#or other to have their citizenship since if I remembering this correctly one of the leaders threatened to take the Afro Dominicans | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heybeybey · 3 years

Text

and it was your heart on the line

Rating: Explicit

Genre: Angst/Romance

Pairing: Rivetra | Levi x Petra

Word Count: 8,706

Summary: Turns out, it wasn't a request. It was an order. If he denies again, then it's an ultimatum. Pressured to continue the Ackerman line, Levi is forced to choose between his commitment to giving meaning to his comrades' deaths or sacrificing the future of the woman who have always been devoted to him.

(Anon Ask | AO3 Link)

(It's also Smutty Saturday so here, have smut + ANGST. MOSTLY ANGST THO)

It's been a month since he learned about his true relation to Kenny.

Two weeks since he, Hange and Erwin traced his Ackerman ancestry.

A week since they found out what his last name means and how inhuman his strength truly is.

And two days since he received that fucking memo.

Captain Levi Ackerman,

We were recently made aware of the extent of your capabilities. After much discussion in the court, we believe that you will be doing humanity a great service by continuing the Ackerman line.

We look forward to your cooperation.

A great service his ass.

A few days ago, he, Erwin and Hange found out that the Ackerman line used to be the bodyguards of the royal family in the past and that the reason why they were so skilled is because they are titans in human form. They were then persecuted for shit knows what and the whole clan scattered throughout the walls in the past hundred years.

It also turns out that this ability is accessible to all Ackermans. They haven't found out if it's automatically passed down but Levi noted that there was a time when he felt something jolt in him when faced in a life or death situation (which was almost a daily basis for him back in the Underground).

Now, they want to reinstate the line to help the military progress.

The way Levi sees it, the government basically wants him to breed as if he's a cow in a nobleman's farm.

Levi ignores the memo for the next few days and when they sent a follow up for his reply, he didn't hesitate in telling them to fuck off. That's when things went south.

Turns out, it wasn't a request. It was an order. If he denies again, then it's an ultimatum.

They argued that the captain's citizenship above ground is tethered to his role in the Scouts. Denying this request would be taken as an act of insubordination, no matter how much Erwin forgives the said "offense". Moreover, it's an insult to the crown.

The greedy fucks from the top brass gave him two weeks or he'll be kicked back down to the Underground. Since he's the only known Ackerman, he can't push this responsibility on someone else's plate.

- - -

Only his Special Operations team were made aware of the situation. Erwin said that his squad deserves to know why their captain might be out of commission for at least a week... or why he'd possibly be kicked out of the scouts soon.

Levi silently took in the horror on their faces when he broke the news.

"Captain, are they even allowed to do that?"

"That's just... sick."

"Maybe there's a way to delay it for a few more years, sir?"

The only one who didn't speak up was Petra. She just watched the four men converse, with Levi and Eld discussing what the next steps are in case the captain will be leaving the scouts.

The thought leaves a bitter taste in all of their mouths. Survey Corps without Captain Levi? They can only see their success rates getting knocked down further. At the same time, they also don't know which decision to support, knowing that the captain will be sacrificing himself either way.

- - -

Petra has been spacing out since that day. Sometimes, her squad needed to snap her out of it during trainings. She'd been a total recluse, rarely joining them at the dining table during their morning coffee. She'd still bring the captain's tea late at night but other than that, she looks more like a ghost floating around in their squad's side of the floor. They think it's heartbreak since her admiration for the captain is already an open secret between the five of them. No one would've even imagined what she was planning.

She was able to snap herself out of it two days after, and now she's barging into Commander Erwin's office during lunch time.

"Commander Erwin, there must be another way," Petra pleads. She rarely goes to Erwin's office alone and if she's here right now, the captain must've not been aware that his subordinate would approach this topic straight with the commander.

Erwin sighs. "Ms. Ral, I appreciate your concern for the captain. Believe me, I've personally reached out to Zackley regarding this. There's nothing much I can do. I've already swayed Levi's citizenship to our favor once."

It also doesn't help that the government sees the Scouts as the most useless of all three military branches. Learning about how powerful Levi truly is was the only thing that reignited their belief in their regiment after five consecutive failed expeditions and thousands of coins wasted.

The commander looks at Petra and he can tell from her face that the gears are turning in her head. He frowns, having an inkling of what her next words will be. Erwin knows how loyal Petra is to her captain. It's something that the commander himself leveraged and exploited during expeditions.

"Would... if I do it, will that...?"

Erwin's face softens, meeting her eyes in concern. If they were to ask for his opinion as commander, it would be a waste if they allow Petra to take the responsibility. She's one of the best soldiers in the corps and her ability to sync with any team they place her in was an asset that you wouldn't find in any other soldier.

But as Levi's friend, he'd rather not order the captain around when it comes to this matter. The part of him who's committed to humanity's survival knows what the right answer is to Levi's situation, and he knows the captain will choose what will always be best for his soldiers.

"Petra, you know that Levi wouldn't allow it."

"But does it even matter what we think anymore? Commander, they're going to take the captain away from us."

Erwin is quiet for a moment, careful eyes assessing how serious Petra truly is. "Are you sure about this Petra?"

"You know I'll do anything for our cause." Adamant and unwavering. Levi chose well.

Erwin nods. "I'll talk to Zackley what it will mean if the captain chooses a subordinate instead of a commoner. Normally, sleeping with your commanding officer would lead to a dishonourable discharge."

Petra flinches at that.

"But... we can all agree that this is a different case."

- - -

Petra comes to Levi that night. At first, he just assumed it's their usual evening tea time.

"I-I talked to Commander Erwin this morning," she starts, setting down his tea on the desk. He glances back at her for a moment before turning back to his paperwork.

"What about?" Levi said. "You do know that if you have a concern, you can also tell me. I'm the one responsible for you."

"It's not a concern," she replies quickly. "Well... it is but-"

Her hesitance finally stops him. "Since when have you held back whenever we have tea together, Petra?"

"Captain... I-I can..."

He doesn't turn his chair around, waiting for Petra to speak.

"I'm saying that if it will greatly serve humanity, I'm willing to have-," she gulps, pushing the fear from her face to look at him determinedly. "I'm willing to be the one to help you continue the Ackerman bloodline."

Levi's grateful his back was turned. If it wasn't, Petra would've seen how his slanted eyes widened with horror and concern at her words. He feels a headache starting to come along, and he schools his face before finally turning around, assessing hers. His heart fell when he finds that she somehow looks both determined and scared at the same time.

"No."

Petra deflates a little bit at that, seemingly both relieved and hurt from the rejection.

"Please captain, I don't want you to be forced out of the Survey Corps. The scouts need you. I-" She cuts herself off at that, but her silence was loud. He'd known for a while now the depth of Petra's devotion.

"Petra, are you even aware of what you're offering?"

"Of course I know!" She snaps, so unlike her to disrespect her captain outright. "Captain, I wouldn't have offered myself if I'm not aware of what I'll be giving up."

"Then you're fucking stupid for even wanting to go through with this. We don't even know how many they're demanding from me."

He stands up from his chair and grabs her upper arm in a bruising grip, almost desperate to get his point across. "You'll be forced to leave the Scouts, give up your career to take care of a-"

It's rare for him to be speechless, and he finds that the word baby can't even pass through his mouth these days.

"Sir, I just want to help..." Petra says quietly, gaze averted.

"This is not up for debate Petra." He looks at her coldly. "Leave."

"But captain-" He lets her arm go. Petra's expressive round eyes are starting to tear up.

"I said get out."

He watches her hurry out, trying to ignore the fact that she was furiously wiping her eyes as she leaves.

- - -

They went out for an expedition one morning and Levi was somewhat grateful for the distraction.

Reality only came crashing down on him again when he'd watched another soldier die. He seemed new and young, looking more like a cadet than an actual soldier. Probably fresh out of the training corps but died way too soon because he chose the wrong regiment. If Levi remembers correctly, this was one of the newer scouts who had the guts to approach him with bright and eager eyes and asked for advice.

"What's your name?" Levi asks the soldier. He kneels down beside the younger man.

"E-Ethan, sir," the soldier rasps. Levi silently nods in acknowledgement. He looks up, finding Petra tending to a fatally injured scout. Eld and Gunther was assisting a female veteran who lost a leg. He can't seem to find Oluo anywhere.

"C-Captain..." Ethan struggles with his words and Levi can see how his gaze is starting to lose focus.

"I'll avenge your sacrifice, Ethan." Levi says as he holds the young boy's bloody hand, hearing him take his last breath. "I promise you that."

Levi apologizes to Petra in his own way as they wrap up the expedition. He approaches her as she was about to mount her horse.

"Petra." She looks to him with teary eyes. She does this after every expedition, crying for all the fallen soldiers as her own way of commemorating their sacrifice.

"Yes, sir?" she replies in a gentle voice, as if he didn't just make her cry two nights before.

Levi hands her a white handkerchief. "Here."

She blinks up at him for a bit but accepts his offer. He never says sorry outright, but he and Petra have always had this way of communicating where words aren't needed to be said.

They were running out of time. Levi tried to take his mind off the problem by training until his own body gives up on him. A huge part of him have already accepted that he'll be marched back down to that shithole by the end of the week.

Hell, he already packed up the limited possessions that he has.

"Levi, you know this is for the scouts. Losing you would mean losing a battalion for the Survey Corps," Erwin argued.

"Are you asking me to force a woman to become the government's baby making machine?" Levi snaps. "Because that's sick as fuck Erwin!"

Hange told him once that there was a major decrease in the scouts' death toll since he joined. Levi didn't want to believe at first that a single soldier was enough to make that much of a difference, but Hange's numbers was more than enough proof. Since he joined, they didn't need to send 10 men on a dangerous mission when a single soldier can do all the dirty work and still live.

Erwin pointed out that many would jump at the opportunity to lie with humanity's strongest. Levi just wanted to vomit at the title.

How can something that used to boost his soldiers' morale now turn into a fucked up ultimatum that preyed on his commitment to making his comrades' deaths matter?

He supposes that there are other women. He can even just detach himself from the whole situation after the woman gets pregnant and let her raise the kid.

But Levi has an intimate relationship with abandonment. Of being used and treated as nothing more than just a tool. It was all he knew growing up with gangs in the underground, and eventually in the corps as comrades die and his strength used to the regiment's advantage.

He's not that big of a piece of shit as to use someone and leave a child fatherless until they come of age to become a soldier. If he was going to have a kid, he'd make sure that they at least have a good childhood to compensate for all the shit they'd be pressured in. He'd want to be there every time he leaves the walls—not as a captain commanding his soldier but as a father ensuring his child's safety.

Levi also feels sick at the thought of just bedding anyone. Whenever he thinks of this option, his mind would take him back to a dark closet, deep in the underground, where he'd hide as his mother takes on another client. He'd be no better than the men who he watched come and go from his mother's room in the brothel, leaving her crying and filthy once they're done. It feels as if he'd be disrespecting her memory this way. Spitting on his mother's grave would've been more respectful than this.

The only other option is to drag the woman he'd been secretly throwing longing looks at, so willing and devoted, down with him.

- - -

The night before the government will come knocking on their doors, Petra came to his office again.

"You're up for promotion." This was his last resort.

If she accepts, then he'll be leaving tomorrow for the underground. He doesn't really know which outcome to hope for.

Levi doesn't give her the chance to reply, silently handing her a folder. He wants her to understand the gravity of this situation. Of how much of a double-edged sword her devotion truly is.

"I've already signed it and Erwin's just waiting for you to accept before he approves. We'll be raising your rank, complete with a 25% salary increase. You're still in the Special Ops, but now with the opportunity to command your own team outside of our missions, or whenever Erwin and I see it fit during an expedition. This is a step closer to fully becoming a squad leader two or three years from now."

