#but here my breakdown is done 😤

[romidoes]

husbands taking a nap after work 🐈🐈‍⬛

[destinyc1020]

This made me really sad. Hollywood will always be the same I hope there change one day

https://twitter.com/slightwright/status/1737397453513482523?s=46&t=MsTyyZBGy5t6aYtbstg3fg

X

Wow.... this really hurts my heart for real. 😥

I've heard Taraji talk about this inequality in pay in Hollywood for ages... In fact, I've even posted some of her videos to my blog where she spills the tea and really breaks down for you how much she actually is able to keep from her paychecks. But I have NEVER seen her breakdown like this.... 😭🥺

This just really hurt my spirit... 😔 I keep telling people that a LOT of your faves in Hollywood really aren't making as much money as you THINK they're making. 😔 ESPECIALLY poc.

By the time everyone has a cut, they're not left with as much money as reported. That has to be so discouraging. I know how I feel when I see how much Uncle Sam takes from my pay check every pay period... 🙄 I can't imagine having that AND having to pay my team on top of that.

Now we know why some of these actors are always out here WORKING.... Like, some people are like, "wow, they're ALWAYS working huh?" Or, "Geez, they're in everything!" But now I see, a lot of these actors are working so hard because they HAVE to! Plain and simple!

I remember when people were saying that Zendaya is a "workaholic", or "works too much", and I'll admit, there was even a time in the past when I felt like she could have afforded to take a little break here and there... but now I realize... we don't always know all the facts or what's going on bts! Woc, esp in Hollywood are NOT given the same opportunities/roles as their white (or even male) counterparts, and not only that, but when they DO land a role, they're earning so much LESS than others. It's so sad and, quite frankly, insulting. 😤

My heart goes out to Taraji, because she's been in the game for years, and she's steadily done more and more amazing work year after year... so the fact that she's not getting her due compensation is just awful. 😔 I'm glad she's exposing this.

Even Terence Howard is suing because he feels like he hasn't been compensated half as much as his peers in Hollywood, even though he and Taraji had that hit show "Empire" on Fox for YEARS! I never watched the show past the first season, but I know how POPULAR and well-watched that show was.... it even won awards... So it's just awful that they aren't being paid their worth.

I really hope she doesn't give up acting, because she's so talented. 🥺🙏🏾

Thanks for sharing this Anon.

BTW, here's the FULL portion of the interview in case anyone is interested:

[nikatyler]

Random BG3 Shenanigans

The only braincell in the group goes to Lae'zel today

Wonderful note to end on for now innit

"gods, you're worse than me and my siblings and I didn't think something like that is actually possible"

obsessed with their face and their glowing green eyes

IT'S ON LET'S GOOOOOOO SHADOWLAR TYHEART OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL THEM IT'S HAPPENINGGGGGG

(it was not happening, I never played that save again)

ohh i'm probably gonna be getting comments about mizora from annoying people if i keep him like this won't i (red hair/blueish skin)

dude's got nothing to do with mizora! in fact if you bring her up he'll probably cry!!! he's a burned out depressed student ex wizard now knowledge cleric of mystra! 😤 (definitely didn't base the burned out depressed part on anyone particular, nope not at all) wyll's a bestie!!

question, he's one of three siblings (triplets actually), his brother is purple, do tiefling siblings have to be similar colours? i suppose they have to huh because like…they're full siblings

he is not fit for an adventure he's gonna start every morning with a mental breakdown (real)

five seconds in Lae'zel's presence and he wants to cry

(btw I'll introduce him properly later when I also create his sister and my tiefling trio is complete but if you know my sims, you might recognize who he's based on and that could give you an idea)

(I did not introduce him properly, I never posted him again)

Couldn't find a fitting head preset for her and so she doesn't look mean enough but know that you piss her off slightly and can expect a fireball coming your way. 🔥 anyway 3/3 triplets done yay!!

Taking my army of tavs from the nautiloid, one step at a time. I think everyone I've created so far has now made it out...time for another batch, I guess!

Still feel like Byanka's face is too cute and doesn't reflect her personality too much but oh well, looks can be deceiving I guess!

That went uhh...that went. Yeah. Not well though.

At least you're not dead like the rest of the party was just a moment ago??

Byanka thread? Byanka thread. And I'll try to keep her entire playthrough here instead of starting a separate one every day.

Fingers crossed I'll do what I planned to do with her and won't chicken out of it. Sorry grove, sorry tieflings. Just this once, let me have this 😭😂

These shots are obligatory.

[marshmallowprotection]

I understand why Saeran bleached his hair and how he feels about it, but how would he (all versions of himself) react if I told him that...I actually really liked his hair?

I've always loved his hair's design. The snowy white softly contrasted with its pink tips always captivated me, and the fact that Ray combs his hair probably means that it's smooth and soft to touch...

But then I remember the reasons why Saeran bleached his hair. It was to escape his past, to sever himself totally from Saeyoung, a longing to make himself look totally different, and so I suppose the easiest way to change his appearance in a very clear way probably would be to mute his bright hair with bleach.

I know there's a lot of pain and hate and disgust in him which drove him to that decision. It was a response to the false and heartbreaking information he was being fed by Rika

...

But I should feel guilty in this, for liking Saeran's hair as it was a result of trauma, shouldn't I?

...

This last bit here sounds so stupid

But I can't help but loving and admiring his hair's unintentional beauty.

....

Do you think Ray was the one to bleach his hair? The job was sort of botched, in order to leave the pink remnants of the red. Knowing that it was very likely done by himself, I can't help but picture that it might've been Ray, frantic to rid himself of 'that redhead' as soon as possible...

If so...I don't even know how he would react if I complimented him on it

... 😭😭 I don't mean it badly at all...I mean it in the most affectionate way possible

..

This is how I feel all of the Saerans will react.

Ray: 🥺😖😰

Suit: 😡😤

Unknown: 🤬👿

...

For GE Saeran I actually don't know

...canonically he does keep his hair bleached, but...how would he react if he knew I liked his hair? Would he be flattered, pleased? Would he just politely accept my compliment with secret discomfort in remembering the past?

Or would he understand maybe that I simply love his hair because...I think it's beautiful?

Well, in the case of Saeran’s hair, we have to think about why it was bleached in the first place. As he was being tortured and manipulated during his early time in Mint Eye, he was trained to hate the very mention of his brother. Do you know how hard it is to be disgusted by the very idea of your twin brother? They have the same features. They have the same face. Every time he looks in the mirror, he sees his brother.

Do you know how hard it would be to look at yourself in the mirror and feel sick to your stomach despite knowing that your reflection is your own?

The only thing he could see looking back at him in the mirror was his brother. His mirror image. He had to get rid of his red hair so he wouldn't feel sick every time he looked at himself. It wasn't a clean dye job, either. The reason why he has pink streaks in his hair in the first place is that he haphazardly dyed his hair during a breakdown. We can make that assumption because there would be no other reason for there to be pink in his hair. It wasn't an artistic choice on his part. It is the lingering color from the red that simply wouldn't wash itself out. 

Do you ever wonder why he would say the word “redhead” in disgust? It was because his brother had taken that away from him. He could no longer have red hair because his brother had red hair. It's easy to assume that red hair became a part of the long list of things that were seemingly taken away from him by his brother. That was the only thing that made sense to him given the information he had. It wasn’t possible for Saeran to know anything apart from what Rika told him.

So, in Ray Route, Ray bleaches his hair to save his sense of self and the white hair with pink streaks is what remained. The only choice made in that moment was to get rid of what was causing him so much distress. He didn't put much thought into the way it was going to look. He just wanted to get rid of the red. We do know that Ray is the one that cares the most about how he presents himself to you. He carries a hairbrush, he spends a long time trying to make himself look less like a mess. His natural curls are straightened and he hopes, no, prays he looks like a gentlemen for you. He only cares that you like him and you think he is worth spending time with.

If you compliment his hair, it's going to overwhelm him. He didn't intentionally try to make it look super good. it's not in his wheelhouse to expect anybody to like something he's done. When you say that you like the color and you like the way it looks, he won't know what to say. His heart will start to race and his knees will become weak. A part of him might wonder what would happen if you knew that he had red hair naturally, but another part of him is happy that you've recognized him as his own person. It's hard to say what that's going to do to him apart from making his heart sing.

As long as you like him, he doesn't care what you like about him, as long as he’s done it good enough for you to enjoy. 

Suit Saeran could care less. In the time before he realizes what he's doing is wrong, any compliment you give him will just feel like you're giving it to Ray. He will assume you're trying to butter him up. He can't believe that you would like his features. He can't believe you would like his personality. He can't believe anything you would say simply because of circumstances.

