#how unjust the world must be

[hotjaneaustenmenpoll]

WHO IS THE HOTTEST JANE AUSTEN MAN ? THE FINAL

Propaganda...

Captain Wentworth (1995):

Ciaran Hinds has that perfect ruggedness yet friendliness to his face that makes him the perfect charming Wentworth. And all of the longing that he manages to convey in his eyes is so hot.

Wentworth may be angry/resentful with Anne but in general he is charming and the best friend you could ever have. Ciaran gets the pleasant parts of his character and brings them out, while keeping a guarded coolness (protective camouflage) with Anne.

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I dunno if this counts as propaganda or not, but Ciaran Hinds has a face that looks like it was jackhammered out of a shale cliff.

If a line like 'I am half agony...half hope' comes out of a face like that you know that man has a soul for poetry.

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in

F. W.

I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never.  

This is propaganda for the next round because I need my boy to be a finalist! But this letter is all the persuasion I need to know that he is a winner

Ciarán Hinds in this is a whole other level of "a good man" He makes Anne's decision at the end so much more perfect.

LOOK

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HOW

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HE

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YEARNS

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The yearning the yearning - JLM gives a great look but Captain Wentworth is the king of longing stares. He's trying sooo hard to hate her sooo hard to get over her - 8 years and he thinks he's ready to face her and move on but no he has to notice she's exhausted on the walk, that her nephew is being overwhelming, that she should be dancing and not just playing the piano for everyone else. And even though he's jealous later on when Mr Elliott gives her an "admiring look" in lime he's pleased for her because he knows she deserves to be admired and cherished even if he's angry that he wasn't able to be the one she let admire and cherish her. I just this man - he loves Anne so much and it's so so hot.

Propaganda for Captain Wentworth.

I've always loved Persuasion and so I was voting for him in his polls anyway, but I had never seen the 1995 adaptation. So because of this blog I decided to check it out.

Well. Now I'm obsessed. I came into this tournament fully expecting to vote Firth Darcy to victory. Ciaran Hinds suddenly showed up and sparta kicked him to curb. His every look, every gesture is laden with longing. He's so tender with Anne but then the barely restrained rage in his voice when he speaks to Lady Russell. He's rugged and manly yet tender and considerate.

I BURN, I PINE, I PERISH

If you're wondering why you should vote for Wentworth 95 in the @hotjaneaustenmenpoll, it's because he's got something hot for everyone.

Do you think it's hot when a man dresses up fancy? He looks very dapper in his uniform! Or do you find it more sexy when a man is more casual, a little mussed up, maybe even a little grimy? He does that perfectly too!

Do you find men hot when they're being tender and restrained? Or do you find men hot when they're losing control a bit, maybe getting a bit passionate with anger or jealousy?

Do you like a refined man of culture? Or a rugged outdoorsman?

A warm smile? Or something more broody?

Someone who's the life of the party, boisterous, laughing, charming? Or the strong silent type, serious, calm, mysterious?

Hinds's Wentworth does all of these sexy things brilliantly! You cannot lose with him, he's got it all!

II ranked Wentworth as the #1 Austen man in terms of fuckability, and I stand behind that when it comes to Wentworth 95 versus Knightley 09.

Is Wentworth 95 angry sometimes? Yeah. But that's hot, at least coming from Ciaran Hinds' ruggedly handsome face. Have you heard of makeup sex? Tell me Wentworth 95 and Anne don't have the most scorching hot angry makeup sex imaginable 🥵

And yet Wentworth 95 is also super tender! The slow, gentle, worshipful way he kisses Anne at the end?? So beautiful and hot. The longing way he looks at Anne in silence. The way he is so solicitous of Anne's comfort to put her on the carriage with his sister! You can just tell he's gonna take the time to worship his wife in bed.

And let's not forget that he writes the most romantic letter ever written! The depth of passion in this man, my god! 🔥💕🔥

This is not a who is the better man contest, or who is the more faithful to the book, or who would you most want to marry. This is a hotness contest, and Wentworth 95 is so fucking hot.

Mr Darcy (1995):

Colin Firth (1995) is book Darcy brought to life. He uses tiny gestures and looks to communicate with us and Elizabeth… his struggle is so subtle but so palpable. A beautiful asshole with a creamy nougat center. Just perfect.

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Those heart-eyes right up above☝️? Hot!

Passive-agressively drinking tea? Hot!

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The way he rushes over to see Elizabeth at Pemberley on those delicious long legs of his with that slutty wet curl hanging over his forehead? Hot!

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Fencing? Hot!

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The way he is so concerned about Elizabeth crying and takes her hand even though he shouldn't? Hot!

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This dimple-y smile of pure joy because he knows he's married to Elizabeth freaking Bennet? Hot!

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Colin Firth Darcy is simultaneously immaculately put together and entirely falling apart internally. The wet shirt scene is so iconic not (only) because ‘oooh almost-shirtless sexy man’, but because it’s a metaphor for how he’s absolutely falling apart!!! This is a private moment, when he doesn’t think anyone can see him. And then he bumps. into. Lizzie. At his house!! And the entire sequence that follows with him rushing out still doing his jacket up to catch her before he leaves. They are both on the back foot and it’s THAT moment of confusion that opens a more honest dialogue between them.

Without Firth in a lake you wouldn’t get Macfadyen in a downpour!

There's a reason why Colin Firth is forever known as Mr. Darcy above all other roles he's had and will have! Even ignoring the wet white shirt, which has become A Thing now, he is so hot with his curly hair and his little half smiles and his intense looks of longing and his legs that go on for milessss.

This cannot be real. My fellow Jane Austen people. Without Colin Firth’s Darcy we wouldn’t have 90% of modern JA content. He opened a door and there was no turning back for modern culture. There would be no MacFadyen standing half undressed in a field at dawn without Firth jumping into a lake first. There would be no hand flex if there hadn’t been Firth doing his best impression of a man undressing Elizabeth Bennet with his eyes and hating himself for liking it. There would be no Bridgerton without Bridget Jones. Let’s face it people. We wouldn’t be here having these arguments if Colin Firth had not been Mr Darcy.

Colin Firth understood Mr. Darcy in a way no other actor ever has. He is awkward as fuck in a way that comes across as snooty and judgmental on a first watch-through, then can be read as awkward and longing on a second time. His performance had such depth while looking extremely shallow at first glance. This man WAS Mr. Darcy. (I love 2005, as well, and I love Matthew McFayden, but he was awkward for awkward sake.) Colin Firth made Darcy's awkward look snooty and aloof.

THE socially awkward Darcy is the 1995 Darcy - look at him coming and sitting in awkward silence with Elizabeth pointedly asking her if she wants to live a long way from her family (to obvious relief) and then abruptly leaving - vote for him please 😭😭😭😭

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Colin Firth served so much as Darcy that when they did Bridget Jone's diary, they brought him back.... AS DARCY. The smoulder. The angst. The man is the quintessential Darcy.

“Firthing” is an actual term that is used now to describe someone yearning intensely. It is named after Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy performance.

Colin Firth all the way. He's known in our household as Owl Eyes because in every frame he's mooning over Elizabeth Bennet. Unsurpassable, unmatched, golden television (and some of the worst dancing you've ever seen).

Colin has beautiful, touchable curls.

Link

My high school English teacher was very into using movies to teach alongside literature, which was a great teaching tool. When we read Pride and Prejudice, he used both 2005 and 1995 for various scenes. What stands out to me all these years later was when it got to the part when Lizzy went to help Georgiana after Caroline dropped Mr. Wickham's name and Darcy gives Lizzy this look:

My teacher stopped the film and pointed at Darcy's face and said, "See that? That is THE look. If someone ever looks at you like that, you know they're in love." And what is hotter than that?

Also this teacher had two cats named Lizzy and Darcy. Not relevant to the poll but I wanted you all to know about them.

Colin Firth dazzles and amazes in the nuanced performance that just blows all other attempts away.

The best thing about the Colin Firth wet shirt scene is actually the scene that follows where him and Lizzie are both just dyinggg of embarrassment but Darcy pulls himself together refuses to lose his advantage and runs to get dressed and chase her down before she leaves - just the mix of cringe and hopefulness at seeing her again is so well done and so attractive!!! (this is just the bit where he's running after her but I love it all!)

#hotjaneaustenmenpoll #the final #take two (SORRY) #captain wentworth #mr darcy #persuasion 1995 #pride and prejudice 1995 #ciaran hinds #colin firth #persuasion #pride and prejudice #jane austen #frederick wentworth #fitzwilliam darcy #Youtube

[queerfables]

Alright GO fans, let's talk Sodom and Gomorrah. This biblical story comes up a few times in Good Omens canon, a kind of offhand mention each time, and the most interesting part to me is the implication that Aziraphale was there.

If you only know the cliff-notes version, you've probably heard it as the story of God condemning homosexuality to the point of wiping out several cities over it. Maybe you've heard this too, but - that's not exactly what happened. Look, I'm an atheist, I have no dog in this race. If I thought it was about smiting people for homosexuality, I'd be happy to call God a wanker and move on. But I've read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (You can too! It's very short!) and I've read other parts of the Bible that reference it, and I think a much more straightforward interpretation is that it's about offering hospitality and protection to strangers. It's also about the consequences of wanton cruelty, and God laying waste to those deemed beyond salvation.

In Good Omens, the book, Aziraphale and Crowley discuss Sodom and Gomorrah this way:

"Come off it. Your lot get ineffable mercy," said Crowley sourly.

"Yes? Did you ever visit Gomorrah?"

"Sure," said the demon. "There was this great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass-"

"I meant afterwards."

"Oh."

According to the book, then, Aziraphale at least saw the city after it was destroyed. Maybe Crowley saw the aftermath too or maybe he just heard about it. They both understand it as horrific.

The show is more direct, and suggests that Aziraphale was there during the actual destruction. Gabriel asks if Aziraphale remembers Sandalphon. Aziraphale does.

"Sodom and Gomorrah. You were doing a lot of smiting and turning people into salt. Hard to forget."

Aziraphale regards Sandalphon warily during the conversation. I believe we're supposed to interpret this scene based on the popular understanding of Sodom and Gomorrah as cities that God wiped out because of the inhabitants' sins. The obvious implication, then, is that Sandalphon is the heavy, the one called in to deal with disobedience. He's trigger-happy, relishes violence, and Aziraphale has seen what he's capable of. From the careful way Aziraphale discusses their prior acquaintance, I think he feels the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a tragedy and believes Heaven's actions were disproportionate and unjust.

I'm confident this is how we're supposed to read the scene. In the context of the story, we're supposed to understand that Aziraphale doesn't approve of the smiting, and that he feels threatened by Gabriel and Sandalphon coming into his bookshop and pressing him about Armageddon. But I'm fascinated by what it would mean if Aziraphale and Sandalphon's history really tracks onto the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because if Good Omens' version of Sodom and Gomorrah is at all biblically accurate, and if Aziraphale was there... it's kind of mind-blowing, actually, that he still feels so much compassion for the people who died and still thinks Sandalphon was wrong.

I'm going to explain why, but fair warning, it gets ugly. I promise nobody is actually raped, and I think that promise in itself says plenty.

According to the Bible, Sodom and its surrounding cities are accused of being overrun with sin. God sends two angels to Sodom to verify this, intending to destroy everything if they find it to be true. In the world of Good Omens, I think one of these angels must be Aziraphale. The other one is likely Sandalphon, but in the Bible it's God rather than either of the angels who rains down burning sulfur on the cities so it's possible it's someone else, and Sandalphon is only on smiting duty. Without anything else to go on, though, let's assume it's Sandalphon.

So our two angels arrive at Sodom in the evening, and at the gate to the city, they meet Lot. Lot is an immigrant who has made his home in Sodom, and I think the implication is that this is why he's not completely steeped in sin like everyone else. In any case, he immediately offers to put the angels up for the night, and although they'd planned to stay in the square, Lot is really insistent. He is a good host! Also, he knows the city is dangerous. So the angels go to his house and he makes dinner for them, and then before they can go to bed, a mob shows up at the door.

See, the men of Sodom have heard about the strangers staying with Lot. They surround his house and demand he hand them over. The New King James Version puts it this way: And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally." Several other translations say that the men wanted to "have sex with them". But I mean. It's a fucking mob. They've surrounded the house. We all get what this is, right?

So Lot goes out to meet the men, and he says "Don't do this terrible thing." Off to a good start! Then he says, "Tell you what, I have two virgin daughters. Do what you like to them and we'll say no more about it." Oh boy. Dad of the year award, right there. But still, he insists, "The angels are under my roof and my protection."

The men outside Lot's house are pissed. They say, "You're an outsider, who are you to judge us?" They threaten to do worse to him than to the angels. They swarm him and almost break the door down, but the angels pull him back inside.

The angels then strike the mob with blindness to stop them getting into the house. They say to Lot, "Look, you gotta take your family and get out of here. God sent us to see how bad things were and, uh, long story short, we're burning it all to the ground. You get it, right?"

Maybe you know the rest. Lot's son-in-laws don't believe him and won't leave the city. Lot's wife looks back and turns into a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters take shelter in a small town called Zoar, and from there flee to the mountains. Everything else is destroyed.