Petra sighs and shakes her head at that. She didn't even hesitate as she takes away the folder from his hand and sets it down on his office table.

"Please, Captain." Petra pleads, hand moving to delicately hold his. "The scouts need you."

The face of the soldier who died yesterday, (Ethan, he corrects himself) flashes on his mind. Levi's promise to the young man rings phantomly in his ears.

I'll avenge your sacrifice, I promise you that.

Levi surrenders.

- - -

"Captain?" Petra removed the last button of her uniform, her eyes on the floor, leaving her in only her cotton underwear. He watches her while he sits on the edge of the bed, eyes taking in her every move as she shrugs off all her clothing.

"Call me Levi," he corrects her. "Please."

"Levi..." She closes the gap between them, climbing on the bed and reaching out a hand to cup his face to help him relax. Petra gives him a shy smile when he leans closer to her touch, while he settles a hand at the small of her back. She leans forward, kissing his jaw and sliding her hand down to his chest to feel the quick drum of his heartbeat. "It's okay, Levi. I trust you."

Petra settles herself on his lap and gently turns his face up to hers, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. His hands trail up her upper arms and she involuntarily shivered when he cups her cheeks to deepen the kiss. Emboldened by how receptive she is of his touch, Levi trails his mouth from her lips to her cheek, gradually making his way down to her neck.

Petra's eyes are closed, biting on her lower lip. She tangles a hand against his hair to pull him closer, encouraging him further. He feels himself getting hard fast when she aligns the heat of her core against his.

"Do you want me to turn off the lights?" She asks, testing the waters by grinding down on him. He shakes his head no, tucking a ginger strand of hair behind her ear. The last thing he needs is to feel like this is a casual romp with a stranger. He wants to know it's her.

He runs his hands against her bare thighs before twisting their bodies around so she'd end up laying back on his bed. She gave a quiet huff at the impact, but Levi was quick to lean down and kiss her intensely. He fears he might come faster than they need him to if she continues bucking against him and they need to pace themselves.

Levi plans to worship Petra tonight, because she deserves nothing less. He looks down at her and meets her eyes for a bit before he's trailing down kisses throughout her body. When he's closer to her chest area, Petra removes her bra off for him and his throat goes dry at the sight. She looks up at Levi with half-lidded eyes, guiding his hands to knead her breasts. The captain doesn't waste time, groping then leaning down to swirl his tongue over a nipple before tending to the other.

Petra whimpers with his every touch. When he makes a bold move to slip his hand down her panties, that's when she gives a low moan.

"Is this okay?" he asks quietly and Petra nods. He starts to massage her clit, feeling her core starting to dampen as his strokes become more intentional.

He soon replaces his fingers with this tongue, earning him a keening sound from the woman below him. Levi only pulls away when he's satisfied at how much of a dazed mess Petra is, hands gripping his black hair to stabilize herself. He levels himself again with her and Petra latches her mouth against him, once again grinding her naked pussy against his cock, still clothed in his pants.

They've both lost the initial shyness and hesitation from earlier on, now both driven by their eagerness to push their pleasure further. He's hard by this point, feeling the dampness and heat between her thighs through his clothed lower regions. Petra continues to grind herself against him and Levi gets harder at the thought of how she's fully naked and vulnerable below him. She desperately bucks up against his hips, delicate but scarred hands reaching down to finally start unbuckling his pants.

He allows her to shrug off his pants while he removes his white undershirt, towering over her. Petra watches him take off his top with a primal look in her eyes, sitting up and reaching out to pass her hands against the lines of his firm abdomen. Her eyes flares up at the sight of his cock, hand reaching out to touch before Levi grabs her wrist.

"I won't be able to last long if you do that." He says. Petra understands, opening her legs further instead to allow him in.

He positions himself between her thighs and looks at her one last time, making sure there's no doubt on her face. Petra, being the fucking amazing woman that she is, only nods at him with a small reassuring smile.

Levi grunts at how deliciously tight she is when he finally enters her, while Petra's arms found its way around his back to cling to him. It proves to be a struggle because her wet walls squeezes around him and he finds it hard to pull his head out of the pleasurable haze. He tries to pace himself, giving them both enough time to adjust to the feeling. When he feels Petra's hips slightly bucking up as if to egg him on, that's when he starts to move.

It was heaven and hell at the same time. For a second or two, he'd like to believe that this is a moment built on months of romancing and awkward dates. He lets his mind wander away from what it actually is—a task, a burden placed on his shoulders for an ability he never even asked for. And he dragged the bravest and most capable woman he knows down with him, willing as she may be.

"Harder, Levi," she breathes out on his ear, snapping his head from spiralling down in self-hatred at their situation.

Levi gives into her wishes, bracing himself by leaning down and pulling her hips closer. He starts to work towards an almost bruising pace, wanting to find a good balance between pleasure and pain for her. Her arms are encircled around him, hands running up and down the hard muscles on his back. Levi looks at the way Petra's breasts bounce with every snap of his hips, mesmerized. Her mouth was open in an o-shape, eyes unfocused as she surrenders to the heat of the moment, cheeks flushed, nipples continuously grazing against his chest with every thrust.

"Yes yes yes," she breathlessly chants. "Fuck me, Levi."

He'd dreamed of Petra like this in the past. But as her commanding officer, all he could really do is lock away those depraved thoughts and quietly steam in lust over his ginger subordinate. Being with her right now couldn't even compare to the nights he jacked off to the thought of her.

He can already tell that Petra's close with the way she's clenching him. Her pants are more desperate now and she bites on his shoulder blade as she reaches her own climax, and he eventually feels her hold on him slacken. Tired and pleased, Petra allows her head to fall back on the pillow and takes in his face to watch the emotions passing through his face.

The feel of her wet core clenching around him was more than enough to edge him closer towards his limit. The rhythm of his thrusts starts to stutter, his primal need to reach release urging him forward.

Petra starts moaning again, turned on at his uncontrollable lust. He waits until she eventually comes again, watching her fall tiredly on the bed, before allowing himself to let go.

One thrust, two, and then they tip past the point of no return. Petra makes a low noise once he comes inside her, her hips rising to meet his final thrust. Lost in pleasure, Levi had to grip hard on the bed frame above her to compose himself. Petra holds his gaze—a mix of adoration and desperation—through it all.

They both pant from the thrill of their coupling and Levi finally collapses on Petra. She pulls him close, allowing him to lay his head on her chest.

He didn't even know when he started crying. He only realized it when he felt Petra brushing away the tears silently running down his cheek with her thumb.

What kind of lowlife am I? Here he is, crying like a little shit when he was the one who'll be subjecting her to whatever hell that awaits them in the next few months. Female soldiers are normally allowed maternity leave but since his case is different, the higher ups demanded that at least one parent will see through the child's growth.

Everyone assumes that it wouldn't be the captain.

He didn't have to sacrifice his career and position. He doesn't need to sit around and nurture a living being inside him for almost a year. Petra will be the one who'll be taking the bulk of it all.

You're fucking selfish. You're a coward.

"I'm sorry," he whispers softly against her skin. He stays where he is, head laid on top of her bare chest and listening to the thump of her heart. Petra was just quiet for awhile, gently running her fingers through his jet-black hair as she stares up at the window and at the night sky.

"Levi... remember when you told us before to choose the choice that we'll regret the least?"

He doesn't answer back, not really knowing what to say at her hushed question.

"I chose this," Petra continues. "Because you going back to the Underground is the consequence that would kill me the most."

She gently tilts his head up so he can meet her eyes, her hand shaking from the barrage of emotion. Petra looks at his face, awe and adoration shining in her amber eyes as she traces a finger against the frown lines between his brows.

"You're a great man, Captain. I've never met someone who cares so much for his soldiers' lives more than you do." Petra continues. "I truly believe that you'll be the one who'll lead us outside these walls."

"I don't deserve you Petra."

She smiles sadly at that. "You have me either way, Levi. I'm here to stay."

- - -

The next nine months were... Well, they didn't even know how to describe it.

They decided to reveal it to their team on the first month of her pregnancy. That led to Eld's fist colliding with Levi's face. The biggest surprise was that the captain allowed his second-in-command to disrespect him in such a way.

"Eld, no!" Petra screamed.

"Captain, you told me before that you recruited Petra for her skills," Eld said. "I didn't know you'd be the type to take advantage of young girls!"

Levi understood where the younger man was coming from, knowing how Eld and Gunther treated Petra like a little sister. Oluo, on the other hand, just watched the exchange with a crestfallen look.

The guys only believed that Levi didn't force her into anything when they saw how Petra fretted over the captain's bruised face the whole afternoon. She'd constantly throw them a glare as she cups an ice pack on Levi's jaw and would constantly follow him around to make sure that he won't get attacked by the three guys. Not that they would even have the guts to attempt it, nor would the captain let it pass the second time around.

Frankly, Levi's grateful that he has a team who looks out for each other, even when they're not beyond the walls. That's one of the reasons why he trusts them. He doesn't know where he stands now as their captain and he knows these turn of events will greatly shift or even damage their squad's dynamics.

As the month comes to a close and with another mission beyond the walls in the works, Erwin pulled Petra out of all expeditions, much to the surprise of the other Scouts. Her role for the next three months were mostly to brief new recruits along with some clerical work before she closes this chapter of her life.

- - -

On the second month, they traveled to Karanese district to finally tell Petra's father. Levi had never met the man before, and the captain was quiet the whole way to her home town. If Petra didn't know better, she'd think that Levi's nervous.

The truth is that all he feels is guilt.

He knocked up the man's daughter and he was her commanding officer. What's worse is that they didn't do it because they were so hopelessly in love. Come to think of it, it would've been better if they chalked it up to them not being able to keep their hands off each other.

He'd be lucky if Petra's father doesn't assume that Levi just turned his daughter into a breeding stock.

"Petra!" The older man greets them. "Captain Levi, it's so nice to finally meet you. Petra told me a lot about you in her letters."

Levi takes a few moments to revel in the warm welcome, thinking that this day would probably end up in more heartbreak because of him.

"Mr. Ral." He accepts the man's handshake.

"Please, come in! I've prepared enough for the three of us. You're not allergic to anything, right captain?"

None of them mentioned just yet what they were there for and Levi was content just to hear Petra chatting excitedly with her father. Mr. Ral seems like a friendly man, and it's no wonder he ended up having a daughter who's such a sweetheart. The atmosphere in the room was light as father and daughter caught up on each other's lives.

Until Petra has to run to the bathroom to vomit.

He saw the rising concern on her father's face as they listen to Petra retching in the bathroom, and that whole five minutes of waiting for her to come back was absolute torture. Levi, for all his bravery when fighting titans, couldn't even meet the older man's eyes.

"Captain Levi, why are you really here?" Mr. Ral cautiously asks him.

The older man's face cracks when he finally learned the true nature of Petra's pregnancy. He couldn't look at Levi after that.

"Captain, I think you should leave." Mr. Ral says, voice cold that he couldn't believe that the warm welcome he received earlier on came from the same man. Levi didn't need to be told twice.

"Dad..."

Levi sighs as he stands up. "Thank you for the food, Mr. Ral."

"Dad, it's not his fault." Petra tries again as Levi moves to the door. "It's my decision. You know how Captain Levi is important to the Survey Corps."

"But why you, Petra?" Mr. Ral snaps. "You know, I was concerned when you told me that you were the only girl in his squad."

"Please, stop." Petra sobs.

"If I'd only known that I really did have a reason to be worried, I would've demanded you to come home."

