#but they understand that…. and will choose one another in every single other scenario possible…. bc they r EACH!! OTHERS!!! MOST!!!! TRUSTED

[latinokaeya-moving]

i saw such a good kaejean art just now i think i’m gonna throw up and die

[jweekgoji]

Hello! Your writing is amazing! Can I request a yandere Sentinel Prime with a femme reader who has an overprotective Sire? Her sire does not care about who Sentinel is and clearly does not like him and it pisses Sentinel off. Take your time!

Yandere!Sentinel Prime/Femme!Reader with an overprotective sire [hcs]

tw: yandere behavior, mentions of manipulation, jealousy, very brief violence, possesiveness. word count: ~890 a/n: for some reason, I can see Ultra Magnus being this father figure, hehe. thank you for request, Anon~ smoooooch

Your sire doesn't like Sentinel? Well, that certainly wasn't in the plans for him. He expects everyone to treat him like a royalty and look up at him, so when someone treats him differently, it kinda catches off guard.

I don't think yandere!Sentinel will go into his 'killing mode' the moment he sees an obstacle, mainly because he's sure he can take care of that in a classy way.

Sentinel is definitely that guy who really wants to make a good first impression on your sire. He might act like a really confident mech in front of you, but for some reason, he is a little nervous about the thoughts of meeting your sire.

In his mind, it really goes quickly from «oh come on, why would her father dislike me? Everyone loves me!» to «oh Primus. what if he hates me?» and that's how it repeats 24/7. Eventually, the confident Sentinel wins, but he takes a lot of time to prepare for any possible scenario. Everything should be perfect, every single smallest detail is personally checked by him, so nothing goes past.

Imagine Sentinel's expression when your sire harshly brushes it off with a «You're not good enough for my daughter and I don't want you around her. End. Of. Story» and just SLAMS the door shut into his face the moment the other bot sees him. Basically, that's where everything goes wrong. Oh, his poor ego.

Yandere Sentinel especially hates when something goes wrong and not according to his plan. He's a perfectionist, and if he spots any imperfections, it's a total disaster for him! His mood quickly changes from sweet and kind to annoyed and impulsive, so it's better to stay away from him for a good few minutes until he takes a deep breath and goes like «this is fine...everything is fine! :)» with his optic twitching and a small frown on his faceplate, which is easily noticed through his smile.

Yandere!Sentinel gets paranoid with the thought that your sire will start putting the wrong thoughts in your processor, talking trash about him behind his back, so eventually you will start to question your love for Sentinel as well. So, he decides to step in and turn the tables, planting the seeds of distrust about your parental figure. Does your father really care that much for you? Nothing is wrong with being a little protective over your own little spark, but you're no sparkling, you should build your own life!

He does it carefully, using tiny, innocent and careful remarks whenever you two are alone after another disastrous meeting with your sire.

«If your sire really wants what is best for you, why he takes your chances of happiness?»

Until he practically struck you with a head-on, «You always tell me that you love me. So you should choose. Me or him.»

Sentinel is selfish. A small part of him understands how ridiculous it is, to feel jealousy just because your mentor is present in your life. But when you start having more of those father-and-daughter times together, when your attention goes more to your sire rather than him, all rationality in his processor just disappears.

He spends half the day trying to call for you. He wants to know where the frag you are and WHY you don't pick up his calls immediately, since he needs you right here and now. As his partner, you're obligated to always be there for him, and being ignored by you...the audacity!

Sentinel walks in circles in his office, and the silence is bothering him to the insanity. One moment, he will start crying his spark out to her about it.

“After everything I have done to her..! Can you imagine that?” he looks at Airachnid for validation, his voice full of frustration. “I swear, if she calls back, I'm going to tell her everything I think of her, that—”

But the moment he sees your name popping up on the screen, he is conflicted. On the one hand, he wants to pick up immediately, on the other hand, he doesn't want to seem desperate. So he waits a few seconds until he finally decides.

Airachnid gives him almost a disappointed look as she sees her boss using that sweet voice when he talks to you. Suddenly, Sentinel is not that angry anymore, and if anything, he's relieved to finally see and hear your precious voice. He almost forgets about what he said a moment ago until you hit him with «oh, sorry Sentinel, I was with my sire all day. I can't visit you today. See you tomorrow!».

He almost snaps the device in his servo by the end of the call.

Eventually, Sentinel gets exhausted from all of it. He really tried, despite the constant disrespect from your sire. He has no remorse when he finally asks Airachnid to deal with the obstacle in his way of getting you, covering the story as an incident. The death of your sire would shatter you, but don't worry, you will heal soon enough with him by your side.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Struggling to Focus on Plot vs Everything

Anonymous asked: I'm currently outlining (whilst still figuring out my plot and everything), but I keep getting sidetracked. My brain is trying to plant seeds to help me figure out the overall story, but it's distracting me from getting the main story line plotted out because instead I'm trying to come up with every possible scenario for why things happen. This method is exhausting, though, and I'd rather have a solid story line first, then flesh it out from there. Ultimately, I feel like I need to figure out my story's timeline and the main events, because I want that all sorted before I tackle how the characters experience it. It's just really overwhelming and when I try to pluck out the big pieces, they crumble into smaller pieces.

[Ask, and subsequent ask, edited for length and content]

So, if I understand correctly, it seems like part of you just wants to get down the actual plot of the story, but when you try, you end up delving into all these deeper background details?

What I'm thinking is this: if you're able to, I would start by doing what I think of as a "holistic summary" of your story... sort of like a brain dump but in general chronological order from beginning to end. It doesn't have to be perfect... you can backtrack, jump around a little, and go on tangents as needed. The point is to just get down as much of the story as you know... and as much as your brain will want to flesh out in real time... just to get it out of your head.

Sometimes, just getting it all out of your head on paper in one single container can help free up your brain to focus on the backbone of your story... the actual framework all of those details need to adhere to.

Another thing that might help, if you haven't done this already, is to look for a story structure template to help you tease out the story. There are loads of them out there from Save the Cat Writes a Novel! to Larry Brooks Story Structure, Three-Act Story Structure, the Snowflake Method, The Hero's Journey, Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet, Derek Murphy's 24 Chapter Outline, Gwen Hayes' Romancing the Beat, Shawn Coyne's Story Grid, The Seven Point Plot Structure, Dan Harmon's Story Circle, The Five-Act Structure, James Scott Bell's A Disturbance and Two Doorways, Kishōtenketsu Structure, Story Spine, and a bajillion others... The key to using a story structure template is to know it doesn't have to be followed exactly. They're not there as molds to cram your story into... they're more like "suggested itineraries" for a road trip. This is an ideal route with some popular stops along the way, but you may wish to alter the route slightly or make some different stops. Many writers actually use bits and pieces of different templates to suit their needs or the needs of their story.

Sometimes, just choosing a random template to tease out your main plot can be enough to help you see exactly what the main plot is, which makes all the other stuff fall into its proper place as character development, back story, and world building.

I hope this helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[elaenim]

Arcane S2 spoilers!!!!!!

I love the Jayvik fated to understand each other to bring peace/ not manage and bring destruction BUT I have questions regarding timeline possibilities and multiverse logic. I found an answer to it? That is quite simple but I take the convoluted route. I needed to write that all down to be able to understand HOW it works. If you like discussing technicalities of fantasy multiverse concepts I’m counting on you here.

We are shown the one who saves Jayce in every timeline at the beginning is beard-Viktor:

Is it the same beard-Viktor every time, who lived beyond the glorious purpose and decided to go on a timeline tour to save Jayce? That’s what it looked to me, not that they were all different Viktors but that these were his memories.

If it’s a time-loop fate kind of scenario where there is no beginning this is what ensues:

in every timeline they end up meeting thanks to another timeline’s Viktor saving Jayce> glorious purpose>good end star lovers/bad end glorious purpose+regret> saving Jayce in another timeline

Meaning there is always a Viktor saving Jayce in another timeline, the end choice that this timeline’s Viktor gets, bad end or good end, he will always end up regretting the glorious purpose and going to another timeline to save another Jayce and try to make amends in another timeline by offering another Viktor the same choice, or they die together. Heck, they MUST be alive in the “good end” so Viktor chooses to go save another timeline’s Jayce too, or it would throw off the balance, because there would be one less Viktor saviour in the cycle>

As soon as this fragile balance is thrown off where in another timeline either one of them dies/doesn’t exist, or they don’t create the hexcore together, or they can’t figure out the sigils in time, or the good end is their death, that means there is one less Viktor saviour in the infinity cycle, one less universe where Jayce is saved, so one less Viktor saviour in the infinity cycle again…

meaning the timeloop is impossible. In every single universe there must be this bad end/good end choice. But knowing how multiverses work I would be surprised they would all manage to have the exact same storyline to produce a Viktor saviour.

So… still not hot on the timeloop thing.

Thus, it must be the same beard-Viktor being on a saving Jayce spree, and I want to know his story because that means :

1. He knows Jayce is the answer to stop the tragedy

2. He knows Jayce would have died in other universes if he (Viktor) wasn’t there in the first place. If Jayce had died in his world they wouldn’t have known each other thus Viktor wouldn’t have gone back in time to save him, so how does he know that?

We have a paradox on our hands. Why does he know that in the first place, does that mean Jayce was alive in his timeline, then, who saved his Jayce in his universe?

The possible timelines:

1. Viktor from another timeline doesn’t show up, Jayce dies Viktor never meets him there is no hexcore created

2. Viktor from another timeline doesn’t show up, Jayce dies Viktor never meets him Viktor somehow manages to make the hexcore by himself (he never had that drive for magic like Jayce did because he was never exposed to it but bear with me, always has been looking for ways to fight his disability), bad ending glorious purpose

3. Somehow, Jayce returned lived, they meet and grow to have the bond we know but he still obsesses about that glorious purpose and we have the bad end that Jayce sees in the series. Regrets it, saves Jayce in other timelines, becomes beard-Viktor

4. The series’ timeline, beard-Viktor saves Jayce, they meet and grow to have the bond we know , glorious purpose, beard-Viktor’s appearance again then good? Star lovers end

So how did Jayce survive in beard-Viktor’s timeline? And how did they end up being able to find the right materials, recreate the hexcore and the sigils? Viktor probably wouldn’t have lived long enough for years of careful research and trial, and they only were able to launch the first phase of it because Jayce remembered seeing the original ones

If Jayce had been saved by another Viktor and shown all this, we would most probably have the “good end”.