It is a tragedy. The plains are leveled down to ash, until there's nothing left that can even grow. Was there really no one innocent in those cities? No children or animals? (You can't kill kids). Still, I think about that awful night under Lot's roof and I don't think I could blame anyone for giving up on all of it.

So what if that's the story? There were two angels in Sodom before it fell. What if it really was Aziraphale and Sandalphon, trapped through the night in a stranger's house, surrounded by men who want to rape them. Whatever their power as angels, that has to be terrifying.

If it was Sandalphon there with Aziraphale that night in Sodom, I have to wonder what he was like. There isn't any kinship or understanding from Aziraphale. Despite knowing the circumstances better than anyone, he still sees Sandalphon as a threat. Given that, I think Sandalphon must have taken a truly disturbing kind of joy in raining down vengeful fire and brimstone, beyond what you might expect from someone who was afraid or angry. Maybe he was never afraid; maybe instead he revelled in the violence building through the night as the reason he needed to tear everything down. Maybe he was afraid in the terrible way that exposes the depths someone will sink to to protect themselves (maybe offering his daughters was never Lot's idea). Or maybe Aziraphale just tried to reach out to him afterwards, to offer understanding and ask for some in return, and Sandalphon shot him down so coldly and viciously that Aziraphale knew immediately this wasn't something he was allowed to have feelings about. Whatever happened that night, it left Aziraphale feeling more of an outsider from Heaven than ever.

But if it happened that way, it happened this way too: Aziraphale survives a night like that, and when he looks out into the breaking dawn, he thinks, these cities don't deserve to burn. He sees the good in a place that's just shown him its absolute worst. I think that says everything about him as a character, actually. Of course he won't give up on Heaven. Of course he'll fight tooth and nail for his home on Earth. Whatever the worst is, there are still things worth saving. There are still, always, people worth protecting.

On that note, before I wrap this up, I want to go back to Lot's words to the men of Sodom, and draw a parallel that makes me feel some kind of way. Because when Lot declares the angels under his protection, what he says is essentially, "Do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the shadow of my roof for protection." And all I can think about, reading these lines, is Aziraphale standing in his bookshop as it's surrounded by hostile demons, and telling the angel under the shadow of his roof, "You came to me. I said I would protect you. And I will."

#good omens #good omens meta #fable talks good omens

[comradekatara]

What do you think of Ozai as a villain? 👀 i'm seeing people saying the live action Ozai is better and i'm like "nah". They missed the point of the character

i mean i think a lot of people misunderstand ozai because people want a compelling character (especially a compelling villain) to be “layered and complex” in a very specifically emotional sense. but i do think ozai is layered and complex, simply in a different way that people expect. azula, for example, is a great villain because she is psychologically complex, and every action and motivated is entrenched in layers of nuance. but ozai is thematically complex, functionally layered. his underlying emotional motivations, however, are beside the point.

ozai’s narrative function is primarily to be metonymically figured as the embodiment of patriarchal and imperialist violence. ozai performs this function through interconnecting the domestic (his abuse of his wife and children) with the national (his role as sovereign of an empire). zuko’s disavowal of ozai in “the day of black sun” very explicitly ties his personal abuse to the logic of imperialism, and zuko denounces both logical tracks through acknowledging their interrelation. it’s hardly an uncommon character construction either: the domestic (specifically, the patriarchal nuclear family model) as microcosmic of the societal (specifically, patriarchal societies that are otherwise organized along unjust hierarchies) is prevalent across plenty of narratives, from the house of atreus to king lear to succession.

my personal favorite example of this trope as it is employed is in palace walk by naguib mahfouz, because al-sayyid does function as sovereign of his house, but he is also grappling with the consequences of being a colonized subject, and that colonial shame and humiliation both complicates his relationship to power but also reifies his patriarchal role within his family, his very real pain and disempowerment leading him to exacerbate his domestic abuse and tighten his control over his wife and children. al-sayyid is also, notably, not strict and controlling beyond the purview of his family, but within his own house, he very deliberately positions himself as an inviolable patriarchal authority.

however, unlike al-sayyid, ozai is a sovereign in every sense of the world, and even positions himself as akin to a god. but, as we can infer from “zuko alone,” ozai is not impervious to patriarchal abuse (or he wasn’t before ascending the throne), and thus has suffered his own shame and humiliation fostering his god complex due to compensation (and through the internalization of the logic of patriarchal abuse). ozai perpetuates the cycle of abuse as he, too, once suffered it (much like logan roy, to name another excellent example of this archetype). so while ozai is no longer a victim in any sense of the term, it is important to understand the psychology underlying his belief that he is ontologically deserving of the undivided respect and submission of the entire world due to his position of power.

ozai genuinely believes that he was teaching zuko respect, because respecting his authority is one of the values ozai holds most dear. because, of course, to speak out against ozai as an individual is to speak treasonously of the fire nation, and vice versa. and he expects his children to display their unquestioning loyalty to the Father(land) above all. the second they question him or confuse that priority in any way, they have irrevocably forsaken him and thus must be discarded. that is the logic of (to quote utena) a man who has made himself “end of the world.”

moreover, the other most crucial aspect of ozai’s character is how he is framed. until book 3, we never actually see his entire face. he is always a goatee, a spaulder, a disembodied smirk, a voice echoing through the flames, a crown. ozai as metonym goes both ways. and it serves to emphasize his ominous nature, as someone who is so powerful that we cannot truly view him head on. he’s framed in an almost godlike way.

and then, in “the awakening,” we see him without reservation. he is a tall, imposing man, but he is also, fundamentally, just a man. in “the headband” we see his face through a fire nation propaganda poster, as if to imply that his face is not more sacred than any other face. his poster is immediately followed up with aang’s recreation of his portrait with noodles. before book 3, holding ozai’s gaze is impossible, as he is merely a looming spectre. but book 3 immediately and ruthlessly undermines the notion they have been building up for two seasons, and through comedy, no less. ozai may be uniquely powerful and uniquely evil, but he is still just a man, and by the time he crowns himself phoenix king, destroyer of worlds, we are well-aware that he is not innately, divinely superior in any way, and his fascistic performance simply looks ridiculous.

unlike azula’s claim that “the divine right to rule is something you’re born with,” there is nothing unique or ontological about the role of the emperor. there is nothing ontologically superior about the colonizer’s relationship to the colonized besides the material dynamics of power informing their relationship. the father as head of his family is not ontologically necessitated any more than the structure of the nuclear family is predicated on innate anthropological roles rather than being socially constructed and maintained through systemic violence. ozai is not ontologically special, and his claim that he is seems even sillier as he goes up against the avatar, who actually truly is.

when ozai faces aang in the final battle, it is a significant fight because it represents the culmination of all the ideals aang has constantly fought for and asserted within ozai’s imperialist paradigm. and by refusing to submit to ozai’s logic of domination, aang disempowers ozai wholly. not because lack of firebending makes one totally powerless, but because lack of bending makes one powerless within ozai’s logic. aang renders ozai victim to his own ideology, playing his own imperialist dogma against him. instead of killing ozai in combat, as ozai expects, aang humiliates him by asserting his cultural values and their continued relevance over ozai’s values. the culminating battle against ozai, with the spiritual light that threatens to overtake aang, is a battle of one ideology winning out over another. it is the culmination of a century of genocide and colonialism by an imperialist power. it is the undermining of ozai’s entire worldview.

ultimately, we don’t need to see a lot of ozai to understand him. we can understand ozai perfectly through zuko and azula, because he positioned them as extensions of himself and thus their respective embodiments are simply their ways of performing him (azula is obviously a better actor). his complex psychology is beside the point, because his narrative function is to represent the imperialist forces that aang must battle. and they do this by establishing him as an ominous and terrible deified man, and then undermining him as little kore than a human being with an incorrect worldview. so he is interesting, not because he’s “complicated,” but because he reflects the central tension of the show in a satisfying way, and that’s what matters.

#lilith-91 #asks #analysis #ozai #synthesis #azula&ozai #ozai&zuko #azula #zuko #putting this under a readmore even tho it’s only 10 paragraphs….. for shame #im on mobile rn but if u go thru my ozai tag you’ll also find a lot of other posts and more in depth analyses of the things i cover here #im sick of linking to other posts tho #at this point everyone should just be wholly familiar with my oeuvre #(im lazy)

[stickyspeckledlight]

Despite Everything, You Still Exist [Yan!Aventurine x Reader]

The short moments when the world remembers you. Hypothetical HSR voice lines based on Sunrise, Sunset, My Destroyed Body In the Onset. Can be read as standalone, though.

Notes: Lol I had some thoughts and doing this right now will mitigate my uncontrollable hype for when 2.1 is out later tonight. (From the future: lol 2.1 is out now ahaha)

Ao3

The air rings with the sound of cranking slots, spinning roulette, fallen chips, and spilled cards. Some visit for reasons outside the sound; the bar's happy hour, a good meal at the buffet, and the venue where musicians of middling to great renown play. They merely chatter amongst themselves, occasionally sparing a look to the many games at play, perhaps spending a few credits if they want to test their luck. But the ones of note are always the ones playing the game. For some, the sound of a shuffling deck of cards is as familiar as the back of their hand, and they cannot stand to be away from it for more than a day lest they live with the emptiness of their soul. Some have already accomplished much, do not know what they want anymore, and are just here to pass the time. Some are fools, believing they can strike a fortune and climb to the heavens. They feel the most, celebrating triumph and wallowing in despair alike.

But those who stand out most are those who decide to test their luck knowing of destiny's inherent unjustness.

Chat: Limits

"Most people do all they can to live within their limits. Whether it be maintaining their mundane routine, keeping to themselves, or turning away from things that pose too much risk to them. When most reach their limit, they tend to completely shut down, and give up—they dread that risk. What most people don’t realize though is that in breaking limits, you go beyond them. My friend, if you ever see someone reach their limit...pushing them past it will yield something truly special or, if you’re lucky, a destructive yet breathtaking beauty."

Chat: Lovely Things

“What do I like? Trying to gauge my weaknesses now are we? …oh? You just want to get me something out of the sheer goodness of your heart? Aw, you’re too sweet; my friend, we’ve already established such a great bond, you and I, so there is no need to exchange gifts between us! And, gift giving always does bring about jealousy; you wouldn’t want to incite that, would you? Besides, I doubt you could gift me anything lovelier than I already have.

Chat: Change

“Change is a wonderful thing! It keeps things from getting stale and predictable and is the prime ingredient for anything unexpected. Change doesn’t necessarily mean massive shifts like how most people envision, and I wholeheartedly believe one’s own self can remain consistent even with change. Speaking of changes to one’s self…heh, no matter how happy they may be as and with their changed self, a part of them will always mourn the person they used to be…even if the person of old runs counter to their changed self. Hm? A distant look in my eye? Nonsense, my friend! Just think of this as some helpful advice, free of charge. I do hope you’ll be able to put it to practice—I think we’d both hate if I were disappointed, after all.”

Casinos are ultimately reprieve, but eventually, one must return to their obligations. One can’t gamble without money, and money must be made from working. Work comes in many different forms—some work aims to increase other’s gains, some to increase its own, others to retrieve the money which is owed. These individuals are not so hard to find at the casino—like moths to a flame they aim to win with the wealth accrued by another, only to find themselves stripped of it unwittingly. It is easy to rig the game when the opponent believes they are the master. Chat: Interesting People

“My work takes me all over the place, so I get a lot of opportunities to meet all sorts of people! Granted, it’s my work that also causes a lot of meetings to not be on especially amicable terms too. And some of the people I have to deal with are…well, there’s a reason I keep a pistol with me. The best meetings though are when you’re off the clock and free to just wander about! Souvenir shopping, trying out local cuisines and experiencing its culture can be pretty nice, and it’s when me and Numby are just out and about where we meet many. I’m sure you Astral Expressers can relate to that. But, as with all things, some particularly stand out even when you don’t expect. Like, a little while ago, I finally finished a project—a big one that had some of us Stonehearts coming together—and I met this rather pleasant individual. Nice, polite, and their sense of humor wasn’t half bad; even gave me some pastries they made! A short but sweet conversation. But…there was just something…off, about them. My instincts are pretty good when it comes to these sort of things; it’s like…they were keeping themselves at a weird distance. Even though I deal with that a ton during negotiations, this time it just felt odd in a particular way, yet quite uncomfortably familiar. But it was after we said our goodbyes and I saw them again. I don’t know what happened, but then I saw the expression on their face, and…I know what that odd feeling is now. Maybe I should reach out, that guy isn’t exactly…o-oh, sorry! I got a little carried away, didn’t I? And I did sort of lead you on with starting things so lightheartedly…here, why don’t I make it up to you? A few Aetherium Wars booster packs, maybe?”

How do people lose money like this, though? Many go into the casino with the belief it is fair and just, not understanding just how rigged the game is. “Shed any and all illusions of outwitting the system,” one is told, left with nothing when they could not draw an ace of spades.

They are here because for many reasons: circumstance, unfortunate luck and their own hubris. And in that last reason lies the penultimate behind their misfortune: ignorance.