Levi silently listens to the whole exchange from outside of the room, eyes downcast.

- - -

Petra signed her retirement on the third month. High from the mood swings brought on by the pregnancy, she cried and even hugged the commander. Erwin just awkwardly patted her head and told Petra that it might be best to let go now before Levi slices his hand off.

She also went to Mitras this month, meeting the people who forced Levi into this situation for the first time. Petra was shaking in anger as she walked inside the room, throwing the officials the dirtiest glare she could manage.

Petra didn't even bother to be respectful that whole afternoon as they brief her on what they expect from her, and what can or cannot be public information.

"I used to hope that the child won't inherit your glare but now I'm more scared to imagine if they got Ms. Ral's," Erwin whispered to Levi, watching as Petra backtalks another official.

Levi shrugs. "You haven't seen her when she gets too competitive during trainings."

On the same month, they ended up sleeping together without the goal of furthering the Ackerman bloodline.

They haven't touched each other since the doctor confirmed that Petra's already pregnant. Her every test was recorded and reported to the fuckers back at Mitras and that thought alone was enough to squeeze out the arousal in Levi's body.

Somehow, they found themselves making out in his office on this night.

"Why didn't we do this during our evening tea before?" Levi asked against her neck, peppering kisses on every inch of skin he can reach.

Petra laughs, elongating her neck further to give him access. "Gee, captain. I didn't know you wanted to be court-martialled so bad."

She's currently in civilian clothing since her last day with the scouts was yesterday. Her dress was easier to access and he'd long since unbuttoned the first few buttons that covered her breasts.

Fuck it, he thought as he moves away from his office chair and settles more comfortably on the couch, with Petra on his lap. He looks up at her, eyes alight in lust as he takes in her breasts spilling out of her dress, chest heaving and orange hair dishevelled. He hurriedly tries to unzip out of his own clothing, eagerly kissing her as she slides down his cock.

After a whole week of sex a few months ago, Levi thought he's already used to the feel of Petra around him. Egged on by their own baser instincts despite the situation, they fucked every chance they can get and it was the closest Levi had to a break. It would've been a blissful escapade if he didn't know any better, and the guilt would eat him raw every time he ejaculates inside her.

But for some reason, sex with her right now feels different. Still heated and pleasurable, because of course— it's Petra, but something has shifted between them. He feels lighter, freer.

He's careful as he bounces Petra above him, but still careful not to hurt her. Levi worships every part of her that he could reach without breaking away from the pace that they'd set, while Petra pulls against his hair and leaves her own marks on his chiseled skin.

It's the first time they had slept together without feeling as if someone's keeping a close eye on them.

This moment together is theirs.

- - -

They feel the baby move on the fourth month of her pregnancy.

Levi was the one who first felt it when he was laying his head on her lap. He was quietly reading a report while Petra was knitting a few socks when he felt a poke on the side of his head that was cozied up to her belly.

"Okay, stop it woman!" He scolds and sits up, thinking that she was messing with him. Levi pauses when he sees that Petra is tearing up.

"He kicked."

"What?"

"The baby." Levi's face slackens at that, eyes wide with wonder dropping to her tummy. She runs both hands over the skin, stops and smiles, before taking his wrist to place his own hand on one spot.

Sure enough, Levi did feel that faint poke. He lifts his other hand so he can place both on her belly. Emotion overwhelms him and he swallowed to keep himself at bay.

"Hey, kid."

On the fifth month, Levi was able to strong-arm the higher-ups to give him a goddamn house. Petra knows that this thought would continue to amuse her for years.

From what she heard from Erwin, Levi demanded that the child needs a nice place to grow up in. Since his salary wasn't worth shit despite his high rank in the scouts, it still would take him a long time to make a downpayment.

They approved the request and they moved in a few days shy of her sixth month. It was a simple house, complete with two floors and three bedrooms. One room in the first floor while another two above. Petra suggested that maybe the third bedroom can be his office but he refused.

"You're thinking of opening a pastry shop once the kid's here, right? You can use that space."

"Hmm... but that will still take some time." Petra answers, her voice taking on a teasing lilt. "Maybe we can use it to store all your brooms and cleaning solutions instead."

They once talked about what Petra plans to do once the child is born. Of course, most of her hours will be spent taking care of the baby but knowing Petra, she's not the type who'd sit around and rely on him for the rest of her life. They're still not sure if she'll be able to rejoin the scouts years from now, even when Levi tried telling her that maybe he can find a way to work around it the top brass' shitty conditions. They decided instead to focus more on what they can control now, and he suggested that he was able to save enough that they can use that as a capital for whatever she wanted to do.

As they were fixing their new house, Petra was also surprised that he was setting up his side on the master's bedroom.

Petra wanted to sleep beside him every night, of course. They've already been doing so since that first time they had sex after her pregnancy was confirmed. But Petra thought that it's just going to be her who will move in because the house was a good two hours away from the barracks, making it a hassle for Levi to go back and forth everyday. Petra tells him that she'd be alright with him only coming home for the weekends if it will save him a 4-hour commute every single day.

Levi brushed off her concerns and proceeded to set up the nursery room instead.

"Will a baby really give a fuck about all these colors?" He crudely asks, looking at all the paint palettes in his hand.

- - -

The sixth month was slightly harder. Petra thinks that it may be because the reality that she's now out of the Survey Corps, the one thing that gave meaning to her life for four years, is settling in on her.

Her closest friends in the scouts would visit her a few times every month. Hange's squad, sometimes accompanied by Nanaba, would drop by and Levi had to control Hange from turning Petra and his child into one of their experiments.

"Aww, Levi. I'm just trying to be a good aunt!"

"By trying to feed Petra one of your shitty concoctions?" He snaps back, taking the bottle with the godforsaken liquid as far away as he can from the mother of his child. Petra has to stop Levi from completely banning Hange from their home after that.

Eld, Oluo and Gunther visit her as much as they can.

"Wow, you look like a ball." Oluo blurts out when he sees Petra, earning him a slap at the back of his head from Gunther.

"Bozado, this is the reason why you still don't have a girlfriend." Eld said, smirking. "The captain has shittier social skills than you and he's now going to be a father. Up your game a bit."

Gunther grunts at Eld's quip, knowing that Oluo would take that differently. "Way to go Eld. As if the cravat's not worse enough."

Their visits make Petra feel as if it's just another morning in the barracks, except she now has a round belly. Gunther always asks about how she's feeling while Oluo would brag that he'd be the greatest uncle the kid will ever have. Eld indulges her in her cravings and always brings a basket of strawberries whenever the three of them visit.

She also learned that Levi never chose another scout to take over her place.

"Captain said that it doesn't really make a difference if he adds another member," Gunther informs Petra. "He screened a few. All of them ran away crying."

Oluo chuckles. "Remember when he screamed at them that they're all useless and would be good as titan shit on the next expedition?"

"Please, we all know he's just comparing all of them to Petra. Man's way too in love with you, Pet." Eld replies and Petra blushes.

"If you're done gossiping about me, you're all free to get your asses out here. It's late." Levi suddenly pipes up from the door. The three men shuts up, salutes and scrambles out after saying their goodbyes to Petra, along with promises to visit whenever they can.

"Welcome back," Petra greets, kissing him on the cheek.

"Did any of them give you trouble?"

"If anything, Oluo will give you more trouble." Petra giggles, having had a conversation with Levi about Oluo's tendency to imitate the captain. "He saw your parenting books by the way. I think he's setting up a budget so he can buy himself some."

Levi groans at that.

Through the months, she'd learned that bright little Nifa was recently selected to be transferred to Hange's team. Nanaba would share stories about her promotion to being second-in-command in Squad Mike. Oluo recently got a pay raise and he enthusiastically boasts that he more than deserved it, but Petra knows he's just overjoyed that it will now be enough to send his younger brother to university. Stories that are worth celebrating and Petra was all too eager to celebrate with all of them.

But when she's alone, she'd sometimes feel that time had stopped for her. She'd realize that this isn't just a simple pregnancy and she's not just on a maternity leave. At times when she really is down in the dumps, she'd bitterly question if the living being inside of her truly is worth calling a bundle of joy.

She'd shake that thought away as fast as it came, of course. She rubs circles around her rounded tummy as if to say a silent sorry to her child for even thinking of such a thing. Petra loves her and Levi's baby with all her heart. She doesn't regret any of it because this baby symbolises that Levi would continue making a difference in the scouts.

Still though, there were moments when Levi would come home and find her asleep with tear tracks on her face, hands clenching on her old green scout uniform.

- - -

She was seven months along when he first admitted that he's in love with her.

Well, he didn't admit it directly.

For someone who can easily throw an insult, Levi's shit at words. He made his love known and he didn't even say it to her.

He said it to her belly instead, and Petra almost died at how adorable it all is.

"Your mom's a handful, you know?" was the first thing Petra heard when consciousness starts to return back to her. Sometimes she'd fall asleep in the early evenings just before Levi comes back home. He'd let himself in on most days so that he won't disturb her slumber.

Hearing Levi talk to the baby wasn't something new for Petra. He started addressing her belly since the first time he felt the kid kick. Sometimes, he'd have (one-sided) conversations with her belly as if Petra wasn't even there. Hell, he was even more talkative to the unborn baby than when he's planning an expedition with their squad.

This was one of those moments.

Petra was about to pipe up and greet him a welcome back when he continued.

"If she wasn't the most reckless and beautiful woman I've ever met, I wouldn't have put up with all that shit she'd pulled." Petra's heart flutters. Levi rarely uses words of affection as his love language. He'd always made his feelings known through late night runs to resupply their strawberries just because she was craving them, or by offering to massage her swollen feet for someone who's a real clean freak.

"Don't tell your mom that I cursed." Levi continues as he settles down on the bed to rub her belly. "She'd have my head."

Levi must've been really tired if he didn't notice that she's already awake. He did mention this morning that Erwin was forcing him to catch up on a lot of paperwork the whole day. Still, Petra kept her eyes closed, wanting to hear what he says next.

"Did you know that there was this time when she broke formation to save a horse from being stepped on by a titan?" Levi said before murmuring to her belly: "I can't believe I'm in love with someone that crazy."

- - -

On the eight month, he proposed to her.

"Levi, you don't have to." She tells him, trying to stop the smile from beaming on her face. Her hand subconsciously goes to her round tummy, as if to share to the little one how his daddy can be so silly sometimes.

"Tch. What makes you think I 'have' to?" Levi says. "I want to. Now, tell me that at least you liked the ring because that cost me three years' worth of budget for our cleaning supplies."

He said it so nonchalantly but Petra can always tell whenever Levi is nervous deep down. She recently learned the truth about his past and she knows that the thought of a child of his being a bastard, the same way that he is, didn't sit right with him.

Petra gives him a peck on the cheek and presented her hand so that he can slide it on her ring finger.

"I love it."

- - -

On her ninth month, Levi requested a paternity leave the week she's due to give birth. It always amazes Petra how someone who seemed so cold can be such a great father before the child was even born.

"Are you sure?" she asks. "You won't get behind on work right? You've always been horrible at keeping up with paperwork."

"Don't get too full of yourself," he scoffs. "Just because you're not helping me anymore doesn't mean I can't get them done."

"I also don't trust our neighbours enough to take you to a clean hospital," he later adds.

Petra was excited because this means she gets Levi for a whole week. The last time they got this much time together she was still in the scouts. So she took full advantage of it, demanding that he take her out on a date.

"You won't reject your wonderful, bloated wife, would you?" Petra waddles over to him, asking him with puppy dog eyes.

"God, woman. Are you serious? What if your water broke while we're having dinner?" He snaps back.

