#green card pathway

[govisaeb5]

Unlocking the American Dream: The EB-5 Visa Program

In a world where global mobility is becoming increasingly common, the United States remains a coveted destination for many aspiring immigrants. The land of opportunity, innovation, and cultural diversity has consistently attracted individuals seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

[usadvlottery]

Embark on a professional odyssey through Employment-Based Immigration in the USA, a gateway for skilled individuals and professionals seeking career opportunities on American soil. This immigration pathway encompasses various visa categories, from the widely recognized H1B to employment-based green cards, providing a diverse spectrum of professionals the chance to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of the U.S. job market. Explore stories of achievement, resilience, and innovation as individuals navigate the complexities of employment-based immigration, fostering economic growth and enriching industries across the nation. Join us in celebrating the success stories of those who have turned their ambitions into reality, leaving an indelible mark on the ever-evolving landscape of the American workforce.

[healthcarenews123]

Challenges in Achieving Immigration Reform for Undocumented Immigrants

Challenges in Achieving Immigration Reform for Undocumented Immigrants

undocumented immigrants

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #23

June 14-21 2024.

On the 12th anniversary of President Obama's DACA program President Biden announced a new pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for Dreamers. DACA was an executive action by President Obama which deferred any deportation of persons brought to the US as children without legal status. While DACA allowed Dreamers to work legally in the US for the first time, it didn't give them permanent legal status. Now the Biden administration is streamlining the process for employers to apply for work Visas for Dreamers. With Visas Dreamers will for the first time have legal status, the ability to leave and reenter the US legally, and a pathway to a Green Card and eventual citizenship.

President Biden also announced protections for the undocumented spouses and children of US citizens. The new rule allows the spouse, or step-child of a US citizen to apply for lawful permanent residency without having to leaving the country. It's estimated this will help 500,000 undocumented people married to Americans, and 50,000 children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to an American citizen. Current law forces spouses to leave the United States if they're here illegally and wait and unclear period of probation before being allowed to return, but being allowed back is not assured.

The IRS announced that it'll close a tax loophole used by the ultra rich and corporations and believes it'll raise $50 billion in revenue. Known as a "pass-through" has allowed the rich to move money around to avoid taxes in a move the Treasury is calling a shell-game. Pass-throughs have grown by 70% between 2010 and 2019 and the IRS believes it helped the rich avoid paying $160 billion dollars in taxes during that time. The IRS estimates its crack down on these will raise $50 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years.

The EPA and Department of Energy announced $850 million to monitor, measure, quantify and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas, responsible for 1/3rd of the global warming. The funding will focus on helping small operators significantly reduce emissions, as well as help more quickly detect and cap methane leaks from low-producing wells. All this comes after the EPA finalized rules to reduce methane emissions by 80% from oil and gas.

The Biden Administration took steps to protect the nations Old Growth Forests. The move will greatly restrict any logging against the 41 million acres of protected land owned by the federal government. The Administration also touted the 20% of America's forests that are in urban settings as parks and the $1.4 billion invested in their protection through the President’s Investing in America agenda.

The Biden Administration released new rules tying government support for clean energy to good paying jobs. If companies want to qualify for massive tax credits they'll have to offer higher wages and better conditions. This move will push union level wages across the green energy sector.

The Department of Education announced large reductions in student loan payments, and even a pause for some, starting in July. For millions of Americans enrolled in the Biden Administration's SAVE plan, starting in July, monthly payments on loans borrowed for undergraduate will be reduced from 10% to 5% of discretionary income. As the department hasn't been able to fully calculate the change for all borrowers at this point it will pause payment for those it hasn't finalized the formula for and they won't have to make a payment till DoE figures it out. The SAVE plan allows many borrowers to make payments as low as $0 a month toward having their loans forgiven. So far the Biden Administration has forgiven $5.5 billion wiping out the debt of 414,000 people enrolled in SAVE.

The Biden Administration celebrated the 1 Millionth pension protected under the American Rescue Plan. Senator Bob Casey joined Biden Administration officials and Union official to announce that thanks to the Butch Lewis Act passed in 2021 the government would be stepping in to secure the pensions of 103,000 Bakery and Confectionery Union workers which were facing a devastating 45% cut. This brings to 1 million the number of workers and retirees whose pensions have been secured by the Biden Administration, which has supported 83 different pension funds protecting them from an average of 37% cut.

The Department of Energy announced $900 million for the next generation of nuclear power. This investment in Gen III+ Small Modular Reactor will help bring about smaller and more flexible nuclear reactors with smaller footprints. Congress also passed a bill meant to streamline nuclear power and help push on to the 4th generation of reactors

Vice President Harris announced a $1.5 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine. $500 million will go toward repairing Ukraine's devastated energy sector which has been disrupted by Russian bombing. $324 million will go toward emergency energy infrastructure repair. $379 million in humanitarian assistance from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to help refugees and other people impacted by the war.

America pledged $315 million in new aid for Sudan. Sudan's on-going civil war has lead to nearly apocalyptic conditions in the country. Director of USAID, Samantha Power, warned that Sudan could quickly become the largest famine the world has seen since Ethiopia in the early 1980s when a million people died over 2 years. The US aid includes food and water aid as well as malnutrition screening and treatment for young children.

Bonus: Maryland Governor Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 people for marijuana convictions. This mirrors President Biden's pardoning of people convicted of federal marijuana charges in 2022 and December 2023. President Biden is not able to pardon people for state level crimes so called on Governors to copy his action and pardon people in their own state. Wes Moore, a Democrat, was elected in 2022 replacing Republican Larry Hogan.

[lou-struck]

Dodge This!

Mirio Togata x reader (ft. Tamaki Amajiki)

~ Mirio has a new hobby and he just had to bring you along to cheer him on.

W.C. 2.6k

a/n: this was a sleep-deprived idea but I really am happy at how this turned out. I really had to incorporate some non-canon pop culture references for narrative sake. 

The dimly lit pathways do little to conceal the drying puddles of rainwater on the street around you as you and your boyfriend, Mirio Togata, pass rows of darkened buildings in the city's warehouse district. 

"Are you sure we're heading to the right place, Mirio?" You whisper, looking around for any sign of another person. "It seems awfully quiet around here."

He gives you a smile and drapes one of his strong arms around you, pulling you close. "There's nothing to worry about, y/n; we'll get to the gym soon. I just can't wait for you to see me play."

The game in question, dodgeball…

It's no secret pro heroes have some of the hardest jobs out there. Over time, pros have found ways to unwind after work just like everyone else, joining book clubs, poker groups, and adult sports teams.

The latter of which has been gaining more traction in recent years.

After hearing about a quirk-friendly recreational dodgeball league, Mirio jumped at the chance to sign up for a chance to use his quirk for something other than work. The first few times he had gone out, he returned sweaty, slightly bruised from ducking and diving against the gym floor, but more happy than you have seen him in a while. 

This is saying something because he is literally a big ball of Sunshine, hope, and optimism. All wrapped in a thick coating of good humor and affection.

At first, you did not want to go. Not because you weren't interested in watching a bunch of Pro Heroes throw rubber balls at one another but because it seemed like this was his thing. This little league has been so therapeutic for him you didn't want to inject yourself into the experience. But after weeks of pleading from him, you finally relented, knowing that in your heart, he wants to share this new and exciting part of his life with you, the person he loves most in the world. 

"Oh, watch your step there," he says suddenly. His large forearm shoots out in front of your stomach to stop you from stepping into a massive pothole full of rainwater. 

"Thank you." Looking down into the deep hole in the ground, you shudder, imagining the uncomfortable sensation of walking around all night with a sock drenched in rainwater. "You really saved me there, Lemillion." your smile is soft as you meet his twinkling gaze. 

His smiling cheeks flush a light pink color at the soft way you said his Hero name. "Anything for you," he beams, taking your hand and guiding you over the obnoxiously large puddle. His hand stays comfortably on your own as you continue walking down the paved street. He happily hums the Mission Impossible theme song, his current hyper-fixation, until he comes to a stop in front of a large warehouse. The white fluorescent light on the outside flickers as it is circled by big white moths.

"And here we are," he declares, turning his attention to you. His features turn serious as he places both of his hands on your shoulder. "Now, do you remember the first rule of underground dodgeball?"

"Ummm, don't talk about underground dodgeball?" you reply as his poker face shatters into his usual joyful features.

"That's it,” he laughs, his body practically buzzing with excitement. 

"I should've never made you watch Fight Club, "you mutter under your breath as he takes some sort of access card out of his jacket pocket and slides it into the electronic lock. It beeps in response and the little red light on the side of the sensor turns from red to green as the metal doors open for the both of you. 

You are flabbergasted at the complexity of the private facility. "All this for dodgeball?" this is kinda high tech, and you wonder which one of the country's extremely wealthy, retired Pro Heroes decided to fund this operation. 

"Yeah, isn't it the best?" he asks, practically bounding down the short hallway toward the ever-growing sound of chatter. His mannerisms remind you of a golden retriever on its way to the dog park. The mental image brings a smile to your lips as you step into a massive gymnasium, its warm overhead lights illuminating the whole room. 

A massive indoor sports court lies in the center of the room, surrounded by a few rows of bleachers. 

There are already a multitude of heroes and sidekicks standing around the room, some tossing red rubber balls into the padded walls with a scary strength behind them. The impact sends shivers down your spine as you worriedly look to Mirio. But he doesn't seem nervous in the slightest at the possibility of decapitation by rubber ball. Instead, his blue eyes are alight with the fires of competitive determination. 

"This is…" The word frightening lingers on the tip of your tongue, but he beats you to the punch. 

"Incredible isn't it? In here we get to let loose a bit and have fun without worrying about our rankings or the media."

You nod, noticing the carefree smiles of the other Heroes in the room. This league is a good thing for them to have fun and just act like they are normal people whilst throwing rubber balls at each other.

He looks at the clock counting down on the switchboard above the gym and shoots you an embarrassed grin. "It looks like we are cutting it a bit close today. My game starts in five minutes, so I'll have to warm up a bit so I can really impress you."

"I'm already impressed with you Mirio," you smile fondly. "I'll go up to the bleachers and get all settled in."

You turn to leave him to his own devices, and you feel a gentle pull on your wrist before you can step away. "Wait," he says firmly, the look on his face dead serious. "You're forgetting something."

"You cock your head to the side and try to remember what he could be talking about. When he sees that furrow in your brow, his serious face melts away, revealing that mischievous boyish grin that never fails to make your heart skip a beat. "You forgot my good luck kiss."

"Oh my," you mock gasp, "how could I forget such an important thing?"

He shakes his head, "It's a crime for sure; you'll have to pay double for this infraction."

"I think that can be arranged," you chuckle, closing the short distance between your two bodies and pressing two gentle pecks to his lips. The kiss is brief, but you can still taste the berry-flavored chapstick he put on earlier lingering on his lips. 

You pull away and playfully tug down on the hem of his shirt. "Good luck, Mirio," you murmur, nudging him off toward the court where his other teammates are waiting for him.

It's a short walk up a lightweight metal staircase to the raised bleachers. Since these leagues are pretty low profile, there aren't many spectators. You see a few groups of people waiting to play in the next round, but near the back of the bleachers, you spot a familiar-looking head of indigo hair sitting all by themselves. 

"Hello, Tamaki," you say, coming over to sit next to your friend. "I didn't know you were on one of the dodgeball teams."

"I'm not," he replies, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. The heavenly aroma of butter fills your nostrils as you pull your gaze away from the bag he must've gotten from one of the little concession areas in the warehouse. "But someone at my agency wanted to make plans tonight, and I told them I was busy, so I decided to come here so I wasn't lying to them."

"Oh, I get it," you say sympathetically. "But I'm glad you're here. I don't really know anyone else, so it will be nice to have someone to talk to."

He gives you a small smile and tilts his popcorn bag towards you. "Thanks y/n. Here, take some. I saw you were looking at it earlier."

"Thank you," you smile embarrassedly at the realization you are just as sneaky as Mirio. "Was it that obvious?"

