#but I finally bit the bullet

[might-be-tiny-gt]

Welcome to Chapter 1 of the TAoLaW "dramatic" reading

What can I say, the theatre kid in me needed to record this in audio format.

Have I mentioned how much I love this fic? Yes? Well I'm saying it again, I LOVE THE ART OF LOVE AND WAR!!!

If you haven't read it please go read it. Index Page | Chapter 1

The Art of Love and War Is written by @fireflywritesgt and the audio reading is recorded and posted with permision.

[inkerii]

So I couldn't help but browse the THG tag bc those books own my whole heart. I actually check it now and again, and it's been interesting see how opinions have changed over the years, especially in regards to Gale and Peeta. Going through the evolution of them as just potential love interests to being far more complex than I could have expected has been a wild ride. Crazy how this reads different than from when I was a preteen.

That said, I wanted to give my unsolicited two cents on my boys, because though I have been enjoying the discussion on Peeta and Gale and what they mean to the story, I also feel like reducing them to Peeta = peace and Gale = war is far too simplistic... and oftentimes unfair to one or both of them.

See, I don't think Peeta and Gale are peace and war/destruction. They're compassion and indignation.

Peeta worries about the other tributes, or their families, or how to repay people like Rue and Thresh for what they did.

Gale is indignation at how the Capitol treats its citizens, it's anger at the injustice of inequality and brutality.

Both are needed in a story like THG. You can't have people like even Peeta not say something like "maybe we're wrong about keeping things quiet in the districts", you can't have him not drop the baby bomb, you can't start a revolution without Gale's indignation at the status quo. At deserving a better life but being denied it, at having your kids be mercilessly killed for literal sport.

However, if you start a rebellion and loose sight of your compassion, you end up no better than the people you're fighting against. Gale wasn't a bad person, imo. His heart was in the right place. He was flawed, yes, but so is everyone in this series. Gale, most importantly, lost sight of the line between fighting for the people he cared about and fighting against the people who hurt him.

Reducing Gale's indignation to just revenge and hatred ignores so much of what he stands for. Who hasn't seen laws passed that dehumanize people, who hasn't been angry and furious when someone is elected who fundamentally hates everything you are, who doesn't think some people need to pay for the atrocities they committed? There's a little bit of Gale in every single one of us - and it's important that it's there, because that's what gives us strength to challenge the status quo and make life better for the future generations.

But. You can't let it take over. You can't loose sight of your compassion or your empathy.

That's where Peeta comes in. Peeta is the voice in your head that worries about how many good lives will be lost when they give themselves up for this cause. Peeta is the worry about the people caught in the crossfire. Peeta is rebuilding when it's over and believing that the next generation will have a better life than your own. Peeta is being kind, even to people who may not deserve it.

And Gale... Gale looses sight of his compassion, and he doesn't realize it until it smacks him in the face when the bombs go off and Prim is gone and he's too far gone. Meanwhile, Peeta advocates for the end of the war even though it means the status quo remains - and regardless of what he believes himself, I don't think Suzanne chose him to say those lines by chance. It means both mindsets have their flaws: too kind and things that shouldn't remain will never be challenged and changed, too angry and you may loose sight of what you're fighting for.

And that's just how Suzanne uses her characters, both of them, all of them. Just look at who is with Katniss depending on the situation:

- Katniss chooses to "rebel" after Gale is brutally whipped. She kisses him.

- Katniss realizes that in order for D12 to rebel, everyone would need to be in on it, and she realizes most of them are not like her, that they're scared and she understands, emphasises with them. Peeta walks by her side.

- Katniss finally does it though, shoots the arrow at the force field, and Peeta is taken from her, it's now Gale by her side.

(You can't start a rebellion without indignation, and sometimes you HAVE to do it or things will never change, regardless of the inevitable pain that will come along.)

- Katniss is righteously angry at the Capitol bombing a hospital full of innocents to make a point. Gale remains there.

- Coin twists people's compassion into an army to fight for her own personal gain. Peeta is hijacked and looses his sense of self.

- Katniss and Gale go to District 2 and even though she tries to be like Peeta, she's still shot- reinforcing Gale's views, the person who was with her during that sequence.

- Katniss is angry at Snow, Katniss goes to the Capitol to kill him. Gale is there.

- Katniss gets in way over her head and realizes she is responsible for the death of most of her squad. She shares the lamb stew with Peeta, and later cleans his wounds.

- Finnick dies and she's at her lowest up until that point and all she wants to do is give up and give in to the anger. She kisses Peeta and begs him to stay with her.

... Claiming that Gale is destruction ignores the fact that he's with Katniss through her own moments of strength. Her desire to change things, to fight back, is as important as her compassion. Mockingjay just brutally shows you what war does to your indignation, to your compassion. How easy it is to cross a line between righteous anger and revenge, or how your sense of empathy and compassion can be manipulated into something monstrous by others, or by all the terrible, brutal, painful things you see.

How easy it is to loose yourself- and that goes for both of them.