"Come onnn. I've been stuck in this house for a week now!" She pouts. "You worry too much, Levi."

"No, I'm just not as reckless as you are." He tells with a hint of fondness in his voice.

- - -

Petra gives birth to a healthy baby boy on the 9th of June, and Levi spent the whole duration of the labor pacing outside her hospital room. His passive face doesn't reveal much since he looks like he was only frowning constantly. On the inside though, he feels his heart lurch every time he hears Petra scream in pain and exertion.

He can't remember how many nurses he'd snapped at. Some of them would even hurry away when he tried approaching them to ask Petra's condition. The head nurse was adamant he stay outside though, telling him that his wife is fine.

Hours later, they finally allowed him in and a nurse handed him a bundle. At first, he was confused because all he wanted to do was rush to his wife who's currently sweaty, tired and asleep on the bed.

It only dawned onto him that what he's holding is his child.

Levi's whole body freezes, and the first thing that came to mind is Kenny.

I'm going to be a shitty father, he thinks, mind spiralling down to the many ways for things to fuck up. I'm going to end up abandoning him and he'll hate me forever.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the baby gave a gentle coo, eyes blinking open to reveal amber orbs. Levi stares down at his child and awkwardly reaches out a finger towards his face. His son immediately latches on to his skin, a tiny palm attempting to encircle around his finger, and Levi can feel a ghost of a smile forming on his face.

"Hi, brat." He sees from the corner of his eye that some of the nurses raise an eyebrow at that. He'd been talking to the kid for months now through Petra's belly and this is when he's speechless?

Petra wakes up to find her husband fighting back sleep on a chair beside her bed. His hands were wrapped protectively around what seems like a bundle of cloth and he's clutching it to his chest.

He snaps out of his drowsy state when he sees her eyes open. "You're awake."

Petra hums. "Is... is that him?"

Levi nods and Petra's eyes light up despite the exhaustion weighing them down. He moves to pass on the baby boy to her, leaving a kiss on her sweaty forehead before he sits back down on the chair. He's not surprised that Petra started tearing up.

"Oh, Levi... he's so beautiful." Petra leans down to pepper kisses on the child's sleeping face. "He looks just like you."

Levi had never felt peace like this for awhile. A sick and sad part of him feared that if he'll blink his eyes closed, all these will disappear once he opens them.

He received a congratulatory letter from Mitras that same evening, forwarded to him by Erwin.

"Who's it from?" Petra asks as she nurses their baby. She's glowing, and even though she's a sweaty mess right now, he can't help but think that this is the most beautiful state he'd seen her in.

"Nothing. Just some report from Eyebrows," Levi answers.

He threw the letter away without even reading. He'd rather not have his mood ruined right now.

- - -

"He's awake?" Levi groggily asks from their bed.

Petra nods, rocking little Theo in her arms. "I'm praying that he won't inherit his father's insomniac habits."

Levi sits up, opening his arms to quietly ask Petra to hand over the baby to him. "Go to sleep Petra. I'll take care of him."

His wife hums as her body hits the bed, cuddling closer to Levi who's currently sitting up against the bed frame. She throws an arm around his waist while he holds their 4-month-old child, attempting to rock him back to sleep. Little Theo's amber eyes just stares up at him, black hair tousled from all his fussing.

"Oi, kid. Let your mom rest." Levi pokes his button nose, earning him a cute little giggle from the baby. "I'm blaming you if she gets all grumpy on me tomorrow."

Petra lightly slaps his abdomen, a small smile on her face while her eyes remain closed.

Once his family settles down, with Petra now asleep and his son's eyes gradually getting drowsier as the minutes pass, he allows himself to drown in his thoughts. Having a son was both a joy and a sorrow at the same time.

Hange always teased him at how much of family man he's become, not expecting that a grumpy recluse like him who's willing to kick the asses of recruits would be so protective of his own little family. His motivation now during each expedition is just to come back as soon as he can to his wife and son.

He sometimes daydreams about leaving it all, packing everything up and leaving their home, his position in the scouts and finding the three of them a safe space to stay away from the military's demands and interests. Little Theo wouldn't end up getting pressured to join the Survey Corps or any other regiment once he comes of age and he and Petra can have another child or even two on their own terms.

For so long, his commitment to the scouts' cause has mostly been tied to the past, wanting to give meaning to his comrades' deaths. This is the first time he looked towards the future. For the first time, he's hopes for something—he hopes for a time when his son wouldn't even be forced to join the military, no matter how decorated the title they would give him. Now, he leaves for expeditions envisioning a future where they can go beyond these stuffy walls, where he can teach Theo how to ride a horse without the intention to prepare him for a mission. It's for a future where he'd teach his son to fight, just because the boy is curious and not because he needs to survive.

He doesn't know what little Theo's future will look like. For now, all Levi can do is protect his family.

#rivetra #rivapet #rivapeto #levi x petra #petra x levi #rivetra fanfiction #rivetra fanfic

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hatterstan-shameblog · 3 years

Note

Okay so Aguni is sound asleep, just enjoying the few hours of peace he has, when there's a knock on the door. He ignores it, but the person just keeps knocking and knocking.

"Morizono, open the goddamn door!" he hears Takeru call, "This is an emergency!"

He groans to himself before standing up and opening the door.

"What?"

"So, remember that weird chonky cat Niragi found?"

"Yeah... what about it?"

"It's not fat... and is not a cat."

Where Hatter and apparently every other idiot at the Beach mistake a domesticated pregnant genet for a fat exotic cat. And it just gave birth on Hatter's bed.

I have no idea in what direction this is supposed to go lol but hopefully something chaotic.

alright I had to look up what a genet is and DAMN they are CUTE AS HELL and I’m love them v much

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Terminator

Rating: PG-13 for dialogue and like one drug reference

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Aguni Morizono is a simple man who enjoys simple pleasures.

He enjoys a healthy slathering of grape jelly on his toast. He enjoys watching the sunset reflect over the ocean. He enjoys watering his garden and reading the newspaper and taking naps on the sofa on Sunday afternoons after he’s finished his grocery shopping for the week.

What he does not particularly enjoy is being shaken awake by a borderline-frantic Takeru in the middle of the night.

Takeru insists that he has a good reason; that this is an emergency. Aguni reminds him that running out of marijuana does not qualify as an emergency, and pulls the blanket over his head in an attempt to shut the very exuberant man out.

But the aforementioned exuberant man refuses to be shut out, and he references the aforementioned emergency again—this time insisting that it is an actual real emergency and requires immediate attention. Aguni sincerely doubts this and tries his damnedest to fall back to sleep—a truly Herculean task, given Takeru’s incessant talking and the way he’s bouncing on the other side of the mattress like some kind of weird large puppy. Aguni is just about to enter the first misty moments of dozing off as Takeru says words like ‘Niragi’ and ‘cat’ and ‘bed’ and it’s all somewhat possible to ignore until he utters one word that makes Aguni sit straight up.

‘Babies.’

Now, ‘babies’ as a concept does not bother Aguni. He’s actually somewhat fond of them, the way they unabashedly stare at him on the train or in the park, eyes wide and fat little hands waving a clumsy ‘hello’ in his general direction. And if he waves back sometimes, well...that’s his business. (It’s only polite, after all.)

No, the issue here is that ‘babies’ and ‘the Borderlands’ sounds like a terrible, terrible mix. What’s worse is that said babies have, for some reason, been left in Takeru’s care. And, judging from Takeru’s presence in his room, the babies have been left alone.

It takes no time at all for Aguni to throw on a pair of pants and slip into his boots. It takes even less time for him to grab Takeru by the collar of his robe and physically drag him down the hall, the other man switching between heartfelt thank-you’s and desperate pleas for Aguni to be gentle when handling the raw silk of his ensemble.

Now, to those of us on the outside of Aguni’s brain, it may seem like he hasn’t thought this through; that he has tunnel-vision’d his way through the last two paragraphs without a logical thought as to how and why ‘babies’ may be present. That is simply not true. Aguni has considered that ‘babies’ could actually mean a number of things aside from ‘human infants’ and has thus compiled a short list of the three most likely candidates:

The spider plant he had placed on Takeru’s windowsill has propagated—or, as some would call it, ‘had babies.’ This is Aguni’s favorite option of the bunch. It is also the least likely.

Something about the cards. Although Aguni has never Takeru refer to them as ‘his babies,’ it is no secret that he is very protective of his prized collection. Seeing as this may or may not affect the entire Beach, it’s important for him to be aware of the situation.

Takeru is high as a goddamn kite and hallucinating. This is, unfortunately, the most likely scenario.

It is also important to mention that Aguni has taken a good look at his life and his choices throughout this ordeal, particularly when Takeru commented on the state of his biceps and made an off-color insinuation about the right one looking slightly more defined than the left—and then asked if he would like to discuss his love life, with an exaggerated raise of his eyebrows. Aguni chose not to comment. He also chose to push Takeru into the doorframe on the way into his suite, and took a smidge of pleasure when his head collided with the wood with a satisfying clunk-ing sound.

“Look,” Takeru says proudly, pointing a finger at the bed, “babies!”

Nestled in what a bulging nest of fluffy white blankets are...things. Fuzzy things. One big fuzzy thing, with sleepy eyes and what looks to be a long spotted tail wrapped around one, two, three tiny fuzzy things. When Aguni leans in to get a closer look, the big one quirks a corn-chip-shaped ear and gives him a wary glare.

“What,” Aguni asks, “in the goddamn—“

But before Aguni is able to finish his sentence, Takeru is giving him a stinging slap on the arm.

“Aguni Morizono,” he hisses, hands balled into fists and perched on his hips like a mother hen, “I will not have my children exposed to that kind of language.”

There are plenty of things wrong with what Takeru just said, but Aguni is having trouble getting past the idea that these...creatures have somehow been claimed by his very silly friend.

“Think about it,” Takeru continues, swanning his way past a very confused (and tired) Aguni to sit on the edge of the bed just behind the brood of fluffy individuals, “This lovely lady could have given birth on anyone’s bed...but she chose mine. Why do you think that is?”

“Because you leave the sheets all balled up in the middle and it’s the perfect place for an animal to make a nest?”

“Wrong, but I like how confident you sounded when you said it!”

With his hands pressed together and held in front of his lips, Takeru looks almost prayerful as he very seriously explains his theory.

“A woman alone-- heavily pregnant, scared, and lost in these cold and cruel Borderlands. Her thoughts shift to her young. Who will keep them safe? Who will help take care of them? That’s when her instincts took over,” Takeru opens his arms, the silken cuffs of his robe pooling around his elbows, “and, using her superior sense of smell, followed her nose to the den of the nearest alpha male for protection.”

Aguni wishes he could say that this is the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. He also wishes he had a cup of coffee (with a healthy glug of Bailey’s in there for good measure) before this whole event took place.

Takeru has since busied himself with the tiny new mother and her young, watching with gentle fascination as the newborns snuffle and snooze against her with unopened eyes and clumsy paws. When he reaches out a ring-bedecked hand to stroke along the bigger one’s head, she gives him a small growl and a pointed glare—to which he laughs and withdraws his touch, saying something cheeky about “the last time she let a man get too close” and quickly following it up with a promise to talk about it “after the kids are asleep.”

Takeru has just held up his hand for a high-five (which Aguni has decided to not reciprocate) when they hear a crash and then a bang and then the thundering thumpthumpthump of angry booted footsteps rapidly approaching their position in the bedroom. For some reason—a reason he’s not very keen to dwell upon at the current moment—Aguni instantly snaps into defense mode, hands curling into fists and shoulders squaring themselves in anticipation of a coming attack.