If beard-Viktor is indeed the only one who went through the bad ending and is trying to prevent it, ??????? My above questions remain.

If it’s a timeloop, please help. We know the bad end exists for sure so we know the concept of multiverse and diverging choices is real, so having all universes, an infinite number, being able to all sync on this one thing being that the hexcore is created by Viktor AND Jayce and Viktor is presented with that choice, and whatever choice he makes he is alive at the end and goes to another timeline to save Jayce, I have trouble accepting the “it’s fate” kind of answer… aaaah

>>>I guess some Viktors could save more Jayces from other timelines to reestablish a balance for all the missing Viktor saviours… it’s not like there’s a quota of saving only one… but then again, it would be a “fate” situation that I know can be satisfying but I would rather hear your theories on this

[medea10]

The Year was 2024 and Oh What Fresh Hell Am I Living In?!

I know this is my yearly post where I’m supposed to be upbeat. But this year was such a pile of shit, I don’t think I can be upbeat. I never thought a year could possibly rival that of the devil’s butt-hole of 2005. I still can’t say it. 2005 is still a year I will despise from the depths of my soul due to the gravity of the situations I was in. But 2024 was just awful. And no, this has nothing to do with Trump being re-elected. That happened in November and I had a whole 10 months of other shit before that. Although that did not help. And yes, I will be waiting in the wings to give the biggest and smuggest “I told you so” when the time comes.

In 2024, sickness, depression, and death has plagued my inner circle for the majority of the year. I know one of those deaths I was expecting so I was prepared for it mentally. What I wasn’t prepared for was the sudden death of my youngest cat and the sudden death to a friend of over 30 years.

If I had a nickel for every time this year someone close to me died of Cardiac Arrest, I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Not to mention the surgeries, the sinus infections, the endo pain…All of this and more has really taken a toll on what I love to do. There were a lot of anime that I watched this year and a lot that I didn’t have the energy to write about. I just absolutely gave up on writing. I watched shows like Bungo Stray Dogs, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Dandadan, and I am not writing a single review for those and more. Does this mean I’m going to stop writing reviews forever? Probably not. I’m just slowly trying to get back to normality. Okay, I think that’s enough kvetching from me.

If you’re unfamiliar with this post, every year I do my (so, so outdated) list of the anime and games I watched and played this year. And I’m very inclusive to everything I’ve watched. So, if I watched an anime and it came out seven years before I was even born, it counts. Okay, let’s hit it!

First Fandom of 2024: The Apothecary Diaries

I know this came out in Fall 2023, but I picked up the series at the beginning of the year while it was still airing. And from the very beginning, I couldn’t turn it off as I was captivated by Maomao’s tale. I’ll be honest, up until I watched this, I had no idea what an apothecary was. I’m dumb. Well, I certainly don’t have any more questions after watching this anime. It was fun watching Maomao progress throughout the series in her many roles she served in the palace. And I’m going to get a lot of hate when I say this. I liked the Apothecary Diaries better than Frieren. I am not even sorry.

Favorite Main Character of 2024: Hitori "Bocchi" Gotou from Bocchi the Rock

While I was close to choosing Maomao for this category, I did watch Bocchi the Rock this year and I can’t resist putting up another introvert who has a hard time communicating. Yeah, I can connect with Bocchi and understand how her mind works. I’ve been there. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I over-analyzed a situation involving communicating with friends or scenarios.

Favorite Villain of 2024: Galaxia from Sailor Moon Cosmos

I know I’m reliving watching Makoto Shishio on Rurouni Kenshin, but I cannot in good conscience sleep on Galaxia’s reign during the two-part Sailor Moon movies. There is no comparison between the Cosmos and Stars adaptation, Cosmos wins. Galaxia killed off Mamoru in front of Usagi. Not just him, but all of her friends and this girl is just wrecked. Galaxia is the strongest foe in the Sailor Moon universe. This woman can destroy single planets in no-time flat. She can zap anyone out of existence like they were nothing. Galaxia went to the trouble to mentally hurt Usagi by having her loved ones turn against her.

Favorite Video Game Character of 2024: Vivian from Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door

As I did not have a Nintendo Gamecube, I never played this game or had any idea of its existence. It came out when I was in college and the only console I had was the GBA SP. So, I never knew of this precious cinnamon roll. I want to protect them like they protected me. Vivian doesn’t deserve hate. In fact, next to baby Yoshi, I used Vivian the most out of all the other partners.

Favorite Video Game of 2024: …

Much like last year, I had an interesting time reliving old classics on the DS and 3DS. Had to play it while I could online. But then we had quite the influx of Mario games within the last 12 months. There was a Luigi game, a Peach game, another Mario/Luigi RPG, another Mario Party, and a remake to a fan favorite. I wound up playing three of these and even older versions of those three. The video games really helped me through this year. As with the previous entry, I gotta give it to…

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Okay you Gamecubers, you were right. This was fun. I had fun.

Favorite Het Couple of 2024: Itsuomi Nagi x Yuki Itose from A Sign of Affection

Yuki is a precious cinnamon roll and I want nothing but the best for her. Itsuomi better treat her well. And that’s what we get with this series. A deaf girl meets a multi-lingual boy and the two hit it off. Itsuomi is always up for a challenge to learn a new language and culture, but has never learned sign language before. And Yuki, she just wants to expand her world as it just felt like it was mostly restraint.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2024: Diana Barry x Anne Shirley from Akage no Anne (Anne of Green Gables)

Yeah, that’s the anime that I nodded at being seven years older than me. Now, I know this isn’t an actual ship, but please do bear with me with this. If you watched the original 1979 anime, you know why I would put this on the list. And for those waiting until April 2025 to see the new adaptation, you’ll see. Anne and Diana became fast friends and if they are ever apart, they are the most dramatic characters you will ever see. If their parents or guardians forbid them from seeing each other again, you would have thought they were going to go Romeo and Juliet on us.

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2024: Adachi Kiyoshi x Yuuichi Kurosawa from Cherry Magic

Like there was any other Yaoi couple this year that could compete with this one. I mean, sure there could be others, but from what I watched, no way. You cannot compete with the ending we got from this. I was worried about this becoming another toxic relationship like some other yaoi ships I support. While this one was…borderline that, I give credit to Kurosawa for not doing what I thought he was going to do. His jealousy is another subject. But overall, seeing an office crush evolve into sudden romance and eventually marriage, it chokes you up inside a little.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Dragon Ball Daima

I will admit that the second it was announced we were getting another Dragon Ball series where Goku and the rest of the cast are turned into little children, my first thought was, “Fuck you! We’ve been through this before with Dragon Ball GT. No! Go back in the dumpster fire where you came from”. That was until I heard Akira Toriyama was actually involved unlike with GT. I unfortunately don’t know how it’ll go as Toriyama passed away earlier this year, but for now let’s just enjoy Daima for what it is. It wasn’t just Goku becoming a child, but everyone involved in the Majin Buu incident that’s turned into children. The characters Goku is traveling with, they’re a lot better than Pan and an essentially neutered Trunks.

Fandom That Made an Unexpected Comeback: Black Butler

All of my favorite Aniplex animes made a return this year. Hell, there were a lot of comebacks this year. But Black Butler was still my go-to for the year (along with Spice and Wolf). While I was hella skeptical when it came to the studio at the helm for this arc, they pulled it off. Despite the seven-year wait since the last project, it felt like less time once I started watching. Probably because Book of the Atlantic and Public School arc kinda dealing with the same thing.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Dandadan

I was this close to putting Mashle in this category, but a certain anime where a spirit known as “Turbo Granny” is after this kid’s nutsack. This anime is batshit and I love it. I’m going in thinking this is some wacky-ass shit that was conceived by Studio Trigger. On the contrary, it was done by Science SARU. That makes sense as Ayase looks like Tsubame from Keep Your Hands Off Eizoken. Same studio for both. Every episode I’m going through the motions. Mostly it’s, “What the fuck am I watching” or “Am I high” or “this is awesome, but totally fucked in the membrane”.

Last Fandom of 2024: Dandadan

Ranma ½ was almost going to get this spot due to my nostalgia for everything Rumic World. But, Dandadan is just too addicting let’s give it the final two spots on my usual list. I wasn’t sure what I was hopping into when I picked this up at the very last second, but I’m glad I did it. Who knew watching an anime about ghosts, aliens, demons, and the contents inside some kid’s boxers was going to get me to watch. Who are we kidding? I’m surprised I didn’t jump on this shit sooner. Also, episode 7 is a treasure. It didn’t kill me like everyone else, but it was a really good episode. Another also, the English dub is superb.

Okay, I’m going to take a page from my 2022 superlative and do some silly honors here. It’s only to lift up my spirits.

Best (real life) Cinnamon Roll of 2024: Jasmine Paolini

This girl is just the best. She’s black and Italian (like me). She’s 5’ 4” (like me). And she plays tennis…I don’t play tennis, but I’ll watch. She won the tennis doubles finals at the Olympics. She made it to the single finals at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. And you know what, she’s an all-around good sport and just the sweetest thing to come from Italy since gelato.

Video Game That Didn’t Deserve a 5/10: Mario and Luigi Brothership

It’s a plumber brother RPG game. You’ve played them before. You should know how the mechanics are going to be by now. And you should know how insane it is. Although, I feel like the conception of the game came from game designers staring at a wall for 9 days straight.

Funny NFL Moment: Andy Reid’s Mustache

I know everyone still memes Andy Reid and Travis Kelce at the Super Bowl. But I’m still going with the game a couple of weeks before that when Reid’s mustache formed icicles. I know it was a very chilly game and I got worried about the players on the field. That weather was dangerous. However, frozen snot-bubbles on Reid’s mustache is what I’m going to chuckle at. As if I needed any more reason to compare Andy Reid to The Walrus. Look at those two and tell me they aren’t identical.

A Song Everyone Should Stop Singing: Defying Gravity

I love the song, but it’s not for everyone. Stop trying. The song is out of your range.

Oh Just DIE Already of 2024: Velma

Uuuuugggggggghhhhhhhh.

A Pokemon Ship I Miss Gushing About: Contestshipping

You notice how I didn’t mention Pokemon in the list this year. Yeah, me neither. While I like Pokemon Horizons just fine, I don’t find myself being a total dork-a-doofus over every little thing like with the original Pokemon anime. And for no reason whatsoever, here’s Drew x May. I miss it. You miss it. We all miss it. It was totally canon. And if you haven’t watched Pokemon Advanced Generation to know what I’m talking about. Fuck you doing here? It’s been around for 20 years now. GO!