You and Ray did something that almost got him destroyed, got the both of you destroyed, so why can he listen to your gentle words? Gentle words are going to lead to destruction. He can't have that. Yet, when he starts to realize his actions were greatly misplaced, a part of him might feel good knowing that you like the distinguished difference between him and Ray. You love the two of them. You don't just love one of them. That's something he needs to here so very much.

GE Saeran is finally at peace with his looks. He has come to appreciate the person in the mirror. He doesn't know if he'll go back to his red hair in the future, it feels as though he was able to come into his own as a person with the hair that he has now. It isn't that he doesn't want to go red. It's more so that he feels like he is complete the way that he is. He likes the person looking back at him now. He knows that he can change or do anything to his body in the future.

He might make that choice going down the line. But, for right now, he's happy as he is. He would be elated to hear your compliment on him. He loves that you love him and knowing that you find so much joy in your heart out of something that came from his misery has turned sadness into something poetic and beautiful. 

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I JUST FINISHED EPISODE TWO AND AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

I

AM

NOT

O

KAY

FOR MANY REASONS XD

1) NO SEB AGAIN 😭😭😭 I FORGOT WHAT EPISODES I'D SEEN HE WAS IN, I WAS WRONG!! THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS MEANS I CAN STILL BE SURPRISED A BIT :DD

2) GINAAAAAA MY GIRLLLL!!! WHOOO HONEY GOOD FOR YOU :OO :DDD 🥳🥳🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️🥰!!! AS YOU DESERVEEE 🥰🥰🥰!!!

3) THE CASTINGGG!!! AAAHHHHH!!! ALSO WHERE'S CHAD ಠ⁠Oಠ???

4) SEBLOSSSS 😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔

I'm not okay thank you very much <3

Anyway!! Ricky and Gina's date was SO CUTE!!!!! It was literally the most adorable thing ever and I'm not okay :'DD. And I just- PUPPIES!!! Awww my babeys 🥰🥰. Also the fact that it was all because he made fun of her childhood favorite show a bit :'D stop that's so cute <33 your honor I love them so much :). Also the secret hallway meeting and the notes (written on Camp Shallow Lake stationary!!! But sir did you steal that lol-) were adorable :'DD 🥰! And AAHHHH Troy and Gabriella :DDD!!! Our babeys 🥰🥰🥰 <33. Y'all are gonna slay, congrats :D.

ASHLYNNNN honeyy 😬👀. Girl a) your thing with Maddox is sus as heck xD, b) you gotta tell Big Red!!! I mean you can come out whenever you feel comfortable but like. I think he deserves to know xd. Considering everyone else does xD. Though I do see her reasoning that it shouldn't be done over text - and while "steal his gay thunder" is funny XDD, it is a nice thing to do lol. Like, not do that I mean. Also L I V I N G for her and Carlos friendship <33. And AAHHHH congrats on Kelsi girl :DD 🥳🥳🥰!!! I know you're gonna slay it 🥰🥰.

Kourtney honeyyy :'((( you gotta go to therapy bestie <33. I mean you can't put it off :((. I get the feeling something bad is gonna happen because she keeps putting it off. Like, besides just gradually worsening from stress and whatnot, but an Event I mean. Like a breakdown or something :(. And I won't be able to take that :'). Thank you guys, I will die :'p 😭 xD. But seriously, I hope she's okay (in the end) 🥺 <33. But besides that!! AAHHHH GIRL YOU SLAYED SO HARD!! I mean, acting a biiit to Sharpay, but you're not mean to people (hopefully a yet is not needed here :') ) so I'm cool with it xD. And speaking of CONGRATS ON GETTING SHARPAY GIRLLL :DD!!! You're gonna slay 🥰🥰🥰🎉🥳!!

ALRIGHT Y'ALL, IT'S CANON THAT SEB WAS A HOMESCHOOLER!! LET IT BE KNOWN FAR A WIDE!! This is amazing news <33. Idk lol it's just fun xD. Also Big Red is the SWEETEST :'DDD!! I hope he's enjoying and slaying in Cairo 🥰🥰. Also, once again, miss you EJ and Nini <33. Oh and about Seb again - SIRRR HOW DARE YOU NOT AUDITION 😭😭💔. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME SEB!!?! I can't believe this 😭 :'). But let's be real, this is the only way he couldn't be cast as Sharpay 😤😔 /j /lh xD. Kourtney totally deserves it lol, I just miss my boy <33. In general and as Sharpay lol.

CARLOS!! Honey you are going through it 😭😭 xd. But yeah also maybe talk to Seb lol. Also I love how it's like-

Carlos in Episode 1: I'm dealing fine with everything happening with Seb :D 🙄! He'll come around

Carlos in Episode 2: :'))). this is fine. everything's fine. he hates me :'))).

Bro is going through it and I am going to love it if it gets worse XDD. Like, if he continues farther down that self destruction lol (as in he is being destroyed not he is destroying himself lol). Lovely <33. Also I'm suffering 🥰. ANYWAY! Love his and Ash's friendship 🥰🥰. AAAAHHHHHHHH CONGRATS ON BEING RYAN CARLOS!!! You're gonna slay :'DDD!! I love him so much 🥰. Also how dare he pass his assistant position on to Emmy :')). How could he do this to me <33. But also fair enough lol even if it hurts me, drop something if you need to xD. Though I love how he still read the cast list.

Speaking of Emmy, I love her xD. Girl is slaying lol. I do wish she wasn't replacing Carlos, but it is funny that she's being the errand freshman xD. Also her information gathering skills are HILARIOUS and also ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ o.o xD. OH and :(( poor girl getting kicked out of the movie, I'm sorry honey D:. Also though Carlos describing her as Broadway exile was amazing xD. And AAAHHHHHHH TAYLOR :OO :DD!! CONGRATS GIRL!!! You're gonna slay :DD. I didn't have a guess for that casting but I wasn't guessing that!! Slay for her though, good job girl :D.

Miss Jenn is going THROUGH IT lol xD. Like girl is not having a good time lol. Her dressing up to disguise herself was AMAZING though oh my gosh xD. I think she's just going to be constantly disguising and hiding and sneaking around security guards this whole season and I love that so much xD. I'm so excited for it lol. But! I'm glad her and Quinn are on a bit better terms now, with the apology and the casting of Gina and whatnot :)). Like, not great, not even good really lol, but they have to work together (a bit) :)! And I hope they will, when needed 😌. They probably won't much but eh ah you know lol. Anyway I wonder if for some reason she actually will play Ms. Darbus since we've seen her in the costume pieces xD. That would be wild lol. "I think I was playing Troy at one point" takes on a WHOLE new meaning lol. Imagine if they're constantly switching Darbus's throughout the show xD. Oh my gosh that would be hilarious lol. Either form emergencies or just because they cast so many people as Darbus (despite having so few for the rest lol). Anyway xD. If you do end up as her, congrats Miss Jenn, you're gonna slay lol XDD. I love her <3

I love how they actually read the cast list for the others too, lol xDD. We're acknowledging the side characters <33. And it's lovely xD. But also WHERE ARE STEPH AND RICO AND KADEN AND KAISON 😭😭😭💔😤!!!?! We don't deserve this </333. AND NATALIE!!!! Maybe they were all seniors lol. Still, nonetheless </3. Miss them <333. Anyway slay everyone who got cast :D.

Imagine we get Seb as Chad :')). I really doubt it lol but still xD it would be lovely <33. And I deserve it <3 XD.

ANYWAY!! The dramaaa between Mack and Dani o.o 😬. Also I was thinking maybe Gina would recast her but a second after Quinn said SHE was in trouble I was like "OHHHH yeah, Gina's getting cast" XD!! I was sure of it lol. But AAHHHHHH how excited they all were!! As they should be!!! Like that situation is like :O :D!!! But yeah, I'm so nervous and so excited :)).

NOW OR NEVER WAS SO FREAKING COOL!!!!

Listen anything added to that song is cool xD but OH MY GOSH!!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH :DDD!! HOLY COW :O :D!! Also I just loved the tension and drama, and all of them running away to audition xD 🥰🥰😍🤩❤️. It was amazing <333.

All of the music this episode was GREAT!! I loved it all so much :D. As I said, Now or Never was amazing and Ricky's serenade to Gina was so adorable :'D. I think there was more but I don't know and anyway they were all amazing 🥰🥰.