Chat: Willful Ignorance

“Ignorance is a horrid malady, but like all forms of malaise there are multiple variations. The most common is unwillful—what most think of when thinking of ignorance. Cures differ from individual to individual of course, but they tend to be the most simple affair; simple pedagogy does wonders in establishing a baseline knowledge, and for matters of great specificity or those already with baseline knowledge, a few thorough lectures are the ultimate vaccine. Willful ignorance, however, is a much different matter. Its cause is not rooted in the absence of knowledge, but of cognitive dissonance—you find it especially amongst those who have aged, already set in their ways and unwilling to engage with anything to broaden their horizons. For this, treatment must be thorough and harsh; it cannot be absolved without stripping down a patient’s worldview, lens, and grip of reality. But this is not the most vexing form. The hardest ignorance to cure is the one taken on fully aware, knowing it is false and knowing of its folly but nevertheless live by it; you look confused, so I’ll put it in simpler terms: a patient who isn’t ignorant, far from it even, but still lives their life as if they were. Curing this places patients in a rather volatile state. This ignorance is often the patient’s way of coping with a situation, when they’ve exhausted all other forms of protection. …But, I am a scholar. Advancements are not made by talking, it is through action, and eventually, I will be the one to make it. …I simply hope I can make it in time.”

But nothing lasts forever. The patrons return home, drunk or penniless, and the sound drowns out. Staff emerge from their shadows and silently do their part in crafting the honey trap, but even they must leave, and the lights are shut.

#yandere #yandere hsr #yandere aventurine #Topaz #Dr Ratio #hsr dr ratio #dr veritas ratio #veritas ratio #dr ratio hsr #hsr aventurine #hsr topaz #topaz hsr #honkai star rail #Destroyed Onset #Yandere aventurine x reader

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Idea I've had for highschool sweetheart to make könih further rot in guilt because it's silly and amusing that I simply had to share <3

In cliques of the nature of his bullies there are always the internal dynamics people outside don't see. Like how one person is never felt true compliments, only back handed ones if not just straight up insults. Fed lies about how no one else would ever be friends with them, the punching bag of within the clique to keep the glue of the group strong and firm. Naturally it would have been the shyest and most bookish person within the group. But you've known these people your entire life they didn't always act like this they used to be kind and good. (right? they, they were kind once right?) so day dreams become an escape because how could anyone be friends with you? How could anyone tolerate you? Especially after you were around the clique, how could you ever approach the quiet boy who you knew they picked on. He must hate you. You longed to be friends (don't delude yourself you didn't wish to be friends you wished to be lovers but start small right). How could you ever approach him. And then graduation comes and you're abandoned. You can heal and begin to find your personhood. You can pick the shattered pieces of your confidence up off the floor and glue your life back together. It takes years but eventually you gather up the courage to reach out to the boy after he misses the reunion. You want to apologize for your passivity at least. You must after all. (You were children and both victims in your own right but how could this ever be spoken of? You must play the role of the bystander because who would ever believe otherwise? You may have healed but there are still cracks of course.) and much later maybe he learns all this, maybe he reads it in a journal or a letter addressed to him, maybe you finally get the courage to tell him. And the guilt and rot grows like fungus over his heart, eating his anger alive and churning out something like grief in return. Not that you'd noticed the anger, you just saw the second chance, of course he would be wary of you, of course he would have changed over the decade, but a decade of growth was only done on the foundation of the boy you loved before. How could you not love the man he's become now?

tee hee I'm going insane I hope you enjoy my little ramble

Yes yes yes the delicious reveal of how it was for her, that she wasn’t having a happy time in the clique, that she, too, was suffering! ❤️‍🩹

In my opinion König would eventually come to his senses. If we’re treating this scenario with actual seriousness, he would eventually see that what he’s doing is useless and stupid and hurtful and unjust to both of them. I mean he’s clinically insane, he’s nasty and troubled and traumatized and works for a fucking PMC and tortures people but... he’s not rotten to the core. König is like a stray dog that bites if it feels like it’s about to get cornered and beaten again, and that’s his viewpoint with high school sweetheart actually. It may sound silly and misplaced but he’s just too triggered to see that he’s about to do a royal fuck-up with her.

And the unbearable shame when he realizes? When he faces the thing he has become? It’s simply too much to bear, he has worked so hard on himself & to put that shit behind him, he’s built confidence from scratch, he’s built actual, physical muscle just to feel better about himself, he probably joined the military because it was his middle finger to the world. Yes, he had aspirations and actual passions concerning the sniper dream but he’s also driven by this need to prove a shitload of people wrong.

And in walks this babe who reminds him of a time when he was nothing. Absolutely nothing. How do you love that? Because ultimately, it means you have to love yourself and who you were before you became the incredible Austrian Hulk. At the core of it is a 6 feet deep insecurity because König doesn’t feel he’s worthy of her at all.

I think the only thing that would cleanse his heart from pain is the revelation that she suffered too. As sad as it is, that’s what makes his heart crack open because then he gets to play the savior. But then comes the “Do you still love me even if I almost turned into the monster I always battled against” part… Because König would pay her authenticity "generously" by revealing the bully he almost became. And I think that’s when high school sweetheart really needs to ask herself if she’s up for this kind of shit, if she’s actually ready to love this man who isn’t as cool and tough as she thought he was, who is deeply flawed and resentful and childish and cruel.

Part of her probably knows that already and even loves his flaws, but loving König is like loving that stray dog. He’s gonna bring fleas and dried-up mud into your house eventually. Especially if you feed him and give him a scratch… Put a nice, cosy bed for him by the fire... Tell him he's cute when he whines next to your bed... Teach him it’s ok to prefer to sleep with you instead :/

#he's a problem/rescue dog #character study stuff #könig x highschool sweetheart

[bonefall]

This Mapleshade Discourse once again reveals how people, even those who will cheer ACAB, cannot envision a world in which unjust laws of society do not have to be followed, and that rules do not have to be enforced with punishment. "She broke the law, so she has to face the consequences!" How about you take my hand, and I point out the flaws in the rules that govern our society to you and what we can do to combat them, and I show you the research on punitive vs restorative justice, and together we look upon this silly little battle cat story through this political lens to analyze the messages it intentionally and inadvertently sends with its treatment of Mapleshade's character and the characters of other codebreakers, and we kiss softly under the moonlight.

And then we cut open Oakstar and Appledusk and leave them to die from infection. Together. ❤️

LIKE... "She broke the law so she must face the consequences" is such a cold take it's still defrosting. Maybe the law is bad. Perhaps unjust rules ought to be disobeyed. Consider, the consequences are unacceptable; I simply do not think you should be thrown out of your house for having the wrong lover.

Like deadass what do they want her to do. Go back in time and not give birth to them. Do they want her to unfuck that sleazy twink. Insane.

#bone babble #mapleshade discourse o'clock

[lwtkmm]

They loved you, didn't they ?

After story

Hello luvs.

This is an aftermath to my replaced mc au , So before you read this make sure to read the series to understand the plot better.

They loved you, didn't they?

Remember, you are loved, you are special, you are worth it, your presence matters and you are beautiful.

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.

.

.

.

" Thank you, please visit again. " You sighed as the last cake for the day was sold before you returned to your abode.

Every day was a busy day, your bakery was quite a popular one.

You trashed your stuff on the couch and dumped yourself on the bed. Ahh soft sheets, you could fall asleep even in your work clothes .

You were tossing sides on the bed, deciding to sleep in your then clothes or to get up to change when a small picture frame , lying on one of your shelves caught your attention. You got up and held it in your hands, to look at it.

There you were, your younger self, in a certain uniform that brought back memories, bitter ones.

Devildom. It has been 3 years since you left the once loved ones behind, for your own good. The loved ones who unloved you. Not once did you not cry when you thought about them. It was years ago but the impact they left on you was always going to be there with you.

Magic, that was once the topic of your interest, was now something you really despised.

But not everything was bad about devildom. With this thought a 'ding' sound was heard. It was your phone, well not particularly your phone, your D. D. D, the one that pretty butler had sneaked to you before you left.

It only had 3 contacts : luke, Raphael, Barbatos.

The others didn't know about it and even if they did, barbatos made sure that nobody texted you . You didn't want them in your life again , you were much healthier without them.

It was Luke who had texted you. He texted you everyday, secretly, cause he didn't want Simeon to know about it, not that he was under Simeon anymore.

After you left, Luke became more close to Raphael, Simeon didn't believe you and made you feel pathetic about yourself. And in Luke's eyes, that was unforgivable, you were precious to him and anybody who hurted you was his enemy, even if it was Simeon.

Luke and you were talking about your day, how your bakery seems to empty every day.

' Mc I'm so proud of you! In no time you'll be the best baker in the human world! '

' I think so, since I learned it from the best, isn't it Luke? '

You recieved another message. The pretty butler of the demon prince .

Barbatos.

Something about that name always made you nervous.

' mc, are you free right now? '

' yes barbs, what is it? '

' I've been meaning to tell you this for some time now. But i didn't because, I didn't know how you'd react. '

' just say it barbs, If it's coming from you then it must be something reasonable'

' so .. Would you like to come to Devildom? '

' what? '

' can you come to the Devildom? '

' barbs? Why? '

' mc. Let me explain'

' no barbs, why would you ask that! Never! '

' mc, please listen '

' there's no reason I'd come to that place again '

' not even for me? '

' well.. '

' please listen mc. So you see. Lord Diavolo is going to be crowned as the king of the Devildom. And he told me that there was something he really wished on such a big event of his life, he wanted you to be there. Look Mc, I know what happened with you was unjust. But please Mc, for my sake, it will make M'lord really happy, it's his utmost wish '

How ironic, the prospective Demon king who once wanted to throw you out of the Devildom , wanted your Attendance. You didn't wanted to say no to Barbatos but nor did you wanted to go to Devildom.

' I'll think about it barbs, just thinking about Devildom makes me feel.. Bad.'

' I understand it Mc, I'll wait for your answer'

You dropped your D. D .D to the floor and ran inside the bathroom, panting. You washed your face a couple of times so as to forget what just happened.

Why barbatos?

Why Diavolo?

After all these years.

Why did they wanted to involve themselves with you again.

But..

You didn't know why, but you had this strong urge to see him.

You would have lied to yourself if you didn't admit that talking to Barbatos made you feel at ease.

In these 3 years of time, he was always there, at your ups and downs, although the visits were very rare , he always made his presence felt. You knew that there was someone who you could confide into.

Now that , he had a request, you couldn't say no. Although the idea of you being in the devildom again dreaded you .

You got into the shower. You were literally drowning with stress and wanted to take some thoughts off you. You stared at your body in the mirror. There was only one pact mark on your body , that once activated , glowed in dark green.

You ran your fingers across the places where the other pact marks used to be. It had been a very long time since you had gotten rid of them.

Why have pact marks when the Demons once loathed it so much?

You fell on the bed, hands outstretched and looked up at the ceiling . You had a long journey ahead . Journey you weren't prepared for.

************

You didn't even know when the time passed so quickly and currently you were standing in between the Pentagon, as green light surrounded you sucking you in.

You were being teleported.

To devildom.

The light was so bright that you squeezed your eyes shut and next thing you knew, you were lying on a cold ground.

" ... Up" You could hear faint voices.

" Mc... Get up " Someone was calling out to you.

You recognized that and immediately opened your eyes. It was him.

The pretty butler, with the usual smile on his face.

Oh you missed him so much, you couldn't help but throw your arms around his neck.

"Barbatos!! "

"Mc, " He gave you a genuine smile. " Did you miss me "

Before you could answer, you heard someone say.

" Welcome to the devildom, Mc " The tanned, red haired to be king, walked towards you, the once pride of heaven by his side. They looked at you with excitement yet apologetic eyes.

Your eyes met rubies of the pride demon and he immediately diverted his gaze. He couldn't look you in the eye.

" Mc. Thank you. Thank you for being here , it makes me so happy." Diavolo continued.

" Hmm, my pleasure, prince diavolo " You replied, after all these years of no contact, you didn't know how to talk to or address him properly.

The formality in your voice made the prince really broken. You both were once so close and friendly with each other and now, every thing had vanished and it was all his fault.

Lucifer still hadn't spoken anything, yet he kept staring at you, hoping that you'd notice him and would strike up a conversation.

The four of you - Diavolo, Lucifer in tow and barbatos by your side, went to the council room. You could hear angry and teasing noises. But as soon as the door opened , everyone went silent.

All eyes were on you.

But this time, you walked in confidently.

The room was silenced by your presence until a little angel with blonde hair ran towards you with teary eyes.

" Mc!!!!! I missed you so much! " Luke ran and jumped into your arms .

Your heart swelled with love and affection for the little boy.

" Luke my sweet boy, I missed you a lot "

Luke was already weeping in your arms.

" Now now Luke , it's my turn to greet mc" Raphael looked at you, still with a poker face but you knew he was genuinely happy to see you.

" Mc... How yer doin'...."

Tch. A distraction. You turned towards him, Mammon looked at you with guilty eyes and a broken expression. Na-huh that ain't gonna work on you anymore.

" I've been doing really well, Avatar of greed, very well without bad influences " Ouch! You saw the brothers' face twist in regret.