Best Dance Scene: Abbott Teachers Dancing to Will Smith

Holo’s dance from Spice and Wolf was a close one. But the teachers of Abbott dancing to Will Smith’s Wild Wild West just wins hands down.

Something That Sparks Joy: MeTV Toons

Thank you for existing.

Best Day of 2024: May 30th, 2024

If you know, you know. I also liked it because I ate some damn good pizza.

[yolkchild]

Why do you ship what you ship? (Not judging, just asking!!)

The ship I'm craziest about, Putty/Orel, I find it to tread the line between healthy and toxic just right as to make for both messy scenarios and opportunities for mutual growth, and I think the growth aspect ends up neglected in most (but not all) other ships you can conjure up for this show's cast. Which isn't to say the pure messes aren't enjoyable, they are, it can be fun to see people act pathetic or self-centered or hurtful; but I've come to appreciate balance more and more at this point in my life. I've also come to appreciate religiosity a lot more, the way I see it there's a lot of room for those themes in a relationship between a disillusioned reverend and his number one zealot. And oh, the sweetness of the Revs choosing to listen to that boy's advice, like no one else would in this town, and the paradox of having one of the perpetrators of dogma also become a refuge from it, in his accidentally-benevolent hypocrisy. Orel would have a modicum of a safe space, where he can be heard and seen and appreciated, where he can express more of himself—maybe even have a cooler father figure in some aspects. Even if Orel's still susceptible to Moralton's lies to the point of great damage, or the burden of their secret gets heavy, or Rod gets selfish and deceptive and presumptuous at times. Balance: sometimes you sway left and then right and back left until you find those sweet spots, instabilities and stabilities often walk together.

That, and I'm a sucker for age differences. I used to be more shameful about it, I like to think I'm not as much nowadays, but it's a powerful thing to me, all the possibilities that can happen in such a gap. I'm also just drawn to religious figures and I think Reverend Putty is hot and relatable, and Orel is also hot and relatable, so naturally what you do is put them together and identify as all roles between them.

Most my other ships would be preying on my age thing. Creepler, anything with Creepler, he's a little embarrassing to elaborate on because he's pure indulgence for me. There's a certain freedom in enjoying Bad Guys because any judgements come more immediate, they're easier to get out of the way and allow for deeper exploration of their psyches, their motivations and the environments shaping them, since the goal no longer becomes getting a righteous message across. Especially compelling is seeing what relates a Bad Guy to their more innocuous peers: I'm sure Creepler and Sculptham share enough in common to warrant multiple "dates." To me, Creepler can't love without Doughy who can't love without Sculptham who can't love without Creepler, this triad is crucial to understanding each character and their relationships to one another. The teacher with a complicated relationship with sex and men, the shady pedophile who fills her needs in a twisted way, the easy target they share who just wants to be seen. It's one pure mess as I've described earlier, it's bleak and no one truly wins, but broken houses can stay upright for a long time.

There's a lot more I'm fond of, ship-wise, both problematic and not. Danielle and the Puppingtons, cool. The Puppingtons themselves, awesome. Rod and the Puppingtons? Oo la la. Stephanie and every possible single woman, hell yeah let's see where this goes. Chances are, if I hadn't considered it or if I avoid doing so, if I'm not crazy about it, it's probably because the motivation behind a pairing (or its discussion) turned to have more to do with real-world messaging than the chemistry the characters have.

[katurdayss]

It’s been a full week since the finale of Rings of Power and every time I've sat down to try to write my S2 review I see a new take and start rethinking. I eventually circle back to the same ideas tho, so fuck it, here are my thoughts in no particular order.

Season 2 was a lot better than Season 1. This is true for most shows, as S1 is usually a 'lets find our footing' scenario, but also these seasons are SHORT. Which leads me to...

This show would benefit GREATLY from seasons longer than 8 episodes. The way they've structured it means they juggle a LOT of storylines at once. Sometimes this is great, other times it feels like storylines suffer because they're just planting seeds for the future and it doesn't really have an impact on the Main Storyline for the season. For me, Arondir was one of these. His started with this great potential for how an immortal would understand the concept of grieving the forever loss of a loved one. Unfortunately that was really watered down into tracking down Adar to kill him, full stop. Which brings us to...

What.the.fuck.is.the.timeline? How much time has passed? S1 and S2 feel like they happened in a month. I don’t care if the timeline is compressed, I still want to feel time passing other than noticing Annatar's/Sauron’s hair magically grew like 4 inches in one episode.

Speaking of Annatar, I feel like what the show did really well was creating original dialogue/moments (even with canon things) instead of what I would call fan/studio service. The parts that I have loved the most were the more original moments: like anything involving the dwarves, the development of Miriel and Elendil, the Ents, and Cirdan. The parts that I felt were weakest were when the show relied too heavily or used dialogue from the Jackson movies. I didn't want the Stranger to be Gandalf, not because it isn't canon, but because Peter Jackson already did that. I don't need multiple call backs to his movies (I love those movies too). I'm here for NEW STUFF. Expand my Tolkien universe, show me shit I've never seen before that will make my head explode. That weird nameless thing Arondir killed? Imagine the Cardi B 'What is that' meme and that was me. Fucking great. I don't want to be constantly reminded of the Jackson version of shit, I'm here to see Prime's version.

That brings me to the idea of consistency. I have yet to figure out what the methodology the showrunners/writers have when choosing to follow or not follow canon. Example, they included that little orc family but didn't make Elrond an elf lord? WHY? His lineage is like royal af. Even when not following canon, I feel like the writing can be really inconsistent. The Numenor storyline is a great example of this. Sometimes it's awesome, but the dialogue for the Kings Men characters are often really cringy, and not because what they're saying is fascist. Galadriel is another one for me. Do I need to like her, no, but her character is also used as a studio catch all for every woman character archetype possible. She's single-minded and driven, she's soft and caring, she's thoughtful and wise, every dude apparently is in love with her and it swings WILDLY from episode to episode. You need space to build in these changes to make them believable, which see points 2 & 3.

And finally, on the subject of romance/shipping, for the love of god a story can be great without all the fan service romantic tension editing and teasing. People can exist without romantic partners. People exist without romance. I literally do it every day. I'm not saying you need to make characters asxeual or anything either. Just you know, let people be people. Did The Kiss bother me? No, but you also could of written Elrond slipping Galadriel a lock pick numerous other ways. Is Sauron obsessed with Galadriel? Sure, but maybe its because her hair shines with the light of the west or something and not this tired trope of 'bE mY qUeeN'.

There are other things I would personally change, but I thoroughly enjoyed this season. It made me do a whole lot of reckoning with the ideas of canon representation vs just good storytelling for the audience, which is a really good thing. But it also showed me the folly in treating every media property the same, because Tolkien is not Marvel is not GOT is not The Witcher. You can't be like, 8 episodes works for X so it should work for this too, or x worked for GOT so we'll use that here as well. Maybe it's the Graphic Designer in me but just because Pepsi and Coca Cola are brand soda's doesn't mean the design language and marketing is the same, ya know?

[maslows-pyramid-scheme]

Rather than refuse to vote, I think we should vote third party. Jill Stein has a much better platform than Joe (and Trump obviously). That *would* make the democrats panic and signal to them that they have to earn progressive votes going forward. Thoughts?

(I understand why people would choose to vote democrat as the “lesser of two evils” but I just can’t do that anymore in good conscience, and I don’t believe it is a good long-term strategy.)

The US doesn't have a preferential voting system, so I fail to see how voting third party is any different, in practice, from not voting at all - it's the same top-down understanding of politics that has failed leftists since the 1960s and 70s. If you want to enact consistent change, you need to get involved in politics from the bottom up: you need to get involved with the party, vote in every election you're eligible for, and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

Personally, I think bottom up approaches are particularly useful for single-issues like Israel/Hamas, because this is not the first time Israel and Hamas (or its predecessors) have gone to war with one another, and it's probably not going to be the last - and, if the leftists didn't succeed in changing party politics through voting third party/non-voting in the past, then it's unlikely that it'll suddenly work now.

If you make your third party protest vote/non-vote, the best case scenario is that nothing changes, and the worst case scenario is that Trump returns to office and continues to dismantle all of the social policies and infrastructure that the Dems have enacted in the past, to the detriment of vulnerable Americans (if you're thinking that US foreign policy wouldn't change, then you're right: it never changes).

(I say it's 'probably' the best case scenario because it's technically possible that a huge third-party vote will make the Dems reconsider its stance... just incredibly unlikely. Like I said before, this isn't a new issue, and if it hasn't worked yet, it's probably going to work now.)

Finally, I'm assuming that you're coming from the pro-Palestinian side (because Biden has been decent on other domestic US issues, e.g. student debt, abortion), so I just want to make a little request: please go and see what fox news and other conservative US news sources are saying about Palestinians.

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

Hey, what tips or suggestions would you give to someone who want to start writing headcanons and fics for characters on here - specifically reader x character things? Is there anything I should keep in mind or be aware of?

Hey there honey!

First of all thanks for thinking of me when you need writing advice T-T (i really feel like i've made it somehow)

I have plenty of tips! I hope they will be helpful to you!

These tips are for improving your writing skills:

First start out with the knowledge that there's always more to learn about writing and you're always going to find things that you want to improve about your own writing. Personally, I started out as the type of person who only wrote dialogues and no description and wrote it all in a single paragraph. Then I got into a phase where I would be unnecessarily descriptive (no one needs to know that the shade of someone's curtains were vermillion with a touch of sunset orange). Which brings me to my second tip--

Grammar and Language! Please please be mindful about spacing out your fic in multiple paragraphs, using good word choices, correcting your grammar where possible. (There's absolutely nothing wrong if English is not your first language or even if you have a couple typos here and there)

One of my biggest tips to help you get better at writing is READING! Not only does it help expand your vocabulary and help you understand when you use dialogues and when to be descriptive. It also helps you understand where you'd want to improve yourself. (For me, The Butterfly Effect by @samseaaa is my current writing goalpost because it is just too good I'd recommend reading it if it's your vibe)

Try every style of writing to find what sticks with you. If you're the type of writer who only likes writing dialogues and short sentences without much detail, headcanons or short drabbles might be more your vibe. For some others it could be long oneshots or even multiple chapter stories. Also I'd say a good skill is knowing when something should be a drabble and when something should be a oneshot/multiple chapter story

Another thing I'd say is important is to keep in mind the POV of your fic. If it's in First POV then remember to tell the story through the eyes of the reader (they're not going to know what's going on in someone else's head). I've been wanting to transition to a First POV even though I've been doing a Second POV for as long as I can remember but I think it's too much of a habit now lol. Also a couple years ago, multiple POV chapters were really popular but I'm pretty sure it's fallen out of style.