Peeta and Gale aren't static characters, they go from representations of sentiments regarding an injust government to what happens to those feelings when an extreme situation such as war breaks out. All of that, by the way, while dealing with this duality themselves, because they are still characters who think and feel and struggle and have flaws of their own- and while I love what they stand for, I've seen too many comments that pin everything into what they mean, that they forget that Peeta and Gale are still people, they aren't perfect metaphors. They're human.

Ultimately, Katniss doesn't really choose peace. She wants peace, yes. But what she chooses is compassion. empathy. hope. There's a time and place for anger at injustice. There's a time when fighting back is the right thing to do. There are even times when you wanna give in to your despair and lash out. But if you want peace, then you have to choose Peeta, because Peeta represents what you need to focus on to achieve that peace. You have to let go of the anger or you won't ever rest. So Gale leaves, and does not come back... And yet, Katniss still has her moments of indignation, of making a stand, even as he goes - she still casts her vote at that meeting, she still shoots Coin. Katniss does not abandon that part of who she is. It's just not her main drive anymore.

So then she goes on to make the choice, every single day, to be compassionate to others. To have hope. To rebuild. Of course she chooses Peeta.

... Idk, man. These boys are so much more than what I see them so often reduced to. They're in all of us. There will be times to stand and fight, and times to show mercy and be kind. We just need to find that balance, as Katniss eventually did.

[sidetongue]

this beautiful idiot went to live with someone else and honestly, both of our QOL are much better HAHA

[bitternace]

how about ... 14! and either xion or namine ... or both even

you find shelter somewhere in me, i find real comfort in you

[ID: a digital drawing of xion and naminé from kingdom hearts. the background is mostly transparent, with a purple splatter with straight edges and three white lines on the lower half, which they seem to be sitting on.

they are beside each other in mirrored poses, inner legs slightly behind the other. naminé's eyes are closed and her shoulders are tense. xion's mouth is slightly open and her only visible eye stares down at the middle, where their hands are intertwined. /End ID.]

[madame-mongoose]

Not to pressure you or anything but if I never see any new art of ur ocs again (esp zeki & cassia) I might cry

I WILL DRAW THEM AGAIN SOON I GIT BRAINROT I JUST BEEN HAVING TOO MUCH FUN PLAYING SONIC FRONTIERS

[aspirationalbrand]

benediction (2021)

[childotkw]

Me, with only a surface level understanding of Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4, reading some steddie stories:

[poisoned-pearls]

Azul wasn’t quite sure what exactly he and Jamil had become. One day, he’d been getting continuously blown off by Jamil, the next, Jamil is making out with him in the Scarabia common room in the middle of the night. And it was seriously starting to stress him out.

Crowley had started making (forcing) them to go to group therapy after Idias overblot. (Really, what would it take for the man to hire an actual crisis counselor instead of doing whatever you’d call this??) After a while, Kalim had thrown some kind of surprise party for the six of them (when later pressed, he’d admitted it was cater’s idea, out of concern for riddle and Idia.) Despite Kalim jumping it on Jamil at the last second, it was weirdly chill.

Eventually, everyone except for Azul and Jamil had filtered out. Kalim had gone to bed in an attempt to not be a burden, Riddle had curfew, Vil had his beauty sleep, and to be completely honestly, Idia and Leona were probably both looking for an out the moment they arrived. Of course, that left Azul, who was always willing to push the boundaries of social rules when it came to Jamil.

then it had happened. They’d ended up watching something on the TV, where Azul had ended up next to Jamil in an attempt to steal some of the blanket he was using.

They’d drifted closer, and closer, until Azul’s legs were brushing against Jamil’s. And Jamil’s hand was on it. On Azul’s thigh. He doesn’t even know when it happened, except for the fact that one moment he was fine, he was chill, he was in control, and then the next Jamil’s hand was on his leg and his brain was a jellyfish, floating around in his head with no thoughts.

So Azul did what he did best. He pushed. He leaned his head on Jamil’s shoulder, waiting for the inevitable shove.

Except it never came. And slowly, Azul stopped paying attention to the show and shifted it to the way Jamil’s thumb kept rubbing slowly. Azul wasn’t even sure he was aware of just exactly he was doing to him.

”can I kiss you?”

Oh. Never mind. Jamil had to know just what exactly he was doing.

He had nodded so quickly, all but dragging Jamil on him. Show be damned, he could care less, because now he had Jamil Viper kissing him. The hottest man in their whole school.

The kiss was lazy, slow and methodical. It went on well into the night, and honestly, Azul could care less about what time he stumbled back into Octavinelle, because he got to make out with the boy he’d had a crush on since the first day of school.

”well, you look like hell.” Jade joked, eagerly awaiting Azul’s return. “How’d it go, lover boy?”

Ah. Shit. He’d forgotten the most important part.

Asking Jamil what the hell that just meant.

[castielsupernatural]

package arriving today my life will be salvaged

[libras-interactives]

We are SO Back and losing it

[grimcatician]

Yoooo Happy Birthday to Kingdom Hearts and to the sweetest silliest goodest boy 🥺💖

Still a WIP but I really wanted to get something out for him! He deserves the world!!!

