavenger – That'll take time.
Inthenightguest – I'm not too confident about writing that level of pain, so I think I'll leave a flashback scene for another time.
Rehabilitated Sith – Tim wouldn't let himself rest, be honest here. He's all about the job.