Word count is something that's important to me but I know loads of people who don't care about it. For example, when it's a multiple chapter story, I need the chapters to be at least 1k words long each. I'd prefer longer but 1k is as little as I'm willing to both write or read.

Speaking of multiple chapter stories; know that some people plan the shit out of their story and some just wing it as they go. Neither is wrong. Don't be like me though, who wings it initially and then changes their minds and decides they want to plan the entire thing so they rewrite the whole thing. Or do, there's no right or wrong.

These couple tips are specific to getting your fics out and about:

(This is specific to 'x reader' fics) If you choose to write a story that is x reader then be sure not to give the main character any physical attributes or a name. If you want to write an OC, go ahead but be sure to tag the fic properly.

Use your tags properly! You have 20 tags on tumblr that will appear when people search for them and it's a really good way to get your fics out to people who want to read them! They're a little annoying to fill in every time but it will help!

If you're the type of person that needs interaction to keep motivated when writing, there's absolutely no shame in writing fics that are popular at the time. For example, I did a "boyfriend scenarios" book on wattpad back when it was the shit. Also when ATLA and SMAUs w ere trending I did my Zuko!SMAU fic.

Another way to help you increase your writing and thus help you practice is keeping requests open and your setting for anons open (ofc only if you're comfortable with that). Do this in moderation though because I tended to get slightly burnt out when I had too many requests.

And of course one more final tip is to just enjoy the ride! Writing is supposed to be fun and I hope it'll become a source of joy for you<3

I hope this helps you! And if you have anymore specific questions then please feel free to reach out I'm always so happy to help <3

Also, for any of the writers reading this who wants to include their own tips, feel free to reblog or leave them in the comments!

[causesciencethatswhy]

The way jimin presents is much more obviously queer than any other member (purely based on mannerisms, cause if you hear joon or yoongi talking about love for a few minutes you can put two and two together). And his overt queerness makes a lot of cis hetero shippers (or kpop fans ) uncomfortable because they're forced to confront their internalized homophobia and misogyny head on. So they find a way to diminish his importance to the other members or villanise to cartoonish levels to deal with that discomfort.

(I'm the anon you responded to with this^^)

Add onto that how a lot of ARMYs seem to assume that just being a BTS fan makes you an ally/intelligent/a good person, and it's the perfect scenario for some cognitive dissonance. Only that JM haters and Tkkers don't seem to have enough cognitive for it to be anything. Even (maybe especially, even) shipping two men doesn't automatically make you supportive of the queer community and understanding of the struggles just existing as a queer person brings about.

They always clamour "but two gay men wouldn't do xyz in a homophobic country", failing to recognise that queer people have existed through so much worse and still have done things wildly more gay than anything Jikook have done.

There's also a lot of them who only see JM's gender expression and "queer subtext" (meaning fashion choices, and the whole concept of his photofolio + album) while disregarding JK's. Like, that man pulled out the most feminine look and attitude in his "bobs+bangs" Calvin Klein shoot. And he fucking owned it. But instead, at least in my perception, the fandom is split on him: one half genuinely sees and appreciates JKs expression of himself, while the other mostly memes it to death and ridding it of meaning. Any perception of JK as a potentially non-hetero man is forgotten the moment he presents as classically masculine again, aka stereotyping the whole queer community to death.

The latter doesn't happen with JM, because - like you said - he fits the common perception of a gay man. Which is all fun and games for the many "The JM effect" compilations, but for cis shippers it starts sliding into homophobia the moment they need to stop perceiving the members as Ken Dolls and instead treat them as actual human beings with all their complexities, faults and incongruent behaviour.

Which brings me onto Hobi. Now, I don't think he gets it quite as bad as JM.

One reason being that there's simply not as many Yoonminers who aren't mainly tkkers. The latter often uses the former to not be seen as a JM anti, but aside from compilations getting spread to push the "married couple" agenda, they don't focus their attention on it. (Also can the "arguing a lot = being in love/married" thing plz die? As someone whose grandparents argue every 20 minutes (real numbers) it's the actual worst and not really a reflection of romance...)

Another one is that Yoonminers do not care about original content at all. From what I've seen during my baby army days, they pick and choose everything down to the tiniest detail. So they mostly ignore that Hobi even exists as a possible variable.

Which brings me to my next point, which kinda breaks my heart: I don't think a lot of shippers in general, and the tkk/ym crowd in particular, see Hoseok as someone to focus their attention on. He gets forgotten a LOT, relegated to the fun sidekick comic relief while the ships are the mc's. (Which is why, imho, it's always his releases a lot of the fandom doesn't care about/actively ignores). The actual deep founded love every single member of BTS has for him - to the point they should actually propose - is insane. How can you think Ym is more real than Sope or Jihope? How can people be that willfully obtuse?

As someone who thinks Jikook could be real (2019, I am looking at you), I had my doubts seeing Jihope interact a few times. But what gets me is how fucking whipped Hobi gets every time he watches Jikook be all adorable. He looks at them like the proud BFF who got them together. A lot of that is his general love for the maknae line and his personality, but that level? The instances of it happening?

...

.......

This was a lot. Okay.

Tl;dr: BTS are human beings, also Hoseok is the best person on the planet probably. Be gay, do crime🏳️‍🌈

Even (maybe especially, even) shipping two men doesn't automatically make you supportive of the queer community and understanding of the struggles just existing as a queer person brings about.

This!! Is so key to everything wrong with a large group of shippers and even solo fans. This idea that because you ship on m/m ship over the other, you are no way capable of making homophobic assumptions and statements. To a lot of shippers shipping a potentially queer couple is just another way to fulfill some forbidden romance fantasy of theirs and not actual concern for the lived reality of queer couples in conservative countries.

Which is why the painful torture of two boyfriends being torn apart from each other like star crossed lovers sounds more palatable and realistic to tkkrs than a queer couple deciding to stick by each other's side through thick and thin, despite the risks. It's less spicy I guess, but who cares of queer joy when the dramatics of the other possibility is so much more enticing.

Everytime I see tkkrs make the whole, "being gay in the military is forbidden so a gay couple would never risk going together" argument, a part of my soul dies. I don’t know what's more offensive, the idea that a closeted couple will just forget how to behave around each other after potentially years of being together because Gays and their crazy sex drives, am I right?

Or the alternative explanation that queer people in conservative countries just never make risky descions for the sake of their partners because the law forbids them from even existing.

Both explanations are tone deaf and ignorant of the lived reality of queer people. Its a direct result of straight people dominating shipper spaces. I do sometimes wonder what queer tkkr shippers make of these theories (cause I'm sure they exist as well). Are they perhaps more sane or do they subscribe to this bs as well ?

And oh my gosh yes about jungkook. That boy has very vocally played about with his gender expression and has been the one ignored the most by seriously cis heterosexual fans. This daddy Dom fantasy they project onto him is a bit much though I do think he does enjoy a more masculine cool image for himself as well. Which to the straight mind is confirmation for all their wattpad inspired fantasies of him. It's unfortunate but alas, stereotypes stick , especially those made by people with a very set view of the world.

As for hobi and the ynmner /sope dilemma, I totally get it. Ynmn shippers do tend to get on my nerves from time to time as well and it no doubt does have something to do with the correlation of them to the tkkr subgroup. I have grown fond of the ynmn dynamic since my baby army days I must admit though, because you can clearly see how much yoongi genuinely appreciates jimins presence and how jimin relies on yoongi for emotional comfort. It is sweet, but yeah I don't necessarily see anything else going on there.

Same goes for sope honestly. Nothing has ever made me seriously question them, except the sunshine bf with grumpy bf dynamic they do fit into very perfectly. They also clearly rely on each other for emotional support (Bring Hobi, hes my vitamin 🥺) but yeah Nothing as eye raising ig ? But yes, i can completely see why it's so frustrating to see how Hobi is dismissed within other shipping dynamics similar to the treatment j/m has gotten. Hobi does tend to get overlooked a lot in these bts dynamic discussions when he very much does embody the heart of the group and the members love for him is so heartfelt and grand, we really seriously underestimate his significance to keeping the bts spirit in line all these years.

I love my ball of sunshine who holds and even bottles up a lot emotionally for the sake of his fans and the team. And he always deserves more appreciation by everyone in the fandom (myself included)

Ps. Jihope in that one 2020 music bank live was definitely a 👀 moment lol.

[dorn-queen-of-thorns]

"A farewell for a beginning"

Happened after ch. 138

Prolog

Eren' s and Armin' s point of view

The two friends sit under the dark blue sky, which can change the colour depending on how the viewer feels. In the distance you can see every single path that is bundled towards the horizon and looks like the trunk of a tree. There is an oppressive tension in the air between the two childhood friends.

 

“Eren! What have you done? ”, You can see Armin's horror on his face. The boy with the chestnut-brown hair and the emerald - green eyes, who has a deep vein in which you can sink. He looks for the right words, Armin notices that Eren is about to cry and is unsure .

 

“I know Armin, but please believe me. I've tried everything to save all of you. If I hadn't started this genocide, Marley would declare war on Paradise in a year and destroyed it to the last ", he speaks in a fragile voice," Mikasa will decide to cut my head off and she will ask you and the captain for help . There is and there was never another way out and I'm so tired of this. I want to be free from suffering ... ", the tears run down Eren's cheeks. He wishes that everything had gone differently and that he would come back to Mikasa for talk things out. But it doesn't work if he wants at least, that she can survive as one of the few.

“You could have talked to us. We would have found a solution together ”, Armin tries to understand his best friend.

 

Eren shakes his head desperately, doesn't know how to explain to Armin what suffering he has felt and seen. As an explanation, he takes Armin's hand and gives him the view of the founding Titan, which gives him a view of all paths. This means that Armin can see every possibility in the future, past and present at this moment. Paths that can be changed, but also paths that are referred to as fixed points and are therefore firmly written.

