#taolaw

…no. Doctor Avery wouldn’t do that, would he?

[ The Art of Love and War - Chapter 7: Unmarked.] @fireflywritesgt has captured me with their story and universe and characters and there's no stopping this madness.

“Happy”

Needed to draw Harry and Joe ASAP because the recent chapters of TAOLAW absolutely broke my heart and I will be needing emergency surgery to fix it 😭😭

Characters belong to @fireflywritesgt ‘s “The Art of Love and War” and designs are heavily inspired by @remordsposthume ‘s designs

I’m back with memes part 4 for the awesomely talented @fireflywritesgt and their story “The Art of Love and War”

Other parts here: Part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 5 / Happy

🚨Major spoilers ahead!🚨

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Herman *derogatory*

POV: You are Herman Avery and you just told Billy that you put Joe in a jar…

(Deserved, Billy was totally justified. 👊 I was about to be next in line istg 🙄😠.)

The Art of Love and War

Rejected by his family and existing within the fringes of tiny society, career trinket peddler Joe Piccoli enjoys a life of solitude in the floorboards of the abandoned Stinson House - until a human has the audacity to move in and spruce the place up. After waking up to a handwritten note and a gift addressed directly to him, he must resist the temptation to abandon all ties to his fellow miniatures for good by breaking the golden rule: never talk to a big person!

Haunted by the ghosts of the Great War and shaken by the sudden loss of his mother, if there is one thing Doctor Herman Avery needs it is solitude. Drawn to the loneliness of the allegedly haunted Stinson House, the doctor immediately takes to renovations - only to discover that the house is already occupied with a fascinating specimen he's never encountered before: a miniature. The doctor now finds himself determined to lure his new neighbour out, but will he ever be able to get the stubborn little fellow to talk?

Faced with the prospect of an unlikely friendship, the two men must navigate the struggles of identity, dependency, politics and trauma; all in the name of being less alone in a world much crueler - and much bigger - than the both of them.

Content Notes: Now rated 18+ out of an abundance of caution. There's no nsfw scenes in this, I just decided I don't like watering myself down for children. In writing this story, I asked myself one question: if tiny people were real, how would society treat them? This story is my attempt at giving an honest answer to that question. Set in 1926; there are sensitive themes in this work, of loss and trauma, ethnic and class division, prejudice, internalized homophobia and social unrest. The pet trope gets actively deconstructed and examined in this. It is not a work for everyone, and it's okay if this isn't the work for you - please take care of yourself. For those who are interested in exploring further, welcome! Get ready to have some feelings.

INDEX:

Part 1: The Trick to Eating Chocolate

Part 2: Talking to the Walls

Part 3: Captain Calloway's

Part 4: Forbidden Knowledge

Part 5: A Civilized Place to Be

Part 6: Marked

Part 7: Unmarked

Part 8: Counting the Cost

Part 9: A Safe Place to Be

Part 10: Wild

Part 11: Mouse on a Motorcycle

Part 12: Caught

Part 13: The Eyes along the Docks

Part 14: In the Dark of the Rain

Part 15: In the Warmth of the Window

Part 16: The Assistant

Part 17: Harry in a Hospital

Part 18: Mathilde

Part 19: Intricate Rituals

Part 20: Mutters the Clown

Part 21: Terror in Tiny Town

Part 22: The Right Thing

Part 23: The Night Market

Part 24: A Small and Precious Thing

Part 25: Scared

Part 26: A Like Vision

Part 27: House on a Hill

Part 28: Happy Birthday, Georgie Marshall

Part 29: A Journey Shared

Part 30: Happy

Part 31: In Love and War

Part 32: A Hint of Spite

Part 33: Subject to Review

Part 34: A Passing Shadow

Part 35: Starlight over Sunnyside

Part 36: Strength

Part 37: Hairpin Turn

Part 38: A Happy Place to Be

Part 39: Untamed

Part 40: Good Neighbours

Part 41: The Glint of the Knife

Part 42: An Empty Space

Part 43: In the Cold of the Cage

Part 44: The Problem with Joe Piccoli

Part 45: Romeo

Part 46: Dogs of War

Part 47: Welcome Home

Part 48: Three Ghosts

Part 49: The Altar of Petdom

Part 50: Scars

Part 51: Almost Free

Part 52: Artist Unknown

Huzzah!

Listen to the Audio Next Chapter

Read The Story Index | First Chapter

Welcome to Chapter 1 of the TAoLaW "dramatic" reading. What can I say, the theatre kid in me needed to record this in audio format. Have I mentioned how much I love this fic? Yes? Well I'm saying it again, I LOVE THE ART OF LOVE AND WAR!!! If you haven't read it please go read it.