I loved this episode so much!! It was so good :D. I think things are gonna start moving super quickly from here in out (not that they've been slow or anything), just because of everything going on lol, which includes everything we've got to GET done lol. Anyway, I am so freaking excited and not at all ready 🥰🥰🥰.

NEXT UP IS EPISODE THREE!!!!

[echowithpain]

Alright. I know this is like super fucking late but I can ✨explain✨:

I got sick 😘

ANYWAY IM LESS SICK NOW 💃 SO HERE WE GO!!!!

Before we get into the breakdown of the episode, one question that popped into my head that I never got to type out is "How are the body cams gonna work if they're in a fire?" I know it's been a bit since the 118 has responded to any 5 alarm fires and had to go inside, but were the cameras heat proof or fire resistant?? What if the footage got burned up or you couldn't see anything because the lenses got smoke damage? Even though they never acknowledged that possibility in the show (besides the "you break it you bought it" line)/the body cams might never come back, I just wanted to bring it up

Okay! Captain Asshole taking Buck "under his wing" was funny as fuck and I loved how uncomfortable Buck looked through the whole thing 🤣 Oliver Stark is one hell of an actor 🥰

Next, the male cheerleader being ass backwards storyline was actually great for Eddie. The kid as he's getting wheeled away telling his mom not to call his dad before passing out, and for the first thing he did when he woke up was ask for his dad 🥺🥺🥺 Eddie needed to see that. To see that even though the kid was saying he didn't want to see his dad, he didn't really mean it. Just like how Christopher acts like he doesn't want to talk to Eddie, he just doesn't know how to after what happened (also fuck that storyline last season wtf), and being with his grandparents isn't helping that either

For the Hen and Karen storyline: Fuck that councilwoman 🖕🤬🖕 (also fuck the writers) I'm glad they were able to fuck over the councilwoman and get Mara back, but can we please finally have a break from these kinds of storylines for the lesbian couple? First the cheating, then Karen not getting pregnant, losing Nia, having Denny meet his biological father behind their backs, and then losing Mara and getting their foster care license revoked. Please let it end.

You know what I wanna see more of? I think it was the FOMO episode in season 5 when someone stole Karen's purse that was in their car and was using Hen's credit card that was in it. They tracked down the person to a club and ended the night dancing. THE ENTIRE TIME THEY LOOK LIKE THEYRE HAVING A BALL!!!!

GIVE US MORE OF THE WIVES BEING FUN AND HAPPY GOD DAMMIT!!!!!!!! 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤

*sigh*

Anyway moving on to the tiger storyline, OH MY GOD IT WAS SO CUTE!!!! 💖🐯💖🐯💖🐯💖 I don't know if it was the lighting or just because tigers are naturally beautiful, but all shots with the CGI tiger were really pretty! I wanted to pet it 🥰 especially when it was a cub 😭💖😭💖😭💖

Also real quick, why didn't Maddie tell the woman to move away from the bathroom door? I know she told her not to open it, but I'm talking about earlier when she was telling her how to stop the bleeding in her leg. Why not say "make sure you're as far away from the door as possible"? I know Maddie probably didn't know she was right up against it, but you'd think she'd say it anyway because in case first responders need to break it down, you don't wanna be in the way of that. -1 point I guess?

Now, I feel like I need to clarify this. When I said this I meant I accepted Gerrard's "apology" for talking shit about Hen with the councilwoman. He's still a bigoted racist misogynistic asshole as shown in the previous episodes and the golf scene. He hasn't done anything to attone for that, and the fact that he gets to be comfortable in an easy job with his man crush is unfair. I understand he switched jobs with Bobby so the 118 could have him back, but still, feels like he was let off easy. Kinda like how some people are ignoring the fact that T*mmy acted the same way because they think he's hot 🤮

-1 point for unfairness

.

.

.

Was that all? I think that's all. Oh wait, I loved Bobby and Athena going house hunting and Athena not liking any of the homes. I was a bit worried when we could clearly see Bobby wasn't on board with rebuilding the old house, but they quickly eased my mind when he sat her down and explained that the old house was for her and Michael and they agreed to build a new house together 🥰💖🥰💖🥰 Love them 💖

Also Maddie and Chim are still amazing and I need to see the 118 + co playing paintball with each other. Maybe they go to a place and everyone has fun and there's some humor only for something to happen to one of the other teams and they have to help. Idk, I'm not on the writing team, but I will say this: Athena, Eddie, and Chim need to be on a team and absolutely DOMINATE everyone. That is all. 💖

Episode Rating: 🐯7/10🐯

-1 point for Maddie not telling the woman to move away from the door (she could've told her earlier and the woman easily could've moved back to it when the tiger was trying to get in), -1 point for Gerrard getting off easy and being comfortable in a job he likes, and -1 point for vibes. Idk man but something's keeping me from rating this an 8/10. I can't figure it out now cause again, still sick, but once I do I'll come back and yell it into existence lol

I'd say I'm excited for the next episode (I mean, I am), but I'm worried about what might happen to Denny 🥺

Guess I'll find out in a few hours 🤪

Thanks for reading and I'll see y'all for my liveblogging 😘✌️✨

[molsons112000]

The reason Japan invaded China and China didn't invade. Japan is because the Chinese are not a warring people... they didn't want to invade India and they never did, and they never invaded any other country around them... they're Buddhists, & Taoist principles, and they don't want to create ripples, and they've acted out of self-defense... so they weren't projecting force... their issues were internal, not external... now, are they going to go against their culture????? And they're going to do something that they have never done to violate other people's borders???? 🙄 they've only recently got an aircraft carrier, and only recently they have gotten a navy... but this is not true Chinese culture!!!! They need to get back to their principles.... and this is why I said Buddhism and Taoism fit very well with Christianity.... these are ways of life. These are taught people by men who were enlightened about how to live in a society that is progressive meeting, peaceful, and focusing on expanding lifestyle and tranquility!!! This is why China has tai chi, it talks about harmony and harmonizing with energy and traditional Chinese medicine and harmony... and they don't want to disturb the spirits of their ancestors or the gods they don't want to rile them up!!!! So they need to get back to their core roots!!!! Focusing on expanding their people, building their people. That's what we have to do here in America as well!!!! I'm not saying we don't have obligations, but our obligations were all about protection projecting force only out of self-defense!!!

We had nothing to do with World War I and 2. We didn't start them. We had nothing to do with them. We only came to the side right of the ones that we thought were right, that they were getting invaded, and yes they were getting invaded and the other side effect was projecting force. What's being done upon me, but we're going against u s principles and allowing me to be desecrated, instead of defending me and projecting force outwork and slaughtering my f****** enemy, you allow me to be slaughtered!!! They've attacked me, not the other way around!!!! 😤

So if you wrap in the fifty-two percent with the others, the Buddhists and Taoists. So that's ninety-two percent of the Chinese population!!!!

The religious breakdown in China is complex, with many people participating in religion without identifying with a specific religion, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially prohibiting religious beliefs for its members: 

Buddhists

The U.S. government estimates that 18.2% of China's population is Buddhist. The Pew Research Center says that the majority of Buddhists in China practice Mahayana Buddhism. 

Christians

The U.S. government estimates that 5.1% of China's population is Christian. However, some media reports and academic papers suggest that the Christian share may be as high as 7–9%. 

Muslims

The U.S. government estimates that 1.8% of China's population is Muslim. The majority of Uyghur Muslims live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. 

Folk religions

The U.S. government estimates that 21.9% of China's population practices folk religions. Early 21st century surveys estimated that over 1 billion people in China practiced folk religions. 

Atheists or unaffiliated

The U.S. government estimates that 52.2% of China's population is atheist or unaffiliated. The CCP is officially atheist and prohibits its members from holding religious beliefs. 

Other religions

China also has Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jains, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Unification Church, but these groups make up less than 1% of the population. 

Belief in gods and other religious figures is more common than identifying with a single religion in China. Many Chinese people believe in multiple religious figures or forces. 

State Department

China (Includes Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet, and Xinjiang) - United States Department of State

The Buddhist and Taoist, they come from a person, and they're an enlightened person, they're not gods or a god! So it's a way of life and those ways of life fit very well, yeah, in the Christian principles!!! So I'm down here by the Christian Chinese church, and they should have no problem in China, talking to these people, and they can embrace both because Buddhism and that was a fit Christian principle...

Some high level Buddhists have drawn analogies between Jesus and Buddhism, e.g. in 2001 the Dalai Lama stated that "Jesus Christ also lived previous lives", and added that "So, you see, he reached a high state, either as a Bodhisattva, or an enlightened person, through Buddhist practice or something like that." ...

https://en.wikipedia.org › ...

