#aureliamartell

[sweetscarlettangel]

FIRE TESTS GOLD LIV

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FIRE TESTS GOLD ACT TWO

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Shades of War Cover reveal!

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CHAPTER XXXVIII

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Fire Tests Gold XXVII

Chapter XXVII

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Should I split Fire Tests Gold into different stories?

Yes

No

Voting ended onFeb 25

[sweetscarlettangel]

What do you mistake for love?

Aurelia Martell

Salvation

A pitiful case of mistaken identity indeed. You mistake love for being saved. For being carried away from the destruction and pain of your own life by arms that are steady and strong and oh so protective. You don’t understand that your life, though influenced by others, is still your life. How do you ever expect to really live if you cannot even stand on your own two feet? Love is a crutch not a wheelchair. It is not the salvation you think it is. If you are spared from every painful experience, what did you learn? Tell me. What did you gain? Love is not a rescue boat ready to lift you to safety. Love is a hand beside yours, steadying you as you learn to swim.

Sabrina Courtenay

Intensity

I’ll admit, I am partial to your mistakenness for love. You love like a fist, like a knife. So sharp you’re overwhelmed by the sting and so forceful it knocks the air right out of you. Love is not love to you, without danger, risk, obsession. If it does not overwhelm then it feels hollow. If it does not hurt then where is the proof it even existed? You wear scars like a medal of honour. The pain was intense, it hurt, you grit your teeth. But it made you feel oh so.. alive. Unfortunately I must tell you that love is not meant to scorch you. It is meant to warm you. You need a flame, not a bonfire

Elanya Farman

Validation

You confuse love with praise. But what you must understand is that love is not transactional. You do not need to prove you deserve love and if you did, was it really ever love? That mindset of “If I do this you’ll love me”, “If I prove how great I am you’ll love me”, are you really looking for love or are you seeking applause? Validation is an abyss that sees no end. There is always the next appraisal to gain and the next and the next.. If love truly was so transactional, if it demanded constant performance, do you think it would even be worth it?

Laila Reyne

Control

I admit, I am bias on your mistakenness of love. Because I understand. People like us know that love is a rare thing and so when we have it, we will do anything to keep it within our grasp. And what better way than to control it? If you can predict someone, shape them or influence them to love you so much, bordering on obsession, that they will never leave, then you are secure. You understand it as devotion, loyalty, an undying possession. But what you also need to understand is that love is not a gilded cage. How can you expect to be loved if you do not dare to loosen your claws enough to trust in their love? Because the real special kind of love, trusts without drawing blood

[sweetscarlettangel]

What kind of goodbye are you?

Aurelia Martell

the slow fade

you never meant for it to be goodbye, but it was. you drifted away slowly, almost imperceptibly. you took longer to reply to texts, plans fell through. you're the kind of goodbye that no one realizes is a goodbye until you're gone. the group glances back, doing a headcount, wondering where you are, but they don't realize that you were gone before anything even began.

Sabrina Courtenay

the smile that says everything

you never said a word, but they knew. you're gentle in your goodbyes. a final glance. a hand squeeze. a subtle smile that simultaneously says more and less than words ever could. you don't have to like endings, but you understand them, and carry them out with grace. they think about your goodbye all the time. it didn't feel real. it felt like love. and that's why it still hurts.

Elanya Farman

ghosted

your goodbye never really happened. you just vanished. it wasn't meant to be cruel (right?), you simply reacted out of panic. you were scared you'd get left first. you disappear instead of facing the ending, and your silence weighs more than words ever could. your absence haunts the person you left.

Laila Reyne

 the slammed door

you leave like thunder. full of fury and chaos. when you go, it's fast and final. an impulsive decision made in the height of the worst moments. your goodbyes echo, shaking the walls. the kind that leave people staring blankly at the spot you used to stand in. they may never forgive you, but they won't forget you either.