 

Armin sees all the options that Eren can choose and which in most cases lead to the death of all members of the alliance. The shock is deep in Armin and Eren understands his desperation.

 

“There is so much more that I have to explain to you, Armin. At that moment I will become a father and it breaks my heart never to see or hold my own child. "

 

Armin looks at Eren in surprise, “what? Who? What about Mikasa? "

 

Armin notices that Eren is struggling for the right words, "Historia ..." Armin's answer follows by giving him one slap. Eren makes no move to defend himself. He can even understand his best friend for how he treated Armin and Mikasa when they last met.

 

“You know that Mikasa loves you! Why did you never tell her anything? She still loves you and has not been able to move on until now, hoping to save you and can’t take other people into her heart, ”, at this utterance Armin comes Jean and the Captain into his mind. Both of them tried in their own way to take care of Mikasa and to help over her pain. Jean in his direct and self-sacrificing way, while the captain reacted very subtly, indirectly and carefully. Always a watching eye on her.

 

Eren rubs his cheek thoughtfully, “I know Armin, but please believe me. I tried. I have wandered the paths so often and saw two scenarios, these have always been the same. Either Historia and her child will die during childbirth, or you will all die and Historia survive with her child. I can't accept either ... "Eren's tears run," I've seen you all die so often. I just simply can not anymore…"

Armin realizes that it is his old friend Eren and not the ice-cold Eren who left Mikasa so badly hurt and destroyed with his words. “I wish she could see you now, Eren. She could make peace with it. "

 

“I know, Armin. But that doesn't work. With this wish everything would repeat itself. At least few of you, including Mikasa and Historia, survive this path that she is now taking ... It is the only way ... ", Eren looks thoughtfully into the distance," I want, that both have the opportunity to lead a long and peaceful life. "

"How do you know that it is the path that you have been looking for so long?", Armin looks at his best friend from childhood.

 

“Armin, there is a point that repeats itself over and over again. It is the point when I am with you for the first time in Liberio and I ask Mikasa how she thinks about me. And before that she had always confessed her love and the last time she gave me a different answer and said , that I was family to her and then you came with the others to join us... "

Eren looks melancholy.

 

“ I couldn't say goodbye to her. Besides telling her that she forget me and that she should have a long life, "he looks sadly into the distance.

“Please take care of Mikasa. She will immediately enter the paths and look for me ", he takes Armin's hand, "send her back. PLEASE PROMISE ME!

I don't want to have to go through everything again and I want at least a few of you to be able to survive. "

Armin recognizes Eren's desperation and nods in understanding to his friend, "I promise you." Armin feels that their time is approaching. "Will we meet again here, Eren?"

 

Eren looks at Armin and nods in understanding: "We will from time to time."

He scratches his neck thoughtfully, "Both Marley children will survive on this path, as well as Mikasa and ..." Armin looks at Eren curiously. "The captain ..." Armin's eyes widen and he has to grin.

“If I'm honest, Armin. I am glad that he can survive on this path. So she will be caught in her depression and will find a new task in this world. But there was never a way out that Mikasa and I could end up together. I asked her to forget me. She will try to fight it as I know her, but with the current situation, everything will turn for the better for her and shortly after our last meeting at the Survey Corps headquarters, she made her own decisions and decided to do more with the captain work. I'm proud of her. "

Armin remembers that at the end of the day, Mikasa was always close to her superior and trusted him more. It's just sad that he'll never see them like that again. He wonders how their work together could have developed in other aspects of life.

 

“Our ways will now part. I'll take care of the Marley girl now. Rainer asked me to send her back in exchange for his tank titans ", he looks at Armin again in goodbye," see you soon. "

[aptechvisaglobalimmigration]

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[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 - 𝟔/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

premise: january andrews, a women's literature writer, moves out to lake michigan in an attempt to write her latest novel and box up the second life she learned her father had at his funeral. the only problem is that her neighbor is augustus everett, a fiction writer and her old college rival. when they find out that they're both struggling to write, a bet is formed and they become closer than january had ever thought possible so many years ago.

couple: augustus everett and january andrews

tropes: rivals to lovers, forced proximity, small town, neighbors, slight grumpy x sunshine

review below!

review:

so i've cried at every emily henry book i've read so far but i CRIED during this one. there is something about this book and its characters that just eats at my soul in the best way possible. i became immediately attached to the story and january and gus and saw myself in them so much as i read. january's disbelief in love after everything that happened felt so realistic and getting to read her thoughts and how she felt about the situation just made her feel so real. she wasn't being over the top just to add to the book. one thing that i think emily henry does so well is writing realistic characters and scenarios. if i was in january's shoes, i'd feel the same way that she did in the book.

january was just a perfect fmc to me. she hit all the boxes and didn't feel like she was relying on cliches of not being like other girls. she's complex and she has so many conflicting emotions about a very difficult situation. she also has so much love for gus that it's almost overwhelming (in a good way) to read. she wants to help him and make him feel loved and she wants so badly to understand him. i love her on her own but even more with gus and their relationship and the light she brings out in him.

gus may be my new favorite emily henry man... i know i know... but i connected with him on a level that i didn't quite get to with alex or charlie. i love those two so so much but i think that gus is just the one who really got stuck in my heart and head. his trauma and the way that he thinks and defends himself just felt so vulnerable and raw in a way that i clung onto him desperately throughout the book. i love alex and charlie, don't get me wrong, but augustus everett goes down in history for me.

something about this book truly just spoke to my soul and it has easily become my favorite emily henry which is so crazy because i thought nothing would top pwmov and then i read book lovers and i thought nothing would top that... and then i read beach read. emily henry just has such a way of writing that every book of hers makes me so happy (and so so sad but in a good way) that i can't do anything but love it. i was obsessed with this from page one and i can't wait to read her other two books eventually to go with the rest of her amazing ones that i've already read.

q & a:

are they endgame? - yes. yep. uh huh. absolutely. every and all ways of saying yes. i think they just have a way with each other that really makes them such a strong couple. they really know how to read one another and how to support each other that i think makes them so entirely endgame. i love this couple so much and they are so perfect for each other.

did i cringe? - no, i don't think so. maybe cringing from how much it hit me in the chest but not in the bad way. it's a sad book. people who say that emily henry writes romcoms are sorely mistaken. these books are packed with angst and harsh realities and make you cry. and i love each and every single one of them so far.

favorite part? - damn... do i have to choose? i loved both gus and january and every part of them felt real. their characters were jumping off the page at me and i think that's what makes emily henry's writing stand out so much. her characters feel real. they feel like people you could know because every aspect of them is grounded in reality. gus feels like he's broken and january feels betrayed by the world around her and it's realistic. it's not outdone for drama and it's not understated to keep plot moving. they are both given time to feel what they feel on the page and it's breathtaking to read. their scenes apart are just as powerful as their scenes together and that says a lot.

least favorite part? - does how much i cried count? this book really ripped me apart into a million tiny pieces and i'm not quite sure how to recover honestly. if i was getting really picky, i'd say that i almost wish we had a bit more time at the end to really sit with the anguish of gus and january in the states they were in. i wish we got a bit more insight into what was going on with gus but i also know that it's not dual pov so it'd be a little harder to do. but overall, i really have no real qualms with this book at all. i adored (and hated because it made me hurt) this book every second of reading it. i will likely be rereading this one a few times.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

It was so unfair, that he should get the last word and I’d have no way to reply. To scream or cry or demand more answers. Once I’d opened it, there’d be no going back. That would be it. The final goodbye.

Sometimes, I just missed liking people.

And Gus Everett had looked at me with those eyes, deepening and darkening like they were sucking every bit of information about me into his skull, and he’d determined that I was a balloon in need of popping.

You are his fairy princess. His shadow self. Or he’s yours or whatever.

“Life is pretty much a series of good and bad moments right up until the moment you die,” he said stiffly. “Which is arguably a bad one. Love doesn’t change that. I have a hard time suspending my disbelief. Besides, can you think of a single real-life romance that actually ended like Bridget fucking Jones?”

“I remember how you wrote when you were twenty-two,” he said carefully. “It won’t be bad.”

On the drive home from the funeral, I didn’t want to be okay anymore. I wanted to be a kid.

He fit so perfectly into the love story I’d imagined for myself that I mistook him for the love of my life.

Gus, before he was the Gus I knew. A Gus who daydreamed about escape, who believed someone would rescue him.

As different as I’d thought we were, it felt a little bit like Gus and I were two aliens who’d stumbled into each other on Earth only to discover we shared a native language.

“I bet you were an adorable little freak.”

It wasn’t the story I would’ve written for him.

He was always leaning on something, like he couldn’t bear to hold all his own weight upright for more than a second or two. He lounged, he sprawled, he hunched and reclined. He never simply stood or sat. In college, I’d thought he was lazy about everything except writing. Now I wondered if he was simply tired, if life had beaten him into a permanent slouch, folded him over himself so no one could get at that soft center, the kid who dreamed of running away on trains and living in the branches of a redwood.

No one had chosen Gus. From the time he was a kid, no one had chosen him, and he was embarrassed by that, like it meant something about him. I wanted to tell him it didn’t. That it wasn’t because he was broken, but because everyone else was.

When we finally stood to go to bed that night, Gus didn’t say good night. He said, “Tomorrow.” And that became our nightly ritual.

“I just think of you as Gus.”

“How do you know I didn’t seduce you?” His smile crooked higher. “Because you wouldn’t have had to.”

Sometimes all you could do was hold on to each other tight until the dark spat you back out.

Gus still thought he was missing something, some special piece other people had, the thing that made people stay, and it broke my heart a little.

"I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to feel what it would be like to lose you.”

I lost myself in him, and instead of trying to convince myself that someday everything would be okay, I focused on the fact that, right now, it already was.

“When I watch you sleep,” he said shakily, “I feel overwhelmed that you exist.”

My Happily Ever After was a strand of strung-together Happy for Nows, extending back not just to a year ago, but to thirty years before. Mine had already begun, and so this day was neither an ending nor a beginning. It was just another good day. A perfect day. A Happy for Now so vast and deep that I knew—or rather believed—I didn’t have to worry about tomorrow.

[dollar2host]

8 Benefits of Choosing VPS Hosting for Your Business

You will have a lot of things to think about when you are in the market for hosting, so make sure you do your research. You must select the appropriate kind of hosting plan that will correspond with the requirements of your website and go through a wide variety of features simultaneously. 