Buddhism and Christianity - Wikipedia

So you see the principal calling to live in harmony with the divine....

call us to live in harmony with the divine, to surrender our ego-driven desires, and to trust in the wisdom of YHWH, the creator of all of existenceSep 28, 2024

https://medium.com › ...

Tao and Jesus: A Reflection of God's Prophecy in China

By embracing the wisdom of Taoism, Christians can cultivate humility, simplicity, harmony, and compassion, ultimately drawing closer to the heart of God and …Mar 25, 2024

https://iamthewaybook.com › ...

Embracing Taoism: A Pathway to Deepen Your Christian Faith

Feedbac

[its-wabby-stuff]

I’m feeling particularly insane for doing this, but for anyone interested, here is my breakdown of why I chose which brother for which emoji (I’ll make this as short as I can):

😀 Donnie. The blank smile with little emotion. 😃 Leo. The wide eyed curiosity. 😄 Raph. A little bit more. 😁 Mikey. These smiles just get slowly more intense. The end of the collection of smiles.

😆 Leo. I could see him doing this.

🥹 Mikey. Cause he’s a cutie.

😅Donnie. Smile but ✨stressed✨

😂Mikey. Classic. He’s a happy boy. 🤣 Leo. The sequel. He’s rolling on the floor laughing.

🥲 Leo. It’s all his pain being released through that tear.

☺️ Mikey. 😊 Donnie. He got that praise from a parent aged adult.

😇 Mikey. But he’s pretending…

🙂Raph. 🙃 Mikey. Them. That’s the reason.

😉 Leo. Obviously. It’s a lil cheeky.

😌 Mikey. Satisfied with good food or behavior.

😍 Donnie. For that inner passion.

🥰 Raph. Cause he deserves it.

😘 Mikey. Cause he’s giving it. 😗 Donnie. Emotionless passion again. 😙Leo. Twinning. 😚 Raph. To complete the saga.

😋 Mikey. Yummy.

😛 Raph. Silly guy. 😝Mikey. A little sillier. 😜 Leo. Even sillier. 🤪Donnie. He’s unhinged.

🤨 Donnie. It’s literally his expression.

🧐 Dr. Delicate Touch, PHD. 🤓Donnie. A nerd. 😎Leo. The cool one. 🥸Raph. (But you can’t tell)

🤩 Mikey. He literally makes this expression

🥳 Raph. Cause he deserves it.

😏 Leo. Smug. 😒 Donnie. Annoyed.

😞 Raph. Worried™️. 😔 Leo. MmHm (he’s sorry).

😟Raph. Visibly concerned. 😕 Donnie. Emotionless upset. 🙁 Leo. More upset. ☹️Mikey. The most upset.

😣 Raph. Worried™️ even more. 😖 Donnie. [redacted]. 😫Mikey. In anguish. 😩Leo. Dramatically and emotionally exhausted.

🥺 Raph. Cause he’s a sweet boy.

😢 Donnie. That movie moment.

😭 Mikey. Cause he’s done this emotion.

😤 Raph. Angry boy bout to throw hands.

😠😡 Dr. Delicate touch bout to throw hands.

🤬 Raph. The only one in his family allowed to curse.

🤯 Donnie. Oh no the eyebrows! Rip forehead.

😳 Raph. Embarrassed.

🥵Leo. 🥶Mikey. Baja blast. Switching colors.

😱Donnie. Dramatically, over the top, end of the world expression (Someone moved something in his lab)

😨Raph. Something went wrong. 😰 Mikey. One the same page. 😓 Leo. Stressed.

🤗Mikey. Jazz hands.

🤔 Raph. Just to shove it in Donnies face.

🫣 Donnie. There’s a beach ball.

🤭 Mikey. He has a secret.

🫢Leo. He almost said something he shouldn’t.

🫡 Raph. It’s hero time. 🤫Raph. It’s quiet time.

🫠Donnie. Blah. 🤥 Donnie. He has a long nose.

😶Raph. He has nothing to say.

🫥 I may be invisible but I still look good, fic. Iykyk

😐Donnie.

🫤 Mikey. It’s quirky.

😑 Donnie. So I could do this: 😐😑😐

😬 Raph. Yikes.

🙄Donnie. Eye roll™️ (He owns it now)

😯Mikey. Ooo.

😦Leo. What (dumbfounded). 😧Raph. What (surprised).

😮Donnie. Emotionless surprise. 😲Mikey. Woah

🥱Leo. Always tired™️ can’t sleep™️. 😴Raph. Healthiest sleep schedule. 🤤Mikey. Good dreams. 😪Donnie. Passed out while working (again).

😮‍💨Raph. Phew (he finally got a minute).

😵Leo. Ummm… maybe don’t.

😵‍💫Raph. He’s got a lot on his plate.

🤐 Like Father Like Son, fic. Iykyk.

🥴Leo. Most like to be intoxicated.

🤢Donnie. Gag. 🤮Leo. The reason. 🤧Raph. Allergies. 😷Mikey. Not going to get sick.

🤒Leo. Sick. 🤕Leo. Injured.

🤑Donnie. Money money money.

😈Leo. A menace. 👿Donnie. Leo made him. Disaster twins. That’s the reason.

That’s it. Whole collections (I hope it captures their characters):

Raph: 😄🙂🥰😚😛🥸🥳😞😟😣🥺😤🤬😳😨🤔🫡🤫😶😬😧😴😮‍💨😵‍💫

Leo: 😃😆🤣🥲😉😙😜😎😏😔🙁😩🥵😓🫢🫥😦🥱😵🤐🥴🤮🤒🤕😈

Donnie: 😀😅😊😍😗🤪🤨🤓😒😕😖😢🤯😱🫣🫠🤥😐😑🙄😮😪🤢🤑👿

Mikey: 😁🥹😂☺️😇🙃😌😘😋😝🧐🤩☹️😫😭😡🥶😥🤗🤭🫤😯😲🤤😷

The full collection of Risemojis. I’d love to make them into actual emojis people can use, but I’m still trying to figure it out.

Total: 100. Leo-25, Raph-25, Mikey-25, Donnie-25

Let me know which ones are your favorites in the comments or tags cause I’d love to know!!

The Collection of closeups are under the tag: Risemojis.

[animeomegas]

Hello there! 👋 I hope you’re having a good day and I just wanted to share a scenario/hcns that have been plaguing my mind lately 🫣

This is for the Naruto AU. Ok, so, imagine an MC who has this super OP! Kekkei Genkai that works like the “Imperius curse” from Harry Potter; Basically you put them under your control and will, and to put more flair into this let’s say MC is inmune to genjutsus, because anything is possible within the Naruto universe…

In this AU, MC followed Sasuke to support him and also because Konoha, its people and philosophy is sh** (Let’s be honest here, Konoha always started its wars with the other villages 🤨)

Anyway, MC follows Sasuke in order to talk to Itachi and settle down things between the two brothers and find/fix the root of the problem TOGETHER. Obviously this would fuck up the story because Sasuke wouldn’t become a “villain”, but whatever 🙄.

*MC used their Kekkei Genkai after Sasuke “vented” and made (forced) both Uchihas sit down*

MC: “Tell us the truth why you massacred the clan, the whole truth 🤨”

*Itachi does*

MC: “See Sasu? Your revenge shouldn’t be against your brother. The root of this is Danzo and how rotten is Konoha” … “Yes, Itachi, I admire your patriotism but Konoha and its villagers are hypocrites 😤”

MC: “Now, Itachi say sorry to Sasuke🫶” … “Sasuke, say sorry to your brother🫶” … “Good! After you both get better from your injuries, we’ll kill Danzo!” :D

Sorry for the long post, after watching Naruto as an adult I started to notice how dirty they did to my boys … And no one truly understood/supported Sasuke, about his traumas. Like yeah! Go travel for a few years and magically you’ll feel better! 😔😤🙄

This is some top tier fix-it content and we love to see it!!

Sasuke was done so dirty, no one ever helped him properly and that makes me so mad, which is why I only give him hella supportive alphas. Only the best for Sasuke 🥰

I love the OP MCs that just fix everything, like yeah it's great when characters painstakingly claw their way to victory, but I'm here for the wish fulfilment and I don't want to work too hard, so this sounds like a better plan.

You will send both of them into a breakdown though lol, but that's good for the angst™, so I approve.

I feel like we're similar people because this is the kind of thing I would daydream about too haha.