"Just a little bit," he says. 

Suddenly, you are interrupted by the sound of a rubber ball hitting the wall with a terrifying force. It barrels back at the player who threw it like a boomerang. "Wow, do these balls just not pop?"

"Not usually," Tamaki says. "Since these games are for Pro Heros, the equipment was designed by support specialists to be extra durable. Occasionally, things will break, but it's way less common than with normal equipment."

"I see," you say quietly. Instinctually, your eyes dart over to Mirio in concern, but he looks so genuinely happy stretching and talking with his teammates it gives you a sense of security. If he isn't worried, you shouldn't be either.

A short man in a referee uniform steps up to the side of the court and blows the silver whistle from around his neck. The clear, high-pitched sound echoes off the walls, signaling to the teams of six to take the court.

A line of red rubber balls sit motionless in the center of the court. The players are touching the back walls with just the tips of their fingers as they stare the balls down hungrily as they try to decide which one to go for first.

There is a competitive intensity in the air that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, but when you finally zero in on your boyfriend on the court, he doesn't seem to be at all intimidated. 

Instead of the balls or his opponents or anything else game-related, you see that he is looking up in the bleachers right at you. A big, goofy grin rests on his face as he waves up at you enthusiastically. 

You laugh and give him a small wave back just as the starting whistle blows, and both teams are off. Mario doesn't run toward the line of ammunition at all; he hangs back and paces across the floor with an open, unassuming posture that basically invites his opponents to chuck a ball at his chest. 

It doesn't take long until the first player takes the bait. A woman with plum-colored skin and a long silver ponytail steps up and throws the ball his way with a wicked speed. It has a slight backspin as it barrels toward his face. 

It gets closer and closer until he activates his quirk, and it passes harmlessly through his body and hits the wall behind him. If it weren't for the special workout clothes he was wearing, you would worry about him sinking through the ground and popping up completely naked.

"Nice throw," he smiles, crouching slightly to pick up the now harmless ball. "If that had hit me, I would definitely feel that tomorrow." He winds up his throw and slings it across the court with a curve. 

The woman dodged just barely, but the man behind her wasn't so lucky. The ball hits one of his spring-loaded knees as he tries to leap out of the way and is sent off by the referee. 

"Way to go Mirio." you cheer happily. When the sound of your voice reaches his ear, he can't help but puff out his chest with pride. 

'Watch me,' he mouths, stepping into the middle of the court. 

"Looks like someone is getting overconfident," Tamaki mutters next to you. 

"What do you mean?" you ask as Mirio sneaks a smile your way just as his opponents throw three balls at him at once. Thanks to his quirk, he is basically untouchable. If this whole 'hero thing' doesn't work out, you are sure he will have a promising career in the underground dodgeball circuit.

Because that is totally a real thing. 

"Wow, he's incredible," you murmur to Tamaki. 

"He is," the hero replies, "but Mirio has a weakness."

"Really?" you ask, struggling to think of how he can lose at this game, "how so?"

"Just watch, you'll see what I mean," he replies, taking a long sip from his water bottle.

And watch you do. 

As the game rages on, Mirio's teammates are picked off one by one until Mirio finds himself staring down his opponents. The woman with the silver ponytail and the man with the strength quirk you saw earlier warming up. 2 vs. 1 may not be a fair fight, but you have full faith in your boyfriend. 

 His evasive maneuvers are professional and practiced. He is so good at dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging some more until all of the balls on the playing field end up on his side, safely out of his opponent's reach.

With a bright red ball in his hand, you see him wind up his throw, rush to the top of the court, and send it flying through the air with all his might.

But the man from before, smiling in his black leather singlet (which cannot be comfortable), catches the ball with one of his giant hands as if it were a balloon. 

Mirio is out. 

The ref blows the final whistle, and the match ends. 

After shaking hands with each one of his opponents, his smile falls, and he sulks over to you with his head hung low. "Ahhh, I was so close," he groans, plopping down next to you and leaning his sweat-dusted brow on your shoulder. 

"But you played so well," you say gently, consoling him. "This is so much fun to watch. Thank you for inviting me."

He perks up and puts his chin on your shoulder. "You had fun?"

You nod and press your lips to his forehead. "So much fun."

Tamaki clears his throat. "You player well, fo you play again?"

"Tamaki, thank you for coming." Mirio smiles, looking over to his best friend. "Yeah, I think we play again after this game. Do you want to play? I think we can add in an extra player."

The indigo-haired man's eyes go wide as he starts to shake his head. "N-no, I can't."

"Why not?" Mirio asks cocking his head to the side."

You watch as Tamaki tries to come up with an excuse. “Because… because…”

"That doesn't sound like a reason to me." you hum thoughtfully. 

Mirio claps his hands together. "Perfect, then you'll be playing on my team in the next round."

"We could get ice cream afterward." you offer as the shy hero accepts his fate.

He narrows his eyes. "Fine, I'll play. But you're paying."

"Done," you agree, as your boyfriend looks like he is about to burst from happiness at the idea of playing dodgeball with his best friend. 

"This is great!" he exclaims, patting Tamaki on the back. "There's extra clothes in the locker room in the back, go get changed."

"You sound too excited about this," Suneater mumbles as he heads off toward where the locker room must be, with the slightest hint of pep in his step.

Your boyfriend looks at you warmly, his sapphire eyes filled with love as he takes your hand. "Thank you for helping me convince him to play. I think this will be good for him to let loose a bit."

"I think you guys will have fun." you say earnestly, "I can't wait to watch."

Mirio gently pokes your cheeks. 

"Hey y/n?"

"Babe?"

"The love of my life?" 

You scoff as his enthusiasm brings a smile to your lips. "Yes?"

"If we win the next game can I get two scoops?" he leans in close to you and peppers your face with bribing kisses, your favorite form of currency."

"Mirio, if you win. I'll get you three scoops."

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[terrence-silver]

You know the night in CK in S5 where Terry gets his home invaded, could you rewrite the night but with a heavily pregnant beloved?

The Honorable Thing To Do.

Mike Barnes, Johnny Lawrence, Chozen Toguchi (POV) and the non-shippy presence of Reader!Beloved x Terry Silver (Only Mentioned).

Inspired by this post.

―

-"Man, this asshole has more statues than a Vegas casino."-

Johnny Lawrence remarks stumbling through the main pathway of a vast estate comprised of an immaculate trimmed green lawn that resembled a carpet fenced in from all sides by tall, palatial walls and an unusual amount of marble figures dotting the grassy spaciousness of the garden that followed them along the eternity of the grounds, casting long, dark shadows in the cover of night — pillars of carved, pale stone illuminated by a faint moonlight, vines coiling around ankles and wrists, growing in the crevices and curves of sharp, stony edges, seeming like they were deliberately allowed to grow there by a skilled, devoted gardener instead of being old, mossy and unkempt. It was sleek.

A clearly new addition to the fortress of the dragon.

It was quiet, too quiet, as they snuck in, or at least tried to, somehow, in their inebriated state, the sound of their footsteps along the tiled pavement echoed back as uncharacteristically loud in his ears. What struck Chozen the most, he supposed, that they were all chiseled images of women made out of white granite and that the enemy’s domain, well, it was undeniably beautiful, all palm trees, perfectly kept magnolia bushes, decorative rocks, vines and a sleek, colossal front door in front of them, made from what seemed like polished, pitch black Oak. This was it. End of the line. Mike Barnes wordlessly lifts his leg on instinct, intending to crash through with a kick only to be stopped by a slurring Johnny. One too many drinks tonight. No good. The feeling here wasn’t good either. Not what Chozen expected it to be going in. Too serene. Too lulling. Like the quiet before the storm. Like an ambush. A trap on the enemy's own turf and territory. Chozen carefully leans against the surface of the mansion’s entrance, intent on listening. Trying to catch a sound from the great indoors. Complete and utter quietude. He’d almost prefer it if he’d catch the sound of something. Anything. -"No, no, no. That looks heavy as shit. You’ll break your foot."- Johnny chastises, shoving Mike out of the way, getting into a stance of his own instead. -"I’ll do it."- He offers blatantly, and no, not smart, Chozen concludes. They weren't smart right now. They were drunk. Not drunk enough to not be aware they were drunk. Last thing they needed was to trigger whatever hidden alarm system this manor had in place by breaking down the front door and causing enough noise to wake up half of the city. For a man of this much abundance to leave his home unattended, it just wasn’t feasible, but to his surprise, the palm of his hand resting on the dark wood moves and the door slides ajar along with it.

Unlocked?

And no one at home?

Why?

If it the questions didn’t compound skyhigh by then, they’d certainly tumble over right there and then, like a tower made out of cards.

He leads the way, figuring someone had to, and he gestures, ushering the two men behind him into the darkness, minding his steps trying to keep their balance along the surface of the floor that blurred and narrowed through the haziness of his eyesight, causing him to stumbling into what seemed like an open, marble floor lobby descending into small winding corridors, somewhat labyrinthian in nature, if memory served from his last visit here. Many rooms. Many cameras. Many hidden places. Many weapons, Chozen reminds himself, nearly jumping if only due to a momentary distraction, fingers squeezed into fists on the ready, long shadows cast by the reflection of the lobby’s mirrors concealing the silhouette of a person, standing in the doorway quietly. Not large enough to be Silver himself, but nonetheless, a somebody. His intuition told him it was too silent on premises; that something about that was innately suspicious, and as if on cue, Lawrence’s reaction is the loudest, breaking through the noiselessness of the hall, cutting like a knife, putting all three of them on immediate alert and the shadow shaped like a person stirs and moves, head and shoulders perfectly sharp in outlines against the light  coming in from the garden, the body shapeless, a black blur in the murky dimness of the entrance foyer. The face? Concealed and pitch black. Seemingly almost entirely featureless, save for the tip of tip of a nose. The outline of a mouth. Someone who deliberately avoided moving to, in equal measure, avoid detection. -"Holy shit!"- Johnny yelps, staggering forward, eyes squinty, like he was trying to make out the details in front of him and failing to do so with precision, only for his nostrils to widen with surprise, leaving Chozen to stare back and forth between him and the blackness at the edge of the immense atrium. -"What’s this? Molly Ringwald in ‘For Keeps’ meets the Poltergeist or some shit?"- Johnny stutters and the confusion deepens, swirling, the reference an unknown, and quickly rendered irrelevant once Chozen catches the outline of a hand on a torso traveling lower, landing on what he recognized as a belly. The airflow of breath hitches in his throat. There was nobody here but a woman in a wide nightgown, halfway embracing herself for comfort, in an obvious bout of anxiety judging by her body language.

Someone terrified of them and trying not to show it.

-"I’ll call the police."-

She says, trying for an obvious air of firmness in an attempt to intimidate them, but her voice coming through shaky. Scared. Her demand unintentionally relayed more as a plea, less like a threat. The needle of instant regret is there, looming, pinching something inside of Chozen, digging beneath layers of skin.

Hostage?

No, no. Something else. A hostage would immediately run over, pleading for help.

Begging to be rescued.

-"He keeping you here by force or something!? Okay, where’s the cameras?"- 

Johnny bombastically voices his exact concerns, spewing fire, staring daggers at the corners of the walls looking for blinking red lights watching them from some hidden security room, practically spitting his words and Mike brushes past him, ever the irritant, nearly crashing into him, unfettered, voice gruff and unimpressed, his footsteps loud, wide and booming. Impatient. Determined. Like he intended to demolish the place just for the sake of doing so, irregardless if the owner was present to see it or not, perhaps precisely because he wasn't present to see it or even stop it, giving him no fighting chance, intending to strike from the back, unexpected, kicking below the belt. Aggrieved former student. Lots of anger. He leads the way, practically charging as he ranted in stride, marching deeper into the foyer.