From across the room, you saw a pretty angel looking at you, you ignored his lingering gaze . You didn't need simeon in your life anymore. Neither did you need the Sorcerer who had tried to make amends with you on several occasions after you left the devildom , to the point that you had to summon Barbatos since Solomon refused to leave without You forgiving him. You were doing far better without any of them .

"Let's get you home mc-" Barbatos held your hand.

" Yes back to house of lamentation " Asmodeus cut off.

Asmodeus, the fake lover who betrayed you .

" No, Asmodeus, I meant home , the Demon Lord's castle . " Barbatos said sarcastically, still with a smile which creeped the brothers out.

It was not a smile of happiness rather a smile of warning.

Barbatos gently led you out of the room, your stuff in one hand and other holding yours.

Diavolo might be his master but he definitely didn't want to mess with Barbatos .

**********

Barbatos prepared the nicest room for you, nearer to his. After making sure that you were comfortable and cozy enough, He kissed your forehead to go something for you to eat.

That kiss ....

It made you feel butterflies . It was so soft, endearing and warm. You instantly felt your cheeks burn.

Barbatos... What have you done .

He came in again, with some really appetizing food. But it's not the food you cared about.

" Thank you barbs " You smiled.

" It's my duty Mc " He smiled back.

There was a silence between you two, you kept staring at him, and each second you cheeks flushed harder.

He turned around to leave, but you didn't wanted him to. You wanted to spend time with him. You immediately held his hand.

"Hm? Is something wrong Mc? Is the food not good? "

" No.. It's not that.. I.. You know. Barbs.. "

He tilted his head in confusion, " What is it Mc? "

" I.. Barbs.. "

"You look really tired Mc, even your face looks red, I think you should get some rest. Call me if you need anything " He smiled at you and left the room .

You sat there in silence.

Did he really not understand? The way you were staring at him with heart eyes or maybe.. He didn't like you in that way.

You immediately felt your heart sinking, feeling sad again. Maybe you shouldn't really expect a demon to love you.

He won't love you , he would never.

That night you fell asleep holding back your tears as a lump formed in your throat.

You're just a human. A toy .

************

It was the day of coronation.

You watched as Diavolo was being declared as the king of Devildom. He looked at you with sparkling eyes but your longing gazes were for his pretty butler.

It was at that moment you realized that Barbatos was so much perfect and you were not, he'd never love you.

The ceremony was over and people were interacting, you didn't even bother to look at the brothers. You went straight to the open balcony. You stood there as the cool breeze of the moonlight brushed against your face and you again felt a dry lump forming in your throat.

" Gorgeous" You were startled by a voice.

You opened your eyes, knowing who it was.

" Yes it's a gorgeous night " You said as you stared into the open sky.

Barbatos seemed to be a little taken aback by your response " I was talking about you "

"Hm? " You looked at him. He was looking at you, again with that warm smile.

No no no mc, you can't cry.

Yet you couldn't hold back, warm tears started streaming down your face.

" Mc? " Barbatos was shocked, seeing you cry was the last thing he wanted. He pulled you in his arms.

" What's wrong mc " The sadness in his voice was unbearable for you.

"Nothing.. It's just... You'll never feel the same about me barbatos. I'm not perfect, I never was and I never will be. I'm just a human, I wouldn't even be able to stay with you forever. You need someone like you to be your partner, smart, charming, loveable. I keep telling myself to move on but i just seem to can't move on. I'm really pathetic. I-"

Before you could continue, he pressed his lips against yours.

His lips, so tender and soft and so full of love.

You just melted away under his touch. It was like a tonic to your broken heart.

He parted away from your lips and looked into your eyes, his stare was so gentle and his eyes just beamed love and affection.

" Mc, please. Please don't say that about yourself. Me? Perfect? I'm far away from that . You're an angel in disguise my sweetheart. You make me perfect . You fill all my flaws and imperfections. If there's someone who shouldn't be worth love, then that should be me, the wicked demon."

He cupped your face and you could see the pearl like tears that fell from his eyes "I love you my blossom, I always had and I always did in all these years you were gone. Everyday I keep drowning into your love more and deeper . There hasn't been a day that I haven't loved you. It's you or nobody. "

Every word just dripped love for you, love felt sweet, so amazing. This is how love really felt like.

" I love you too Barbatos and I always will" You felt so safe in his embrace, so loved and so happy.

As you closed your eyes, you could hear his heartbeat, that's when it hit you .

That night, when you heard an unfamiliar voice in your mind, that echoed over the evil wicked ones, that helped you regain your own self, it was him, it was Barbatos' voice. The image was clear in your mind. Him stretching his hands for you to take. Then nothing else mattered. It was him who mattered.

He was always there for you, knowingly or not.

Your heart always belonged to him. You both were meant to be together.

Coming to the Devildom all those years ago wasn't a bad thing after all, it brought you to your love.

As you both embraced each other, the moonlight shining over your smile , you knew that life would be worth something now.

You smiled to yourself.

Your demon.

Your love.

Barbatos.

"When you put your

arms around me,

I know I'm home "

.

.

.

(Alternative Ending) soon

The End

I've been wanting to finish this for such a long a long time but study got hold of me. This might not be on of my best works but i love all of you. Thanks for loving this Au so much, have a nice day luvs ❤

#obey me #obey me mc #obey me replaced mc au #obey me angst #obey me barbatos x mc #obey me barbatos #obey me leviathan #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me mammon #obey me solomon #obey me asmodeus #obey me diavolo #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me luke #obey me simeon

[faerytreealtars]

☆•° How does your inner child view Current you? °•☆

Hello my dears, I felt called to channel some letters from your inner children seeing as I have been working on my own inner child for the past few months, it felt only right to help all of you connect more with yours! So take a breath, clear your mind and pick whatever image speaks to your heart. Remember it is a general reading so only takes whatever resonates. Much love. Fae♡

♡ Pile One ♡

{Cards: The hierophant, two of pentacles, nine of pentacles, five of pentacles, ace of wands & four of swords}

Dear Pile One,

I, Your inner child see you as someone I could have only dreamed of being, you have power and wisdom now than I could have ever imagined, and the way you balance & control that power is so inspiring! We really came from nothing, hard times, and challenges but now look at us prosper! Far more than little me could have ever dreamed of! so much choice & creativity flows to you and makes me so proud to be you, or at least a part of you! Even if you feel out of your element just remember to slow down & look at how far you (we) have come!

~Lot's of Love, Little You ♡

♡ Pile Two ♡

{Cards: Five of Pentacles, page of wands, four of pentacles -reversed, The sun -Reversed, the tower and the hanging ones.}

Dear Current me.

I do not know how to start this letter, I do not know if you will even listen or care. I hope you will for I need you more than I have ever done. I do not know how to heal the hurts, only you do. Please don't neglect me anymore - It is so dark, so cold and I feel so confused. I am only little so why must my (our) heart hurt so? What was done to us was unjust but I do not want to linger on it any longer, there is a whole bright light for us. I can see it through the cracks but I am tired so I ask of you please don't hide away, can you be strong for us? I hope you can.

Your Ever-loving, little you ♡

(Note: While channeling your inner child I instantly felt drained of energy and cold, and it's a really hot day today so that tells me your inner child feels very neglected, I don't say this to make you feel bad. It's really easy to get busy and ignore the needs of your energy but seeing as I was near tears while writing your letter I urge you all to slow down and talk to your inner child, they really need you!)

♡ Pile Three ♡

{Cards: seven of pentacles, eight of pentacles, two of wands, the world, the star & ten of swords}

Dear Pile Three,

Hi!! Letters are kind of stuffy, don't you think? So don't mind if this sounds more like a text message! But oh, wow! I think you're so cool, like we're really the best and I know I'm right! Oh I need to focus I've been told so yeah anyway, we've done so much! succeded in all my dreams and we are unstoppable, I say don't listen to the haters they don't know us, or our story, haven't seen how far we've come, the work we've put in, the swords we've pulled from our back. Keep dreaming new dreams and know I'm your biggest cheerleader (on a side note we would have been great cheerleaders) Fae says we must have run on sugar rushes exclusively but I'm just an energetic kid! Anyway, I've got nothing else to say except Bye!!

(Channeling your inner child energy was like riding a roller-coaster, It's not bad in fact I'm sure you must have been quite the comedian/character in your youth but I do hope your parents/carers are getting some well-needed rest now!!)

I hope that you managed to find comfort, Inspiration, or a message that resonated with you out of the three piles, If not don't worry I'm sure you will receive a message in some other way. Much Love - Fae˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

TAROT DECK USED: Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot

MOON POSITION: Full Moon - Strawberry Moon (100%)

DAY OF THE WEEK: Sunday - Sun elemental, today's energy is good for relaxation and spending time enjoying the great outdoors. Rising with the sun will give you energy and it's best to avoid doing anything too active or strenuous on the body. Clear your mind from all worries and focus on mindfulness. Lucky Colours: Gold and Burgundy

#cartomancy #channeling #divination #tarot #tarotblr #♡ messages channelled from the divine ♡ #pac #pick a card #folk witchcraft #inner child #inner child channeling #inner child work #self love #self growth #tarot community #daily tarot #free tarot #tarot cards #witchcraft #divination witch

[caesarflickermans]

A TENTH ANNIVERSARY INTERVIEW WITH SUZANNE COLLINS

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the publication of The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins and publisher David Levithan discussed the evolution of the story, the editorial process, and the first ten years of the life of the trilogy, encompassing both books and films. The following is their written conversation.

NOTE: The following interview contains a discussion of all three books in The Hunger Games Trilogy, so if you have yet to read Catching Fire and Mockingjay, you may want to read them before reading the full interview.

transcript below

DAVID LEVITHAN: Let’s start at the origin moment for The Hunger Games. You were flipping channels one night . . .

SUZANNE COLLINS: Yes, I was flipping through the channels one night between reality television programs and actual footage of the Iraq War, when the idea came to me. At the time, I was completing the fifth book in The Underland Chronicles and my brain was shifting to whatever the next project would be. I had been grappling with another story that just couldn’t get any air under its wings. I knew I wanted to continue to explore writing about just war theory for young audiences. In The Underland Chronicles, I’d examined the idea of an unjust war developing into a just war because of greed, xenophobia, and long-standing hatreds. For the next series, I wanted a completely new world and a different angle into the just war debate.

DL: Can you tell me what you mean by the “just war theory” and how that applies to the setup of the trilogy?

SC: Just war theory has evolved over thousands of years in an attempt to define what circumstances give you the moral right to wage war and what is acceptable behavior within that war and its aftermath. The why and the how. It helps differentiate between what’s considered a necessary and an unnecessary war. In The Hunger Games Trilogy, the districts rebel against their own government because of its corruption. The citizens of the districts have no basic human rights, are treated as slave labor, and are subjected to the Hunger Games annually. I believe the majority of today’s audience would define that as grounds for revolution. They have just cause but the nature of the conflict raises a lot of questions. Do the districts have the authority to wage war? What is their chance of success? How does the reemergence of District 13 alter the situation? When we enter the story, Panem is a powder keg and Katniss the spark.

DL: As with most novelists I know, once you have that origin moment — usually a connection of two elements (in this case, war and entertainment) — the number of connections quickly increases, as different elements of the story take their place. I know another connection you made early on was with mythology, particularly the myth of Theseus. How did that piece come to fit?

SC: I was such a huge Greek mythology geek as a kid, it’s impossible for it not to come into play in my storytelling. As a young prince of Athens, he participated in a lottery that required seven girls and seven boys to be taken to Crete and thrown into a labyrinth to be destroyed by the Minotaur. In one version of the myth, this excessively cruel punishment resulted from the Athenians opposing Crete in a war. Sometimes the labyrinth’s a maze; sometimes it’s an arena. In my teens I read Mary Renault’s The King Must Die, in which the tributes end up in the Bull Court. They’re trained to perform with a wild bull for an audience composed of the elite of Crete who bet on the entertainment. Theseus and his team dance and handspring over the bull in what’s called bull-leaping. You can see depictions of this in ancient sculpture and vase paintings. The show ended when they’d either exhausted the bull or one of the team had been killed. After I read that book, I could never go back to thinking of the labyrinth as simply a maze, except perhaps ethically. It will always be an arena to me.

DL: But in this case, you dispensed with the Minotaur, no? Instead, the arena harkens more to gladiator vs. gladiator than to gladiator vs. bull. What influenced this construction?

SC: A fascination with the gladiator movies of my childhood, particularly Spartacus. Whenever it ran, I’d be glued to the set. My dad would get outPlutarch’s Lives and read me passages from “Life of Crassus,” since Spartacus, being a slave, didn’t rate his own book. It’s about a person who’s forced to become a gladiator, breaks out of the gladiator school/arena to lead a rebellion, and becomes the face of a war. That’s the dramatic arc of both the real-life Third Servile War and the fictional Hunger Games Trilogy.

DL: Can you talk about how war stories influenced you as a young reader, and then later as a writer? How did this knowledge of war stories affect your approach to writing The Hunger Games?