Thanks for sending it to me!! <3

@danyzta

[kaiowut99]

GX 79->80 Original Preview Clip: Enter Despairland (FINAL)

After 84 years... it’s finally done 😤

As mentioned in this post, I’ve spent most of the past month-and-a-half (in between work and other things) on editing this preview clip shown at the end of episode 79′s original TV airing in 2006 for ep. 80 (the Alice in Despairland episode, which turns out different from what this clip would have you believe) to remove the Sponsor text in the middle of the screen to make it textless for use in my finalized subbed episode. (I wanted to remove the “Today’s Best Card Just After This!” side bars as well, but given the low quality of the original clip in the panning shot of Alice at the window and how her hair blends into the night sky behind her, I felt it’d have been too hard to pull off.) I wanted to preserve this for my subs rather than creating a new preview clip, since it’s an interesting look at how the concept for episode 80 was seemingly changed within weeks of 79′s production (I’m a bit surprised it aired without this preview clip being changed lol).

And with the editing all done, I wanted to throw up this quick comparison video with a breakdown under the cut here--this video first shows the original clip as aired on TV (with my subs there for the sponsor bit), then my edit retaining the side bars but blanking the middle (for use with the Japanese DVDRip I’ll be releasing), and then my edit with solid-blue bars overlaid on the originals so I could slap my English “Just After This!” text on (for use with the hardsub).  Enjoy your Alice nightmare 

And a huge thanks to @popflythesky for their help in making this happen 🙌🏽--more on that below.

The last WIP post I made breaks down the process for each scene, save the one where Misawa turns after noticing Alice by the window and the close-up as she smiles.  For the former, a huge thanks to @popflythesky for volunteering to clean up the 21 movement frames comprising the scene and saving me a fair bit of editing time (look out for a shoutout in 79′s hardsub’s ending credits 😄); after they sent over the edited frames last week, I applied a few tweaks to blend them into the footage, and I also blanked a frame myself that I noticed I forgot to send over lol [at about three frames for each frame of movement, that was 64 frames altogether edited].  I worked on the Alice closeup while I waited for those edits, getting the text off of Alice’s hair and face through 14 movement frames before then working it into the footage; once I noticed that some of her hair movement looped, it helped me keep it looking more consistent.

But yep, glad to finally have this done, haha.  Now, I just need to prep the preview for ep. 79 in ep. 78 (which I thought I’d already done), then work the animation fixes I worked on for 78 and 79 into those episodes--once that’s done, I’ll be able to finally get started on finalizing my subs for 77-79, and we can start working our way out of this Domino/Mizuchi mini-arc!

[aquagustd]

Idk why I really wanna share my thoughts out here with you 😭😭 and everyone here idk how I'm supposed to feel I'm numb of doing anything I just woke up and saw the festa let's just say it's a new grand amazing entery for us in new season 😤😤 let's put it that way because just by the thought we all will be having so many new individual projects so many more content to watch guys they are not going anywhere plus 🥺 hobi 's new album in few week and his first time solo stage performances for whole 1 hour taehyung album out this year most probably RM2 ??? what can be better than this and fts of them all in there songs I can't wait to witness it all the suprise for us awaiting AHEAD.

I never realised it's been 8 DAMNED years for me to be with them like I have almost growing up my whole youth time with them just like so many of us Armies have so hard not to breakdown I can't Stop thinking about all their moments together like flashback it's going on in the back of head my nose is stuck now 😫

But hey hey Again It's like the new beginnings new era of springs and I'm so proud of them for all the things they have done till now IT'S much much bigger than anything Still they come to us and how express their true feelings what bts just shared about being exhausted and taking a break. I just hope the best for them and they know that no matter what we all are always together with them. Always connected with purple thread of fate

GONNA SLEEP FOR NEXT 7 HOURS 🥹🥹🥹🥹 kinda hurts

YESSS !! we should be excited for their solo projects 🥺 the fact they’re still giving us content — when they’re taking a break from the group literally says a lot !! i know 🥹 it’s been such a long time and just as we have grown - so have they. i’m sure there’s so many other things that they want to do in life that they can’t share with us but at the end of the day, we’ll still be there to support them <3

& precisely !! let’s prepare for the bts that’ll return for chapter 2 🥰🥰

[anguisette90]

I was 30 years old, studying for a test for professional development. It was maybe the tenth or twelfth test like it I'd taken, but this was on Math™️ and when I tell you it nearly caused a nervous breakdown, I am not exaggerating. Now, I'd like to say it's because it was just so impossibly hard, and for awhile I believed that was true. Then one day, a week or two out from the test, I had the following conversation (heavily paraphrased):

Me: I give up. I'm not getting this, I can't do it.

My wife: Oh no! Don't give up, babe. Here, what are you doing now to study? Maybe I can help?

Me: I've tried this problem sixteen times, and I keep messing up the calculations and...[ranting for five minutes about not getting it.]

My wife: Hmm. How long have you been studying this topic?

Me: Since yesterday.

My wife: Mhm. And how many times have you read through it?

Me: What do you mean?

My wife: The book. How many times did you read the section of the book you're struggling with?

Me: I read it yesterday so it's fresh in my mind. But I'm still struggling with the problems and this information just isn't clicking and I'll never get it! I guess maybe I'll have to go back and read it again? But I just don't get it, y'know? I don't remember half of this stuff!

My wife, as gently as possible, trying very hard not to sound like she's calling me an idiot: Have you ever actually studied for something before? Because it usually involves rereading things and taking notes and reviewing your notes and... Have you done any of that?

[Narrator voice]: Anguisette90 had not, in fact, done any of that. Ever.

And that's the story of how I nearly had a full-blown meltdown because I finally encountered a course that actually required me to study for the first time in my life, and I had no idea how to handle it, because all of my time in Gifted taught me how to solve logic problems and perform critical analyses and memorize a billion bits of useless trivia, but it never taught me the basics of how to just fucking study something. Or that, y'know, it's okay if you have to actually study something. 😤

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

[fushic0re]

Hello miss angel! I missed another sleepover 😤. I was off for a couple of days, I had surgery yesterday and it's piercing day tomorrow cause I had a mental breakdown earlier over college. How are you? How's your week so far?? Can we see the glasses?? -g🍑

omg don't apologize! are you doing okay physically, mentally, and emotionally? that's a lot going on all at once :( i'm excited that you have piercing day to look forward to! what are you getting done again? idk if we discussed it or not

my week so far has been weird, my anxiety is really bad when winter transitions to spring and this week it's starting to hit me. i'm trying to offset that by working out more and just trying to keep myself active in general!

here are the glasses i want!

[shina913]

I’m so excited that you’re doing a whole chapter breakdown of Intersect! I had a ton of fun working on this so I’m happy to dive back into that headspace!

How funny that you had a work nemesis also 😂 I’m sure if all people who pissed us off at work looked like Namjoon, I think we wouldn’t be holding onto grudges so hard 🤣

I get that OC and JK’s relationship is weirdly open 😬. I just thought JK would be this fun, annoying little brother but with a big heart. I love a fun, loving, and strong sibling dynamic (I think I mentioned this before in your Gradation reblog) because I’m very close to my own sister. She’s my person! 👯‍♀️

Namjoon’s personal life will slowly unfold (as I’m sure you’ve already read). It’s definitely unprofessional of him to let that affect his work and how he’s dealt with OC. And OC technically doesn’t have beef with him—she’s merely reacting to whatever he’s tossing at her and for the last couple of years, he’s done the same. So it’s just this whole annoying back and forth—hence, Hobi forgetting how the conflict actually came to be 😤

Ahhh the teams!! They are so chaotic 🤪 I almost want to give them a spinoff! I love them and their dynamic. Granted of course, that betting on your bosses sleeping together is morally wrong and would be a huge HR issue in real life 🥲 but it’s all for the dramz!!! I had so much fun writing them.

And Yoongi…oof! I didn’t mean to make him that sexy 🥵 When I wrote Chapter 3 (and you’ll see this on that chapter’s notes), that Grammy’s Yoongi just…hhhnnngghghggh🥴! He was giving me so much content that…I just had to!!!

The profession here is, in fact, specific—and it’s actually close to the company that I work for—though not with as many attractive people 😂! But in general, I don’t have specific professions in mind when I write. I try to be somewhat vague/general about it. For one, because it’s easier for me to write—I don’t have to do as much research and I also don’t want to butcher that field. However, I went all-in on this because…well…it’s Namjoon😏 and somehow, as the story unfolded, it just worked out in a way? TBH, I didn’t think much of that through early on; but for me, around Chapter 3 or 4, I usually start plotting out my series’ ending. So all those details and conflicts in this series (which I’m sure you have notes on), it just magically worked out!