-"I know this guy’s tricks and he’s full of them! A subversion. To distract us. Don’t fall for it! He did worse crap for far less! But, this one’s really bottom of the barrel! Lets go!"-

The needle presses on invisibly and Chozen reaches forward, running after Barnes before he could do something bad, grabbing his forearm, stopping him. Dragging him back. The garden light illuminated by solar pipes and flares casts a ray of distant, pale brightness on the human shaped silhouette in front of them, and all Chozen sees is dignity veiled by fear, frozen in place. This was the shadow’s home and it didn’t intend to flinch, but was nonetheless too frightened and too alone to fight back. This was someone important. To Silver. The hand on the end of its torso guarding someone even more special. -"No."- His demand is final. Simple.

-"His woman."-

He explains hastily, watching Barnes’ face grow from a mask of fury to complete and utter bafflement, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, mouth sliding agape, his wrath caught in a stalemate, having nowhere to go or to be channeled, Barnes expresses it by yanking his hand free and pacing vigorously, not unlike someone trying to walk off the side effects of their intoxication. Clear their head. This was Terry Silver’s woman and his unborn child they just stumbled upon. Johnny approaches him in the midst of Barnes doing exasperated circles around the room, head thrown back and he looks at Chozen, really looks at him, extending his arm forward, pointing at the person who’s acquaintance they accidentally made. Chozen imagines a baby’s crib, standing in a bedroom. A curtain. Terry Silver looming above it. Watching out into the night. He lied. He lied when they talked about their true ambitions. When Silver said his one regret was not having any children to continue his legacy. It was obvious now. He lied, because he didn't want anyone to know. Not the genuine facts of the matter. Didn't want anyone to jeopardize any of it. When a man starts lying about things in order to hide them, a man's keeping a weakness hidden, willing to do anything and everything to avoid having it be exploited by outside forces. Chozen closes his eyes, contemplating things. Big mistake. Coming here. Huge. -"The guy’s like eighty!"- Johnny shouts, outraged. Sato was eighty too at one point in time and he had entertainers come over at the end of every work week to pour his Sake too. Being old meant nothing. The puzzle pieces, though. They fall into place. Creating a cohesive picture. An understanding. An understanding only confirmed once the face of the person in front of them is partially illuminated from a nearby window and the recognition is near instant. It hits him like a flash of lightning. -"All over the garden."- Chozen attempts to explain, certain he wouldn’t be outright understood anyway that he was trying to tell them that they bypassed this silhouette at least half a dozen times, only in the form of carved marble. Silver had filled the premises of his estate with her likeness. Unbidden, Kumiko comes to mind and all the ways their village used to be plastered with the home made variation of posters whenever she’d perform during celebrations. She too, was loved. By everyone.

-"His woman."-

He carefully points to her and then lower, to the protective shield of her hand and what it was hiding.

At this point, Chozen’s whispering, as if though him speaking could actually disrupt the nap of the unborn in the womb, catching himself doing it, feeling the tipsiness engulf him like a swift tide and finding the gesture silly.

 -"His baby."-  

Johnny scoffs in a mixture of disbelief, drunkenness, snark and the obvious feeling of being entirely at a loss for words, joining an exasperated Mike in their nervous, anger-fueled, partially embarrassed pacing. Sensitive topic? Due to his and Carmen-san’s blessing on the way? They should go. They should go now. You lift up a nearby object from a nearby commode, placing it over your head, defensively; a warning to anyone, that if they step closer, or if they refuse to listen to the given demands, there was a blunt object at hand on the ready, even though, by the looks of you, the rounded, swollen shape of your belly outlining and rounding the edges of your night gown, Chozen was certain you’d attack no one and certainly not three men, calling your bluff. That you couldn’t even if you wanted to, and that grabbing what seemed like a metal, decorative candle holder was simply meant to highlight your horror and desperation and how badly you wanted to be left alone, like a cornered animal bearing its teeth. Your voice squeaks and instinctively, Chozen  lifts his hands up, trying to pacify you. Assure you that he wouldn’t. He wouldn't hurt you and he wouldn't let anyone else hurt you either. He left the path of dishonor behind a long time ago, taking a step back, wanting to disappear as uneventfully as possible, fingers hooking themselves into the seams of Johnny’s sleeve and dragging him back with himself too, once you plead, eyes shimmery in the darkness, brightened by the presence of suppressed tears. Daniel and Amanda-san never told him about the existence woman and they lived here for decades. Did they know at all? -"Please, leave. Please."- You beg, out of breath, standing your ground frozen like a deer caught in the headlights, looking like it hurt to stand as long as you were standing in only your house slippers burdened under the weight of your own belly propped up with one arm. Barnes explodes, lounging forward, impatience and impulsiveness culminating in a roar fire that was harder and harder to put out by the minute, his legs floundering mid-movement. Like mud and water, it wasn't good putting together a drunk, pissed off man who's own family was under fire and the family of the man who did it all. Barnes was out for blood. Smelled it like a clumsy, starved shark.

-"I had enough of this crap! Had a couple of drinks, yeah, okay, but I’m not getting conned like this! Where is he!? What hole did he crawl into!? She could be literally anyone and we’re falling for the oldest trick in the book! You think paying an actor stand-in is beneath him!? Nothing’s beneath him! He’s the father of lies!"-

Chozen’s legs move on their own accord and without him even having the chance to think, and before he knows it, he’s cut off Mike’s way, placing his body in front of him like a barrier and his hand to the man’s chest, letting him go no further. There would be days for revenge. But, it would be not this day. This night. Decades of striving to make things right with one’s soul wouldn’t be lost tonight. Chozen invested too much in his soul to drag it through the gutter all over again. -"No! We’re leaving. Honorable thing to do."- He whispers, head bent, the open palm of his hand never flinching from the surface of Barnes’ chest heaving with irritation and then ultimately, cooling down in the cloud of surrender, brows furrowed like he loathed to be told what to do They came here to deal with Silver, fueled by the euphoria of liquid courage, not antagonize a sobbing, pregnant woman. Barnes' features dropped like he was willing to begrudgingly accept that.

Chozen turns to you, speaking softly. Slowly.

-"Our business not with you."-

He couldn’t tell what you looked like. Not entirely. Not in this lack of light.

But, he swears he spots the wave of relief wash over you through a blur.

He bows with his full body facing forward, bent towards you, feeling it’s the correct gesture, throwing in a tiny smile for good measure, wondering if it'll alleviate the tension in the air. Not come off as mockery. As disingenious. The battle is always between the combatants.  Involving the innocent — makes the battle dirty. Low. Cheapens the victory. Cheapens even the act of participation itself.

Chozen reminded himself that mantra every day for thirty years.

 -"Apologies for intrusion."-

He excuses himself in a clipped manner, lifting his lower body up just as quickly as he paid his respects and Chozen’s out the door, dragging the two fools along with him, giving one last quick bow once his foot stepped over the precipice, his hand closing the door behind him, watching you lower the candelabra, your shoulders suddenly dropping. -"Have a pleasant evening. Gomenasai."- He throws in a final line, speaking Japanese with the conviction that it sounded more sincere and profound than a mere 'Sorry' in English, closing the entrance to the mansion with a loud thud and exhaling, suddenly realizing he’s been keeping his breath for far too long and that Barnes and Lawrence were standing by his side, humbled, eying the door with incredulity, appearing defeated, halfway on the verge of barging back inside, halfway on the verge of questioning what drove them to come here in the first place, the answer being drinks. Mostly the drinks. Terry Silver would come for them for this, Chozen knew, if for any reason, then simply for daring to frighten someone his --- and he paces, walking away from the marble front porch, realizing he needed to be ready. They all needed to be ready. There would be war. For every single tear you cried here tonight. For every bit of stress you suffered. Possibly even the very fact that they saw you and discovered your existence in the first place when it was so obvious now the enemy wanted you hidden. Terry Silver wanted you hidden. -"That’s some bullshit!"- Johnny huffs, protesting catching up with him, Barnes right on his tail, appearing gloomy, eyes dark and distant. The estate grounds open up around them and there they are, marble women with marble eyes, staring into nothing. Lawrence stares at them with suspicion, gaze oscillating between watching the premises lest something came alive and jumped them from the darkness and being in Chozen’s ear, ranting feverishly in a quick stride. Your image surrounds the whole manor. Loved. You must've been very loved. -"I didn’t even know the ponytailed prick had a chick and a bun in the oven!"- Hai. Exactly. Precisely. Treasure’s no longer a treasure if everyone has a key to its keep. If everyone knows where it's buried. Chozen shakes his head, feeling his lips press into a firm line; something inside of him told him there would be consequences for this. A payback. A settling of the scores. And this time around, a lot more than just Barnes’ livelihood would burn and he couldn’t decide if Silver was more dangerous while he seemingly didn’t have who to lose or now that they discovered that he has.

 -"That’s whole point. Not to know."- 

He reaffirms humorlessly, slipping into the night.

[sweetwolfcupcake]

Wildflower

The Secret Garden

Category: Short Series

John Wick X Reader

Warning: None.

Notes: John is relatively younger in this fic-- late thirties to early forties.

The gif is not mine. Credits to the original creator (Sorry, I don't remember where I downloaded it from)

Unedited

Wildflower 02

The place was high-end. There was no doubt about that. The building was surrounded by black, sleek cars, carpeted in red from the entrance to the reception desk, where stood a suited man. 

“Good evening, welcome to The Continental, how may I help you?” He smiled.

Detached but polite. Perhaps typical of any high-end place.

(Y/N) licked her lips, feeling her palms dampening.

“Uh, Mr Winston--where can I find him?”

“Do you have any appointment, Miss…?”

“(L/N). (Y/N)(L/N).”

“Miss (L/N). I am afraid that without a proper appointment or any relation with our business, I cannot let you meet anyone here.”

No, this was not going to happen. She needed to meet Mr Winston.

“This is very important. I am searching for Artemis.”

The man behind the counter stilled, assessing her.

Keeping his eyes on her, he picked up a vintage-looking telephone and dialed a number.

“Someone wishes to see Miss Artemis...No--okay.” He put the phone back “The manager will see you now.”

With that, he gestured to one of the guards standing by the door leading further inside the hotel. She looked at him, confused at the lack of information. But he nodded in assurance and she was desperate.

The towering man led her through seemingly unending hallways, lit in greens, blues, and goldens. Every corner screamed opulence, and every doorway appeared to hold an allure. Yet, perhaps it was only because she was slightly nervous, something about this building felt—

“Here he is, Miss.” 

The man led her to a courtyard that belonged to royalty. Shapely trees, shrubs and perfectly trimmed carpets of grass around the stone pathways. In front of a grand fountain, was a round table with two chairs, both occupied.

“Welcome to the Continental. I am the manager.”

The shorter and older of the two rose from his seat and approached her with a smile. Out of all the people she had seen in and around the building, he seemed the most welcoming to her.

“I am here for Mr Winston?” She tried again. Hoping that the man would be more helpful than the receptionist.

“Please have a seat Miss. You can meet him once you’ve discussed your business.”

While it was not what she wanted, she was desperate. Only the mysterious man named Winston could help her. And the hotel was the only address she had of him. So she followed the manager silently to the table, where a man dressed in black sat, along with an extra chair she had failed to notice before. Or perhaps it was placed there while she was speaking with the manager?

She smiled at the other man out of courtesy but he only nodded, eyes still on her. Reading her, analysing her. But she did not have more than a moment to spare the mysterious stranger. 

Turning to the manager, she took a seat.

“Actually, I got this name and address from…Here.” Fishing out a worn-out card from her jacket’s pocket, she gave it to him.

“You know Artemis?” He looked up from the card.

“Her real name was (Name). My mother. All I know is that she had another name, and the only person who can help me find her is Mr Winston. I need to meet Mr Winston, Sir. Please tell me where to find him.”

“How do you know that?”

She almost flinched at the low, gruff voice. The other man broke his silence. His dark eyes were set on her when she turned to him. She took him in for the first time. With ebony hair brushed back, a pair of deep brown eyes that gave away nothing other than the fact that he was observing, the man held her gaze with his piercing one. Shapely bread complemented his handsome face, somehow enhancing the enigmatic aura he possessed.