SC: Now you can find many wonderful books written for young audiences that deal with war. That wasn’t the case when I was growing up. It was one of the reasons Greek mythology appealed to me: the characters battled, there was the Trojan War. My family had been heavily impacted by war the year my father, who was career Air Force, went to Vietnam, but except for my myths, I rarely encountered it in books. I liked Johnny Tremain but it ends as the Revolutionary War kicks off. The one really memorable book I had about war was Boris by Jaap ter Haar, which deals with the Siege of Leningrad in World War II.

My war stories came from my dad, a historian and a doctor of political science. The four years before he left for Vietnam, the Army borrowed him from the Air Force to teach at West Point. His final assignment would be at Air Command and Staff College. As his kids, we were never too young to learn, whether he was teaching us history or taking us on vacation to a battlefield or posing a philosophical dilemma. He approached history as a story, and fortunately he was a very engaging storyteller. As a result, in my own writing, war felt like a completely natural topic for children.

DL: Another key piece of The Hunger Games is the voice and perspective that Katniss brings to it. I know some novelists start with a character and then find a story through that character, but with The Hunger Games (and correct me if I’m wrong) I believe you had the idea for the story first, and then Katniss stepped into it. Where did she come from? I’d love for you to talk about the origin of her name, and also the origin of her very distinctive voice.

SC: Katniss appeared almost immediately after I had the idea, standing by the bed with that bow and arrow. I’d spent a lot of time during The Underland Chronicles weighing the attributes of different weapons. I used archers very sparingly because they required light and the Underland has little natural illumination. But a bow and arrow can be handmade, shot from a distance, and weaponized when the story transitions into warfare. She was a born archer.

Her name came later, while I was researching survival training and specifically edible plants. In one of my books, I found the arrowhead plant, and the more I read about it, the more it seemed to reflect her. Its Latin name has the same roots as Sagittarius, the archer. The edible tuber roots she could gather, the arrowhead-shaped leaves were her defense, and the little white blossoms kept it in the tradition of flower names, like Rue and Primrose. I looked at the list of alternative names for it. Swamp Potato. Duck Potato. Katniss easily won the day.

As to her voice, I hadn’t intended to write in first person. I thought the book would be in the third person like The Underland Chronicles. Then I sat down to work and the first page poured out in first person, like she was saying, “Step aside, this is my story to tell.” So I let her.

DL: I am now trying to summon an alternate universe where the Mockingjay is named Swamp Potato Everdeen. Seems like a PR challenge. But let’s stay for a second on the voice — because it’s not a straightforward, generic American voice. There’s a regionalism to it, isn’t there? Was that present from the start?

SC: It was. There’s a slight District 12 regionalism to it, and some of the other tributes use phrases unique to their regions as well. The way they speak, particularly the way in which they refuse to speak like citizens of the Capitol, is important to them. No one in District 12 wants to sound like Effie Trinket unless they’re mocking her. So they hold on to their regionalisms as a quiet form of rebellion. The closest thing they have to freedom of speech is their manner of speaking.

DL: I’m curious about Katniss’s family structure. Was it always as we see it, or did you ever consider giving her parents greater roles? How much do you think the Everdeen family’s story sets the stage for Katniss’s story within the trilogy?

SC: Her parents have their own histories in District 12 but I only included what’s pertinent to Katniss’s tale. Her father’s hunting skills, musicality, and death in the mines. Her mother’s healing talent and vulnerabilities. Her deep love for Prim. Those are the elements that seemed essential to me.

DL: This completely fascinates me because I, as an author, rarely know more (consciously) about the characters than what’s in the story. But this sounds like you know much more about the Everdeen parents than found their way to the page. What are some of the more interesting things about them that a reader wouldn’t necessarily know?

SC: Your way sounds a lot more efficient. I have a world of information about the characters that didn’t make it into the book. With some stories, revealing that could be illuminating, but in the case of The Hunger Games, I think it would only be a distraction unless it was part of a new tale within the world of Panem.

DL: I have to ask — did you know from the start how Prim’s story was going to end? (I can’t imagine writing the reaping scene while knowing — but at the same time I can’t imagine writing it without knowing.)

SC: You almost have to know it and not know it at the same time to write it convincingly, because the dramatic question, Can Katniss save Prim?, is introduced in the first chapter of the first book, and not answered until almost the end of the trilogy. At first there’s the relief that, yes, she can volunteer for Prim. Then Rue, who reminds her of Prim, joins her in the arena and she can’t save her. That tragedy refreshes the question. For most of the second book, Prim’s largely out of harm’s way, although there’s always the threat that the Capitol might hurt her to hurt Katniss. The jabberjays are a reminder of that. Once she’s in District 13 and the war has shifted to the Capitol, Katniss begins to hope Prim’s not only safe but has a bright future as a doctor. But it’s an illusion. The danger that made Prim vulnerable in the beginning, the threat of the arena, still exists. In the first book, it’s a venue for the Games; in the second, the platform for the revolution; in the third, it’s the battleground of Panem, coming to a head in the Capitol. The arena transforms but it’s never eradicated; in fact it’s expanded to include everyone in the country. Can Katniss save Prim? No. Because no one is safe while the arena exists.

DL: If Katniss was the first character to make herself known within story, when did Peeta and Gale come into the equation? Did you know from the beginning how their stories would play out vis-à-vis Katniss’s?

SC: Peeta and Gale appeared quickly, less as two points on a love triangle, more as two perspectives in the just war debate. Gale, because of his experiences and temperament, tends toward violent remedies. Peeta’s natural inclination is toward diplomacy. Katniss isn’t just deciding on a partner; she’s figuring out her worldview.

DL: And did you always know which worldview would win? It’s interesting to see it presented in such a clear-cut way, because when I think of Katniss, I certainly think of force over diplomacy.

SC: And yet Katniss isn’t someone eager to engage in violence and she takes no pleasure in it. Her circumstances repeatedly push her into making choices that include the use of force. But if you look carefully at what happens in the arena, her compassionate choices determine her survival. Taking on Rue as an ally results in Thresh sparing her life. Seeking out Peeta and caring for him when she discovers how badly wounded he is ultimately leads to her winning the Games. She uses force only in self-defense or defense of a third party, and I’m including Cato’s mercy killing in that. As the trilogy progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid the use of force because the overall violence is escalating with the war. The how and the why become harder to answer.

Yes, I knew which worldview would win, but in the interest of examining just war theory you need to make the arguments as strongly as possible on both sides. While Katniss ultimately chooses Peeta, remember that in order to end the Hunger Games her last act is to assassinate an unarmed woman. Conversely, in The Underland Chronicles, Gregor’s last act is to break his sword to interrupt the cycle of violence. The point of both stories is to take the reader through the journey, have them confront the issues with the protagonist, and then hopefully inspire them to think about it and discuss it. What would they do in Katniss’s or Gregor’s situation? How would they define a just or unjust war and what behavior is acceptable within warfare? What are the human costs of life, limb, and sanity? How does developing technology impact the debate? The hope is that better discussions might lead to more nonviolent forms of conflict resolution, so we evolve out of choosing war as an option.

DL: Where does Haymitch fit into this examination of war? What worldview does he bring?

SC: Haymitch was badly damaged in his own war, the second Quarter Quell, in which he witnessed and participated in terrible things in order to survive and then saw his loved ones killed for his strategy. He self-medicates with white liquor to combat severe PTSD. His chances of recovery are compromised because he’s forced to mentor the tributes every year. He’s a version of what Katniss might become, if the Hunger Games continues. Peeta comments on how similar they are, and it’s true. They both really struggle with their worldview. He manages to defuse the escalating violence at Gale’s whipping with words, but he participates in a plot to bring down the government that will entail a civil war.

The ray of light that penetrates that very dark cloud in his brain is the moment that Katniss volunteers for Prim. He sees, as do many people in Panem, the power of her sacrifice. And when that carries into her Games, with Rue and Peeta, he slowly begins to believe that with Katniss it might be possible to end the Hunger Games.

DL: I’m also curious about how you balanced the personal and political in drawing the relationship between Katniss and Gale. They have such a history together — and I think you powerfully show the conflict that arises when you love someone, but don’t love what they believe in. (I think that resonates particularly now, when so many families and relationships and friendships have been disrupted by politics.)

SC: Yes, I think it’s painful, especially because they feel so in tune in so many ways. Katniss’s and Gale’s differences of opinion are based in just war theory. Do we revolt? How do we conduct ourselves in the war? And the ethical and personal lines climax at the same moment — the double tap bombing that takes Prim’s life. But it’s rarely simple; there are a lot of gray areas. It’s complicated by Peeta often holding a conflicting view while being the rival for her heart, so the emotional pull and the ethical pull become so intertwined it’s impossible to separate them. What do you do when someone you love, someone you know to be a good person, has a view which completely opposes your own? You keep trying to understand what led to the difference and see if it can be bridged. Maybe, maybe not. I think many conflicts grow out of fear, and in an attempt to counter that fear, people reach for solutions that may be comforting in the short term, but only increase their vulnerability in the long run and cause a lot of destruction along the way.

DL: In drawing Gale’s and Peeta’s roles in the story, how conscious were you of the gender inversion from traditional narrative tropes? As you note above, both are important far beyond any romantic subplot, but I do think there’s something fascinating about the way they both reinscribe roles that would traditionally be that of the “girlfriend.” Gale in particular gets to be “the girl back home” from so many Westerns and adventure movies — but of course is so much more than that. And Peeta, while a very strong character in his own right, often has to take a backseat to Katniss and her strategy, both in and out of the arena. Did you think about them in terms of gender and tropes, or did that just come naturally as the characters did what they were going to do on the page?

SC: It came naturally because, while Gale and Peeta are very important characters, it’s Katniss’s story.

DL: For Peeta . . . why baking?

SC: Bread crops up a lot in The Hunger Games. It’s the main food source in the districts, as it was for many people historically. When Peeta throws a starving Katniss bread in the flashback, he’s keeping her alive long enough to work out a strategy for survival. It seemed in keeping with his character to be a baker, a life giver.

But there’s a dark side to bread, too. When Plutarch Heavensbee references it, he’s talking about Panem et Circenses, Bread and Circuses, where food and entertainment lull people into relinquishing their political power. Bread can contribute to life or death in the Hunger Games.

DL: Speaking of Plutarch — in a meta way, the two of you share a job (although when you do it, only fictional people die). When you were designing the arena for the first book, what influences came into play? Did you design the arena and then have the participants react to it, or did you design the arena with specific reactions and plot points in mind?

SC: Katniss has a lot going against her in the first arena — she’s inexperienced, smaller than a lot of her competitors, and hasn’t the training of the Careers — so the arena needed to be in her favor. The landscape closely resembles the woods around District 12, with similar flora and fauna. She can feed herself and recognize the nightlock as poisonous. Thematically, the Girl on Fire needed to encounter fire at some point, so I built that in. I didn’t want it too physically flashy, because the audience needs to focus on the human dynamic, the plight of the star-crossed lovers, the alliance with Rue, the twist that two tributes can survive from the same district. Also, the Gamemakers would want to leave room for a noticeable elevation in spectacle when the Games move to the Quarter Quell arena in Catching Fire with the more intricate clock design.

DL: So where does Plutarch fall into the just war spectrum? There are many layers to his involvement in what’s going on.

SC: Plutarch is the namesake of the biographer Plutarch, and he’s one of the few characters who has a sense of the arc of history. He’s never lived in a world without the Hunger Games; it was well established by the time he was born and then he rose through the ranks to become Head Gamemaker. At some point, he’s gone from accepting that the Games are necessary to deciding they’re unnecessary, and he sets about ending them. Plutarch has a personal agenda as well. He’s seen so many of his peers killed off, like Seneca Crane, that he wonders how long it will be before the mad king decides he’s a threat not an asset. It’s no way to live. And as a gamemaker among gamemakers, he likes the challenge of the revolution. But even after they succeed he questions how long the resulting peace will last. He has a fairly low opinion of human beings, but ultimately doesn’t rule out that they might be able to change.

DL: When it comes to larger world building, how much did you know about Panem before you started writing? If I had asked you, while you were writing the opening pages, “Suzanne, what’s the primary industry of District Five?” would you have known the answer, or did those details emerge to you when they emerged within the writing of the story?

SC: Before I started writing I knew there were thirteen districts — that’s a nod to the thirteen colonies — and that they’d each be known for a specific industry. I knew 12 would be coal and most of the others were set, but I had a few blanks that naturally filled in as the story evolved. When I was little we had that board game, Game of the States, where each state was identified by its exports. And even today we associate different locations in the country with a product, with seafood or wine or tech. Of course, it’s a very simplified take on Panem. No district exists entirely by its designated trade. But for purposes of the Hunger Games, it’s another way to divide and define the districts.

DL: How do you think being from District 12 defines Katniss, Peeta, and Gale? Could they have been from any other district, or is their residency in 12 formative for the parts of their personalities that drive the story?

SC: Very formative. District 12 is the joke district, small and poor, rarely producing a victor in the Hunger Games. As a result, the Capitol largely ignores it. The enforcement of the laws is lax, the relationship with the Peacekeepers less hostile. This allows the kids to grow up far less constrained than in other districts. Katniss and Gale become talented archers by slipping off in the woods to hunt. That possibility of training with a weapon is unthinkable in, say, District 11, with its oppressive military presence. Finnick’s trident and Johanna’s ax skills develop as part of their districts’ industries, but they would never be allowed access to those weapons outside of work. Also, Katniss, Peeta, and Gale view the Capitol in a different manner by virtue of knowing their Peacekeepers better. Darius, in the Hob, is considered a friend, and he proves himself to be so more than once. This makes the Capitol more approachable on a level, more possible to befriend, and more possible to defeat. More human.