That jaw tick—damn you, Mikayla 💀 ! When I first read this reblog, I had to immediately look away from your collage 😅🥴 I could not handle it! But to answer your question—YES! This…absolutely this!!!

Intersect, Part 1 | KNJ

Intersect, Part 1

Definition: To meet and cross at a point; To share a common area

✫✫✫Intersect Masterlist✫✫✫

Pairing: KNJ x fem!reader; MYG x fem reader

Rating: M (🔞)

Genre: Office!AU; enemies to lovers; fluff; angst; smut

Word count: 4.9K+ words

Warnings: office banter; excessive cussing (I wouldn't be me without this warning); office romance; angst; fluff; pining; unrequited love; smut (forthcoming); alcohol consumption

Summary: You hate him, he hates you. You were both fine staying in your own lanes--until you're forced to work together on a make-or-break project for your company.

A/N: It's here!!! ❤️, comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers (whether you liked it or not so much).

My taglist is open as well so just reply to this post or DM me and I'll add you.

Starting a new job was always intimidating. New office, new friends, new opportunities, new…everything!

But you wouldn’t let nerves get in the way of your first week of work. You had previously transferred from another firm where you got your start in your career until a project partner and frequent collaborator was able to lure you out to join their firm, which had offered more competitive salaries, allowed more room for growth, and best of all–an opportunity to lead your own team.

You didn’t consider yourself a suck-up but some people may misconstrue it that way. You were just very proactive and showed lots of initiative in trying to get acclimated with the new office culture–sitting in project meetings to familiarize yourself with areas of study to help direct your career path.

You got along with most of your colleagues with the exception of one person who just seemed to either be aloof or too busy to participate in any sort of social, after-hours office activities.

“What’s his deal?” you asked curiously.

“Eh, don’t mind him. He’s just had a difficult workload since his promotion,” Mirai says during one of your first few office happy hours.

Mirai Kagehiro is a feisty junior analyst whom you immediately bonded with in your first few weeks, even though you were at a slightly more senior position than she was.

“Has he always been like that though? Kind of…I don’t know…aloof?”

“I thought that he’s always been kind of serious when I first got hired a year ago but I heard that he used to come out on happy hours and team-building activities. His team actually said that he’s pretty hilarious once you get to know him. And then…I don’t know. Something must have happened before or after his promotion,” she shrugged.

“Who’s on his team again?” you asked.

“I’m not too familiar with most of them but the one I know is Hobi. He’s usually his deputy on projects. I heard he’s looking into getting another analyst on board full-time.”

“Are you trying to get on his team?” You wondered out loud.

“Nah. His focus area deals more with government-funded contracts. I’m more interested in philanthropic efforts,” she smiled knowingly at you.

You hummed.

“I think he's trying to recruit Taehyung. For a newbie, he’s been doing pretty well in the analyst pool,” she says.

“You seem to know a lot of office intel,” you pointed out jokingly as you took a swig of your drink.

She winked then giggled. “I’m just…really observant. That’s why I got hired.”

“Hey, Mirai!”

“Oh, hey, Jimin! Have you met our newest senior staff member?”

“I think we passed each other in the breakroom the other day,” he smiled as he stuck his hand out to introduce himself. “Park Jimin.”

“Nice to meet you, Jimin. I’m YN,” you smiled as you shook his hand in return. “Are you an analyst as well?”

“Junior analyst right now but I’m moving up to senior analyst next month after my recent performance review.”

“Alright, Jimin-ssi!” Mirai raises her beer bottle to tap it against Jimin’s.

“Thanks! If you know of any project directors looking for mid-level staff, let them know I’m available. I know you’ve got your ear on the ground, Mirai,” he laughs.

“Well! As it happens, YN here is looking into building her team,” she says.

“Is that right?” He asks as he narrows his eyes at you in interest.

You chuckled. “I’m still new, Mirai. I don’t know if Ms. Choi will allow me to run amuck picking and choosing my own people just yet!”

“Oh c’mon, YN! I’ve seen your résumé–it’s very impressive. That’s why Celina Choi got you on board!”

You blushed. “I’m still learning the system. I don’t want to step on any toes!”

“I’m just saying! Once Celina gives you the green light, don’t forget about me,” Mirai says with a laugh.

“Oh don’t worry–you’re definitely on my list, Mirai!”

******

The following week, after the senior staff meeting, you were finally getting your feet underneath you and feeling more confident about jumping into projects full-time. One particular project of interest to you was led by none other than Mr. Standoff-ish himself.

You decided to stop by his office to have a chat with him to ask if he needed somebody to serve as a part-time quality assurance reviewer.

You walked down the extensive hallway towards where his office was located. You found that his door was slightly ajar but knocked to announce your arrival.

“Come in,” he says.

You pushed the door further to let yourself in.

“Yes?” he asks without looking up from his computer screen.

“Hi, I don’t believe that we’ve actually met,” you say sheepishly.

He then pauses his typing then looks up at you, his expression mostly uninterested.

“I’m–”

“I know who you are. I read the office newsletter announcing your hiring,” he deadpanned.

“Oh…uhm. Alright then…” you shift uncomfortably.

“Is there anything that I can help you with?”

“Actually–I was wondering if there was anything that I can help you with. I see that you’re assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services contract bid partnering with the Moonstone Foundation?”

“Yes, and?”

“And, I actually have some experience working with the Foundation. I have some time to help write or even QA your technical approach text?”

He stares blankly at you.

You decided to continue since you still had his attention. “You mentioned earlier at the meeting that your team had some trouble with that section of the proposal. It so happened that I have time to help since I’m not staffed on any full-time projects yet. I’m familiar with what they’re looking for in particular when it comes to contract bids.”

His brows quirk up. “Huh…that…actually sounds like a good idea,” he says.

You gave him a small smile. “Great! Uhm, would you like me to set up a formal meeting or–”

“I can just email you the details. The bid is due next week and there are two points of contention that my team hasn’t resolved. Pricing and the data collection method,” he says.

“O-okay. Yeah, just email me and I can look things over. I can also get in touch with the budget team–”

“No, I’m already handling that. I’ve been talking to Jin regarding the financial proposal and we think that we might already have a solution for it. I just need you to QA the methods section.”

“Great, I can do that,” you assured him.

“Just one thing though–any change that you make will need to be approved by me. I have final say.”

“Sure–that’s perfectly reasonable,” you said.

“Thanks. I’ll keep in touch, YN,” he says as he turns his attention back to his screen.

“Okay. Thanks, Namjoon.”

******

“Where is he?” Jin asks in a panic.

“I…” you were at a loss for words. “I’ve been trying his cell for the last hour. No answer.”

“Okay well, there’s an egregious error here that we need to rectify. Namjoon and I only agreed on 6 site visits and 2 client meetings to scale things back but the write-up still indicates 7 visits and 3 meetings. That will push the budget over,” he reasons.

“I could have sworn those numbers were revised the last time that I looked them over this morning before he left abruptly,” you stated.

“Well��somebody fucked up then and overlooked it. The client won’t sign the contract and we’ll get disqualified if we don’t address their query in the next few minutes,” he says with urgency.

“What’s the holdup, Jin?” your director, Celina, stops by his office. She needed to endorse the final numbers on the revised bid so that Jin could send it to the client… and the clock was ticking.

“Listen, we are inches away from sealing this deal–why are we moving at a snail’s pace?”

“Sorry, Celina. We need Namjoon to double-check the revised numbers and verify them but we can’t reach him,” Jin reasons.

“Well, where the hell is he?” she says impatiently.

“Hey, YN–why don’t you approve and sign off on the revised numbers?” Jin suggests.

“W-wait…I–I’m not the lead here. Namjoon is,” you clarified, restating his earlier condition before letting you help out on this bid.

“But you’re the only senior staff present from this team and have been working with him for the last few days. You practically rewrote the whole ‘methods’ section, right?”

“Well…yes, but–”

“And Hobi is on vacation–so, he’s not even an option at this point. Celina can’t sign off and endorse it at the same time. That’s a conflict of interest,” Jin explains.

“I hear you, Jin but this is Namjoon’s contract. This is a really big deal to him and I can’t–”

“If this was a big deal to him–then why isn’t he here? Why isn’t he picking up his phone?” Jin retorts.

“What do you say, YN? We can’t lose this contract,” Celina pleads.

You released a shallow breath. “Fine. I’ll revise it on my copy, sign, then send it to you so that you can send it to Celina. Good?”

“Excellent!” Jin exclaims.

You jog back to your office and retrieve the bid file and correct the numbers that Namjoon had mistakenly inputted, signed it, then sent the file to Jin.