“Through the letter she left me.” From her bag, she produced a letter. Her last connection to her mother before she left her. “She had told me about this pseudonym, Artemis. I don’t know why she needed a pseudonym, all I need is to find her.” She handed it to the manager.

“This letter is eight years old.” He commented as soon as he began reading it.

“I received it a few months ago."

"And may I ask why it took you so long to receive a letter from your mother?" The manager pressed.

It was...hidden away.” She admitted, but did not wish to delve further.

 If anyone deserved to know the whole story, it was Winston– the man her mother trusted. So she would trust him too. 

“Do you know what your mother did for a living?”

She frowned. Her mother, as long as she remembered before she just…left, was a homemaker.

“She was a homemaker when she left. She left this letter when…” She licked her lips. “When she left us eight years ago. I found this letter recently.”

The manager looked up from the letter, meeting her eyes with a contemplative stare. It was the silence that bothered her more than his question, or the overall environment of the hotel.

“Child, unfortunately, you are too late…Your mother is no more.”

“Wh–how can you tell me I want to meet Winston—”

“I am Winston, child, and your mother, I’m afraid, is no more.”

Surprisingly, no ground was snatched from beneath her feet. But there was a numbness spreading, gripping her– her thoughts, her mind, her reality and  it—

“I will see you later, Winston.”

The other man cleared his throat and rose from his seat. There was no sign of smile, or any greeting–only a brief glance at her before he walked away in silence. While she sat there– mind sprinting from one end to another. 

Winston sighed. 

“I’m sorry…for your mother. I can tell you where she was buried.”

“How? H–how and why?”

Mr Winston signed and returned her the letter.

“The less you know, the better it is. Some questions do not have the answers you need, or expect.”

—----

It had been so long, she had, at the back of her mind, had already assumed the worst. Eight years of no contact, and only being simply told that her mother ‘left’ her and her entire family and she had grown to resent that woman. But when she discovered her mother’s last letter to her, previously hidden away by her father, everything changed– her perception, her approach to the disappearance of her mother–everything.

He was an excellent father, but ever since her mother left, he did not tolerate even the mention of her in the house. (Y/N) had found the letter carefully hidden away among his medical files. When she questioned him, he gave no proper answer and she was left with no choice but to make preparations to get to New York. Like taking up a job there. 

It was all too confusing for her. She needed answers, and her mother, in the letter, only mentioned Winston. The man who had, in turn, refused to give her the answers that brought her to him. If not him, then who would give her the answers she so desperately sought?

“We are here, Miss.”

The driver declared as the car slowed. Mr Winston insisted that she travelled with the vehicle provided by him. She was thankful for his assistance. It had been barely a week since she had landed in New York and she knew nothing of the streets there.

The cemetery was nestled in the quieter end of the city. The driver opened the door for her and she thanked him. As soon as she was out of the car, he walked up to the guard sitting by the gates of the cemetery and showed him a card, whispering something to the watchman, who nodded and opened the cemetery gates.

“I will wait here Miss, please take your time. That man will lead you.”

He offered her a polite smile on returning to her, but all she could do was nod. The watchman led her inside the sprawling cemetery– well-kept and littered with varying graves, from grand to plain, and even unnamed. The man led her to a simple and unassuming grave that had her mother’s name on the headstone and the year of her death. Three years. Her mother had passed away three years ago.

She was three years too late.

It felt unreal.

All her months' planning, all her hopes, her confusion, her resentment, her love, everything fizzing into a cold climax. 

Her mother was dead, buried and forgotten.

(Y/N) stood there–stared at the gravestone for…she was not counting. She just stood there. No tears, no anger, no bitterness. Nothing. There was just this cold void. A void that demanded answers.

Yet, she was unaware of the driver standing a few feet away from her–hiding behind the cluster of trees, gun in hand. Picking his phone, he pressed a button and put the device close to his ear, all the while keeping his eyes rooted on her unassuming form.

“All clear Sir, she really is the daughter.”

And put his phone away.

When she returned to the gates, the driver was waiting dutifully by the car. 

“Please take me back to the continental.”

“Are you sure Miss?”

“(Y/N). Please call me (Y/N) and yes, I’m sure. I need to get there. Please.”

“As you wish (Y/N).” He responded, opening the passenger door for her.

—----

Under the night sky, when the city was lit up, the hotel glowed like any other unassuming lamp on a posh street. But within, it was bustling. It was all glitz and glamour–easy to get lost. But she had no business there other than her mother. 

It was the same man at the reception. His eyebrows raised at recognition as he watched her rushing towards the desk.

“I would like to see the manager please.”

This time, there were no other formalities needed. One of the men led her to the basement— a pub with its own jazz band. Lit up in greens and reds, it was filled with people drinking, chatting, moving around– mostly dressed in darker shades.

Winston was seated at a lit–up corner, a point which allowed him unrestricted view of the entrance. He raised his drink in greeting as she approached him.

“Hello again, little miss.”

“I need answers Sir, and only you give me the answers.” She was desperate– uneasy, uncertain and lost.

“Have a seat first, and tell me why do you think I can give you the answers you seek?” He offered her, all in poise and grace.

She sat down reluctantly– only then noticing the same man she had seen earlier. His unreadable eyes were already on her. He had been unmoving and silent, almost merging into the shadows. He had been just silently observing her for so long?

“Hello again.” She tested.

He only nodded before finally moving his eyes away and focusing on his drink.

“Would you like something to drink? It's on the house.” Winston offered.

“No, I’m good.”

“It’s rude to refuse, young lady.” He corrected her gently.

“Sorry…” she gathered herself  “Sure, anything you offer.”

“Very well.” Winston smiled slowly before instructing one of the waiters to bring a drink she did not even bother to remember.  He looked at her when the waiter was gone “Now tell me, what answers do you want?”

She sighed. That was the point. She did not even know where to begin from. “I have no answers…to anything. Why she left, why she has a pseudonym, what connection does she have with you, or the cemetery? How did she…” 

How did she die?

She looked down at her hands, fiddling with the bracelet she wore— a gift by her mother on her sixteenth birthday.

The glass table clicked when he put his drink down and leaned in “Child, listen to me carefully.”

She looked up, focusing on him, nothing but him and his words as he continued.

“There are some questions that are better left unanswered. You try even peering into this river, you will see nothing but an unending abyss. And you get nothing out of it but darkness.”

She sat there, taking in his cryptic words.

“That is my answer to you, child. Your mother was a good woman and loved you very much and it was her last wish to keep you safe. Won’t you honour her?”

“I have…no closure then?” Her eyes turned glassy.

“Let me ask you a question...Do you know the Boogeyman?”

She frowned, confused at the sudden, seemingly irrelevant question. She turned to look around, confused. The man beside her had his impenetrable gaze set on her already. Even if Winston asked the question, it was Winston and that man waiting for the answer.

Winston raised an eyebrow “Do you?”

She frowned and tilted her head slightly. “What is the Boogeyman?”

Winston’s eyes stayed on her as he sipped his drink.

“Sometimes, it is better to not have any closure. Sometimes, the book is better shut tight and thrown away.”

“But why?” 

She did not understand. Why could not she have an answer? Was she to live in the dark all her life? Just wondering? How could she possibly make peace with that?

“Because…” The man on the side spoke up– deep but slow, as if weighing his words before he spoke, or perhaps thinking too much. “Because you are at the wrong place. A place you shouldn’t be.”

In his black clothing, he appeared with the shadows behind him. There was something raw but deep in his stare– a kind of instinct even billions of years of evolution could not suppress– something primal. His stare was enigmatic– not in a usual seductive way,no. But in the way that it somehow reminded her of baser human tendencies.

She gulped.

“He is John.” Winston broke her out of her thoughts. She turned to him, breaking her gaze away from the man.

“John Wick.” The man added, offering a handshake.

“(Y/N) (L/N)” She replied, accepting the handshake.

“(Y/N)...I knew you would return so…” Winston produced a ring from his pocket. Her mother’s wedding ring. “Maybe this was why she wanted you to come here. To tell you that she loved you, and your father. This is the only closure you should have.”

She blinked her tears away while taking the ring. She sat there in silence for a moment, staring at the ring, before finally putting it in her pocket.

“Thank you, Winston.” She managed to whisper out, but her voice cracked at the end.

“Goodbye, child.” He responded with a sombre stare.

Nodding, she made her way out of the place. A place so grand, yet so mysterious that suddenly seemed suffocating to her, oblivious to the burning stare that followed her until she was out of sight.

****

The one-shot has been sitting in my doc, collecting dust. Wrote as a self--indulgent experient...So, enjoy if you want to.

Also to the Anon who sent me a beautiful request, I'm working on it, just struggling to come up with a proper timeline. Please dm me if possible so we can discuss it.

[andyxcds]

rosekiller microfic -- fist (aug 2) | @rosekillermicrofic

(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Word Count: 718 tags: mention of smoking and violence. i'd reccomend reading the previous part linked here, or you might be a tad confused, so sorry!!

ᓚᘏᗢ ...

Sharp but tiny rocks paved the pathway that led to the peak of the cliff. They glinted silver in the moonlight and rumbled under the tires of the green BMW. Evan grinned slyly and watched the spray of dust his care left from his mirror, certain that Barty couldn’t see anything three feet ahead of him.

Thirty minutes in the sea cost them thirty minutes worth of a ride home.

“You’re an asshole, Evan,” Barty screamed when the dust cleared from his sight, and he spotted Evan up much farther than he assumed. He hit the pedal, letting momentum push him back into his seat as he sped up to par with Evan, cracking a smirk at one waiting for him.

Evan turned and smiled. “Yours or mi-” He stopped when Barty quirked a brow, and turned down the volume of his car. All his attention, Barty’s, was focused on Evan as though they were racing down a cliff in top speed, and the wind cutting at their twin cars. “Yours or mine?” Evan restated.

“Doesn’t matter,” Barty answered with a shout. For someone who relished having control over everything, he sure was getting comfortable giving Evan the reins to everything. His house, his bills, his car, his life. Barty was going to lose himself and everything that was completely his in Evan. Evan and his piercing blue eyes.

But it definitely mattered, the apartment they were going to. It mattered when they made a couple turns and made it to Barty’s apartment deep in the city. Decisions were made quickly; Evan made a right turn ahead of Barty and insisted his parents were home over the quiet hum of their engines and tires.

It most definitely mattered when they parked right in front of Barty’s apartment building, and caught eye contact with three younger boys, all puffing cigs with drunken smiles on their lips. Barty used to be one of them. Got his fist busted up because of it. Yet he offered them false sympathy by keeping his head high and looking them dead in the eye with a scowl worth lion fur. He felt Evan’s eyes roll ahead of him.

Evan, previously with his shirt and towel slung over his shoulder, began to swing it wildly as soon as they entered the hallway.

“Should’ve beat their asses,” Barty said, fumbling through his keychain for room card. “Should’ve taught them a lesson.”

Evan grasped both towel and shirt and slung it around his neck. “On what?”

“What?”

“On what? What’d they do?” He restated.

An eyebrow shot up on Barty’s face and he hesitated. “For smoking where a sign said not to?”

“That’s some hypocritical shit you have going on, Barty.”

“Ah, piss up a rope,” Barty said, knocking his door open after sliding the keycard through.

With the flick of one switch, Evan was able to take in the thunderstorm that was Barty’s apartment. It was a spacious thing but decorated terribly as it remained every visit. Looking down, his feet were planted before the empty bottles of beer and papers and specks of blood. He wasn’t particularly interested in tidying it up himself.

“Is your bathroom clean?” Evan remained rooted at the entrance of the apartment. He asked this, not with disgust or concern. Rather, he asked this intending to wash off all the blood the sea could not get off him.

“Should be,” Barty trudged over boxes of takeout and reached for a broom and a trash bag. Did Evan make him nervous or what?  Three years of tied tongues and he was still ashamed of the mess he makes when he’s left alone.

“Then come with me.” Barty did as he was told.