DL: Let’s talk about the Capitol for a moment — particularly its most powerful resident. I know that every name you give a character is deliberate, so why President Snow?

SC: Snow because of its coldness and purity. That’s purity of thought, although most people would consider it pure evil. His methods are monstrous, but in his mind, he’s all that’s holding Panem together. His first name, Coriolanus, is a nod to the titular character in Shakespeare’s play who was based on material from Plutarch’s Lives. He was known for his anti-populist sentiments, and Snow is definitely not a man of the people.

DL: The bond between Katniss and Snow is one of the most interesting in the entire series. Because even when they are in opposition, there seems to be an understanding between them that few if any of the other characters in the trilogy share. What role do you feel Snow plays for Katniss — and how does this fit into your examination of war?

SC: On the surface, she’s the face of the rebels, he’s the face of the Capitol. Underneath, things are a lot more complicated. Snow’s quite old under all that plastic surgery. Without saying too much, he’s been waiting for Katniss for a long time. She’s the worthy opponent who will test the strength of his citadel, of his life’s work. He’s the embodiment of evil to her, with the power of life and death. They’re obsessed with each other to the point of being blinded to the larger picture. “I was watching you, Mockingjay. And you were watching me. I’m afraid we have both been played for fools.” By Coin, that is. And then their unholy alliance at the end brings her down.

DL: One of the things that both Snow and Katniss realize is the power of media and imagery on the population. Snow may appear heartless to some, but he is very attuned to the “hearts and minds” of his citizens . . . and he is also attuned to the danger of losing them to Katniss. What role do you see propaganda playing in the war they’re waging?

SC: Propaganda decides the outcome of the war. This is why Plutarch implements the airtime assault; he understands that whoever controls the airwaves controls the power. Like Snow, he’s been waiting for Katniss, because he needs a Spartacus to lead his campaign. There have been possible candidates, like Finnick, but no one else has captured the imagination of the country like she has.

DL: In terms of the revolution, appearance matters — and two of the characters who seem to understand this the most are Cinna and Caesar Flickerman, one in a principled way, one . . . not as principled. How did you draw these two characters into your themes?

SC: That’s exactly right. Cinna uses his artistic gifts to woo the crowd with spectacle and beauty. Even after his death, his Mockingjay costume designs are used in the revolution. Caesar, whose job is to maintain the myth of the glorious games, transitions into warfare with the prisoner of war interviews with Peeta. They are both helping to keep up appearances.

DL: As a writer, you studiously avoided the trope of harkening back to the “old” geography — i.e., there isn’t a character who says, “This was once a land known as . . . Delaware.” (And thank goodness for that.) Why did you decide to avoid pinning down Panem to our contemporary geography?

SC: The geography has changed because of natural and man-made disasters, so it’s not as simple as overlaying a current map on Panem. But more importantly, it’s not relevant to the story. Telling the reader the continent gives them the layout in general, but borders are very changeful. Look at how the map of North America has evolved in the past 300 years. It makes little difference to Katniss what we called Panem in the past.

DL: Let’s talk about the D word. When you sat down to write The Hunger Games, did you think of it as a dystopian novel?

SC: I thought of it as a war story. I love dystopia, but it will always be secondary to that. Setting the trilogy in a futuristic North America makes it familiar enough to relate to but just different enough to gain some perspective. When people ask me how far in the future it’s set, I say, “It depends on how optimistic you are.”

DL: What do you think it was about the world into which the book was published that made it viewed so prominently as a dystopia?

SC: In the same way most people would define The Underland Chronicles as a fantasy series, they would define The Hunger Games as a dystopian trilogy, and they’d be right. The elements of the genres are there in both cases. But they’re first and foremost war stories to me. The thing is, whether you came for the war, dystopia, action adventure, propaganda, coming of age, or romance, I’m happy you’re reading it. Everyone brings their own experiences to the book that will color how they interpret it. I imagine the number of people who immediately identify it as a just war theory story are in the minority, but most stories are more than one thing.

DL: What was the relationship between current events and the world you were drawing? I know that with many speculative writers, they see something in the news and find it filtering into their fictional world. Were you reacting to the world around you, or was your reaction more grounded in a more timeless and/or historical consideration of war?

SC: I would say the latter. Some authors — okay, you for instance — can digest events quickly and channel them into their writing, as you did so effectively with September 11 in Love Is the Higher Law. But I don’t process and integrate things rapidly, so history works better for me.

DL: There’s nothing I like more than talking to writers about writing — so I’d love to ask about your process (even though I’ve always found the word process to be far too orderly to describe how a writer’s mind works).

As I recall, when we at Scholastic first saw the proposal for The Hunger Games Trilogy, the summary of the first book was substantial, the summary for the second book was significantly shorter, and the summary of the third book was . . . remarkably brief. So, first question: Did you stick to that early outline?

SC: I had to go back and take a look. Yes, I stuck to it very closely, but as you point out, the third book summary is remarkably brief. I basically tell you there’s a war that the Capitol eventually loses. Just coming off The Underland Chronicles, which also ends with a war, I think I’d seen how much develops along the way and wanted that freedom for this series as well.

DL: Would you outline books two and three as you were writing book one? Or would you just take notes for later? Was this the same or different from what you did with The Underland Chronicles?

SC: Structure’s one of my favorite parts of writing. I always work a story out with Post-its, sometimes using different colors for different character arcs. I create a chapter grid, as well, and keep files for later books, so that whenever I have an idea that might be useful, I can make a note of it. I wrote scripts for many years before I tried books, so a lot of my writing habits developed through that experience.

DL: Would you deliberately plant things in book one to bloom in books two or three? Are there any seeds you planted in the first book that you ended up not growing?

SC: Oh, yes, I definitely planted things. For instance, Johanna Mason is mentioned in the third chapter of the first book although she won’t appear until Catching Fire. Plutarch is that unnamed gamemaker who falls into the punch bowl when she shoots the arrow. Peeta whispers “Always” in Catching Fire when Katniss is under the influence of sleep syrup but she doesn’t hear the word until after she’s been shot in Mockingjay. Sometimes you just don’t have time to let all the seeds grow, or you cut them out because they don’t really add to the story. Like those wild dogs that roam around District 12. One could potentially have been tamed, but Buttercup stole their thunder.

DL: Since much of your early experience as a writer was as a playwright, I’m curious: What did you learn as a playwright that helped you as a novelist?

SC: I studied theater for many years — first acting, then playwriting — and I have a particular love for classical theater. I formed my ideas about structure as a playwright, how crucial it is and how, when it’s done well, it’s really inseparable from character. It’s like a living thing to me. I also wrote for children’s television for seventeen years. I learned a lot writing for preschool. If a three-year-old doesn’t like something, they just get up and walk away from the set. I saw my own kids do that. How do you hold their attention? It’s hard and the internet has made it harder. So for the eight novels, I developed a three-act structure, with each act being composed of nine chapters, using elements from both play and screenplay structures — double layering it, so to speak.

DL: Where do you write? Are you a longhand writer or a laptop writer? Do you listen to music as you write, or go for the monastic, writerly silence?

SC: I write best at home in a recliner. I used to write longhand, but now it’s all laptop. Definitely not music; it demands to be listened to. I like quiet, but not silence.

DL: You talked earlier about researching survival training and edible plants for these books. What other research did you have to do? Are you a reading researcher, a hands-on researcher, or a mix of both? (I’m imagining an elaborate archery complex in your backyard, but I am guessing that’s not necessarily accurate.)

SC: You know, I’m just not very handy. I read a lot about how to build a bow from scratch, but I doubt I could ever make one. Being good with your hands is a gift. So I do a lot of book research. Sometimes I visit museums or historic sites for inspiration. I was trained in stage combat, particularly sword fighting in drama school; I have a nice collection of swords designed for that, but that was more helpful for The Underland Chronicles. The only time I got to do archery was in gym class in high school.

DL: While I wish I could say the editorial team (Kate Egan, Jennifer Rees, and myself ) were the first-ever readers of The Hunger Games, I know this isn’t true. When you’re writing a book, who reads it first?

SC: My husband, Cap, and my literary agent, Rosemary Stimola, have consistently been the books’ first readers. They both have excellent critique skills and give insightful notes. I like to keep the editorial team as much in the dark as possible, so that when they read the first draft it’s with completely fresh eyes.

DL: Looking back now at the editorial conversations we had about The Hunger Games — which were primarily with Kate, as Jen and I rode shotgun — can you recall any significant shifts or discussions?

SC: What I mostly recall is how relieved I was to know that I had such amazing people to work with on the book before it entered the world. I had eight novels come out in eight years with Scholastic, so that was fast for me and I needed feedback I could trust. You’re all so smart, intuitive, and communicative, and with the three of you, no stone went unturned. With The Hunger Games Trilogy, I really depended on your brains and hearts to catch what worked and what didn’t.

DL: And then there was the question of the title . . .

SC: Okay, this I remember clearly. The original title of the first book was The Tribute of District Twelve. You wanted to change it to The Hunger Games, which was my name for the series. I said, “Okay, but I’m not thinking of another name for the series!” To this day, more people ask me about “the Gregor series” than “The Underland Chronicles,” and I didn’t want a repeat of that because it’s confusing. But you were right, The Hunger Games was a much better name for the book. Catching Fire was originally called The Ripple Effect and I wanted to change that one, because it was too watery for a Girl on Fire, so we came up with Catching Fire. The third book I’d come up with a title so bad I can’t even remember it except it had the word ashes in it. We both hated it. One day, you said, “What if we just call it Mockingjay?” And that seemed perfect. The three parts of the book had been subtitled “The Mockingjay,” “The Assault,” and “The Assassin.” We changed the title to Mockingjay and the first part to “The Ashes” and got that lovely alliteration in the subtitles. Thank goodness you were there; you have far better taste in titles. I believe in the acknowledgments, I call you the Title Master.

DL: With The Hunger Games, the choice of Games is natural — but the choice of Hunger is much more odd and interesting. So I’ll ask: Why Hunger Games?

SC: Because food is a lethal weapon. Withholding food, that is. Just like it is in Boris when the Nazis starve out the people of Leningrad. It’s a weapon that targets everyone in a war, not just the soldiers in combat, but the civilians too. In the prologue of Henry V, the Chorus talks about Harry as Mars, the god of war. “And at his heels, Leash’d in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire crouch for employment.” Famine, sword, and fire are his dogs of war, and famine leads the pack. With a rising global population and environmental issues, I think food could be a significant weapon in the future.

DL: The cover was another huge effort. We easily had over a hundred different covers comped up before we landed on the iconic one. There were some covers that pictured Katniss — something I can’t imagine doing now. And there were others that tried to picture scenes. Of course, the answer was in front of us the entire time — the Mockingjay symbol, which the art director Elizabeth Parisi deployed to such amazing effect. What do you think of the impact the cover and the symbol have had? What were your thoughts when you saw this cover?

SC: Oh, it’s a brilliant cover, which I should point out I had nothing to do with. I only saw a handful of the many you developed. The one that made it to print is absolutely fantastic; I loved it at first sight. It’s classy, powerful, and utterly unique to the story. It doesn’t limit the age of the audience and I think that really contributed to adults feeling comfortable reading it. And then, of course, you followed it up with the wonderful evolution of the mockingjay throughout the series. There’s something universal about the imagery, the captive bird gaining freedom, which I think is why so many of the foreign publishers chose to use it instead of designing their own. And it translated beautifully to the screen where it still holds as the central symbolic image for the franchise.

DL: Obviously, the four movies had an enormous impact on how widely the story spread across the globe. The whole movie process started with the producers coming on board. What made you know they were the right people to shepherd this story into another form?

SC: When I decided to sell the entertainment rights to the book, I had phone interviews with over a dozen producers. Nina Jacobson’s understanding of and passion for the piece along with her commitment to protecting it won me over. She’s so articulate, I knew she’d be an excellent person to usher it into the world. The team at Lionsgate’s enthusiasm and insight made a deep impression as well. I needed partners with the courage not to shy away from the difficult elements of the piece, ones who wouldn’t try to steer the story to an easier, more traditional ending. Prim can’t live. The victory can’t be joyous. The wounds have to leave lasting scars. It’s not an easy ending but it’s an intentional one.

DL: You cowrote the screenplay for the first Hunger Games movie. I know it’s an enormously tricky thing for an author to adapt their own work. How did you approach it? What was the hardest thing about translating a novel into a screenplay? What was the most rewarding?

SC: I wrote the initial treatments and first draft and then Billy Ray came on for several drafts and then our director, Gary Ross, developed it into his shooting script and we ultimately did a couple of passes together. I did the boil down of the book, which is a lot of cutting things while trying to retain the dramatic structure. I think the hardest thing for me, because I’m not a terribly visual person, was finding the way to translate many words into few images. Billy and Gary, both far more experienced screenwriters and gifted directors as well, really excelled at that. Throughout the franchise I had terrific screenwriters, and Francis Lawrence, who directed the last three films, is an incredible visual storyteller.