“Thanks for coming in clutch, YN,” Celina says after she approves then sends it off to the client.

******

The following week, Namjoon was livid. He was supposed to be glad that the client approved the contract–but with a slight twist. The client saw your name and signature on the final form and one stipulation for the contract-signing was for you to take over as project director instead of him–which Celina approved over the weekend.

“Why didn’t anybody call me?” he bellows.

Hobi is left scrambling for an answer. “I—sorry, Namjoon. I was out of the office that day. YN was–”

“I don’t understand why or how she got permission to override my authority?”

Just then you stopped by his door and knocked.

“What?” he yells.

You cautiously walked into his office. “Namjoon–I…I just wanted to explain the mixup–”

“Didn’t I tell you that I have final approval on everything? This was my contract, YN!”

“I-I know that. We tried calling you but you weren’t picking up. Listen–I can clear this up with the client–let them know that you are the project director–”

“It doesn’t fucking matter now, does it? The ink is dry! They want you!”

“Namjoon, I just want to make this right–”

“Please…just…just get out of my office, YN,” he says as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

You glanced at Hobi who was trying his best to keep his eyes on the ground.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Namjoon. I thought I was just trying to help,” you said softly.

“Yeah, a great fucking deal that will do,” he mutters under his breath.

You lingered a bit, trying to figure out whether another apology was warranted.

“Hoseok and I have a lot to discuss–in private–so, if you don’t have anything else, we’d like to get back to work. And I believe you have a new project kickoff meeting to prepare for.”

You purse your lips then nodded curtly before turning on your heel to leave his office.

It’s not like you intended on ‘stealing’ his project. He should have picked up his phone to begin with to avoid all this. You didn’t deserve this kind of hostility from him–you were only trying to help!

******

Two years later…

“This is a good strategy for us. The client is familiar with our work and this approach will elevate our profile with them. I think it’s a sure-win.”

You wrapped up your presentation and hit a couple of buttons on the wall to turn the overhead lights back on.

You look around the room and everyone seems to murmur in agreement.

Then, a very audible scoff from the back.

You kept your cool before you asked, “Did anybody have any questions or concerns?”

You tried to sound as if you weren’t directing the question to anybody specifically.

He cleared his throat then pushed his seat away from the table so he was no longer obscured by one of your colleagues.

“I have a question and a concern,” he says casually as he comes into view.

You fought the urge to roll your eyes.

“So you’re saying that if we apply the same win-themes from last summer that we are guaranteed to get this contract. Well…what if…”

You immediately tune him out even though you kept your eyes on him. What a fucking prick, you thought.

He’s doing this on purpose because during his presentation last week, you raised a completely legitimate concern about his budget proposal.

When he was done moving his mouth, you square your shoulders and give him a tight smile before addressing him.

“With all due respect, Namjoon, I have worked in and led this area for almost three years now. I think I have a pretty good handle on this particular client,” you say confidently.

“Right, but this is a larger contract that we’re going for, isn’t it? We’ve only held small to medium contracts so realistically, this is uncharted territory. Your proposed strategy should be a bit more tailored, don’t you think?”

You flared your nostrils and wanted to run over to him and stab him in the eye with the pen that he twirled in his hand.

“He has a point, YN,” your director says calmly.

Namjoon smirks at his little triumph over you.

“And you know what? I think it would be a great idea for both of you to team up, put your heads together and come up with the perfect proposal.”

Namjoon furrows his brows at the suggestion. He only meant to piss you off a bit and make you squirm.

“Uh, Celina, I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything. I have no experience in this area. All I’m saying is—“

“Yes, but you have a wealth of experience with large-scale contracts. Isn’t that right, Namjoon?”

“Uh…I do,” he says with slight hesitation.

You interject immediately. “But Celina, if his concern is basically me not thinking big enough for this client, my team and I can make those adjustments ourselves. He doesn’t need to be involved—“

“Guys…please—there is no “I” in ‘team’. As a company, we treat one person’s win as a victory for all and a loss as a learning experience as a whole. I think that you both can benefit from each other’s experience, especially since it’s one of our company’s annual goals,” she suggests.

You seethe internally at your boss’s attempt at diplomacy.

“You are two of my top team managers. Let’s build bridges and not tear them down, hm?” And with that, your director adjourns the meeting.

You gave Namjoon a death stare across the room and he did the same to you, coupled with that jaw-tick that annoyed you to no end.

Work together? As if!

******

“I fucking hate him,” you said through gritted teeth when you arrived in your office. You grabbed one of the decorative pillows that you had on your couch, held it to your mouth and screamed into it.

“YN?”

“What!” you snapped as you whirled around to see Jimin who flinched seeing the visible rage in your eyes.

Your face softened, instantly regretting projecting your anger towards your team member, who was only trying to help.

“Sorry, Chim. Uhm–what’s up?” You tossed the pillow back on the sofa and rounded your desk.

“Taehyung just emailed us. He’s trying to schedule a team brainstorm session. He just wanted to make sure that everyone’s calendar is up-to-date.”

You gripped your forehead, already feeling a migraine brewing.

He was confused. “What’s going on? I thought that our team was taking the lead on this? Did something happen at the presentation?”

“Hey–did you guys get Taehyung’s email? I did not expect that.” Mirai was now standing by your doorway as well.

Deflated, you decided to give them a recap of what went down during the meeting. “Uh–close the door and have a seat, guys.”

******

“Team emails sent, Namjoon-ssi. No responses yet but I made sure to check all of their calendars based on the scheduling assistant tool.”

He sighs in exasperation. “Thanks for doing that, Taehyung.”

“I-I still don’t understand why we’re working with their team. It’s a completely different area.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth,” he mumbles.

“What do you mean?”

He leans back on his chair, reclining it further and squeezes his eyes shut. “Celina had this bright idea…for us to work together. A cross-sectional project, if you will. It’s one of her main goals this year. Merging ideas and teams,” Namjoon trails off.

“So…we’re the guinea pigs for it?”

He looks back at Taehyung with a deadpan expression. “I guess.”

“Namjoonie, I’ve got preliminary results from survey operations,” Hobi interrupts.

Namjoon nods in acknowledgment. He can spend the whole afternoon enumerating all of the reasons why you irritated him but there was still work to be done. He’d have to wait until he got home to pour himself a drink to drown out the day.

******

You squeezed your eyes shut, willing your migraine away as you tried to pay attention to whatever was playing on TV. Suddenly, your phone buzzes with an incoming call.

“Hey,” you answer unenthusiastically.

“Don’t sound too excited, noona,” your brother chuckled on the other line.

You groaned. “Sorry, Jungkook-ah. How are you?”

“I’m doing okay. School is kicking my ass, as usual.”

“Ah…Hell week before graduation, huh?”

“Is it still called ‘hell week’ if it lasts for months?” He laughs.

You laughed right along with him. “The irony isn’t lost on me. But…it’s your senior year so that’s to be expected. You’ll survive it though,” you said.

“I’m looking forward to coming out there for the summer though. I miss you,” he says.

You also missed your not-so-little brother. Ironically, since he’s been away at school, you’ve grown closer and more open to each other as opposed to when you both lived under one roof.

You’ve been supportive of him since he decided to take a bit of a break after he graduates this semester to figure out whether he wanted to go right into the workforce or go to graduate school.

“I can’t wait. It would be great to have family out here again,” you said a little too glumly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” You say as your voice goes up an octave. “Why do you automatically assume that something’s wrong?”

“C’mon, noona. I can tell,” he coaxed. “Also, it would be nice to talk or think about something else other than my undergrad thesis,” he joked.

You hesitated a little then let out a deep sigh. “Well…it’s…the usual.”

He laughed on the other line. “I knew it! Honestly, is there anybody else who riles you up as much as Kim Namjoon does?”

You groaned before rolling your eyes. “He’s just so annoying–”

“Uh huh…and you hate his guts and when he squares his jaw, it makes you want to punch him,” he deadpans.

You scrunch your face at his remark. “You make it sound like I talk about him all the time,” you argued.

“Because you do!”

“I do not!”

He was full-on cracking up on the other end. “Seriously–I’ve never met the guy but every time you mention him, I swear, you could cut the air with a knife with all that tension. I’m shocked you guys haven’t fucked yet!”

“Jungkook-ah!” you scolded him.

You hear him sniggering on the other line.

You scoffed. “Shut up! You are so insane for saying that!”

“Either way, noona,” he says as he calms down, “You probably just need to get some,” he joked.