*

Forever. It would be this good forever, Evan thought. Barty’s hands combed through his blond hair with his three-in-one bottled soap. Tease. Then Barty’s hands took Evan by the chin, soapy fingers betrayed by his fleeting mind. In that moment, he held his lips above Evan’s for seconds, hot breaths lingering and tickling the hairs atop Evan’s lips.

“You sly fuck,” Evan said and grabbed Barty’s hair and pulling him into a kiss. Barty couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh and faced the consequences blindly as Evan took another hand to dump him into the water below.

[sweetheartsaku]

༄ MISSION: OUR SUMMER― doves in the wind

𝜗𝜚 ―K.TAEHYUN 【태현】 VERSION || NIGHT EDITION.

SUN BEAMS SIMMER its sparkles on the rustic wooden table. the sound of gentle chatter fills the empty silence in your head, coffee mugs clinking, machinery whirring, customers conversing. your gaze goes around, wondering the story behind all these people. one might fall in love with this coffee, one might be at the lowest point of their life, one might be aimlessly wandering.

but you know for sure, you're with the love of your life.

"one caramel frappé with an extra sweetener and one iced coffee, both in regular please." taehyun grazes his soft fingertips on the counter of the cozy cafe, before pulling out his wallet to pay for the drinks. you quickly place your hand on top of his, insisting you pay.

"tae, my love, this is the third cafe you've paid for today. i'll do it."

"no no, this whole thing was my idea. remember?" he whispers with a smile, tapping his sleek (black) card on the credit card scanner. he sneaks a light and seamless peck to your temple.

you look back up― a rosy, pink dusts your face. taehyun tugs you by the hand, eyes still glued on the order being prepared. watching the kitchen become even more astir than it already was.

suddenly, your eyes meet the glass display of pastries of all different assortments. macaroons, small cakes― larger ones on the bottom, mousses, cookies of unique shape, pies and tarts, donuts and sandwiches. anything you could ever imagine.

this place was practically a drink and pastry haven.

"taehyun, i think this place might be the one."

you find yourself at a small wooden table of your own, small plates of treats decorating the table. his boba gaze meets yours, squeezing your hand a little lighter. he props your interlocked hands on the table, close to his lips, bringing them close.

the cold and warm beverages arrive at your table, thinking this view of the 4th coffee of the day would be sickening, there is no other emotion than pure awe at the sight of the drinks. taehyun's warm caramel frappe, his favourite drink saved for the last cafe, in its foamy, refreshing glory.

meanwhile, your simple iced coffee glistens under the summer rays seeping through the large window nearby. you chose to have another cold drink here, cooling yourself off from the merciless sun. you clasp the hem of your shorts, right above your knee.

"it looks like you're itching to drink it. just take a sip, honey." taehyun says, swirling his drink with his wrist before taking a sip.

you quickly pick up your drink, letting its cold and sweet flavours melt into your mouth. if the drinks were this good, imagine the pastries!

you finally reach the end of your little delights, slightly disappointed your taste testing had to come to an end. but luckily for you, you both still had a little bit of beverage left in your drink. before you could pick your cup up, taehyun grins and asks if you'd like to go to the nearby park. you answer eagerly, loving the idea of ending your afternoon at the park with your lover.

you walk out the chilly and refreshing cafe, stomach satisfied and a pearly smile plastering your face. a short stroll along the fresh green garden's stone pathway leads you to a mesmerising park. it's sprinkled with life, little kids running around, birds pecking at the ground and greenery rustling at the occasional cool breeze.

he brings you to an area slightly more secluded, a section where the amount of people you could count on two hands. you both take a seat on the dry grass; a couple meters from the glistening lake. leaves trickle past, and taehyun lies down, lifting his hand to his forehead to protect his eyes from the sun. you smile, taking a look of everything around you. suddenly the scorching heat from cafe to cafe didn't matter anymore, and the slightly bitter iced coffee from the second store didn't matter anymore. the sunlight reflects off the city buildings in the distance, onto the lake's ripples. light clouds littered the air as a fresh breeze bites your cheek― tickling your soul sending a chilly shiver down your spine. the warm aura of the sun and the people around you bring this park back to life, with its abundant sense of home and sweetness.

there's absolutely no other way i'd spend this thursday afternoon.

TAGLIST: @hyukassubi @lun4kazumii

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Can you tell us what the answers to the six of crows color experiment is?

Yep! ☺️

I realised too late that I really should’ve organised it as a poll somehow, because I’ve had loads of responses (thank you all very much) and whilst a lot of them agreed with me there were a few I wasn’t expecting. My associations in the order than I wrote them in the original post:

Red - Nina

Green - Jesper

Black - Kaz

Blue - Matthias

Purple - Inej

Orange - Wylan

So generally speaking a lot of people either agreed with exactly what I’d said or swapped Wylan and Jesper, which makes a lot of sense. A few people also moved Jesper and Inej around, which I understand and I wanted to add on that point I always connect Inej to purple with the idea of her reclaiming the colour and its power in the same way that she referred to her knives as her “proper claws” to reclaim the image of the lynx. Purple is the colour that was used against her and the colour that represents Ketterdam (Stadwatch uniforms, colour of Kruge notes, and the Geldrenner Ketterdam suite being the main examples); with a part of what separates Inej’s journey and her ship from Kaz’s style of vengeance is the acknowledgement that the city itself is the monster she’s facing, she’s been forced to come to terms with the idea that what happened to her wasn't the result of one terrible person or group of terrible people, but a dangerous environment and society that was never going to see her as an equal go matter what she did in life (this realisation is particularly linked to the “Rare Spices” billboard, which I wrote a post on a while back so if anyone wants to read that let me know and I’ll tag you) so by reclaiming the colour she is not only reclaiming the power Heleen took from her but the city as a whole. I hope I worded that all okay I worry that my point doesn’t come across properly it feels unclear please let me know and I’ll try to explain it differently. However I also understand the perspective a few people raised in their responses of wanting to separate her from that colour because she should always be seen as more than who she was forced to be, it’s just my personal interpretation that part of her pathway to healing is reclaiming the symbols used against her as a symbol of power to use against the system and people that put her in her position.

With Jesper and Wylan, I can definitely see it going both ways and I guess it also depends on what shades of the colours you’re imagining for each of them. For me, Wylan is orange because it can be a quiet, beautiful sunrise but it can also be fire and rage, it can be dark and deeply lonely but it can also be bright and blazing, it can be the first light of home in the dark but it can also be the flames of righteousness. “You were angry. I needed you righteous” “well, you’ve got me”. I realise all/most colours have a natural dual nature but I think orange does particularly and I think that it compliments him wonderfully. I connect Jesper to green for brightness, fun, the “lime green” clothes and vibrant plaid, but also for the farm and the card tables and the painful difference between them - the way his life split in two like a log cut down the middle (I don’t have my book with me so not quoting, but he says something along those lines in Crooked Kingdom when talking about how he ended up moving from the university to the Barrel).

I think the one’s who were always connected the same way were Nina to red and Kaz to black, and I wanted to add a couple of reasons I didn’t see anyone mention yet and that would be Nina being the “little red bird” and Kaz wearing black, mercher suits to mock them and to look, by Ketterdam’s colour-represented social hierarchy that I could talk about forever, like he fits in with them in the upper echelon of society.

And most people also maintained Matthias with blue, connections to water, ice, storms, but I think also it’s worth emphasising his blue eyes that Nina finds so beautiful

I will go through later and tag everyone who has responded so far in this post so everyone can see the results if they want to, thanks to everyone who responded ❤️

[sourcreammachine]

GREEN PARTY MANIFESTO 2024 SUMMARY

tldr: there's a feeling of tension in this manifesto, between youthful zennial climatic ecosocialism and old-guard hippy-liberal environmentalism. this year the greens may well go from 1 MP to the dizzying heights of 2 (there's whispers on the wind that they may even get 3...), and the green council delegation is at 800-odd now, so this could easily be a changing-of-the-guard moment

with the great Berry and the ok Denyer in parliament the party could have more momentum in battling the starmerite government, and with that, it has the ability, the possibility to pick up more momentum. this is a big opportunity in the party's history - over the next five years it can and could be pushed into a holistic ecosocialist movement by the centrally influential mass party membership, and remove the last dregs of its tunnel vision to provide a lefty movement for everyone, green and pink, a Newfoundland coalition. with votes at 16 on the cards and this potential evolution of the party, 2029 could be a big moment for this country's left. whether or not the greens play the role of keystone is up to them

it is also the only manifesto to use the term 'neurodivergent'

💷ECONOMY

wealth tax of 1% on individuals with assets over §10m and 2% for assets over §1b (an extremely humble proposal), reform capital gains and investment dividend taxation to be at the same rates as income taxation, remove the income-based bands on national insurance contributions, ie raising total income taxation by 8% at §50k/a, – altogether raising government revenues by upwards of §70b/a

stratify VAT to reduce it for consumer stuff and hike it for stuff like financial services

permanent windfall tax on banks for whenever they get windfalls

perform a holistic land survey to get the data needed for a new, effective Land Tax

abolish the tax relief on existing freeports and SEZs

heavy carbon tax to raise a boatload of billions, rising progressively over a decade to allow industrial adaptation, for a ~§80b state windfall for five years that'll be for green investment as this windfall starts to recede

renationalise water and energy

§15 minimum wage, 10:1 pay ratio for all organisations public and private (ie §150 sort-of maximum wage, ~§300k/a), mandatory equal pay audits, 'support' lower hours and four-day weeks [clarification needed]

unambiguously define gig workers as workers with contract rights from day one, repeat offenders of gig-slavery will be banned from operating in the country

every City bank required to produce a strategy with a clear pathway to divestment of all fossil fuels "as soon as possible and at least by 2030", every City non-banking organisation simply to be banned from having fossil fuel in their portfolios, credit to be banned for repeat City climate offenders, mandate the BoE to fulfil the funding of the climate transition and climate leadership of the City, FCA to develop measures to ban fossil fuel share trading in the City and immediately prohibit all new shares in fossil fuels

"we will explore legal ways for companies to be transformed into mutual organisations"😈

develop regional cooperative banks to invest in regional SMEs, coops and community enterprises

diversify crop growth, promote local agricultural cooperatives and peripheral urban horticultural farms, give farmers a sort of collective bargain against grocers

aim towards a circular economy: require ten-year warranties on white goods, rollout of right-to-repair

tighten monopoly laws on media with a hard cap preventing >20% of a media market being owned by one individual or company and implement Leveson 2

🏥PUBLIC SERVICES

abolish tuition fees and cancel standing debt

surge nhs funding by §30B, triple labour's spending plans for everything, the entire budget, the entire state, everything

free personal care, with occupational therapy being part of this

35h/w free child care (eg seven hours over five days, or seven days of five hours)

renationalise many academies under local authorities, abolish the "charity" status of private schools and charge VAT

surge funding for smoking-cessation, addiction support and sexual health service

surge funding for public dentistry with free care for children and low-earners

free school breakfasts in primary school and free school lunches for all schools

one-month guarantee of access to mental health therapies

online access to PrEP

let school playing fields be used in the evenings by local sports clubs

greater funding for civic sports facilities and pools

🏠HOUSING

unambiguously-under-the-law nationalise the crown estate for an absolute fuckton of land and assets for housing and for green energy and rewilding for FREE

rent control for local authorities, ban no-fault evictions and introduce long-term leases, create private tenancy boards of tenants

local authorities to have right of first refusal on the purchase of certain properties at aggressive rates, such as unoccupied or uninsulated buildings

all new homes to be Passivhaus standard with mandatory solar panels and heat pumps

§30B across five years to insulate homes, §12B of which is for social homes, and §9B more for heat pumps, and §7B more for summer cooling

planning law reform: council planning mechanisms to priorities little developments all over the place rather than sprawling blobs, demolitions to require as thorough a planning application as erections, new developments required to not be car dependent

planning laws to require large-scale developments feature access to key community infrastructures such as transport, health and education, often mandating the construction of new key infrastructures, support nightlife and local culture in planning regulations

exempt pubs and local cultural events from VAT

building materials to be reusable, builders' waste rates to be surged to encourage use of reuse