Nevertheless, selecting the appropriate kind of hosting for your website is among the most significant choices you will have to make. 

I'm sure you're familiar with virtual private server hosting, which is one type of hosting. This one-of-a-kind method of hosting has the potential to offer a great deal of real advantages to particular categories of websites. 

The use of virtual private server hosting has exploded, and there is a strong reason for this.

As soon as you have outgrown shared hosting and are seeking a hosting solution that is both versatile and robust, virtual private servers (VPS) can be the ideal option for your requirements.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss what virtual private server (VPS) hosting is, how it is distinct from other types of hosting, and lastly, we will go into the benefits of this type of hosting so that you may determine whether or not it is suitable for your requirements. 

What is VPS Hosting?

The abbreviation for "Virtual Private Server" is "VPS." It's possible that you don't understand what I'm saying just yet, but take a moment to read on. 

The virtual component is the primary characteristic of virtual private server hosting. Virtualization technology, which functions by creating a virtual server on top of an existing physical server, is the foundation around which it is built. The situation is that you have a single physical server, and this server is partitioned into a number of virtual servers.

All of these virtual servers are completely independent of one another in their operation. Each one of them possesses their very own dedicated server resources. Even though you may still be on the same physical server, you will not be required to share your random access memory (RAM), central processing unit (CPU), or storage space with other websites.

It is important to differentiate this from shared hosting, which involves sharing a physical server with a large number of other websites, possibly even thousands. Additionally, while you are using a shared server, there is a possibility that other websites will have a detrimental impact on your website. 

In essence, a virtual private server (VPS) will function in a manner that is comparable to that of a dedicated server. On the other hand, it is far less expensive, which makes it more accessible to a wide range of entrepreneurs who operate websites. 

A virtual private server (VPS) hosting service can be compared to living in a high-rise apartment complex. 

All of the apartments in the building have access to the building's overall structure, which is shared by all of the apartments. Individual apartments, on the other hand, are fully separate from one another. You are free to transform your area in any way that you deem appropriate, and you won't have to worry about other flats having an effect on your available space. 

Within the context of this scenario, the physical server that you are all sharing is the building's physical structure, while each apartment serves as its own virtual private server (VPS). 

How Does Virtual Private Server Hosting Operate?

A virtual server environment that simulates a conventional physical server is what virtual private server hosting (VPS) uses. The partitioning of the physical server into several virtual servers is accomplished through the utilization of virtualization technology, which was discussed earlier.

Every one of these partitions functions as a virtual server, which enables every user to install their own software, operating system, and other applications at their own discretion. In the same manner as you would with a conventional dedicated server. When you partition your personal computer in order to run various operating systems, such as Windows and Mac, this form of partition is comparable to that. The operation of one operating system takes place within a container, which is completely separate from the other OS. 

In spite of the fact that it is a virtual server, a virtual private server (VPS) functions in the same way as a physical server. As a result, you do not need to be concerned about problems concerning other websites that could affect your website. 

The virtual private server (VPS) that you use to host your website provides you with access to a guaranteed level of server resources that you will never have to divide up among other users. 

Dedicated Hosting versus Virtual Private Servers

Before we get into the advantages of virtual private server hosting, let's have a look at how it stacks up against other types of hosting:

Shared Hosting:

When you use shared hosting, the financial burden of maintaining a server is divided among hundreds of other users. In spite of the fact that this type of hosting is incredibly simple to operate and is an excellent choice for novices, it does have a few limitations. 

An example of this would be the possibility that another website hosted on the same server could utilize more of the server's resources than it is allowed to, which could result in problems for your website. In addition, shared hosting can only handle your website up to a specific size and up to a certain amount of traffic. 

Full-Service Web Hosting

Dedicated hosting grants you access to the complete physical server that the website is hosted on. On this server, you have the option of hosting a single website or using it to manage numerous properties at the same time. You will have access to remarkable levels of power, performance, storage, and security when you use dedicated hosting. 

Dedicated hosting, on the other hand, is the most expensive type of hosting because you are not sharing the costs of the server. Additionally, you will be responsible for administering your own server, which means that you will need a greater level of technical ability to accomplish this task. 

VPS Hosting Offers Seven Advantages

A number of the advantages of virtual private server hosting have already been mentioned above. However, now is the time to delve further into the substantial advantages that your website will obtain after you convert to virtual private server hosting.

Listed below are the most important advantages that virtual private server hosting will offer:

1. An Enhancement in Performance

You are going to require a web host that is capable of supporting your website as it continues to expand in size and as the amount of traffic that it receives continues to increase. It doesn't matter how much traffic your website gets; you will always want to have loading speeds that are lightning-quick. 

Firstly, congratulations are in order if the amount of visitors that your website receives has been increasing. Subsequently, it is important to select a hosting plan that is suitable for your website both at the present moment and in the future.

It is possible that a virtual private server (VPS) plan is precisely what you are looking for. With virtual private server hosting, you will have access to a greater number of server resources, which will allow you to accommodate increasing amounts of website traffic while preserving its speed. 

2. Increased Capacity for Storage and Bandwidth

You will have access to extremely high levels of storage and bandwidth if you choose virtual private server hosting. Both performance (as described above) and reliability (as mentioned below) will contribute to an improvement as a result of this.

When you switch from a shared hosting plan to a dedicated hosting plan, you will be astounded by the amount of server space that you have available to you. Because of the high amounts of bandwidth, it is also possible to accommodate extremely high volumes of traffic without any problems.

Because of this additional capacity and bandwidth, websites that contain hundreds of blog posts, media-rich multimedia websites, and a great deal more can be supported.

An overview of the RAM, CPU, disk space, and bandwidth that are included in the Virtual Private Server (VPS) plans that HostGator provides is as follows:

3. Increased Consistency and Dependability

If you are just starting out on the internet, shared hosting can be an excellent option for you. In spite of this, it is possible that you will eventually experience problems with the uptime of your website because of the large number of websites that are jammed onto a single shared server.

However, shared servers have eliminated a significant number of problems that existed in the past. If you are seeking good uptime and performance, it is still not the greatest option for you to go with.

You are the only website that makes use of the server's resources when you have a virtual private server (VPS). Therefore, the only uptime issues that you will experience are those that result from selecting a hosting provider of inadequate quality or from surpassing the resources that are already included in your plan.

4. Higher levels of control and customization of the server

Higher levels of server control and customization are typically included in virtual private server (VPS) hosting options. Therefore, if you need a certain operating system or a server configuration that is not supported by a shared hosting plan, then virtual private servers (VPS) can be the best option for you.

In addition, you are granted root access to the server, which is comparable to dedicated hosting. This basically means that you start with a blank slate and have the ability to configure your server to meet the precise requirements of your website. 

In the case of particular websites that call for a specific software or server configuration, this is an absolute must. 

There are certain kinds of websites, such as eCommerce websites that could potentially profit from having virtual private server hosting from the very beginning. The majority of websites that are used for eCommerce either make use of software or demand more stringent security standards, both of which may not be suitable with shared hosting configurations. 

One of the benefits of virtual private server hosting is that it allows you to tailor your hosting configuration to precisely meet the specific needs of your website. 

5. The Capability to Scale Your Server Configuration

Additionally, virtual private server hosting is quite scalable. This means that you can rely on virtual private server hosting to be able to develop together with you if the traffic levels on your website are on the rise.

When compared to other types of hosting, such as shared hosting, where you will be required to upgrade to a different kind of hosting totally after you reach the boundaries of your plan, this is a far more affordable option. 

To add more resources to your server, all you need to do is click a button when you are using virtual private server hosting. In addition to this, it is simpler to adjust the number of resources for your server. Therefore, you are able to scale up while you are running a promotion or during the busy holiday season and then scale back down when the traffic levels return to normal. 

This could be the ideal option for you if you have a website that has fluctuating levels of traffic or if the traffic on your website continues to increase. 

6. Less Expensive in Relation to Traditional Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is often among the most expensive hosting options available, which is the reason why many website proprietors are unable to participate in this type of hosting. On the other hand, virtual private server hosting can offer you the same degree of capabilities without requiring you to make a significant financial investment.

Although you might not be able to purchase a server that is as huge, this will be more than sufficient for the majority of website owners.  

When you use dedicated hosting, you will wind up paying for the entire server, regardless of the percentage of the server's resources that you are currently utilizing. On the other hand, virtual private server hosting gives you more control over the resources of the server, which means that you will only wind up paying for the resources that you are working with at the moment. 

Because of this, it is more cost-effective than dedicated hosting, even after taking into account the initial monthly price point. 

7. Have the assistance of a knowledgeable technical team

Using a virtual private server (VPS) to host your website is a higher level of technological complexity. This is an improvement over shared hosting, which is a type of hosting that is very simple to operate on your own. 

You will want to be sure that there is a reliable support team that is able to assist you in the event that you experience a problem with your server or if your website goes offline for an unknown cause. 

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting providers typically have a technical support team that is able to assist you. Some providers, on the other hand, offer extensive technical support exclusively for their virtual private server (VPS) customers. 

It is beneficial to have a support team that you can rely on when you require assistance the most, regardless of the level of technical expertise you possess. 

8. Increased Levels of Safety and Trust

Due to the fact that you are going to be the only website that utilizes a single physical server, you are going to have superior levels of protection right from the beginning. Additionally, this is only the beginning. In addition to this, you will have the chance to install individualized security software, firewalls, and any other security elements that you see necessary in order to transform your website into a stronghold.

VPS hosting is well-known for the increased levels of security that it offers. Generally speaking, it is comparable to dedicated hosting, which can provide you with some of the most secure hosting opportunities available. 

Obviously, a significant portion of the security of your website is dependent on the level of protection that your website itself possesses. Therefore, even if you have a server that is extremely secure, you will still need to apply best practices for website security. 

Is Virtual Private Server Hosting the Right Choice for Me?

When consumers outgrow their first shared hosting plans, the majority of them will upgrade to virtual private server storage. With this type of hosting, you have increased control over the environment in which your website is hosted, in addition to receiving additional server storage and bandwidth. This makes it simple for you to provide support for larger websites that receive a significant amount of traffic. 

On the other hand, some website proprietors could want virtual private server hosting from the very beginning. In the event that you are operating a website that requires higher levels of security, for instance, or if you are running an eCommerce website, then it is a good idea to begin with virtual private server hosting right from the beginning.