You cringed at your brother. “Oh my god, Jungkook–seriously. I will hang up on you!”

He apologizes and quits his teasing. “Alright, alright. What else has he done this time?”

******

“Namjoon-ssi?”

“Yes, Taehyung-ssi?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“That depends. Is it work-related?”

“Technically, yes.”

Twice a week, Namjoon schedules a “study hall” of sorts for his core staff in one of the conference rooms to resolve any project issues or just have a quick and direct knowledge-exchange without having to send multiple emails or instant messages. It was also a good time to do quality checks on their programming.

Namjoon pauses his data review and pulls his glasses off.

“Okay. What is it?”

“Why so much animosity between you and YN?”

Taehyung was relatively new to the company and came on board around the same time as you did but hadn’t worked directly with Namjoon until after the incident.

Hobi pretends to continue his line-by-line code review while he secretly listens in.

“She’s...incorrigible, that’s all,” he says with a clipped tone then slides his glasses back on to turn his attention to his screen again.

Taehyung proceeded cautiously. “She doesn’t strike me as the type. I think she’s brought us some new and interesting contracts since she’s been on board. When you allowed me to do some programming on her project last year, she gave me some really helpful—“

“Are you asking permission to switch over to her team, Taehyung?”

“N-no, I wasn’t—“

“So why even bring it up?”

“Sorry, I was just curious.” Taehyung mentally kicks himself for even bringing up the issue.

Namjoon looks up from his screen again and looks at Taehyung.

“YN and I…it’s just–complicated.”

“Namjoonie,” Hobi interrupts.

“Yes, Hoseok-ssi?” Namjoon looks at his peer pointedly.

“It’s been a couple years. Why don’t you bury that hatchet?”

Namjoon looks away from his colleagues, his jaw ticking.

Hobi continues. “If you ask me, I think the whole thing was just blown out of proportion–”

“You think that I blew it out of proportion?” he asks incredulously.

“That’s not what I was getting at–”

Taehyung watches his seniors go back and forth.

“Why are you taking her side?” He almost whines.

“Nobody is taking anybody’s side! I’m saying that you’re both being bull-headed here and if you don’t quit it, we will lose this bid–and you will both regret it,” Hobi reasons.

He exhales deeply. “I…I just really, really wanted that project, Hobi. And then she waltzes in here and snatches it from me.”

Hobi groans at his friend. “Joon–if you had just picked up your phone and weren’t distracted–”

“Don’t remind me,” he snapped.

Hobi lets out a deep breath. “Listen–what is the benefit of this cold war, huh? And, ironically–before she got hired–wasn’t it your idea to do cross-sectional studies so that people aren’t confined to their 'boxes'? You said that this approach broadens everyone’s opportunities and interests.”

Namjoon pursed his lips then poked his tongue against his cheek in annoyance.

“You’ve been wanting to work in the philanthropic area for a while–and YN is the in-house expert on that. Isn’t that why you convinced Celina to hire her in the first place? And then she finally gets here, and you give her the cold shoulder!”

Hobi was absolutely confused when Namjoon decided to skip the customary staff welcome-luncheon on your first day. It was meant to be a formal meet-and-greet with your colleagues. A week prior your start date, he wouldn't stop talking about how excited he was to pick your brain on private foundations and charitable grantmakers.

Taehyung continues to listen to their exchange.

Namjoon sits quietly, chewing at his bottom lip...irritated that his friend dared to talk some sense into him.

Hobi scoffs. “Honestly, this whole thing has gotten so far off-track that sometimes, I forget how this bullshit even started in the first place" He shakes his head and turns his attention back to his screen.

Taehyung then subtly peels his eyes off his seniors and back to his own screen to continue running his data validation.

Namjoon blew out a breath as he contemplated Hobi’s suggestion. Losing this contract would be detrimental to your company’s financial backlog. Not to mention that it would keep people billable for at least five years.

Was it worth lowering his pride?

******

When Namjoon got home that night, he couldn’t get over his exchange with Hobi earlier that afternoon.

A few years ago, you popped up on his radar during a random conference call that he was sitting in, purely just to take notes because of the subject matter. He stayed off-video as he listened in.

One of his colleagues was trying to man-splain his way through the project and you were having none of it. After sharing his thoughts, you promptly cleared your throat audibly and thanked him for his enlightening words–which elicited a chuckle from Namjoon.

While his colleague’s thoughts were more ‘technical’ and demonstrated sound judgment, they bordered on impractical and they were devoid of any emotion.

“Look, Dave–it is Dave, isn’t it? I think that you forget that we’re working with philanthropic foundations here. I get the misconception–multi-millionaires–looking into ways to get a tax write-off by giving away some of their money. But we have to remember the bottom line–this is the private sector we’re talking about. They’re able to bridge gaps that the government is unable to meet.”

That gave Namjoon pause. He looked up from his notepad, at the web conferencing app screen and saw your face in the forefront as the active speaker.

“This is money that goes directly into programs that make a difference to people, which they can see and feel directly and immediately. If you look closely, the program is very intentional, Dave–not something done out of obligation. So maybe let’s do a little less theorizing and calculating like a computer program and do more thinking and feeling–you know–like a human being.”

He was taken aback. Even though you ended your remarks with a warm smile, he knew it was anything but warm.

The following day, he looked up your credentials online and found that you had worked with them previously on a few projects as a subcontractor. You were relatively new to the field but he felt and admired your tenacity and passion in just that single remark.

He knew he had to convince Celina to make you an offer. Your talents were being wasted at your current firm. They put all of their time and energy in bidding for high-value contracts. It was public-policy, sure–and the government offered the larger, longer-term contracts. There was always going to be some politicking involved.

But Namjoon was an idealist. He went for passion-projects–the ones that larger firms usually avoided. He thought then you’d make the perfect addition.

And now, he knew that had to center himself again. Unfortunately, you walked through the company’s doors during the most inopportune time in his personal life–which up until now, he associated with you. But this afternoon, Hobi appealed to his logic–and Namjoon strived to always be cerebral and practical.

The fact was, your company needed this contract. It was the perfect marriage between financial insurance and a passion project.

And there it was. Logic and practicality. He knew what he had to do.

******

“YN?”

You can recognize that baritone anywhere.

“Yes?” You called over your shoulder as he tried to jog after you down the hallway.

“I had some preliminary ideas for the bid. Do you have a few minutes,” he asks as he catches up to you in two strides.

Damn him for being so…big.

“I’m actually going to lunch right now but you can tell me all about it during our scheduled team meeting tomorrow,” you said, quickening your own steps, almost breaking into a sprint.

Why was he approaching you now all of a sudden? He knew that you had a meeting the next day. Why the random, casual conversation? What was he up to?

“I just thought it would be good to get a head start,” he reasons as he catches up to you once more, with barely any effort.

“Right. But isn’t that why we have a scheduled meeting tomorrow?”

It wasn't long before he was now a step ahead of you. “Yes, I know. I was just thinking that–”

Agitated, you glanced in his direction while you continued to walk towards the reception area.

“Namjoon, we’ll have plenty of time for–aah!”

You yelp as you collide with somebody and nearly fall over before they catch you.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry–I…” you look up to see who it was you were apologizing to.

“A-are you alright, Miss–” he says as he continues to hold you up.

“Uh…Jeon. Jeon YN,” you said, looking wide-eyed at the man who held you in his arms.

You steadied yourself and once he was assured that you were stable enough on your heels, he introduces himself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Min Yoongi,” he says.

“Yes…I know—you. I mean, your work. I’m familiar with your work,” you stammered.

You fought so hard not to fan-girl as you’ve read much of his published research and journal articles. You found him to have such a fascinating perspective on public policy. You’ve even cited his writings in your own publications. Needless to say, you admired him…a lot.

You shook your head in an attempt to get a grip on yourself. “Not to be rude but, what are you doing here?”

“Yoongi–hi,” Namjoon interrupts.

Oh, you almost forgot that he was still here. Almost.

“Hello! Good to see you again. It’s Namjoon, right?”

“Yes. Are you looking for Celina?” He asks.

“I am, actually. She told me to come by around lunch for a quick meeting,” Yoongi says.

“Great. I can take you to her. Just down this way,” Namjoon says as he starts towards your director’s office.

“Thanks, I really appreciate that.”

Before following Namjoon down the hallway, Yoongi turns back to you.

“I’ll see you around, I hope?” Yoongi says with a smile before proceeding.

Namjoon hears this and looks back at your reaction while he waits for Yoongi to catch up.

“Y-yeah…see you around, Yoongi.” You said, suddenly breathless.

Part 2◥

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