750k new social homes in five years

🚄TRANSPORT

'a bus service to every village', restore local authority control and/or ownership of their busses

renationalise rail via franchise-concession lapsing, slowly assume ownership of the rolling stock (currently leased, and would continue to be so under labour's implementation of renationalisation) by buying a new train when the stock needs to be replaced

electrification agenda across the rail network, strategic approach to rail line and station reopenings

bring forward (sorta, the tories suspended it but labour says they'll reinstate it) the new petrol car ban from 2030 to 2027, existing petrol cars targeted to be off the road by 2034, investigate road-price charges as a replacement for petrol tax, hike road tax proportionally to vehicle weight, drop urban speed limits from 50kph to 30kph (or from 30mph to 20mph if you only speak Wrong), mass funding for freightrail and support logistics firms transitioning away from lorries

§2.5b/a for footpaths and cycleways, target of 50% of urban journeys to be extravehicular by 2030

frequent-flyer levy, ban on domestic flights within three-hour rail distance, remove the exemption of airline fuel from fuel tax, prioritise training of airline workers into other transportational jobs

👮FORCE

abolish the home office, transfer its police/security portfolio to the justice ministry and its citizenship/migration portfolio to a new migration ministry separate from the criminal justice system

abolish the kill the bill bill and restore the right to protest

recognise palestine, push for immediate ceasefire and prosecution of war crimes, back the south africa case, "[support] an urgent international effort to end the illegal occupation of palestinian land"

grant asylum-seekers the right to work before their application is granted

end the hostile environment

abolish Prevent

end routine stop-and-search and facial recognition

commission to reform 'counterproductive' drug regime, decriminalise personal possession

amend the Online Safety Act to "[protect] political debate from being manipulated by falsehoods, fakes and half-truths", ie actually protecting 'fReE sPeEcH' and not everything that rightists imply by that phrase

decriminalise sex work

reform laws to give artists IP protections against ai

cancel trident and disarm

push for nato reforms (in its and our interest, they're not russophiles, they're not galloway, it's ok): get it to adopt a no-first-use nuclear policy, get it to prioritise diplomatic action first rather than military reaction, get it to adopt a stronger line on only acting for the defence of its member states

right to roam🚶‍♂️

🌱CLIMATE

zero-carbon by 2040, rather than the ephemeral ostensible government target of 2050

stop all new oil/gas licenses, end all subsidy for oil/gas industries, regulate biofuels to end greenwashing, end subsidies for biomass

decarbonise energy by 2030, minimum threshold of energy infrastructures to be community owned, "end the de facto ban on onshore wind" with planning reform

massively expand the connections between the insular grid and the UCTE continental grid to increase electricity import and export and prevent the need for energy autarky

more targeted bans on single-use plastics

"give nature a legal personhood" ok grandma let’s get you to bed

§2b/a to local authorities for local small-business decarbonisation

"cease development of new nuclear power stations, as nuclear energy is much more expensive and slower to develop than renewables. we are clear that nuclear is a distraction from developing renewable energy and the risk to nuclear power stations from extreme climate events is rising fast. nuclear power stations carry an unacceptable risk for the communities living close to facilities and create unmanageable quantities of radioactive waste. they are also inextricably linked with the production of nuclear weapons. green MPs will campaign to phase out existing nuclear power stations." because some people just can't let go of the seventies. nuclear is good. nuclear is our friend

invest in r&d to find solutions to decarbonise 'residual' carbon in the economy, such as HGVs or mobile machinery

increase unharvested woodland by 50% (no time frame given), grants to farmers for scrub rewilding, rewet Pete Boggs, make 30% of the EEZ protected waters and ban bottom trawling

§4b/a in skills training to stop gas communities getting Thatchered, prioritising shifting these workers into offshore wind

a.. licensing scheme for all pet animals? you guys sure about that one

regulate animal farming with a goal of banning factory farms, ban mass routine antibiotics, ban cages/close confinement and animal mutilation

ban all hunting including coursing and "game", ban snaring, ban hunt-landscaping such as grouse moors, end the badger cull, mandate licensing of all animal workers with lifetime striking off for cruelty convictions, compulsory hedgehog holes in new fencing, 'push' for 'ending' horse and dog racing [clarification needed], new criminal offences for stealing and harming pets, 'work towards' banning animal testing

🗳️DEMOCRACY

proportional representation for parliament and all councils

abolish voter ID

votes at sixteen

votes for all visa'd migrants

restore the electoral commission's prosecutory powers and remove the cap on fines it can impose on parties

increase Short Money, especially for smaller parties

create a manifest legal category of organisation for think tanks, to allow better enforcement of lobbying and funding restrictions

consider fun new measures for political accessibility such as MP jobsharing and allowing public provision of offices for all parliamentary candidates

🎲OTHER STUFF

Self-ID including nonbinary recognition, including with an X passport marker

"work towards rejoining the eu as soon as the domestic political situation is favourable", join the eea now (with restored free movement)

let local authorities invest shares in sports teams, including professional ones, dividends ringfenced for public sports facilities and coaching

right to die

[govisaeb5]

Investing in the American Dream: The EB-5 Visa Program

In a world where global mobility is becoming increasingly common, the United States remains a coveted destination for many aspiring immigrants. The land of opportunity, innovation, and cultural diversity has consistently attracted individuals seeking a better life for themselves and their families. One avenue that has gained significant attention in recent years is the EB-5 Visa Program, a unique and attractive way for foreign investors to obtain permanent residency in the United States. In this article, we will explore what makes the EB-5 Visa Program so special and why it's a path worth considering for those with entrepreneurial ambitions. The EB-5 Visa Program, created by the U.S. government in 1990, is designed to stimulate economic growth and job creation in the United States by offering foreign investors and their immediate families the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents, often referred to as "green card" holders. Unlike other visa categories, the EB-5 program doesn't require applicants to have specific job offers, family relationships, or extraordinary skills. Instead, it hinges on an investment of capital in a new commercial enterprise that leads to job creation. To qualify for the EB-5 program, foreign investors must commit a minimum investment of $1.05 million in a new commercial enterprise within the United States. However, if the investment is made in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), which is either a rural area or an area with high unemployment, the minimum investment requirement is reduced to $800,000. This lower investment threshold is an attractive feature for many investors.

Advantages of the EB-5 Visa Program

Path to Permanent Residency: The EB-5 program provides a direct path to obtaining a green card, allowing investors and their immediate families to live and work anywhere in the United States.

Education Opportunities: Green card holders can access the U.S. education system, including in-state tuition rates at public universities, making it an excellent choice for families with educational aspirations.

Business Freedom: Investors have the flexibility to start and manage their own businesses in the United States without the constraints of employer-sponsored visas.

Quality of Life: The United States offers a high quality of life, with access to world-class healthcare, a diverse cultural landscape, and numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Conclusion

The EB-5 Visa Program presents a unique and attractive opportunity for foreign investors looking to pursue their American dream. It not only provides a path to permanent residency in the United States but also offers the chance to make a significant impact on the U.S. economy through job creation. With its lower investment threshold in targeted areas, it has become increasingly accessible to a broader range of investors. If you're seeking a way to make the United States your home and invest in your future, the EB-5 Visa Program is undoubtedly worth exploring as your ticket to the land of opportunity.

[usadvlottery]

Embark on your journey to permanent residency in the United States! Our detailed guide demystifies the USA Green Card application process, providing essential insights on eligibility, documentation, and key steps. Maximize your chances of success with expert tips and ensure a smooth path toward obtaining your USA Green Card. Your American dream awaits – start your application with confidence!

[headingalaxys-spicy]

Hello darling

Can I ask for yan france, england, america and Germany with a darling that's using them to get citizenship/green card?

America: Kei….No, don’t you dare write this while watching and making references to 90-day fiancee.

Me: Too late bitches! This ask demands it! *laughs maniacally while typing like an absolute maniac*

Germany: “Oh nein, Sie hat vier Espresso-shot getrunken…”

France: Mon Dieu

🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸

In short, he’ll bring on the hellfire like Danielle and he has actual power, so that makes it even worse for you.

He will figure out that it was all a clever ruse when you’re not giving the relationship your all when it comes to emotional closeness. The way that you refuse to cuddle with him, don’t kiss him with passion, the looks you give him are devoid of warmth that someone in love would usually. Don’t worry you’ll get your green card with strings attached.

“Y/N, I have a surprise for you.” He guides you along a cobblestone pathway down some winding pathway. You pretend to have fun with his antics until he pulls the blindfold off your eyes. You were staring at a dressing room and a few ladies who were covered in pins, measurement taps, and needles.

“Hello, Y/N, we’re going to be preparing you for tonight!” The eldest lady with a nicely made-up bun states to you with glee.

“What do you mean?” Confused, you’re sure you didn’t want the answer to it. But you try to have an air of excitement around you.

“Your surprise wedding to Alfred! You’re going to become Mrs. Jones tonight!”

‘Oh shit I thought I had like 45 more days to figure this out.’

“Aren’t you happy! We’ll be married Y/N, and that means you’ll be an American and mine. Well, I’ll leave you ladies to it I have to get ready myself!” He gives you a peck on the cheek and tauntingly whispers, “You’re mine.” in your ear as you see a glint in his eye that you’d never seen before he walked backward for a few seconds before dashing off from the place where he’d brought you.

You knew you were fucked if you didn’t because for the last week or so he’d been telling you about his exploits of having to hunt down people who were here illegally and had been convicted of fraud, robbery, or some kind of crime they committed while in the United States. This conversation always seemed to pop up after the two of you discussed how long you’d be staying in the States from (country name), saw an ad for 90 Day Fiancee about a mystery couple or something that remind you of the shortening time for you to make a decision about the future. And since it was close to impossible without it being illegal (under the table) for you to find work, you really had only two choices: go home or depend on Alfred. You, of course wanted to be in the States, so you choose the latter but since a surprise wedding, and Alfred showing his far more dangerous tendencies, you wondered if heading back home to try a different way was possible. After all, you weren’t at the altar yet!

You decide that being with Alfred wasn’t worth the green card and you decided that you didn’t want to be under someone's control for it. So you decided to make a break for it. The red flags were blaring in your head, and you were not about to be a part of this! America is going to suspect that you’d do something like that so he did have agents of his ready to tackle you as soon as you tried to make your way from the wedding venue. They’ll hit you with some heavy sedatives so that the dressmakers, stylists, and make-up artists can get you ready for the big moment. This will be televised in and marketed as a Special Episode on 90-Day Finacee where the mystery couple is you and him tying the knot.

He did this so that his nation and others will know who exactly you belong to. He will also make sure that you renounce your citizenship in (country name) so that it will be virtually impossible for you to escape back home.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

He has friends on the other side that will help him in his endeavors to ensnare you.

He’s the king of manipulation and shit-starting. So of course, it only takes him a few days to figure out that all you wanted from him was the green card.

‘If that’s all you want from me love I’ll give it to you under a few conditions.’ He will mention it causally while the two of you are having high tea at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

“So, Y/N love I know that your visitor visa is about to run out in about two weeks' time, right?”

You do your best not to choke on your lavender tea, as you dare to gaze into those toxic pastoral green eyes that held back all of the disdain that he had for your betrayal. They also brimmed over with something else you couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah, what of it, I mean you have recommended getting married soon and I’m excited about it albeit, kinda weary.” You had begun to notice some of his red flags and the fact that he never really wanted you to leave his home so that you could be at your hostel. It was so much so to where you were never allowed to be on your own without him or one of his royal guards dressed in civilian clothes. You just wanted to be able to roam the British Isles and take in the sights on your own without having to worry about a time limit, but the only way that you could do that is if….

“Well, why not? You’ll get your Green Card and become a natural British citizen. After all isn’t that all you want?” Outright accusing you of what he knew was true by your demeanor and desire to do things without him involved.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You put down your porcelain cup. You didn’t want him to try and argue with you in public and expose you.