I only recently began playing KH. It was always on the list of “Things I Know I’ll LOVE to Bits Because It’s Got Everything I Love But I Am Putting Off Until I���m Ready To Commit™️” but thanks to needing to clean my room and some certain YouTube videos a couple weeks ago I finally started playing and I have noooooot stoped thinking about it!

[skypiea]

#38 up up & away for togepi perhaps 🥺

⭐commission info⭐

[josephslittledeputy]

WIP... Oh shit, its actually Wednesday??

Tagged by @wrathfulrook @clicheantagonist @marivenah @cassietrn @the-silver-chronicles @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat and I thiiiiink that's it... sorry if you've tagged me & you're not on here, its been a hot minute since I've posted a wip wednesday & my memory is basically Swiss cheese

Tagging anyone who wants to self indulgently share a WIP! Feel free to tag me, I love to read new stuff :)

**Also terribly sorry in advance cause this turned out to be a bit longer than I thought it would be**

WIP 1: OG Verse - fun times with Celeste & Gabriel

He has to resist the urge to throttle her, lest he ruin the inside of his house filled with years of carefully handpicked items, ones he held a certain fondness for. "You ruined my life, Celeste. Or do you not recall?” "Your life?" She tilts her head in mock curiosity. "What life? The one where you were sent anywhere they told you to go, like some mongrel with a barely slackened leash?" “Excuse me?" “We can pretend otherwise. Keep up the illusion that your life was marvelous, picture perfect even. But we both know the truth, don't we?" She takes a step closer. “You were nothing but the High Council’s defanged pup. Cluelessly doing their bidding before I freed you. If anything, you should be thanking me." "Thanking you?" He clenches and unclenches his fist in an attempt to suppress his anger. "Hate me if you must, fight me even, but do it later. Right now we must get out of here. If they do not know where I am yet, they soon will. What do you think will happen once they realize one of their precious dhamphirs has been under their nose this whole time?"

Celeste truly is the nicest individual you'll ever meet :))

Including this little snippet from Gabriel's pov as well cause idk, I just really like it

Unbidden worry strikes him. He listens, waits, and when his ears pick up the sound of soft, even breathing he lets out a breath of his own. Celeste and the baby were still there, unharmed, perhaps even sleeping. It brings an odd sense of comfort, reminiscent of times long forgotten, times he didn’t want to remember. If he did, he’d have to remember what brought them to a halt in the first place and he had a job to do. Grief and old wounds had no place here, at least not at the moment. Kicking his boots off, he treks into the bathroom and gently closes the door behind him. It’s a simple design: Shower to his left, toilet to his right, and a sink with a mirror above it directly across from the door. Leaning against the sink, he ruffles his short, black hair that's shaved on the sides and traces his fingers over an old, faded scar. It runs down almost the whole length of his face, going over his left eye and stopping just shy of the corner of his mouth. Overlapping it is another, only this one goes across his face horizontally, over the bridge of his nose and from cheek to cheek. The only thing that remains of the old Gabriel are his blue eyes, once full of life and mischief, now faded and dull. Turning away from his visage, he heads toward the shower and turns it on, stripping down while he waits for the water to heat up. He doesn’t need a mirror to see the multitude of scars and tattoos that adorn his body. Aching for another drink—if only to dull his senses and lingering memories once more—he curbs the yearning and steps beneath the water.

WIP 2: They Watch From The Pews

Willa squirms, trying to dodge cold fingers that reach out to trace over the letters, caressing them with a sadistic fascination that makes her stomach curdle in disgust. Disgust quickly transforms into a desperation to get away once he finally reveals the knife kept hidden behind his back. “Usually I’d peel the sin off but… I think this will suit you much better, don't you?" Pressing the tip of his blade into her skin, he teasingly drags it across her skin. "Tell me, Deputy, how did you feel when you got the news of Samuel's death?" "Chipper." She spitefully answers with a sneer. John heaves a dramatic sigh and presses the blade down harder, prompting tiny beads of blood to bubble up as he traces over the letters of her tattoo. "You can make this easier for yourself, you know." "I've heard that before. Got me a bullet to the leg." "Because you ran. My men only acted accordingly." "Fuck you and your men, pussy." "My, what a mouth on you." He tuts and makes a deeper cut. Her teeth sink into the leather in her mouth, denying him the satisfaction of hearing her make a noise. Without pause, he moves onto the second letter, brows scrunched up in concentration as he goes over the lines again and again. It isn’t until he’s on the last letter that she finally breaks with a muffled groan. He stops, lifting his eyes from his work. “Comfortable?”

John & Willa are bonding so well. Truly, I think they're starting to get along!

[flamentnagel]

our love was just as innocent as roses in may,

it was pure white, just like sin

[cemetery-baccanal]

FATHER AND SON BOTH CAME HOME IM SO SO SO HYPED

Both are from:

[sn0wbat]

so i actually meant to post this one during pride month but YEAH