“WHERE. IS. TERMINATOR!?”

Niragi bursts into the room like a firework, all noise and flash and fire in his eyes. His knuckles strain around the dark of his rifle, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. Of course, Aguni knows (hopes) he won’t actually resort to filling Takeru full of bullets, but he keeps a close eye on his trigger finger, anyways.

“Ah! There’s my co-parent,” Hatter says with a measure of glee, gesturing with a flourish of his hand towards the cute, hairy pile on his bed, “As you can see, our lovely Terminator is doing very well and—“

“Our? She’s not fucking ours, she’s fucking mine,” Niragi snaps, “and I’m gonna fucking kill you for stealing my cat.”

“Not a cat,” a calm voice says, and Aguni turns to see Last Boss lurking in the doorway, katana sheathed and arms crossed, “She’s a common genet, native to the savanna’s of Africa.”

“Ooh, does that mean the babies have dual citizenship? No, wait,” Hatter claps his hands together with glee, “triple citizenship? Africa, Japan, and the Borderlands?!”

“Africa’s not a country, it’s a continent, dumbass,” Niragi retorts, “and I think we have bigger problems than what’s going to be on their fucking passports.”

It’s probably not the best thing in the world for Aguni to let Takeru and Niragi descend into heated bickering—a back-and-forth of ‘you stole her’ versus ‘no, she chose me’—but Aguni is simply not interested in breaking up their squabbling. Instead he goes to stand by Last Boss, who’s watching the two long-haired men argue like it’s a mildly interesting tennis match.

“So,” Aguni says, “you, uh, seem to know a lot about those things.”

“I did my research when Niragi first brought her back,” Last Boss says calmly, “He’s good with her, but I wanted to make sure we were taking care of her correctly.”

“Did you know she was pregnant?”

“I had my suspicions. Niragi wouldn’t listen, though. Kept telling me she was just fat.”

“Yeah, I thought she was ‘just fat,’” Niragi interjects, his gun no longer pointed at Takeru but a murderous gleam still in his eye, “because this fucking asshole kept feeding her potato chips!”

“Because she loves them,” Takeru shouts back, throwing his arms up in the air, “So shoot me for being a nice guy and sharing my snacks with your weird cat!”

“Don’t,” both Last Boss and Aguni say in unison—which is very uncomfortable for the both of them, but at least it has the desired effect of keeping Niragi from blasting a few dozen holes through Takeru’s person.

With the two of them quickly getting back into their heated back-and-forth, Aguni turns his attention to the creatures on the bed. Somehow, despite all of the noise and excitement, the mother and her babies have curled up and fallen asleep, the rhythmic rise and fall of their bellies a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around them. Aguni feels jealous, but also, feels bad about feeling jealous because this...Terminator thing has undoubtedly had a rough night, too.

“Luckily,” Last Boss says, “genets are pretty independent creatures. She’ll be fine to take care of the kits on her own, provided that she has access to food and water.”

“So we should just...leave her alone?”

Last Boss shrugs.

“More or less.”

Aguni sighs internally. He sighs externally, too, but the internal sigh is the one that really sums up his thoughts on the whole situation. Just getting one of those hot-headed men to leave those poor animals alone is challenging enough, but both of them? That’s bordering on ‘damn near impossible.’

But, for the sake of those weird fuzzy babies, he has to try.

Takeru jumps when he feels Aguni’s hand on his elbow. He also manages to shut up for a moment, which is a nice bonus. Last Boss has also sprung into action and seems to be talking to Niragi in hushed tones, a hesitant but friendly hand on his shoulder.

“C’mon,” Aguni says, gentle-firm as he guides Takeru into a standing position—much to the other man’s confusion.

“Mori, what—?”

“You’ve had a big night. I’ve had a big night. But do you know whose had the biggest night of us all?” Aguni gestures to the snoozing creatures in front of them, “Terminator. She’s exhausted, and the last thing she needs is the four of us keeping her up. You can stay with me tonight, and we’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.”

“But,” Takeru protests—an iota quieter, now that he’s realized that the pipe on the bed is now a sleeping pile, “we can’t just leave them alone, can we?”

“You’re right. Which is why,” Aguni says, “Last Boss is going to stay with her and keep an eye on things. If he’s okay with that, of course?”

Last Boss offers a solemn nod. Aguni makes a mental note to thank him for this later—maybe he’ll let him pick the music on their next supply run (provided it’s from Aguni’s list of pre-approved artists, of course...)

“You know what? Fucking fine,” Niragi spits, flicking his hair back with a quick jerk of his hand, “it’s too goddamn late to deal with you fucking losers, anyways. I’ll come back to collect my cat and her kittens in the morning.”

Aguni does not risk correcting Niragi on his incorrect terminology regarding his pets—frankly, he’s a little too busy being amazed at how suspiciously easy it was to get him to leave. With a sharp pivot, Niragi is exiting the room in what could be called a ‘brisk saunter,’ no doubt wanting to put as much distance between himself and whatever-the-hell just happened in this room as possible.

Aguni, for once, can relate to Niragi quite well.

With Last Boss keeping vigil over the new little family, Aguni is able to wrangle Takeru away from his room with minimal fuss. It’s probably because the man is very tired—despite multiple claims that he ‘isn’t sleepy yet’ and ‘can stay up for hours.’ This theory is proven when, within a grand total of seven seconds of Takeru flopping face-first onto the middle of Aguni’s bed, he’s managed to slip into what only can be described as a ‘light coma.’

Aguni manages to wrestle a stray pillow away from his sleeping friend’s grasp (he’s a notoriously cuddly sleeper, which has led to some...interesting situations over the course of their friendship) and settles his weary self onto the couch. It’s not quite long enough to accommodate his height, but it’s good enough for what will most likely end up being an extended nap before the sun comes up and he needs to solve whatever other issues have popped up at the Beach overnight.

...But, at least those problems won’t involve babies.

Probably.

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Also here is a common genet and DAMN SIS U CUTE AS HELL

#alice in borderland #danma takeru #alice in borderland netflix #aguni morizono #niragi suguru #last boss #writings and such

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dandelion-wings · 2 years

Note

The bit of your snippet where it is mentioned that lisa is very found of jean’s daughter made me weep. THATS SO CUTE

and, since she’s two years and, if I remember correctly, that’s the time necessary for the marriage to make kaeya’s citizenship official, do you think jean and kaeya will divorce? since each of their own initial interests were already guaranteed.

or they might keep the marriage out of friendship, since they’re close friends and enjoy each other’s companies?

Timing-wise, the child (as yet unnamed) actually comes about after the sequel fic. Which is why I noted that's from a somewhat nebulous future; I have a pretty strong idea of where I want relationships to go overall, but I haven't finished the first draft of that yet and sometimes things leap up and surprise me when I'm writing. A side-thread of said sequel fic, so far, is that it's set not quite two years after An Open Hand (starting in March, while AOH was mostly in May--when I was doing the second draft on that one I had to sit down and write out a timeline, so I can tell you that May 12 is the wedding anniversary :D), and that point there isn't a child yet, and Jean in particular has to make some calculations and choices about her future that means the potential for divorce gets discussed! In both its pros and its cons.

But once a kid does enter the picture, honestly, I can't see Kaeya, largely raised by someone who (from what little we get about him) seems like a very good dad, and canonically a big-brother figure to multiple kids, wanting to just fade out of his daughter's life. Nor can I see Jean kicking him out of it! The endgame I have in mind at the moment is that he remains a Gunnhildr, one way or another*, and Jean and Lisa become serious girlfriends, with Lisa being somewhere between step-mother and cool aunt for Jean's daughter.

(I have joked to aromantic-eight about Kaeya asking whether there's actually a law against marrying two people in Mondstadt, but, as they pointed out, officially joining the Gunnhildr clan is kind of A Lot and Lisa would not necessarily be up to that? Even on housing logistics alone, I see her as someone who really likes having her own space and would resist moving into the clan mansion and putting herself under Fredrica's household authority.)

#*the 'or another' does potentially include fredrica going 'you realize that taking the gunnhildr oath is technically an adoption'#but there's some cognitive dissonance in going from married couple to technical siblings tbh #also i just really love platonic marriages in concept #and once a child happens there's no reason for it to be anything but that any longer #asked and answered #bells and spires #fic nattering

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ectonurites · 3 years

Note

Is Cassandra a US citizen?

OKAY SO. this is a fascinating question.

As far as I’m aware within the comics it is not specifically established (interestingly enough on her DC wiki pages, her previous continuity profile just has nothing stated for citizenship like the category is completely left out, while her current continuity one does say American but is unsourced)

Which means to take a stab at answering this it involves trying to apply real world laws and logic to a comic situation that is kinda out there (a child raised entirely isolated from society and language who is then able to integrate back into society, who was also ya know trained as an assassin. The few documented cases of ‘feral children’ in real life have very little in common with Cass’ situation because... comic books)

I am in absolutely no way a legal expert, I am straight up just googling shit and trying to make sense of it, so like, take all of this with a grain of salt.

But basically, as long as I’m reading stuff right, as long as Lady Shiva, who did canonically grow up in Detroit, Michigan before becoming Lady Shiva, had US Citizenship when she had Cass, then Cass may be eligible for it just by birth. There’s some hoops she’d probably have to have gone through though to become so officially, so I think it’s kinda unlikely in canon she has actually done so, but it wouldn’t be impossible (and would be something Barbara or Bruce could likely help with/do for her)

Explanation where I look at some of the specific law stuff under the cut!

So, considering Lady Shiva/Sandra Wu-San, Cass’ birth mother, grew up in Detroit, Michigan, it’s not crazy to assume she has US Citizenship. David Cain, Cass’ father, I’d also assume has it, but his history (preboot) as far as I’m aware doesn’t really cover his early life so it’s hard to tell. In New 52 land, we have not received new backstory for Shiva that I’m aware of so I guess we just assume it’s the same as before, and David it gets a little more complicated with the whole Mother situation, so idk exactly how I’d place him there either.

I also believe that it’s not shown exactly where in the world Cass was born, so we’re gonna treat this as a ‘Child Born Abroad to Out-of-Wedlock Parents” situation, of which there are several variations dependent upon the Citizenship status of the parents.

Looking at this page on citizenship by birth we see this for the situations:

So in this scenario, both Shiva and David are US Citizens. However, the specific conditions that would need to be met for this are actually detailed in the other situations. Essentially, if the father conditions I’m about to show are met (and the thing about one parent residing in the US is already met by Shiva having grown up in the US) then it’s all set and she qualifies, but even if they aren’t if the mother conditions I’ll be showing after are instead met, then it’d also be fine.

This is the situation where David is a US Citizen, but Shiva is not. She’d be mostly eligible for this, but not exactly. First of all, she’d need to be under 18 for parts of this meaning she would need to start the process in the period between No Man’s Land and like, Batgirl #39 (where she is mentioned to be 18 by Babs). Another thing that might be a problem is the written agreement about money thing, since if I’m remembering correctly David was in jail for a lot of that time? But some form of arrangement could have been set up. The other tricky thing here is about his physical presence in the United States, considering there’s not that much known about his early life, it’s hard to determine.

So like, I’d say this isn’t the most viable option. But! As long as this specific situation isn’t the case (Aka as long as Shiva has US Citizenship either instead of David having it or in addition to him having it) then we do not give up hope. Moving on:

As long as Shiva was a US Citizen still at the time she gave birth to Cass, then like, Cass is totally eligible. (Because, again, Shiva had lived in Detroit until David Cain found her and killed her sister. So like, that is absolutely over a year)

However, I do believe Cass (or someone like Babs who’d help her out) would need to like, file paperwork on this to make it official. But she’d be eligible! The other nice thing here is this doesn’t seem to put an age limit on when you have to make claim about it, so that also works in Cass’ favor.