The most rewarding moment on the Hunger Games movie would have been the first time I saw it put together, still in rough form, and thinking it worked.

DL: One of the strange things for me about having a novel adapted is knowing that the actors involved will become, in many people’s minds, the faces and bodies of the characters who have heretofore lived as bodiless voices in my head. Which I suppose leads to a three-part question: Do you picture your characters as you’re writing them? If so, how close did Jennifer Lawrence come to the Katniss in your head? And now when you think about Katniss, do you see Jennifer or do you still see what you imagined before?

SC: I definitely do picture the characters when I’m writing them. The actress who looks exactly like my book Katniss doesn’t exist. Jennifer looked close enough and felt very right, which is more important. She gives an amazing performance. When I think of the books, I still think of my initial image of Katniss. When I think of the movies, I think of Jen. Those images aren’t at war any more than the books are with the films. Because they’re faithful adaptations, the story becomes the primary thing. Some people will never read a book, but they might see the same story in a movie. When it works well, the two entities support and enrich each other.

DL: All of the actors did such a fantastic job with your characters (truly). Are there any in particular that have stayed with you?

SC: A writer friend of mine once said, “Your cast — they’re like a basket of diamonds.” That’s how I think of them. I feel fortunate to have had such a talented team — directors, producers, screenwriters, performers, designers, editors, marketing, publicity, everybody — to make the journey with. And I’m so grateful for the readers and viewers who invested in The Hunger Games. Stories are made to be shared.

DL: We’re talking on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of The Hunger Games. Looking back at the past ten years, what have some of the highlights been?

SC: The response from the readers, especially the young audience for which it was written. Seeing beautiful and faithful adaptations reach the screen. Occasionally hearing it make its way into public discourse on politics or social issues.

DL: The Hunger Games Trilogy has been an international bestseller. Why do you think this series struck such an important chord throughout the world?

SC: Possibly because the themes are universal. War is a magnet for difficult issues. In The Hunger Games, you have vast inequality of wealth, destruction of the planet, political struggles, war as a media event, human rights abuses, propaganda, and a whole lot of other elements that affect human beings wherever they live. I think the story might tap into the anxiety a lot of people feel about the future right now.

DL: As we celebrate the past ten years and look forward to many decades to come for this trilogy, I’d love for us to end where we should — with the millions of readers who’ve embraced these books. What words would you like to leave them with?

SC: Thank you for joining Katniss on her journey. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

#thg #the hunger games #suzanne collins #katniss everdeen #catching fire #mockingjay #tbosas #thg book club #saw they took the pdf version down smh

[prythianpages]

ACOSM | The Night she met Noctis

azriel x rhysand's sister (oc)

warnings: fluff, spoilers for the harry potter series bc I couldn't help but mention hp in this lol

summary: Valeria and Rhysand come across an injured bird when walking together at night. Valeria decides to take the bird under her wing and nurses it back to health, finding a strange similarity between her the dark creature.

A/N: this is an imagine among my collection of imagines that follow Rhysand's sister, Valeria. while I'm still working on them, you can find the masterlist for it here. I know the next imagines were meant to be Valeria's birthday and the coming of the Bloodrite but I when I was driving today, I thought it'd be cute for Valeria to have a little pet bird. So sorry that this one isn't as eventful but there some good foreshadowing here. I hope you can still enjoy it <3

**

Rhysand strolled alongside Valeria, the calm of the evening wrapping around them like a comforting embrace. The stars were like shimmering diamonds in the night sky, their gentle glow soothing to the soul. They had just returned from Velaris, where they had dropped their mother off before winnowing back to Windhaven.

Rhysand, ever the protective older brother, could sense the weight of unspoken thoughts on Valeria's mind. He didn’t have to pry into her thoughts to know what was troubling her. They had run into their father when they dropped their mother off. They hadn’t seen him in months. Their father, the High Lord of the Night Court, praised Rhysand for growing up to be strong and expressed his best wishes to Rhysand as the annual bloodrite was approaching. Rhysand, along with Cassian and Azriel, would be participating this year as they had reached the age where it was tradition for Illyrian males to prove their worth as warriors.

Their father barely acknowledged Valeria, and Rhysand had to bite back the urge to call their father out on it at the sight of Valeria’s eyes losing their usual spark.

Rhysand took a moment to gather his thoughts, delicately approaching the topic that weighed on Valeria. “Care to share what’s troubling you?”

Valeria shook her head but when she felt the familiar touch of her brother's concern caressing her mind, she sighed. Her gaze was fixed on the stars, reflecting a mix of frustration and sadness. "The Blood Rite... How all males must participate to prove their worth as warriors. But why does it have to be so... brutal? Can't there be a different way?"

Rhysand sighed, acutely aware that while the bloodrite was on her mind, it wasn't the main source of her distress. It was, unmistakably, their father’s neglect that troubled her the most.

"Traditions are deeply ingrained, and altering them is an unfortunate, immense challenge. It's a test of strength, of endurance. It encompasses not only physical strength but also mental and strategic prowess."

“And what are your thoughts on it?”

Rhysand shrugged, the gravity of the tradition weighing on him. “Honestly, it is a bit unsettling.”

“Do you believe they’ll ever allow females to participate in the bloodrite?”

“Females have participated in the bloodrite before,” Rhysand replied, shooting a look at Valeria as if to deter her thoughts. He, protective as ever, would never wish for his sister to partake in such a dangerous ritual. “However, it’s rare and often not by choice.”

Valeria’s eyebrows furrowed, her wings mirroring her confusion. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a cruel way for fathers to punish their daughters, an excuse to slaughter them without getting their hands dirty themselves,” he explained, revealing a dark aspect of the tradition that made Valeria's heart ache for the unfairness of it all.

“As if clipping their wings wasn’t enough.” Valeria let out a small huff. “It seems that the world loves punishing daughters.”

Rhysand also couldn’t stand the thought that the world didn’t value females as it should. He shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the weight of the unjust world pressing on his shoulders. His eyes, violet pools of determination, burned with an unwavering fire. “It’ll be different when I’m High Lord,” he promised.

“I know.”

A sense of fierce pride surged through Valeria in that moment. Her brother, who so strongly resembled their father in appearance, couldn't be any more different in conviction. Rhysand as High Lord would be a beacon of change and hope. A testament to the possibility of a better world, a world where daughters were cherished and valued as much as sons.

They fell into comfortable silence then.

 As they made their way back to their house in Windhaven, the sound of faint chirping caught their attention. The chirping grew louder, resembling a cry for help, like a plea from someone in need. Intrigued, they followed the sound.

Following the source of the sound, they discovered a small, injured bird lying on the ground. Valeria knelt down, her heart going out to the frail creature. She noticed one wing was smaller than the other. She carefully cradled the bird in her hands, worry etched on her face.

Rhysand joined her, his concern mirroring hers. "Poor thing. It must have fallen from its nest."

Valeria nodded, gently holding the injured bird. "We need to help it.”

**

Valeria had named the bird Noctis, after its dark plumage that shimmered like the night sky. Over the course of several days, she meticulously watched as the bird, despite its injuries, displayed a remarkable will to survive. Its resilience struck a chord with her, a reflection of her own strength during challenging times.

Perched delicately on her finger, Noctis's one undergrown wing trembled slightly as if in anticipation. As the sun cast a warm, golden glow through the window, the bird chirped and fluttered its wings. Noctis was healing. 

Noctis soon became a constant companion, finding comfort in perching on her shoulders during chores or errands around the house or camp. The bird even accompanied her when she went ice skating with Mallory, choosing to watch from a nearby tree branch. 

**

One day, as Valeria sat at the piano, her fingers dancing gracefully across the keys, Noctis was perched on top of the instrument, curiously observing the movement of her fingers. It seemed Noctis had tired of chasing Azriel’s shadows for the night. His shadows had surprisingly taken a liking to the bird. If Noctis wasn’t with Valeria or Azriel’s shadows, it was likely he was annoying Rhysand by picking the lint off his clothes, perched on top of Cassian’s head or messing with her mother’s thread and fabrics.

Valeria played a lively tune and to her delightful surprise, Noctis began to mimic the tune in his own chirpy, playful way. Amused and excited, Valeria laughed softly, encouraging Noctis to continue. She played another tune, and once again, Noctis responded with his endearing chirps, as if engaging in a musical conversation.

Upstairs, Rhysand, trying to focus on his reading, found the chirping and piano music increasingly annoying. “Just leave it be,” Cassian warned him with a knowing look.

Rhysand sent him a glare as he put down his book and made his way downstairs. His gaze landed on Azriel, who had fallen asleep on the couch shortly after dinner, before meeting his sister’s.

“Do you have to encourage the bird to compete with the piano?” Rhysand asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone. “I am trying to finish the tale of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Ginny is the one who opens the Chamber of Secrets!” 

Rhysand sent her a vulgar gesture for spoiling the book for him. Azriel began to stir, along with his shadows that had cuddled up against him, from his spot on the couch, surprise etched on his features as he hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep there. 

Valeria giggled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Oh, come on, Rhys! Everyone knows how the series ends. Besides, Noctis is just having fun. We're making music together."

Rhysand shook his head, trying to suppress a smile. "I don't understand how you find this amusing."

Valeria shrugged, her focus back on the piano. "It's the little things that bring joy.”

She played another tune, and once more, Noctis joined in, filling the room with a cheerful, harmonious cacophony. Both Valeria and Noctis squealed in delight, reveling in the delightful musical moment. Even Azriel, with heavy and tired eyes still from his nap on the couch, couldn't help but crack a smile 

“Whatever,” Rhysand retorted, a playful annoyance in his tone as he rolled his eyes. “If you keep on spoiling this series for me or that bird of yours doesn’t decide it's bedtime soon, I won't be bothering with a birthday gift for you!”

Rhysand turned, making his way back up the stairs toward his room. However, he was intercepted by Azriel, who had stirred on the couch and once again made himself comfortable, though his wings made the task a bit cumbersome. With a sly grin, Azriel called out:

 "Snape kills Dumbledore!"

Rhysand let out an exaggerated groan. “Fuck you guys!”

**

I couldn't think of any old tale for Rhysand to be reading so I decided to bring up Harry Potter lol

Tag list: @justrepostandlove @kemillyfreitas @thelov3lybookworm

#azriel shadowsinger #azriel #azriel x oc #azriel imagine #azriel x rhysand's sister #rhysand's sister #rhysand imagine #acotar #acotar imagine

[cherrytea556]

People truly underestimate closeted aro, aces and aroaces because in a world predominated in romance and sex, one so ingrained as these universal things in our society, whose to sure gonna believe us when we come out?

Sure in some ways, we do have certain privileges over other sexualities like from my experiences, I have seen homophobic kids in my school, two classmates next to me even joking about throwing rocks at gay people, yet weren't bothered by me being aroace or "asexual" as they call it (they either don't know aromantic or make that 'aerodynamic' joke whenever i mention it) but that doesn't mean aro, aces and aroaces don't share experiences with the lgbt because we do. For one, our parents are from an older generation that withholds love and sex as important things humans must have so they expect us to experience that same thing, and dismiss us when we go against that. And especially if you have homophobic or 'supportive' parents that are ironically homophobic, they'll definitely assume you were brainwashed somehow (e.g internet) and either try to 'convert' you or give you an unjust punishment just because they refuse to learn from things prior to their years. From the lack of recognition with aro, aces and aroaces (especially aros/aroaces), people won't believe us when we say who we are. Even in my examples of privilege, I didn't tell those homophobic people that i was specifically aroace, just that I wasn't interested in anyone romantically/sexually because I was worried that they'll judge me and put me as one of the gays to get hit by rocks.

The point is, being aro/ace/aroace is extremely isolating. It makes it even harder to come out when you know the world still doesn't understand you, still doesn't accommodate for you and still doesn't even recognise you. Even in our own community, we are isolated from the dominant nature of love and sex. Aromantics particularly are the most isolated as ace and aroace is starting to become more recognised, yet aromantics are always seen being left out because of how the lgbt community and outside of it heavily prioritize love; saying it makes you 'human', saying that 'everyone feels love', alienating those within our own community.

You can't say that aro, aces and aroaces aren't apart of the community when we share the experiences you guys have experienced and still experience. Were just different. Just like you were and are.

#aromantic #aro #asexual #ace #aroace #aromantic asexual #lgbt #queer

[smokygluvs]

Stanislav Sergeyevich Govoruchin - 1936-2018 (the pipe smoker's pipe smoker)

I have spotted this absurdly handsome pipe smoking man on my internet travels (and have also posted one or two of him already) without bothering to find out much about him.

Govoruchin was an actor, film director and latterly politician who was held in a sort of reverence not only in Russia but across Europe (at least in film-making circles).

I must admit, I have never seen him in anything and (as far as I know) not seen any of his directorial work.

So, what, to my mind, does he have going for him?

Bald. Grey hair and moustache. Beautiful eyes. Extremely handsome. Pipe smoker.

He also had a keen eye for a flat cap.

And, finally, generally impeccably dressed. I can't help but think he knew exactly how sexually attractive he was (and how good he looked with a pipe).