“You know exactly, what I mean, Y/N; you only want that. Don’t lie to me. I do have the upper hand since I have connections throughout the whole government, and I’m myself a special agent and part of the royal family. There are things I can do right now that will make you tremble in fear.” He whispers-shouts at you lowly as not to attract the attention of the whole tea room.

Your throat is tight from holding back the forming tears.

“I….” Some of them fall, but you were quick to wipe them from your face so that you wouldn’t make a spectacle of yourself. “Yes.” You decide to be honest, knowing that lying would only escalate the situation further. You were surprised that he gently grabbed your free hand that wasn’t trying to wipe up tears with his black leather-gloved hand.

“I have some paperwork for you to sign. You’ll get what you want, and I’ll get what I want.”

It’s, of course, marriage registration forms and some other documents that forbid you from leaving the U.K. unless you have explicit permission from him or that he’s with you. You also have to give him your passport from (country name) and visitors visa, and it’s engulfed in flames right before you. Ensuring that you’d never see your country again. With that he will be nice in the beginning of your marriage but once the honeymoon phase is over he will start his training for you on how to love him properly.

🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷

Oh he goin use his beautiful tears to make you regret trying to use him. Sparkles. Sparkles everywhere.

Like England, France is more upfront about confronting you for your trickery. Although the way in which he does it is tame, romantic, and emotionally manipulative.

As the two of you traversed the Pont d’lena to the Eiffel Tower on a brisk cold Fall night Francis wastes no time in talking about the future that he wants with you in great detail.

“You know Y/N I never thought that you’d use me.” Caught off guard by the sudden statement all you could respond to him was with a “huh?”

“What are you talking about Francis? I thought we were in a good place in our relationship.” Trying to gauge how you’d maneuver out of this conversation and onto something else.

“You just want me for the Green Card so you can stay admit it! You’re not like Jenny to my Sumit! You don’t care for me in the sweet way that she does for him!”

“What has you like this Francis?! It’s so random!” You stated, frustrated that you have to mitigate yet another dumb argument. You brace yourself for the downpour because Francis's now shaded blues covered in massive rainclouds was about to be released in the next few minutes of tears and the realization that he’s caught onto you and your scheming.

“You don’t treat me like a lover! You don’t tell me I love you ! Like you mean it. You’re almost lifeless when we make love and you don’t eat my expertly prepared food that is made with LOVE and COMPASSION your eyes don’t spark up with joy! You look like I’ve just given you some awful canned American or British food. Plus you’re always stiff whenever I hug you! Your LIKE A ROCK!” He will just allow himself to let tears flow freely down his face like a river that's broken out of a dam.

All you could do is let the French man cry his eyes out while passersby wondered if you were tormenting the poor man. There were many raised eyebrows that looked on at you in judgment.

(Yes, I’m referring to Jenny and Sumit because I really do believe that even thought the odds are well interesting. I really do believe those two love each other despite the difficulties they face. Also, this was the best example I could think of in the moment while typing this.)

“Francis can we please talk about-“ He swiftly cuts you off dramatically by forcefully grabbing your hands as he gets down on one knee.

“If you love me Y/N then prove it, marry me!” A sudden burst of sparkles appears around everywhere along with red roses. You didn’t really have the time, energy, or headspace to question how in hell those things apppeared from thin air because you were stuck between a rock and a hard place currently.

“Fra-“

“If you want to save your own face right now and have a chance of ever coming back to France you’ll say yes mademoiselle.” Although he said it sweetly you knew that was a threat.

“Okay, I’ll marry you Francis.” You know full well there would be a much longer conversation later along with not being able to leave his bed for a week straight.

“Wonderful and I even have your engagement ring pick out which will go so well with the outfit you’re wearing!” His sudden change back into being extremely happy was jarring to you and for a few moments you did have to wonder if anything that was happening to you currently was real.

He grabbed your left hand with force and slid it onto the fourth finger. It’s glow radiated a harsh light of malice although a stunning diamond signified your permanent entanglement with him. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of your hand and it sent a shock through your nervous system. You were in danger for sure but it would be disguised as a charming prison with lace, chocolate, wine and other luxuries flowing without any other connection to anyone else on this earth.

🇩🇪 Germany 🇩🇪

He’s going to make a perfect darling out of you one way or the other and he’s going to do it through ruthless training and reprogramming your brain.

Since he’s asked Italy for help after hanging around you for 6 weeks and you still haven’t treated him like a true lover but someone who doesn’t act like their in love. He plans how he will confront you and the best way to do that is be underhanded. He overheard one of your conversations (he’d set up microphones all through your living quarters) with your friend back in (country name) that you were only sticking around so you could obtain your green card and get into the Masters Program you’d been eyeing for quite sometime. “Since you want to be a snake! I can also pull a reverse uno on you Y/N!”

Lately since you’ve been hanging around Ludwig you’ve felt sick and he’s been having to take care of you during these long sick spells. You’d feel horrendously fatigued, weak, and even somewhat nauseated. He’s been strangely sweeter to you and doting. You don’t question it since he did love helping you out with your green card situation. You never did start to question him since your brain was foggy and you were too disoriented to think about the underlying danger you were in with him. You never questioned why he suddenly became sweeter towards you and why he was so hellbent on making every meal for you.

“Y/N?” He gently placed a hand on your forehead to see if you were running a fever of sorts.

“Yeah?” You say groggily. The nap you took on his couch somehow made you feel much worse than you did before you took a nap.

“Are you really sure you’re up to the task of getting yourself home? I mean it’s across the city and it’s nighttime it’s not really safe for you to be outside anyways.” He states sternly. You could already tell what he’s about to suggest.

“Just stay here Fraulein. It would be foolish for you to get home in this state. And I can’t allow you to get hurt or sicker than you already are. I’ll go get some better blankets and pillows. I’ll be right back.” He’ll diligently march away and prepare his next round of poison for you to ingest. It’s not deadly but it saps you of energy and makes you disoriented. If your this way for long enough you’ll accidentally miss your date to exit Germany and return to (country name). He can pull a few strings with his government and say that your in his care and would be 100% unfit for international travel of any kind even on train you wouldn’t be allowed to leave. He’d have you right where he wants you. You’d be unaware the entire time.

“If Y/N wants to be in Germany wish granted Fraulien. But you’ll never be able to leave I can’t allow it there are so many men who’d hurt you!” He mutters to himself as he laces your Bavarian Griessknödel with crushed up sleeping pills.

You’re essentially going to be in a zombie like state due to all the drugging that he puts in your food and drink. After a few months he’ll light up on it and gradually hint at the fact that you no longer are a citizen of (country) and that it’s thanks to him that you’re safe. He’ll gaslight you a ton and make you believe that he’s doing what’s best for you after all you wanted a green card to his nation so badly he arranged it with the caveat that you have to be with him whenever you leave the house, you’re going to have to learn German, and you’re eventually going to have a tracker on you that will be connected to his phone at all times. You’ll be his sweet Fraulein that obeys him…. Eventually.

[snakegorl212006]

Unbirthday

It seems I had no choices…Do I even have one? Maybe I should act sick. But it’s rude to not show up. But it’s just a party so..i guess it wouldn't hurt. Besides there’s probably tons of people if it’s some rich kid. I sigh and open my eyes to meet my ceiling. I lazly turned my head towards the TV. I really don’t wanna leave my couch. Perhaps I'm in over my head. It’s just an invitation. I’ll be fine. I checked the time. 7:00pm. I rose up from the couch and walked to my closet and tried to find the nicest clothes I had. After a quick shower, I put on my clothes and began preparing for my outing. Midway checking if I had everything, a knock was heard at my door. I made my way and opened the door to see a familiar face “officer spade?” I questioned. He looked a little different. He had a more casual yet formal suit on and had a spade mark underneath his eye “long time no see but please call me deuce” he smiles “ok deuce, what brings you to my apartment” i asked “I offer to drive our special guest over to roseheart’s manor. I never thought I’d be you” he laughed which made me smile “well are you ready” he asked and i nod. He escorted me to his car and drove us to Heartslabyul into the wood area. Why would a manor be all the way out here? My thoughts were overridden by the sight of the place. It was massive. When we entered the driveway, we were greeted by a pathway which splits in between a rose maze which leads us to the manor’s main door. There waiting for us was a tall man with short green hair and glasses,next to him was Cater who was scrolling through his phone. Cater looked up then smiled warmly at us “Deuce! Been a while.Oh Y/N it’s you I’m surprise you came” Cater said as he waved “I can say the same. Who’s the guy next to you” I asked “oh this is trey I was talking about. He's a close friend with Riddle.” Cater introduces. Trey held his hand out and smiled “Good evening. Thank you for joining us” he said. I shook his head. So far there’s nothing to worry about. What was I even worrying about? “Come riddle is waiting for us in his office” Trey said “whoo lets get this party started” Cater shouted as we entered inside. The manor was pretty and smelled of roses and pastries. Despite the beautiful decor and decorated walls, the manor was relatively void of people. Maybe we came earlier than expected. We reached the office and went inside. There waiting for us was two people.the one in the main throne,i assume it's riddle, and another guy just lounging on the couch. Riddle looked up and smiled “You actually came. Welcome to my manor, we have much to discuss. Have a seat” Riddle said so I did. I sat down on a chair right in front of him. “Do you like what I did with the place” Riddle asked “ya it’s very festive here. Is there anyone else coming” I asked “no.But I don’t mind if it’s just you though” Riddle replied “How about we get this unbirthday party started by playing a game” Riddle suggested as he stands up “You are alice, trying to escape the Queen’s cards for they’re after your head sense the Red Queen demands it” Riddle suggested “my head…” I mumbled as I glanced around; surely they think this is ridiculous right? “Sound fun riddle, I’ve been wanting to do this for some time now” Cater replied “I’ll prepare the pastries. We might get hungary mid way.” Trey adds with a smile. “Splendid! Ace and deuce will be the cards and Y/N will be our dear alice this evening” Riddle concluded “wait I didn’t agree to this” I stated as i stand up “same But it was your fault for living after the party. You broke the rules and were left unpunished. This won't do. So play along with us” Riddle beamed “All you have to do is to live and make it back to your house. Safe and sound. Easy enough.and you get a 5 minute head start” Riddle adds as he pulls out his pocket watch. “May the unbirthday party begin”

[blackroseguzzi]

TENDER pt. TWO

*Last chapter with backstory flashbacks*

Summery:

Unfortunate events lead to the meeting between you and Joel Miller, but the spark between you both ignited a fire. When Joel becomes worried he can’t give you what you deserve you both do and say things you’ll eventually regret- one particular incident leaves you with intense guilt and loneliness. You decide to strike up a deal with Marlene. You would bring that kid to where she needed to go as long as you could get information on Tommy, to secretly give to Joel. You hoped that would lead him to forgive you, and your disappearance wouldn’t be for nothing. Life had other plans, as you’re now bringing Ellie to the fireflies with Joel as your companion. After all, there was hope that your fragile and broken relationship might just be able to be fixed?

Your body stood in the alley way, watching him from afar. You felt a jolt of guilt wash through you. Was he going to understand why you had left when he inevitably discovered your disappearance? Would he even care after you barked out the information that you were holding in? Regardless of your feelings towards him these last few months, you at least felt like this would wash away the sinful feelings you held inside.

He grabs the ration cards from the FEDRA agent and stuffs them in his pocket, his head down as he watched his feet drag across the dusty sidewalk. 
Your blood ran cold when you suddenly realized how close you were to him now, a few more steps and he would bump right into you.

“Joel,” You meant it with much more force, but it came out just above a whisper. You hoped he hadn’t heard you, but as soon as his name escaped your lips his dark eyes found yours.

“Shit,” was all that you heard from his lips as he grabbed your arm and escorted you deeper down the alleyway.

You knew you had just cut off a deal that he was about to make. It was written all over his face. You dug your sneakers into the dirt pathway to stop his hurried movements as he clutched your arm. He twisted around at your sudden halt and you forcefully ripped your arm from his grasp.