Again, there’s not really anything in canon to support she’s followed through on this, but as long as this situation is correct then she’s eligible and could become a US Citizen when she wants to.

I have no clue what her birth certificate situation might be though, so proving Shiva’s her mom might be a pretty big roadblock, but I don’t even know how I’d approach factoring that in. Again, this is a... very unrealistic situation. So trying to apply real things to it when I am not an expert in this? Lots of guessing and shrugging.

I do also wanna bring up though because it had been my first thought, back before the New 52 when Cass was adopted she was already 18 (or older). Meaning that it was an adult adoption which has no special like, help for someone gaining US citizenship (as opposed to adoption of a minor who is foreign-born, where the process for citizenship is different because of certain policy in place), so her being adopted by Bruce isn’t a sure-fire way to assume she did get citzenship. However, if her getting citizenship was just a matter of filing paperwork, then it’s not wild to assume Bruce took care of it while he was already doing the adoption proceedings.

But yeah! So a solid ‘probably not but she could be with some paperwork’ is my final answer.

If I just have missed her somewhere confirming that she does in fact have citizenship (or that she specifically doesn’t) then PLEASE lemme know.

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justaghostingon · 4 years

Text

To Blindly Trust

Note: this is a dark interpretation of some of the lore drops Toon has given on the discord about Gyrus’s time period. I read about that utopia and thought, “That’s great, but let’s 1984 this shit.”

For as long as Gyrus could remember, all he’d ever wanted was to know the reason behind everything. He’d pester his Nannybot with questions over and over again. Why was the sky blue? Why did he have to eat this food? If his family’s citizenship was a yellow rank, why wasn’t their house yellow? Where did his shoes come from? Who made them? Why? Why? Why?

His Nannybot tried to answer as best she could, but she wasn’t programed for those kinds of questions. His parents would indulge him for a bit, but eventually they’d send him off with the words, “Because the Cerebrum says so.”

The only one who really seemed to have answers was the family’s ai. It would list off the answers to Gyrus’s many questions for hours on end in a flat voice as he sat before it on shaky toddler legs. But even it eventually gave the answer, “Because the Cerebrum chose so.”

“What is the Cerebrum?” He asked, to which the computer explained, “It is an ai beyond the capabilities of all other ai. It functions as the impartial judge and leader of the planetary collaboration. It alone can make the most important decisions because it alone holds no human bias.”

“Is bias bad?” Gyrus asked, trying to guess what bias meant from how the ai used it.

“Bad and Good are irrelevant terms for the Cerebrum. It knows only calculations and error. Bias causes error. It affects the human mind by making it weaker and unable to calculate correctly.”

“What kinds of errors?” Gyrus asked, feeling lost.

“Bias is placing emotions, loyalties, or prejudices before the facts.” The computer seemed to realize Gyrus was confused and attempted to reassure him by elaborating. “People cling to them, and they cannot see the truth. The Cerebrum has no such weakness.”

“Ok,” Gyrus wiggled his toes. He looked up again at the computer. “But what if the Cerebrum is wrong?”

An hour later and an important looking man showed up at his house. His parent’s voices were high pitched and nervous as they welcomed them in, chattering about how auspicious it was for a White rank to visit. But even as the man stepped inside, his parents made sure to stand with their bodies between him and Gyrus. The man in the suit waved them away, saying they had a very special boy, whom they would like to put in a very special school.

He smiled down at Gyrus as he peaked from behind his parent’s legs, His face was stretched too thin to seem real. “The Cerebrum wants you Gyrus,” he said. “Come with us, and you can know the answers to all your questions.”

No one asked how they knew. But Gyrus saw his mother glower at the family ai with an anger he had never seen on her face. He wondered if this was what bias looked like.

———————

The class he was put in had bright colors splashed on the walls like a technicolor rainbow. Pictures hung around with encouraging sayings like, “Better yourself to better the world!” And “The Cerebrum wants you!” And “Reach to the stars!” The desks were clean and smooth, a shiny keyboard built into the top of each, which was lined with a different primary color. Five other kids sat at the desks, scattered across the room. They looked up at Gyrus as he was ushered to the front, curiosity in their eyes.

Gyrus froze, feeling suddenly nervous. But the adult behind him placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Class, this is Gyrus. He’ll be joining us today. Gyrus, why don’t you tell us about yourself and then we’ll all introduce ourselves too.”

“I’m Gyrus!” Gyrus chirped, putting on his best smile. I’m almost four, and I like space!”

The class stared at him, silent. Gyrus looked down and began to fiddle with his fingers. The teacher’s voice echoed over him, “Psyche, why don’t you go next?”

A little girl in the front row drew herself up to her full height, back straight as a rail. “I’m Psyche,” she said. “I’m four and a quarter!” She plopped herself back down on her red seat at this, looking very pleased with herself.

“Could you say a little more?” the teacher asked with a tight smile.

“Oh!” Psyche hopped back up again. “I like machines!” she exclaimed at the top of her lungs, and sat back down again.

One by one, the other three students stood up and introduced themselves. Agnes was five and liked plants. Virgil was four and a half and liked books. Lestra was almost five and wanted to know everything the Cerebrum did.

There was only one left, a grumpy looking boy with his arms crossed over his body and a scowl on his lips. “Jeremiah.” The teacher’s voice was gentle. “It’s your turn.”

The boy called Jeremiah stuck out his chin and turned away. “Jeremiah!” The teacher’s voice fell like a anvil on the class. The boy’s brow furrowed, but he eventually turned back towards Gyrus.

“Jeremiah,” his voice was clipped. “From Cassandra.”

Gyrus’s ears pricked up as he heard that name. Cassandra was a planet that used to host a colony. He’d asked his family’s ai so many questions about it, but it had never been able to answer them to his satisfaction. Maybe this boy could!

The teacher sent Gyrus to take a seat. He slid into a yellow desk, which reminded him slightly of home. The teacher started to teach.

Gyrus kept sneaking glances over at Jeremiah throughout the lecture. He was pushing random buttons on his keyboard, clearly bored. Gyrus was hopeful though. Maybe they could be friends?

As soon as it was recess, Gyrus went straight to Jeremiah’s desk. “Hi!” he said, practically vibrating with excitement. “I’m Gyrus!”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “I know. You said.”

Gyrus was a little confused by the cold reception. But he shook it off. He had remembered his name! That was good! “Cassandra’s in the Helen quadrant. What’s it like?”

A dark cloud passed over Jeremiah’s face. “Cassandra’s gone,” he snarled.

Gyrus frowned. Because he’d only asked a question. He didn’t need to lie. “No its not. Cassandra’s classified. The ai said.”

“Shut up!” Jeremiah shoved Gyrus, sending him tumbling down. “What’s a baby know? Just repeating what the ai says, like a baby!”

Gyrus’s eyes welled up with tears. He’d never been pushed before and he didn’t like it at all. “Jeremiah!” The teacher’s voice came like a hurricane on them all. “Come with me!” The teacher dragged Jeremiah away as he struggled in their arms.

The other kids gathered around Gyrus. “It’s ok.” Psyche put a small hand on Gyrus’s arm. “He’s just mean. We can be your friends instead, ok?”

Gyrus rubbed his nose with his hand, but he nodded.

———————

Gyrus grinned to himself feeling on top of the world. Today would mark the start of the class’s greatest honor, for teams of two to design a project to be submitted for review by the Cerebrum itself! He caught Psyche’s eye from across the room and gave her a wink. She returned it with a sly grin. The two of them already knew what project they wanted to work on, a new engine faster than light speed with two engines.

The partners hadn’t been picked yet, but it was practically a done deal. With only six people in the class they divided pretty easily, and with ten years together, everyone had gotten pretty set in their ways. Gyrus with Psyche, Agnes with Virgil. Even Lestra didn’t mind being paired with Jeremiah, because it meant she got to do all the work.

The teacher clapped their hands. “All right class, it’s time to pick your partners!” Gyrus leaned back in his chair, already planning what materials he and Psyche could ask for. Working for the Cerebrum meant even K-42 was an option, but they’d best be absolutely certain their new design would work before they requested something so integral to space travel. “Jeremiah,” the teacher’s voice cut through Gyrus’s thoughts. “You pick first.”

Gyrus choked, losing his balance on his chair and nearly toppling backwards. He caught himself on an empty desk and righted himself quickly, humiliation tainting the worry growing in the pit of his stomach. Jeremiah had been stirring up trouble since the day Gyrus had met him, and age had done nothing to soften him up. Gyrus and the others tried to be inclusive and let him play with them or join in activities as the years passed, but he had always either refused or agreed simply to pick a fight. Not a physical fight, not since their first year, but his intelligence knew no bounds and he was determined to use it to verbally destroy anything that stood in his way. Nothing was sacred, not even the Cerebrum. He was only fifteen, and already it was rumored he was one bad deed away from black mark on his citizenship ranking.

So him going first was a sure fire guarantee for trouble. He seemed to know it too, smirking at his class as they watched him in silent horror. “I get to go first? That’s a first. And on such an important event too, a project for your precious Cerebitch.”

“Jeremiah!” snapped the teacher. “Pick now or go last.”

“Ok, ok,” Jeremiah held out his hands in mock surrender. “I pick Mr. Popular over there.” His thumb jerked to the side, pointing directly between Gyrus’s eyes. “Gyrus,” Jeremiah added as if to rub in what everyone already knew.

Gyrus felt his heart plummet. This was bad, no this was terrible. His first big break, and he would have to work with Jeremiah. Psyche peaked at him from her desk, face full of sympathy, but he couldn’t bear to look at her. Nausea rose in his stomach as he looked at the face of his new partner for the rest of the year, Jeremiah.

———————

“...he doesn’t even like me! Why would he choose to partner with me? Does he really hate me that much? Now what am I gonna do? He’s gonna ruin the biggest project of my life!” Gyrus ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends in frustration.

He looked over at the family’s ai. It didn’t speak for a long second. Finally it said, “There are many possible motivations for Jeremiah’s actions, but without further evidence results are inconclusive and not worth bothering over. Instead of complaining, work around this set back. If possible, persuade him to be productive for the good of the group.”

Gyrus crossed his arms. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“Analyst of human behavior finds that most humans respond positively to signs of affection, and usually fall into line after repeated exposure,” the ai blinked its light at Gyrus.

Gyrus rolled his eyes and stormed off, slamming the door to his room shut and collapsing on his bed. The ai’s advice, usually so helpful, was completely useless in this case. He’d already tried being nice to Jeremiah, they all had! It was Jeremiah wasn’t nice, who sat in his corner and refused to leave it, unless it was to pick a fight.

The sound of laughter drifted through his window. Gyrus peaked out to see a group of kids kicking a ball around in the park down below his apartment. They looked to be about his age, and Gyrus leaned closer, watching them run and laugh and play. He wondered what their names were, and what school they went to. He couldn’t go down and find out, he had homework to do, and a very regimented exercise schedule he couldn’t break. But that didn’t stop him from watching the figures below play.

An image of Jeremiah crossed his mind then, sitting alone at his little table while the others laughed in the center of the room. He had been watching them, a scowl on his lips, but his eyes had followed Gyrus’s hands as he described how far a gear had flown off an invention. He’d looked away when Gyrus had smiled at him, but he didn’t leave.

“It must be lonely,” a voice whispered in his mind. “To always watch from the outside.” Gyrus shook his head, trying to get rid the thought.