The only thing against him is the fact that (so far) I have found no pictures of him in leather gloves. I shall keep looking.

He possessed so many masculine attributes in one stunning man and, that, my friends, proves that the world is an inherently unjust place.

#pipe smoker #moustache #bald #Stanislav Govoruchin

[jewish-vents]

I’m going to be straight up: antisemitism is genuinely just so depressing. How much longer will the world be unjust like this? How many more times are we going to repeat history?

It feels like a stab in the gut. It is such a grand betrayal… but why am I surprised? I got so comfortable with the illusion of ‘polite society’ being against unjust and cruel hatreds like these. It was just that though, an illusion. A flimsy notion of respect that crumbled oh so easily to reveal the disgusting, abyssal, ancient infection in the mass psyche of humanity that is antisemitism. It was like a fucking pimple waiting to pop. I don’t know if I should seek refuge in optimism. Should I seek refuge in the idea that these cycles will be broken in the future? Should I hope that these lessons will finally be learned?

It’s fucking harrowing… it’s like “we are in your face, we hate you, we all hate you, we decide what you are, we outnumber you, there is no room for you to crawl anymore…” That’s how it feels. It’s so cruel, so conformist, so uncharitable, so closed off. The way people talk about Jews carries so much hatred, so much darkness, and no fairness. It carries this dark overtone of them being so clearly glad that they can finally scratch their ever present itch for Jew hatred. It’s mask off. It’s like… “we’ve set up this game where you can NEVER win, no matter what you do”. With a smug and evil smile. Antisemitism is very “guess, don’t ask”. When you ask, you are identified as an acceptable target for cartoon villain levels of bullying. It’s like… “you can’t ask because we won’t answer. You are bad for asking. You are bad for trying to understand our hatred of you. Why dont you just accept it?We’ve all made up our mind about you!”. It’s so fucking malignant.

I guess I’m just tired of trying to be stoic about this. I can’t really make peace with it. I know I can’t control how people feel and think… but the cruelty of it is damning. It feels like I have no mouth but I must scream, lol.

And I dont freaking hate anybody or want anybody to suffer. I hate injustice so much, in every form. I hate injustice, I hate how ignorant and cult-like hatred is. It closes humanity off to integrity, vulnerability, and growth. It’s so anti-human, so dark, and so insidious.

At the end of the day though, we have each other and that really is so beautiful and comforting. It makes a world of difference to me. And maybe it’s silly of me to be so blindly optimistic… but I have a feeling that justice will prevail in the end. Even if I don’t see it in my lifetime, that is okay. I just hope we are stumbling vaguely in that direction. Even if it isn’t a linear path. I mean.. we’ve come this far haven’t we? There is something to be said about the power of resilience and faith in ourselves. It’s the good kind of self-fulfilling prophecy

.

#jewish vents #antisemitism

[crowleyholmes]

Bonus:

Don't mind me, I was just thinking about how Crowley must feel every time Aziraphale seems to put him in a box with the rest of hell. I know he tells him he's nice and kind and good and his friend just as many times or more, but still - after 6000 years of friendship and Doing The Right Thing together, it must have hurt when Aziraphale told him he's evil, and then even more when he told him you're the bad guys.

I just find it sooo interesting to look into every instance of Aziraphale talking about Crowley in either way. I want to take his thought process apart and study it under a microscope. We know that he knows that Crowley isn't evil, and we know that Crowley knows that he knows, and we (and Crowley) know that Aziraphale (up until a certain point) is just incredibly Heaven-brainwashed and it's hard for him to break out of that unless there's a situation at hand that requires Direct Action (see giving away the flaming sword to protect Adam and Eve, or protecting Job's children, or helping Elspeth to help Dalrymple, or stopping the Apocalypse).

How does he travel the world and the ages with Crowley and still somehow manage to call him evil with any level of seriousness? He is so convinced that all demons are evil, and at the same time he knows that Crowley's fall was unjust and a mistake and Crowley is NOT evil, but Crowley is a demon, but he's good and kind and nice and just, and Aziraphale sometimes struggles with that. Not consciously, I think, consciously he loves Crowley and trusts him and knows him well enough to see beyond angel/demon good/evil black and white thinking, but sometimes thoughts slip out of his mouth that are just. So far removed from what we know he knows.

He believes so strongly, in two things that could not be more mutually exclusive, and it's so fascinating. There's a lot of growth in that regard over the course of the series, we know that by the end of season 2 when he's talking to the Metatron, he is very clear in stating that his priority and his loyalty lie with Crowley, not with heaven. And I hold firm to my belief that he is going to Heaven because That's The Right Thing To Do, because he believes he can Make Things Better, for everybody, yes, but most importantly for Crowley. For the two of them!!

And YET. AND YET "you're the bad guys" somehow comes out of his mouth, when Crowley has Never really been a part of hell, and has always wanted to do the right thing for as long as Aziraphale has known him, and has been free of hell for Years now.

Still, Crowley is a Demon, and Demons Are Evil, angels and demons are hereditary enemies, right?

Except.... it's a little different when it's someone you know, isn't it?

#good omens #good omens 2 #meta #or rather just me rambling a lot really #I feel like i put all this into words So Badly i'm not sure my point comes across #tbh i dont know if there is a point #i'm just so FASCINATED WITH HIS MIND #I feel like I understand Crowley so so so well #his every move makes perfect sense to me always #but with Aziraphale #I feel like I understand him for the most part but then sometimes he has moments that make me go???? #WHAT was his thought process here #i just want to KNOW #i want to have an alcoholic breakfast at the ritz with michael sheen and just talk about Aziraphale tbh #okay whoops more rambling in the tags #let's tag this as #mine

[earthdoves]

transcript:

A few days ago, I received an invite from the Biden administration for a Diwali event being held by the VP on Nov 8 2023. I'm surprised this administration finds it acceptable to celebrate Diwali, when their support of the current atrocities against Palestinians represent the exact opposite of what this holiday means to many of us.

Diwali is celebrated by people of South Asian heritage worldwide. In the Hindu & Jain traditions, Diwali is the celebration of righteousness over falsehood and knowledge over ignorance.

In the Sikh tradition, during the time of Diwali, our 6th guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, helped free 52 fellow political prisoners from unjust imprisonment. We call this day Bandi Chhor Divas. I have always used this day to reflect on what it means to fight for freedom against oppression.

Today, the American government is not only funding the bombardment of Gaza, they continue to justify this genocide against Palestinians-regardless of how many refugee camps, health facilities, and places of worship are blown to bits. They reject the call for a humanitarian ceasefire- a baseline action being demanded by the United Nations, organizations like Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, and a majority of countries. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed. The UN says 70% of the dead are women and children. We have seen Israel use white phosphorus bombs, which Amnesty International says must be investigated as a war crime. We've seen footage on CNN of Israeli settlers kicking out and occupying the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank. (Cont'd...)

I implore my South Asian community to hold this administration accountable. As a Sikh woman, I will not allow my likeness to be used in whitewashing this administration's actions. I refuse any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population-50% of whom are children.

As a community, we cannot remain silent or agreeable just to get a seat at the table. It comes at too high a cost to human life. Many of my contemporaries have told me in private that what's happening in Gaza is awful, but they aren't going to risk their livelihood or "a chance at creating change from the inside". There is no magical change that will happen from being on the inside. We must be brave. We must not be tokenized by their photo-ops. The privilege we lose from speaking up is nothing compared to what Palestinians lose each day because this administration rejects a ceasefire.

When a government's actions dehumanize people anywhere in the world, it is our moral imperative to call for justice. Do not be afraid. Stand with the world and demand a humanitarian ceasefire. Many voices will join you when you speak. Let us sign petitions. Attend protests. Boycott. Call our reps and say- stop the genocide.

- rupi kaur

#free palestine #rupi kaur #palestine

[neoaevis]

K.DY | A Vow of Convenience (TEASER)

☞ Pairings: reader x husband doyoung 

☞ Genre: smut, angst, fluff, arranged marriage au

✩ Word Count: 1,007 (Teaser) I’m currently at 4k with the fic.

✩ Warnings: family problems ishh, semi-cheating, arranged marriage

✩ Summary: Arranged weddings were still common practice in the glittering world of the privileged. It was a mechanism for affluent families to retain their social standing and financial security while ensuring that their children married into the "proper" family. Despite various justifications, there were still some aristocratic people who were against arranged marriages. They believed that forcing someone to marry someone they did not know or love was unjust. Even worse, some of them believed it violated the principles of individualism and personal freedom that were so important to their way of life. The vast majority, who valued arranged weddings as an integral part of their culture and way of life, frequently drowned out these opposition voices. Arranged weddings continued to be a common practice in the world of the wealthy despite the evolution of time. You and Doyoung are one of the best examples, both of you had been raised in households that placed a premium on keeping money and status and maintaining financial stability. Unbeknownst to everyone, including you both, both of your families had chosen to arrange your marriage when you were still very young with the understanding that it would benefit both clans.

✿ A/N: Prequel of Boy Toy with a lot of awkward moments (Send me a ask to tag you, once it is released)

According to some, getting married is every woman's fantasy, from the wedding gown to the jewelry she would wear on her body. Most young girls would dress up in their mother's wedding gown and pretend to go down the aisle as they fantasize about their prince charming and the wonderful moment when they said "I do."

Weddings are also bittersweet celebrations for parents; they are thrilled for the new milestone in their daughter's life and the eternal joy she will enjoy, but grief is unavoidable as they must finally let go of the child they raised with pride and glory.

Arranged weddings were still common practice in the glittering world of the privileged. It was a mechanism for affluent families to retain their social standing and financial security while ensuring that their children married into the "proper" family.

The concept of an arranged marriage was not novel. You'd grown up going to galas and social functions, where you were frequently presented to suitable bachelors from other rich families. Yet you'd always wanted to fall in love on your own terms, without the pressures and expectations that come with an arranged marriage.

Your wedding is without a doubt the most lavish and anticipated wedding of the century; it's a celebration that will not only bind you two together with your spouse, but a union between two extremely wealthy and powerful business empires; the entire marriage is solely due to your parents' greed; it's not a wedding out of love.

Every item in your body right now makes you appear to be a flawless princess who is overjoyed to marry, especially with the obvious effort that has gone into how you look, but what no one knows is the agony this wedding has brought upon you, the sacrificial lamb of those who are greedy for power, forever you shall be cuffed in a loveless marriage and be the bride who just opens her legs and obeys her husband and in laws.

You've always been a loyal daughter, and you knew you had to do what was required of you. You knew your parents had your best interests at heart and wanted you to have a nice life. Yet you couldn't help but feel lonely and alone.

You're sitting in your room, lost in contemplation, staring at the wall. You are going to marry a man you have never met. The parents, whom you had grown up with and loved, had arranged and pushed you to accept this marriage.

A knock on your door reveals that someone hopes to enter, and you can't help but cry when you see your closest friend Mina show up; "What's wrong, my dear?" she muttered, worry written on her face as she held you in a tight embrace.

You shook your head, unable to put your feelings into words. You had accepted fate, but the reality of it all was too much for you to handle. 

Mina had always been your best friend. You'd grown up together, sharing everything from secrets to clothing. When your parents informed you that they had planned a marriage for you, Mina was the only person you could confide in.

"I...I can't do it, Mina," you muttered, hardly audible above a whisper. "I can't marry him since I don't love him and don't want to spend my life with him."

"Shhh, dear, I understand; if only fate wasn't so harsh to those of us who live in this type of world." she said as she grabs your hand "We must make sacrifices for those who brought us to this planet and the power they still want; it hurts, but who knows? Maybe things will work out between you and Doyoung." she says it in her best attempt to console you.

Your tears streamed down your cheeks as you sighed. "But what about my dreams, Mina? What about all I've always wanted to do with my life?"

Mina wrapped her arm over your shoulders. "It's not over, Y/N. You have an entire lifetime in front of you, and no matter what happens, you can make it beautiful, and I'll be there to support you each step of the way." 

You heard a loud knock on the door, and your parents stormed in before the attendant could even respond. They were dressed to the nines and grinning with delight.

"Are you ready, darling?" your mother inquired, her eyes welling up.

"She's ready, Mrs. Y/L/N," Mina replies quietly as she wipes her tears from the recent occurrences. 

You forced a smile as you nod to your mother, your father handed you a lovely bouquet of tulips and grabbed your arm as he led you out of the chamber and down the corridor.

The wedding bells rang, and the sound resonated throughout the banquet hall. It was a lovely sound, one that signaled the beginning of a new life, the beginning of eternity. The ringing of the bells just added to your anxiety. 

You put on a fake smile to attempt to appear joyful, but your heart wasn't in it. All your hopes of falling in love, of meeting someone who would love you for who you are, rather than because of an arranged marriage, have been dashed.

The wedding bells kept ringing, and you couldn't help but be jealous of the couples who had decided to marry for love. They were fortunate to have a voice over their own life.

You attempted to find consolation in the concept that perhaps you can find happiness in your wretched circumstances as you saw your fiancé standing at the altar. But as you approached the altar, you realized it was all a lie. You were strangers compelled to marry by your own families, and there will be no love between you. 

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