“Hey, get your hands off me.”
Joel’s eyes narrowed as he wondered why you had seemingly sought him out in this alley way. After the day he had putting bodies in a burning pit, it was like the universe wanted to punish him as he stared into your forest green eyes. Eyes he used to get lost in.

“You need to get away from”-

“I have information on Tommy.” Your words had cut him off mid sentence. He quickly took a look around to make sure the two of you were alone.

“What do you mean? Ya know where he is?”

You stared into his deep brown eyes, some of the pain inside them was clearly something you had once caused.

“I talked to someone on the radio that told me he’s not with the fireflies anymore.” Joel held up a hand to stop you, shaking his head in distaste.

“How the hell you get this information? What did you trade?” He paused. “No. What did you sell?” His eyebrows came together in a point as he stared down at you.

Rolling your eyes you pushed his hand down from out of your face. “You know I have a lot more leverage working in the clinic than you think big guy. Rather then give me the 3rd degree would you like this information or not? I can walk on by and keep it to myself if you’d like.”

You watched his jaw clench and he nodded for you to continue.

“He’s West, somewhere in Wyoming,” You spoke. His face fell at your words. “Look, I know that’s not ideal but I know a guy with a truck battery. His name’s Robert, and he’s worked with Tess so she’ll be able to help you get it.” He was about to say something before your words filled the air again. “But the guy on the radio also told me I had to be careful if I go out looking for him. He wouldn’t go into detail, he just warmed me. I’m not sure if that means he doesn’t want to be found or..”

“Or he’s in trouble.” Joel finished.

Biting the inside of your cheek you took his hand and placed a small white folded piece of paper inside of it.

“I know things between us are unpleasant to say the least, but I care about Tommy too. I hope this heels the wound I made.”

Joel didn’t have time to respond. You quickly walked through the alleyway back to where you had came from. For a moment Joel considered following you, but instead he stared down at the piece of paper in his hands, careful as he unraveled it.

43°10′28″N 111°00′04″W -Freckles.

FLASHBACK

You knew that it took exactly three minutes to get to his building. Your heart was racing, and your lips dry and shirt stained with sweat and dirt. You couldn't just sit in your apartment and pace back and forth as the sun found its resting place. You had one hell of a day, a day not even the hottest of showers could wash off. You had to see him, even if it was risking curfew. You cursed to yourself as you lifted your fidgeting body off the cold couch, grabbing your coat and hat before slipping through the front door.

It took you one minute to stealthily decent the three floors of your building. Only one person passed you, and whatever happened during their day seemed to hold their attention as they walked slowly and depressingly past your quick figure. With your jacket hood and black hat keeping you camouflaged, you rushed past them and out of your cold musty building.

It takes you another 38-60 seconds to dip out of the apartment door and into the dark street past three FEDRA agents chatting quietly among themselves. The seconds depended on who those FEDRA agents were. It was another three minutes before you’re finally at his street corner. Your body heats up as you see the basement window of his building, wide open as if inviting you inside. You jog over, and without hesitation squeeze yourself through. Your feet landing with a small thud against a puddle of muddy rain water that covers the concrete flooring. You let out a burst of air from your lungs because you made it safe yet again. You usually put the fear of getting caught out of your mind until the task is done and the breath you didn’t realize you were holding was finally out.

Pushing the hood of your jacket down you make your way through the darkness. You knew these old buildings like the back of your hand. Finding the staircase to the first floor was nothing, but you also knew that being as quiet as you could be was your best and only option. Before you knew it you were up three stories and at his front of his door. The heat in your body rose quickly to your cheeks. If you bit any harder on your bottom lip you were going to draw blood. Before your better judgement could kick in your fist is knocking quickly at the stained apartment door.

It creeps open just a slit, and you see his dark eyes. At first they were curious as to who was at his door after curfew, but they softened when they focused on you. The door swings all the way open and he’s looking at you with wide eyes full of fear. He grabs your coat and yanks your body into his apartment before his head is wiping around the hallway making sure that someone hadn’t seen you. You almost opened your mouth to let him know that you were not new to sneaking out past curfew, but you didn’t say anything. The door suddenly slammed shut and you were now in the middle of his kitchen looking up at his now angry stature. Even though he looked upset with your actions, there was still that softness of his eyes as they scanned your body.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” His voice was hushed and your heart start beating a little faster. Your ears were certainly red as tomatoes under your hat.

“I don’t know,” you whispered back. You scanned his appearance. Clearly catching him fresh out of the shower and into a clean black shirt and a pair of dark gray sweatpants that had seen better days.

“Are you alright?” He took a step closer to you, his arm shot up to touch yours, but suddenly recoiled back as if he noticed the movement he was just about to make.

That was enough for you.

You quickly shed your coat, leaving it a heap on the floor before ripping the hat from your head and crashing your body against Joel’s. Your lips locking for the first time sent an electric shock through your body. His facial hair was rough, but you were surprised how soft his lips were. He moaned lightly as your tongues found each others. His rough hands squeezed your hips, which makes you pull back and look at him. His was staring at you with as much lust as you felt inside your heart. He wanted, no needed, this as much as you did.

“I’m better now, ” you whisper before you both melted into each other hungrily.

Flashback

You had always been someone who believed in good people and that positivity was key to success. You believed the sun shined everyday for a reason. Damn, you even believed all of that after your 16 year old self watched your Daddy jump across the dining room table and bite a chunk out of your Mother’s neck.

You were the middle of three siblings. Your younger sister, Willow, had died just 10 or so miles shy of what would soon become the Boston QZ. Smugglers had raided the old medic tents where you and your siblings had been living for the 5 years after the end of humanity. They took all the medical supplies you had, including Brooks, the older gentleman who had taken in your trio and showed you everything he knew of medicine from his time as an Army Medic. They tied him up as you begged for them to stop.

That day you learned that begging never changed anything, and you still take that lesson with you throughout life. Ethan was your older brother who took it upon you both to head towards the center of Boston after the devastating loss of your younger sister and father figure.

Boston meant more shelter, it was somewhere safe before you find a new permanent residence. Ethan was only 11 months older than you but he acted as if he had the whole world on his shoulders after blaming himself for not keeping you or Willow safe. He struggled with finding anything good left in the world.

He spiraled when Boston soon shut out everyone from the outside world around them. Boston QZ was forming and Ethan’s mental health was failing. It shifted drastically when they met Tess, and he began smuggling. You were thrown into working at the Boston clinic with your knowledge in medicine. Although, Ethan and Tess had shown you a lot about trading and smuggling goods as well. You usually only traded pain meds for things like abortion pills and Birth control for struggling women who were either being raped by guards or in a domestic violence situation.

Ethan was killed on a run with Tess just two years after the QZ had formed. It was 4 years after that when you stitched up Joel Millers head wound.

It was the first time you had even met the man. You had been close to his brother, Tommy for a few months. The two of you had met at the FEDRA clinic while Tommy was there dropping off supplies.

He had the most welcoming accent, and he made you laugh.

“Whats even in this thing anyways?” He asked as he dropped a heavy cardboard box down in front of you. Carefully opening it, you pulled out a few random assortments of cloth and a package of gauze. Tommy bent down and grab a small plier looking tool from the box.

“Do I even wanna know what this thang does?” He held it up, moving it around to inspect it closer.

You giggled lightly and took it from his hands. “That’s a umbilical cord clamp. This box should go upstairs, we don’t have many births come through the clinic…anymore.”

He watched your face fall, knowing that the Boston QZ had become a place unsuitable for children and even worse for mothers.

“Hey, you hear about those babies that were born before - you know, the ones in them high tech rooms?” He leaned his body against the door frame and crossed his arms. You raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what the hell this random man was talking about.

“No…?” You answered questioningly.

“They were born cordless.”
His smile spread across his whole face, and you could tell he was extremely proud of his joke. Sure it was funny, but the smile on your face was because you had finally found someone in this horrible world that still had that shine in them, exactly like the one you still harbored. He too, thought the sun shined everyday for a reason.

PRESENT DAY

You made it back to your apartment building. Busting through the door your first destination was to your bedroom. You scooped up an old brown backpack from the floor and headed towards the dresser. As you stuffed useful items in your bag you started to feel the sweat beading on your forehead. You really needed to hurry the fuck up. Time was getting away from you and you were certainly supposed to be back to Marlene’s hideout by now. The detour to find Joel had really pressed you for time to gather the materials you needed to get Ellie to where she needed to go. Running over to the nightstand you pulled out your gun, emptying the bullets into the front pocket of your backpack before zipping it up. One more thing, you reminded yourself. The stack of ration cards from the side of her bed. The kitchen was your next stop for the few items of food you still had.

Once you were done you took one last look around your lonely apartment. Your eye caught a flannel on the back of the couch. It had been there for months, untouched. You remembers when he took it off, and you remembered that he had left it there on purpose… a reason for returning. Except he never did, and it bit at you to know that it was partially your fault. Taking in in a breath you sprinted over and retrieved the flannel and threw it around your waist before exiting the apartment. The creaky door shut for the last time and you slide the ration cards under your neighbors door. He was 68 years old-and he deserved them more than you ever did.

“THE FUCK TOOK YOU SO LONG?” Marlene’s voice shot out as you entered the abandoned building she was hiding out in.

“You try hiding from FEDRA agents on the street after not showing up at the clinic. I had to take every side alley and then some. Give me a fucking break,” You hissed back, throwing your bag onto the table so that Marlene could examine what you had packed, making sure everything on you wasn’t about to kill her.

“The gun stays with me for now.” She pushes it in the waistband of her pants before sliding the backpack back towards you.

You rolled your eyes, “Great.”

“She was asking for you after you left. Think you have a fan.” Marlene hinted towards the door. You grabbed your bag and made your way over to the door where you entered quickly.

“FUCK. I thought you died,” Ellie breathed out, relief flooding her face.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m still kickin’ it.” You replied, throwing your bag on the beat up couch before sliding your body down the side of the wall to sit beside your young companion. You both sat in silence for a few moments.

“Why are you doing this?” Ellie whispered, you could feel the heat of her stare burning into the side of your face.

The words came out soft and slow, “I made a deal with Marlene, remember?”

“Yeah, use the firefly radio and find out where Timmy was, then you’ll get me to where I need to go. BUT WHY?”

“Tommy.” You corrected her with a smirk. “Plus, it doesn’t matter, Ellie. A deal is a deal.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in, running your hands down your face. You didn’t want to explain everything to her. How you had found out Joel was doing dangerous things within the QZ and how you were the one to rat him out in front of his brother about his desperate attempt to to not only find his way out of this life, but to continue to be reckless no matter who loved him. You wanted to rant about the way you’d met Joel before Tommy had introduced the two of you because Tess had dragged you to his apartment to stitch up the wound he made while trying to shoot himself. To be fair, you didn’t know he was Tommy’s brother until weeks later. You wanted to explained How your words were the final straw that made Tommy’s decision to leave with the fireflies a very easy one. You owed this to Joel, the man who made you feel scary yet beautiful things you’d never felt before. You had hurt him and you wanted to make it right no matter what the cost. He had been your reason for getting up everyday for a long time, even if what you had was a well kept secret. You needed to at least know that there was a pinhole of, at most friendship, still left between the two of you.

“How come you know everything about me, but your refusing to tell me who Tommy even is to you? He’s your boyfriend isn’t he?” She raised an eyebrow and you shot her look of disgust.

“No.” It tumbled out of your mouth rather quickly.

“Brother?”

“NO.”

“Was he your secret lover?”

“What? Ellie, drop it.” You dropped your head back against the hard wall. “How about we get through the hard part and once I know the two of us are going to make it to where we’re supposed to be going I’ll tell you in full detail why I needed to know where Tommy is.” You looked over at her as she mulled over your offer.

“Fiiinnneeeee, that guy, your star crossed lover…must be really worth it.” She hit your shoulder against her own while she watched your lip turn into a slight smirk at the Child’s attempt to loosen the mood. That guy was worth it, but honestly she wanted to tell her it wasn’t Tommy.