“He’s still a jerk,” he pointed out to himself. The other voice was distinctly silent. Gyrus threw his hands up and slammed them into his pillow as his mind ran through his knowledge of defensive behavior and basic psychology. He groaned, but eventually slumped in defeat. “Fine,” he mumbled into his pillow. “I can be nice.”

The next day he took his lunch and purposely moved to sit beside Jeremiah at his small table.

Jeremiah stared at him like he was an alien, to shocked to put up an angry front. “What are you doing?” his voice was flat.

Gyrus gave him his best smile. “I’m sitting with you!”

“Who said you could sit here?” Jeremiah snapped back, traces of his old fire returning.

“You did,” Gyrus replied. “When you chose me to be your partner, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean I want a mindless Cerebitch drone like you hanging around me,” Jeremiah snarled, face invading Gyrus’s personal space.

“Too bad,” Gyrus took a bite of his sandwich and took care to keep his face completely neutral. “Pickles?”

——————

And thus began Operation Friendship. Every lunch Gyrus would sit next to Jeremiah. Every day after school he would run to catch the train home with him. Every morning he would wait until he arrived and enter with him. It wasn’t easy. Jeremiah wasn’t one to go down without a fight. But Gyrus was determined. No matter how much Jeremiah insulted or yelled at Gyrus, no matter how much he tried to hide from him or take shady routes through neighborhoods with S.M.I.L.E. druggies loitering in corners, no matter what he couldn't get rid of him.

“I know what you’re doing,” Jeremiah snapped one day at lunch. Gyrus looked up from his lunch, leftover Mandu, a real treat. “And it’s not going to work. I’m never going to help on your stupid fascist project.” He crossed his arms and smirked at Gyrus, as if this somehow made him win.

“Ok.” Gyrus took another bite of his sandwich and chewed it slowly.

“Did you hear me? I’m not going to help you so you might as well leave!” Jeremiah snapped.

“Oh I heard you.” Gyrus nodded, looking down at his sandwich. “But you weren’t doing anything anyway. So it’s not like anything really changes.” He smiled at Jeremiah. “Hey! Do you think that next class they’ll let us use the explosives in the lab? I think I’ve gotten better at controlling the explosions.”

Jeremiah let out a very frustrated scream.

------------

“How about this?” Jeremiah interrupted Gyrus’s rendition of a funny incident involving lost Nano technology, a S.M.I.L.E press gang, and their government official on a train. “I’ll invite you over. Show you a few tricks your dumb drone mind can’t comprehend, and then you leave me alone?”

Gyrus frowned, because he’d thought he’d been rather funny, and because he had not been expecting an offer to be made. “And lose your company for the rest of the year?”

“Oh please we both know you don’t like me at all,” Jeremiah rolled his eyes.

That hurt a bit, and Gyrus tried not to outwardly wince. He had begun to grow fond of Jeremiah, once you looked past his rough exterior. But he supposed it wouldn’t look that way to him. Maybe he should take a different strategy.

“How about this instead. You come over to my place today, and we spend the afternoon together and forget about the project?” He peaked at Jeremiah through his bangs.

Jeremiah frowned, “And then you leave me alone?”

“And then we have fun together,” Gyrus replied. “Like normal kids.”

Jeremiah did not look convinced.

--------------

Gyrus was beginning to feel like the whole plan was spiraling out of control. He’d thought it was over, at first. That there was no way that Jeremiah would come over it his house. But after school he had walked right up to Gyrus, bag over his shoulder and a scowl on his lips. “Where to?” he’d asked.

For a second Gyrus had been to shocked to answer. Then a strange sensation of absolute joy began to fill his whole core. “Follow me!” He beamed at Jeremiah, who looked away.

He’d taken Jeremiah to his house and showed him his room, his makeshift lab, and his workout place, expecting them to spend the time there. But Jeremiah had taken one look out the window and said, “Let’s go and hang out at the park.”

Gyrus had tried to point out what a bad idea that was, they had homework to do, they had to keep a very regimented fitness standard, and that sport only really worked on leg strength and endurance, which was very impractical...

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so against this, why have you taken the time to analyze how it fits into the exercise regiment?”

Gyrus had not had a response to that.

And that was how Gyrus had ended up in the park, facing a group of kids whose names he didn’t know but who he’d watched from his window for years. What was he even supposed to say? He gave an awkward wave. “Hi, I’m Gyrus!”

“Jeremiah,” Jeremiah added, hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked completely at ease, as if they were not breaking an unspoken rule that had been drilled into them since they were children.

The boys looked at each other. “I’m Will,” one said, stepping out from the lineup. “And this is Phillip, Miguel, Navieen, Taro, and Dahveed.” There was a pause where the eight of them all just looked at each other, uncertain of what to do next. Finally Will continued in a half-hearted attempt to fill the silence, “Do you play soccer?”

“Sure,” Jeremiah replied before Gyrus had a chance to explain that no, they really didn’t. Will smiled.

And that was how Gyrus found himself playing a sport he had only seen through a window. It was simple, too simple, and in its simplicity was honestly hard. The training regiment he’d used his whole life had trained him to run and lift, not to dodge or dribble. By the end he was so exhausted he collapsed on the ground, certain he had failed completely.

So he was surprised when Will said, “You guy’s are pretty good. Why haven’t I seen you around before?”

Jeremiah raised a hand from where he lay collapsed beside Gyrus. “Crazy.” He pointed at himself. “Future government drone,” He turned his finger to Gyrus. “They don’t let us out much.”

“Jeremiah!” Gyrus snapped, using the last of his strength to prop himself up on his elbows and glare at him. “We’re with the Young Genius Program,” he explained, giving Will and the others a smile.

Miguel whistled, “Damn that’s like an automatic red rank! You really are future government drones.” Taro hit him and the others’ faces creased in alarm.

“Don’t mind him,” Taro said as Miguel rubbed his cheek. “He’s just an idiot.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jeremiah drawled. “We’re not going to report you. Right Gyrus?” he turned his head to face him.

Gyrus shrugged, “I don’t really see what the big deal is, so sure. But one thing,” he looked severely at the boys. They watched him back with apprehension. “I’m not going into government, I’m going into space!”

Jeremiah let out a bark of laughter, and soon the others followed suit. “There you have it!” Jeremiah chuckled. “A space case if there ever was one.”

They laughed a little longer. Finally Will said, “We play here after school every day. You’re welcome to come and play again if you have the time.”

Gyrus’s pulse raced with excitement at the prospect to play again, but then felt a wave of worry wash it away. They didn’t mean him, they meant both of them. He glanced over at Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was silent for a second, then shrugged. “Sure,” he said, his eyes meeting Gyrus’s. “We’d love to.”

Gyrus stared back at Jeremiah, and knew something had changed.

-----------

From then on, Jeremiah’s behavior towards Gyrus changed drastically. He was still rude about the Cerebrum, still mocked Gyrus for his dream of space, still skipped out on homework. But he quit complaining about Gyrus eating lunch with him, and every day he would wait at the school gate for Gyrus to walk home. At first Gyrus thought this was because he wanted to play soccer, and had reluctantly reminded him that they really couldn’t play every day. But Jeremiah had just shrugged and kept walking beside Gyrus, as if he hadn’t heard. The next day he was waiting outside, looking very bored, and Gyrus smiled.

“I have an idea,” he proposed from where he sat at the low table in his makeshift lab. Jeremiah glanced at him from his position reclining on a bean bag pillow. “For our project.”

Jeremiah groaned and started to roll away, but Gyrus raised his hand. “Just hear me out! What if we made something for soccer?”

“Unless you’re trying to reinvent the ball, you’ve been beaten for a few millennia.” Jeremiah stretched and settled down again in the bean bag, his back to Gyrus.

“Then we’ll make something for space and soccer. Astronauts and early settlers, everyone always designs practical things for them to use. Why don’t we bring them a little fun?”

Jeremiah slowly turned to look back at Gyrus. “You really want to present a soccer invention to your precious Cerebitch?! Ha!” He threw back his head and let out a peal of laughter. “What happened to the straight-laced future drone I used to know?”

Gyrus frowned. “Improvement of quality of living is an important part of progress. People will work harder if they have something to look forward too.”

“And the old Gyrus is back.” Jeremiah rolled his eyes. Then he drew himself up into a sitting position on the bean bag. “Fine. Let’s present the Cerebitch with the weirdest waste of time its ever seen.”

Gyrus’s heart felt light as he pulled out at notebook. “I have a few ideas already!”

------------

The next few weeks found Gyrus on top of the world. Jeremiah, for all his lazy ways, was very intelligent, and his skill in item design surpassed even Gyrus’s. He vetoed all most every invention Gyrus came up with, but not out of disinterest. Rather he took the time to explain why they wouldn’t work. The two engine design in the space ball was not built for such a small container and would likely explode. The high quality insulation materials for shin guards were to expensive and cumbersome for first wave colonists. His advice was always practical, with an insight even Gyrus missed.

He really has lived in space. Gyrus thought as he peaked over at where Jeremiah sat drawing designs for their latest idea: jump boots for lighter gravity soccer. He wondered if all the errors were problems Jeremiah remembered from his life on Cassandra. He wondered if he could ask.

Jeremiah caught him staring and gave him a sideways grin. “Lost in space again?”

Gyrus blushed and quickly changed the subject to the jet propulsions in the boots. He babbled on as Jeremiah listened with amusement and a snappy reply to anything he deemed foolish. Gyrus felt bad for even wanting to bring Cassandra up, seeing how happy Jeremiah looked now, but in his mind the question still burned beneath the surface.

------------

It wasn’t until a week later when he finally got the courage to try and ask again. Jeremiah had brought some basic materials to start working on construction. Gyrus listened to him sing the praises of aluminum and all the things it could be used for, and cautiously asked, “It sounds like you have some experience.”

“Yeah I do,” Jeremiah smiled down at it. He glanced up to meet Gyrus’s cautious expression and sighed. “I’m from Cassandra, you can say it.”

Gyrus fiddled with his fingers. “I wasn’t sure. I thought it might be...” he looked down, “...a sensitive subject.”

Jeremiah turned to lean against the lab counter, arms crossed. “It’s not. Most adults want me to shut up about it. But I won’t. I can’t. I’m from Cassandra and they blew it up.” He scowled down at the floor.

Gyrus looked at him, uncertain of what he was supposed to say. Jeremiah glanced up and smiled at him, a wide stretch of lips that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Tell me Gyrus,” he said in a teacher-like voice that reeked of insincerity. “What do you know about Cassandra?”

“Only that there was some kind of accident, and its classified,” Gyrus replied hesitantly.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He turned back towards Gyrus, arms spread to support his weight as he leaned forward on the counter. “It’s not exactly something the Cerebitch wants out there. Might stop it’s precious expansion if they knew how some colonists were really treated.”

Gyrus leaned forward, feeling like something big was about to be revealed, like he stood on the brink of a secret that could change everything. Whatever Jeremiah was about it say, it should not be spoken too loudly.

Jeremiah noticed his attention, and his face became grave. He dropped the patronizing voice as he continued, “My parents were some of the first to get on board. Wanted to see the stars. I was born up there, the first child of Cassandra they said. And wasn’t I lucky?” He uttered the last word with all the viciousness that he had used so often against teachers and classmates throughout the years.

“It was a mining colony.” Jeremiah’s lips twitched up. “Mining ore for the precious collaboration. Such an honor. And the greatest of honors, the greatest of secrets, was one my father found himself.” He looked Gyrus straight in the eye. “My father found a vein of Kaz-42.”

Gyrus gasped. Kaz-42 was supposed to only come from the Hercules quadrant, and was guarded day in and day out for its essentiality for space travel. It had taken Psyche and Lestra ages to get permission to use it.