However, the majority of website owners will eventually go into virtual private server hosting. As soon as you have hit the limits of shared hosting and are observing a deterioration in speed, it is time to change to a more advanced hosting plan. VPS is likely to be the most suitable choice for you unless you have the financial means and the requirement for a dedicated server. 

The following is a brief summary of the advantages that going to virtual private server hosting will bring to your website:

An improved server that is both quicker and more dependable, with high uptime and rapid loading times.

You will have access to a predetermined quantity of server resources.

The capacity to increase the amount of resources available on your server as your website expands.

Isolation from other websites so that the quality of your own website is never adversely affected by another website.

Server customization and increased levels of security have been implemented.

Assuming that you have a comprehensive grasp of virtual private server (VPS) hosting and the advantages that it can offer to your website, you are now in a position to make an informed decision on whether or not this type of hosting is suitable for your needs. 

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[sexwithamanda]

No more Absolutes.

Hello. Episode #567

I don’t think that I’ve given myself a fair handshake over things that have happened to me. I love myself, my life, and the life that I live.

I’ve been blessed enough to meet some amazing people these last few weeks, but the one person on my mind constantly is two people that i feel like I keep choosing between. 

Let’s give two names, but they are going to be disguised. 

The first one, they are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I’d swear I’d take a bullet for them. I have spent countless nights wrapped in your arms, tightly. I cried the night when I decided that I couldn’t be the person to move in with you. I held you so close to my heart, so much deep love. I think- but now I know for sure, he is one of the soul mates that needed to be placed in my life. From one conversation to another, from visiting each other on our breaks. They became one of the soul providers of love to me. What you gave me people can’t teach. Unconditional love isn’t something that I can explain to you. It is a type of love that always forgives, sees the light in every scenario, and continues to make you believe in humanity.

I made a decision that made me feel afraid, I needed to do it because I was afraid. I was so afraid of the freedom that I would be losing by knowing that I wasn’t fully healed. But, you allowed me to become a version of myself. 

You have no idea the acceptance, kindness, and understanding you’ve given me, more than anyone else. You have single handedly made me understand that life is worth it in every way possible. That sitting in room watching video games, and teaching me video games is beautiful. For a while I thought that no one could get me but you got me in a way that made me super comfortable. Unfortunately now I’m continuing typing this, I have stopped speaking to this person because of my boundaries. I want what I want and now I know for sure that I can enforce my boundaries in a way that will make sure that I get what I deserve. 

So yes, if you read this, a little note from me, be real with the type of person you want to be, the type of person you want to have in your life. With all that I am. I want to be treated as a queen, my door held for me, not a split second I have to worry about a date not being paid for. I am the prize, and I feel like women get treated as if we aren’t. We are. I deserve it, and so does every other woman. 

I am so happy that I know that I am doing what is best for me. I love the life that I have set for myself, and now tomorrow I return back to my job and I am lucky to be in the position I am in. I love my life and I love you.

Mahal Kita,

Amanda <3 

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚! 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐳: 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, justifying, encouraging, nor promoting mafia behavior or lifestyle. This is all a work of fiction and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

Warnings: Suggestive themes but nothing too explicit, scenes containing violence and kidnappings.

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

Hongjoong could already sense that something was off the moment he noticed the door wasn't locked and even more worrying was the fact it was slightly ajar. Quickly taking out his gun just in case, he kicked open the door and widened his eyes as it appeared like some struggle took place. Chairs were turnt over, busted picture frames and glass scattered across the floor, and even more terrifying, droplets of blood were seen.

"Y/N!" He quickly remembered about his spouse.

Running into the bedroom, it was in an even bigger disarray than the living room. On the bed, there was a note folded for him to read. Carefully opening it with trembling hands, his eyes took in each letter. Furiously, he crumbled up the paper and quickly dialed his most trusted friend.

"Get the squad ready."

Although you expected that sooner or later you'd be targeted just for the fact you were married to Hongjoong, nothing could have prepared you for it. After all, Hongjoong didn't seem to care much about you, treating your marriage strictly like a business deal and hardly interacting with you. It wouldn't have surprised you if he didn't even care enough to show up and save you.

But you were wrong when he broke in himself and got you safely out of there, despite having suffered quite a few injuries that had you worrying.

"Stop fretting over it, it's just a scratch." He told you when you tried to wipe the blood trickling down the side of his head wound.

"I'm sorry......you're hurt because I-"

"No one is to blame here but me. I chose to go after you and rescue you because I wanted to. If anything, I should be apologizing for getting you in this situation in the first place."

Sighing softly, you tugged at the dirtied sleeves of your shirt.

"It's not like it's really your fault. We were thrown together and naturally they thought they could get the upper hand if they captured me. And to be honest.....you didn't have to save me. I know you don't care about-"

With a loud gasp, you shut up when Hongjoong unexpectedly sat up and kissed you. You were stunned to react and even more shocked by his next words.

"I always cared. And that's precisely why you were kidnapped. From the start, I acted as if I didn't care about you to protect you. They would have never taken you if they thought that I had no regards for you whatsoever. However, I obviously couldn't hide my feelings that well, given the taunting letter they left me. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to get you back to me as soon as possible."

Kissing the top of your forehead, Hongjoong smiled at you for the first time in your marriage life.

"And I'm happy to take you back to our home, where you rightfully belong."

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

Putting the finishing touches on your makeup and fixing your hair, you beamed with joy at your reflection in the mirror. You felt truly beautiful and walked out into the living room, where your handsome husband was currently on his phone, no doubt talking about some business things with Hongjoong. He seemed to always be busy, never having any time for anything else.

Including you, which somewhat hurt you.

"I'm ready." You told him, shyly tucking some of your hair behind your ear as you hoped he'd like the dress you were wearing, choosing a blue color since you knew it was his favorite.

"Ok. Go wait out in the limousine, I'll be there shortly."

Barely even giving you a glance, he dialed Hongjoong up and continued to further discuss some matters. Sighing softly, you walked rather disappointed out to the car, slamming the door behind you. When Seonghwa joined you a few minutes later, you didn't even care to hide your anger and frustration at him. You still had a scowling look on your face when you arrived at the party, not bothering this time to stick by Seonghwa's side like you usually did other times, playing the role of a perfect and loving wife. And Seonghwa neither noticed nor cared about it. In fact, he never really hid how little your marriage seemed to matter to him. Perhaps he treated it as any other business he owned.

"Such a pity to see such a beautiful lady look so down during such a lovely evening."

Recognizing the voice as Minho, a friend of Seonghwa, you forced a small smile.

"Not really much to be happy about really." You merely stated.

"Is your oh so loving hubby being the usual prince charming he is?" He rolled his eyes, knowing full well just like everyone else how he really treated you.

"What difference does it make? He'll never even look at me."

Unable to let the opportunity go to waste, even if it was his friend, Minho gently caressed your cheek.

"You know....... maybe you should stop trying so hard for a jerk like him....and maybe open your eyes to someone who actually knows you exist."

You were frozen when he leaned in to kiss you, then gasped loudly when none other than Seonghwa pushed him off you, sending Minho crashing onto one of the tables behind him.

"She is my wife! And the next time you touch her, I will cut your hand off!" He warned him.

You didn't even have time to process what was happening as Seonghwa dragged you outside, his grip on your wrist tight and fierce. When you reached the car, you were going to ask him what was going on but you had no time as he pressed you against the car and began to kiss you fervently and hungrily. You were left speechless and breathless, with your legs getting weak as he let out low snarls in between his kisses on your neck.

"Mine.......you're all mine."

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

Both Yunho and you were beyond nervous at this point, hell you actually felt somewhat terrified. You knew exactly what his parents wanted when they organized this 'family vacation'. This wasn't a getaway to spend time together and they made it obviously clear at dinner when you came back from the bathroom and overheard him arguing with his parents.

"You know I can't ask her to do that!" Yunho adamantly said.

"You've been married for over a year Yunho. It's time and you know it." His mother insisted.

"I will not impregnate her. Have you ever considered her feelings? Maybe she doesn't want kids. Maybe I don't want kids, have you ever thought of that?" He asked them, voice getting more agitated.

"It's both of your duties to produce heirs to keep control and stability in the organization. Your life is at risk on a daily basis. If you die with no children it'll only cause chaos and disruption." His father reminded him.

That was the one thing you dreaded facing since the day you said "I do", having to be forced to become nothing more than a baby maker. Yunho knew from the beginning how uncomfortable you were during your first night together, that's why he ended up sleeping in another room, as he had done every day afterwards, not wanting you to freak out and giving you your space.

But now you both stared at the single king sized bed in your hotel room, reality staring you in the face. Neither of you said a word as you took turns changing and getting ready to go to sleep in the bathroom, Yunho letting you go first. As you crept into the bed, your hands tightly held onto the blanket, your eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, unaware of anything until you felt the bed shift next to you. You inhaled sharply when you felt Yunho's fingers caress your hair.

"Y/N-"

"Just get it over with will you?! Just knock me up and make your parents happy. I don't care anymore."

Although you tried to sound strong, the tremble in your voice gave you away. You could feel tears starting to well up in your eyes. When Yunho moved to hover above you, you instantly shut your eyes, tears lightly spilling out. You could feel his breath ghost over your lips and then suddenly they moved as he planted the gentlest of kiss on your forehead.

"Good night my dear. I promise I won't take up too much space."

Confused you open your eyes and watched as Yunho turned on his side, facing away from you as he scooted to give you as much room as he possibly could.

"I don't...I don't understand why..." You didn't even know what you were asking at this point.

"I'm not going to be that asshole that will make you do something you're not prepared for. I respect, value and admire you too much to make you go through that. I'll just wait until you're ready."

You weren't going to deny that your heart fluttered at his words.

"But your parents-"

"They can suck it. I've lived this long, I think I'll be fine. They can wait like I'm willing to wait. The only downside is putting up with their bullshit and nagging for disobeying them...."

You could tell he was falling asleep by the way his voice started to mumble and lower in tone, and his tiny yawn made it more obvious. You were prepared for his cute tiny rambling but you didn't expect what he said next.

"But that's what I get for falling in love with you..."

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

Yeosang stared out the spacious window of his office, the glittering city lights looking as splendid as they did every night, bustling with sounds of the inhabitants coming out to party and overall enjoy life. They seemed to be mocking him, mocking him for being happy while he felt miserable and empty inside.

It had been hours since you had already left, your plane had probably already landed back to your hometown and you were now ready to settle into your new life....away from him. He couldn't stop replaying the argument you had just a day ago:

"Can't you at least pretend to care?" You spat out, dropping your fork against the plate of food in front of you.

"If you know what I'm like, why even ask?" Was his only reply.

"Yes I know what you're like! You're cold, stoic, soulless and have no regards for anyone's feelings but your own! Being married to you all these years, I know you better than anyone! But I'm sick of it. I'm sick of you not caring enough to even try." She could feel her voice starting to crack.

Letting out a deep sigh, Yeosang pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"From the beginning, you knew what you were getting in to. We didn't get married because we were a couple of lovestruck fools wanting to vow our lives to each other. Our parents arranged it and we had no choice. If you were stupid enough to catch feelings well then..."

Finally lifting his gaze to look at you, his eyes were unwavering as he coldly declared:

"That's not my fault. And you can't expect me to reciprocate your feelings when I don't even have any to begin with."

Not taking anymore, you began crying tears of heartbreak, anger, frustration and indignation all at the same time. Standing up, you firmly declared your intent of going back home, not willing to put up or stay with him anymore.

"Ok."

Not even a goodbye, a farewell or even another look at you. Those were his final words before you stormed out and made preparations to leave as soon as possible. Yeosang had spent the entire day pacing back and forth, unable to think or do anything except look at the clock almost every hour. He had been counting the seconds since your flight was scheduled to leave, that's how he knew you were home by then.

He cursed himself for being a coward. For not speaking up and telling you how much you actually meant to him, how scared he was of his feelings for you, and most of all, he hated himself for not running out to stop you. Now you were gone from his life forever........ unless....

"Get my plane ready."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

San and you didn't even meet each other until you were both standing at the altar, families ready to join together two criminal organizations to grow their power even further. Both of you looked at each and instantly felt what the other was feeling: shock, denial, insecurity, but most of all, fear. Both of you were afraid of what was going to happen. Though he was trembling just as much as you, San made sure to reach for your hand, squeezing it in his own. With that small gesture, you knew and felt what he was silently saying:

"We're going to get through this together. Just trust me and believe in me. I'll take care of you. You're not alone in this and I'll be right there by your side."

You two got along fairly well, even if there was still awkwardness between the two of you. You were both also still shy around each other that you wouldn't talk unless it was necessary or because something caught one or the other's attention and wanted to share their thoughts out loud, which the other one would try to enthusiastically add on to converse more, but it always ended in awkward laughter.

Yeah. It was extremely awkward. But at least there was no hostility between you two and you guys did enjoy watching movies together at times, hardly speaking a word, but there was no silence at all. You could read each other's minds and feelings all the time. It was truly strange how in tune your thoughts seemed to be at times and scary too. Your mind began to recall times when strange things happened like the time you were craving a certain food and coincidentally, San came later with the exact same food because he got a feeling you wanted some. Or the time you were supposed to go visit extended family but in the end didn't get on the train and went straight home because you felt San needed you. He thought you were crazy, but later that night he was burning up with a fever and you spent your weekend nursing him back to health.

"What did this all mean?" You both thought to yourselves.

"A soulmate is someone that just gets you. It's a connection of minds, a mutual respect, an unconditional love and a total understanding. It's about being yourself and knowing, not only that person is following and understanding your thoughts, but is right there with you, side by side." The actress in the movie you were watching said.

Suddenly everything seemed to click. At the moment both of you felt like the answer to your questions were finally answered. Slowly you both turned and faced one another. Giving you a warm smile as he read your thoughts, San leaned in to cup your cheek with one hand, his thumb drawing circles around it. Brushing his lips against yours, he sighed blissfully as he looked in your eyes.

"My lovely soulmate..."

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

When Mingi met you, he was sort of put off by how different you were from him.

"Hi! I'm Y/N, your soon to be wife but please don't think of me as that if you don't want to. Think of me as your friend. I just know we'll get along!"

You were actually squealing and wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug, almost bouncing up and down with joy while Mingi just stood there stiff as a pole, wondering what the hell made you be so happy and cheerful like that.

"Ok.....ok got it, you can let go now." He tried to squirm out of your embrace, but you merely tightened your grip on him causing him to let out a harsh "oof!" at your strength.

"For such a tiny person, you sure aren't weak." He pointed out.

Married life with you for Mingi was...... different to say the least. He was used to such a gloomy, dark and hostile environment that having a tiny bubble bursting with energy was unusual and not something he was accustomed to. You always greeted him with such enthusiasm and happiness, not to mention you were such a caring housewife, always feeding him and taking care of him. Sometimes Mingi questioned whether you've ever seen the harsh side of the mafia world. Judging by your love for life and others, he guessed no.

And his assumptions were correct when you both were at a party held by some of his other mafia friends. Taking advantage of the occasion, rival gangs infiltrated the building. Storming in, explosions went off in several places, and gun shots were being fired at all directions. Mingi quickly jumped up and tackled you onto the ground, covering your body from the bullets that were being poured out. Taking your hand, he told you to stay down as he safely guided you out of the hall. Once you guys were far away, he quickly sprung up, pulling you up with him as he began running towards the nearest exit, pulling out his hidden gun just in case. You were in shock, even more when you guys passed a couple of dead bodies in the hallway. Feeling sick, you don't even remember how Mingi managed to get you both out of there alive and in one piece before the entire place burst into flames. Staring at the raging fire, you felt like you couldn't breathe, desperately trying to gasp for air.

"Honey, look at me. Look at me ok? You're safe. You're all right and you're going to be all right. Nothing is going to happen to you ok?"

You nodded, trying to choke back tears and forcing a smile on your face, but ultimately failing. Seeing you break down, Mingi immediately pulled you into his arms, his fingers running through your hair as he felt his heart break. You were such a fragile, sensitive and extremely precious person to him. He couldn't bear to see his ray of sunshine and hope in his dark world break down in front of him. He knew had to protect you at all costs and take care of you.

"It's ok my darling angel. I won't let any harm come to you. I swear on my life I'll protect you."

Wiping your tears away, he kissed the top of your head and smiled warmly at you.

"Come on. I'll take you home and have one of those cuddling sessions you always enjoy having."

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

You wanted to die, and that wasn't an understatement. You felt utterly humiliated at the fact your parents actually sold you into marriage to some mafia lord's son to pay off their debts. You didn't even have time to process anything, one day you were just bound and stuffed into the back of a car and soon found yourself inside a grand old mansion. You felt alone and scared, unsure of what was going to happen to you. And you were beyond trembling when you met your future husband, expecting some evil and sadistic man when in reality:

"Hi! I'm Jung Wooyoung, your soon to be husband and I can tell we're going to be really happy together!"

He greeted you with just a charismatic enthusiasm, eyes practically beaming when he first saw you.

"Hi, I'm L/N Y/N, the girl that's going to be caged to you for life......or death. Whichever comes first."

He laughed at that, coming closer and squeezed your cheeks.

"You're so cute, I'm already in love with you."

Love? You seriously thought he was insane. You certainly didn't fall in love with him at first sight. And even after months of being married to him, you still didn't felt love towards him, even though Wooyoung tried anything and everything to not only make life easier for you, but in hopes of getting you to reciprocate his feelings.

"Hey Y/N. Look! I got you a present! Open it. I know you'll love it."

You groaned at the thought of another expensive present being given to you. You felt bad that he went through all these troubles when they'd all end in vain. Peeling the ribbon off the huge box, you didn't even get to open the box since the Welsh Corgi inside jumped out and tackled you to the ground. You couldn't help but giggle when it began licking your face, its tail wagging out of joy.

"I knew you'd like him. Now he can keep you company so you won't be lonely while I'm gone."

Rolling your eyes, you couldn't let the opportunity pass to poke fun at him.

"Who said I was even going to miss you?" You chuckled, petting the dog's head.

"You never know." Wooyoung insisted.

Leaving you for 5 months, you couldn't believe you actually started to miss his obnoxiously loud presence. Sure your puppy kept you complaining and cuddled you, but it wasn't the same. You hated to admit it....

But you actually wanted Wooyoung to come back and smother you with what you always referred to as his annoying affection.

Opening the front door, Wooyoung called out that he was home. He smiled when he was greeted by his furry friend rather enthusiastically. But he was not expecting for you to run out and jump at him, your arms wrapping around his neck. Although he stumbled slightly, he made sure to catch you, your legs wrapping around his waist.

"Y/N are you-?"

He widened his eyes when you crashed your lips on his, kissing him as if your life depended on it. Once getting over the shock, he had a smug grin as he kissed you back.

"Told you you'd miss me."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

Jongho terrified you. From day one, you were intimidated by him. He always had a blank expression, hardly talked and he had a reputation for being brutally strong. Obviously you felt like you were walking on eggshells around him, afraid to piss him off. Anytime he called out to you or came near you, your body would jump.

"Y/N..."

Shrieking, you turned around when you felt his hand brush against your lower back. Tilting his head, he raised an eyebrow at your reaction.

"I needed something from the cabinet."

Without breaking eye contact, his hands gripped your waist as he slightly moved you to the side, fingers digging into your skin. After having gotten what he wanted, his thumb poked your nose as he winked at you.

"Thanks doll."

You swore he was teasing you. He'd purposefully use any occasion to show off his strength to you, his favorite being cutting up wood in the yard with an axe. You couldn't help but stare at his arms that were visible due to him wearing a sleeveless shirt. When he noticed you staring, he sent a smug smile your way which caused you to blush and you immediately retreated back inside the house.

There was also the time he accidentally walked in on you changing. There you were, standing in nothing but your lacy underwear set, for some reason not embarrased or hiding yourself as Jongho inhaled deeply as his eyes raked your body. Subtly biting his lips, he apologized before reluctantly leaving the room.

Both of you were frustrated by that point, tired of the light teasing. Jongho was the one who decided to put a stop to it one night he came home from a mission. He had been badly hurt and you, worrying about him, sat him down to tend to his wounds. It was a struggle since he had to remove his shirt and you were blushing violently, eyes always looking away.

"It's ok doll. I'm your husband...you can look at me."

His hands that were holding onto your arms began caressing your elbows, subtly pulling you closer to him without you noticing until you were firmly planted on his lap.

"Do you want me my little doll?" He asked you, voice in a low whisper as his breath fanned over your lips.

"Cause I've wanted you since the first day I laid my eyes on you."

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.