“Yeah it was pretty impressive.” Jeremiah smirked. “We certainly thought so. My parent’s told me they celebrated all night. Kaz-42 can only be extracted by people, on account of how it interferes with machines. Bet you didn’t know that, it’s a highly classified secret. Cerebitch doesn’t want humanity to realize can’t control something so important. But we knew. We lived it.”

“Here’s another thing you don’t know about Kaz-42.” Jeremiah’s smirk disappeared. “It’s incredibly toxic to humans. The whole town was suffering, people dying slowly, and no doctor or medicine was sent to help us.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Gyrus protested. “If they let the miners die then they won’t have any more Kaz-42. They have to keep them effective by providing treatment.”

“Oh there was one treatment.” Jeremiah’s voice was bitter. “S.M.I.L.E.”

“But S.M.I.L.E’s only supposed to be for prisoners who won’t reform!” Gyrus protested.

“Oh and you believe that?” Jeremiah rolls his eyes. “Ever taken the time to count the S.M.I.L.E druggies in this city? Seems a lot of people who are supposedly the worst of the worst.” He shook his head. “But that’s not the point. The point is that they used S.M.I.L.E on everyone. The miners, their families. They let them work to the bone with a smile on their face. And they..we..didn’t even realize it was killing us.”

“Jeremiah,” Gyrus’s voice was soft even to his own ears. He didn’t know what else to say, nothing was making sense.

Jeremiah glanced at him and his expression softened for a second. “I didn’t have some miraculous escape. I was just as drugged as the rest of them. But my grandma..” He hugged himself as he continued, “She saved me. Convinced my parents to let me visit her, so I was away when...” his arms tightened as he looked down. Gyrus reached out, wanting to comfort but not sure how. His hand hovered by Jeremiah’s side.

He didn’t notice. Instead he spoke again in that patronizing tone, the one he used when he mocked a teacher as he stared at his feet. “Did you know that K-42 isn’t corrosive? No of course you do, its what all you drone engineer’s go nuts over. Well that thing we mined out? It was. It wasn’t K-42. Not really.” Gyrus felt himself go cold. Corrosion at the heart of a space engine could only mean one thing.

“The first ship exploded at dawn.” Jeremiah’s voice was dull. “The Cerebitch ordered Cassandra destroyed by noon. There was no evacuation. It was deemed a waste of resources to even attempt it.”

Gyrus stood there, frozen with his hand an inch away from Jeremiah’s arm. Nausea churned in his gut and he felt like he would throw up. There had to be another explanation. This didn’t make sense. Hesitatingly he asked, “You’re sure that it was an order?”

“Of course I’m sure I hacked...” Jeremiah lifted his eyes to look at Gyrus and stopped. His eyes went wide. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“You were very young,” Gyrus pointed out as he watched Jeremiah’s shock turn to anger. “I’m only trying to understand...” Jeremiah grabbed him by the collar and got in his face.

“You don’t want to understand!” Jeremiah snarled. “I could show you the evidence, the traces I hacked at four years old, and you still wouldn’t understand!” His hand tightened on Gyrus’s collar and Gyrus winced. “You’re just like everyone else! You don’t want to risk falling down a citizen ranking, or leave your safe little drone life...”

“Stop,” Gyrus whispered. Jeremiah shoved him away, and Gyrus tumbled to the floor. Jeremiah stood above, glaring down, and it was only now Gyrus realized he was crying.

“You have assaulted User Gyrus,” the family’s ai broke through. “This has been your final strike. Your citizenship ranking has reached black. Please refrain from resisting as you are placed under arrest.”

Jeremiah’s head swung to look at it and back to Gyrus, lying beneath him on the floor. “I...I didn’t mean...I’m sorry.”

The door burst open and two men in suits entered. The first pulled out a gun and shot Jeremiah with a tranquilizer, the second grabbed him by the arms. Jeremiah resisted, screaming and pleading, “I’m sorry, Gyrus please! Don’t let them take me, Please!” he punched the second guy in the face and the first had to grab his other arm, dragging him out of the house.

All the while Gyrus sat there, dazed on the floor and watching them drag Jeremiah away. He wanted to move, but he couldn’t, frozen to the spot. Jeremiah locked eyes with him as the drug kicked in. Gyrus had never seen someone looks so afraid.

The door closed behind him with a bang. Gyrus didn’t work up the strength to move for a long time.

-----------

Jeremiah never returned to school. Gyrus completed the jump boots alone and submitted them to the Cerebrum. The others all had things to say about Jeremiah, and comfort to offer Gyrus, but he didn’t want to hear it. They hadn’t been there, they didn’t know what they were talking about. Only Psyche seemed to notice how upset it made him, and tried to get the others to stop.

When the men in suits came for him, Gyrus didn’t resist. He just followed quietly behind. They led him to the principal’s office, were the principal began to make a long speech about how good Gyrus’s jump boots had been.

“And Jeremiah’s,” Gyrus interrupted. “Most of what you’re praising was his idea.”

A frown passed over the principal’s face, for half a second, then it was gone. “You’re being to modest. Whatever assistance you may have received in the initial stages, you were still the one to build it, and all by yourself. Which is why you so deserve this opportunity the most out of everyone.” He held out a piece of paper.

Gyrus accepted it, glancing down on the words written on the sheet. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve graduated my dear boy!” the principle replied. He gave Gyrus a patronizing smile. “Ordinarily there would be a ceremony, but an the most advanced lab in space technology is asking for you specifically, and they do not have the luxury of waiting a few days.”

Gyrus stared at him, disbelieving. Had it really been so great? “I’ve got to tell my parents...”

“Already taken care of,” the principal held up his hand. “All that remains is for you to seize your destiny. What do you say? Do you want to go to space?”

Gyrus looked down at the paper in his hands, then up at the Principal and the silent men beside him. “More than anything,” he said.

-----------

The next five years were a blur to Gyrus. He started working in the space technology lab, first as a student but soon as a fully-fledged worker in all but name. There were ten labs in total, and Gyrus found himself bouncing between them, never staying too long in one before he was moved to another. Because of his constant movement and his accelerated schedule, he never got to make friends with the students who were close to his own age. But the adult staff, and the janitors all seemed to like him, so he was doing ok.

He still felt like something was missing though, like there should be more to his life that he wasn’t getting. A purpose perhaps, something to do with all the knowledge trapped inside his head, besides show off to janitors and the students whose names would change in a month. So when Iro approached him and offered him the stars, Gyrus wholeheartedly accepted.

-----------

“User Gyrus, where are we going?” Scout asked as he flew beside Gyrus.

“We’re going to my house,” Gyrus explained. “I need to break this news to my family. Iro will come later and explain the details, but I want to be the first to tell them.”

“Then why are we in this broken park, and not in your house?” Scout hovered by his side. “If you are lost, I have a built in GPS and maps to help you.”

“Nostalgia,” Gyrus said as he looked around the old soccer field. It had changed, the grass had been replanted sometime in the five years, and had it always been so small? It was getting smaller too. He glanced over to the far side where a supervisor in green was directing a S.M.I.L.E. gang to put in a new jungle gym.

“Gyrus?” A voice cried. Gyrus saw one of the gang members break from the group, coming towards him rapidly. The supervisor moved to intercept him, but he easily dodged. “Gyrus is that you?”

Gyrus tensed, but there was something familiar about the figure that kept him rooted to the spot. It couldn’t be. Could it?

The man threw his arms around Gyrus. “It’s been forever! How are you?”

“This man is ranked black Gyrus.” Scout said warningly. “Do you want me to call for back up?”

Gyrus ignored Scout in favor of the man currently hugging him like his life depended on it. “Je-Jeremiah?” he asked in a shaking voice.

“So you do remember me!” Jeremiah’s laughter was a strange, disorienting sound like a robot on a loop. Nothing like Gyrus remembered. Over Jeremiah’s shoulder Gyrus could see the supervisor reaching for a weapon. He put his arms around Jeremiah and shook his head. The supervisor lowered the weapon.

“Its-its been a while I...” Gyrus leaned back to look up at Jeremiah’s face...He’d grown so tall, had it really been five years?...He looked awful, with hollow cheeks and eyes bloodshot and unfocused. “Jeremiah what happened to you?”

“Oh you know, you know,” Jeremiah waved a hand. “Learning the error in my ways, giving back to the community, all that.” His words seem to slur together, and he swayed back and forth so violently that Gyrus feared he would topple over if he didn’t keep a hand on his side to support him. “But what about you?” He raised his hand to run his fingers through Gyrus’s hair. “You’ve cut your hair.”

“I’m going to space,” Gyrus said. For the first time Jeremiah seemed to focus on him, his old intelligence sharp in his eyes. “With the exploration division.”

“What?” Jeremiah hissed, then doubled over, coughing into Gyrus’s shoulder. His hands curled like claws into Gyrus’s shirt as Gyrus’s arms tightened to support the shift in weight. “Stupid...drone.” His coughed out, every sound that emerged sounding like he was biting glass shards. “Don’t...don’t go.”

“Caution User Gyrus,” Scout chirped. “His heart has accelerated. He may need medical attention.”

“What?” Gyrus said, too confused by the utter fear in Jeremiah’s eyes to listen. “It’s not dangerous.” He tried to reassure Jeremiah as he felt him shaking in his arms. “Captain Iro has an amazing track record...”

“Blind,” Jeremiah snapped, then shook his head violently. “Stupid...Space Case. Look between,” he gasped, visibly struggling to continue. “Liars...”

“Gyrus,” Iro appeared suddenly at Gyrus’s side. “There you are. We need hurry if we are to meet your parents.” He gave Jeremiah’s shaking form a cursory glance. “I believe your supervisor wants you back.”

Jeremiah gave Gyrus’s arms one last warning squeeze, face still pleading. Then he stepped back, eyes becoming covered in a glassy film. “Oh yeah. Bye Gyrus.” His arm moved in a jerky wave, like a puppet on a string. “Have fun in space.”

“I hope that druggie wasn’t bothering you,” Iro’s voice was kind, as he dusted Gyrus’s shoulder. Scout fluttered around Iro, chirping greetings.

Gyrus shook his head, eyes following Jeremiah as he made his way zigzagging across the park. “He was an old friend, from the Young Genius Program.”

“Really?” Iro raised an eyebrow. “What a shame. To have such a mind and refuse to use it for the good of others.”

Gyrus didn’t respond. The supervisor in green gave a sharp bark of command to the S.M.I.L.E gang and they began to fall into a line. Gyrus watched as Jeremiah joined at the back, marching in perfect formation with the others until he was out of sight.

“User Gyrus is experiencing nostalgia,” Scout explained as Iro frowned.

---------

Space was beautiful. Gyrus has never known just how lovely stars were until he got to see one up close. Everyone on board was so kind and wonderful, and Iro was the kind of selfless and wise leader Gyrus would follow anywhere. Most days the mission was more than he’d ever wanted. Most days he was content. But sometimes when a planet exploration went too wrong, when they made a hard choice for the greater good, something would niggle in the back of Gyrus’s mind. He tried to voice it, quietly to Iro, about his concerns.

Iro’s voice was gentle when he told him that focusing on the past was pointless. Missions were completed by the book, which dictated the Cerebrum’s decision. They made the choices based off how best to follow the Cerebrum’s will, and sometimes, that meant making hard choices. He’d put a hand on Gyrus’s shoulder in comfort.

“But the Cerebrum isn’t here!” Gyrus had exclaimed. “It doesn’t know what we know! If it had the information we discover...”

“Gyrus,” Iro had interrupted gently. “Trying to out-think the Cerebrum, that’s the path to madness. You need to have faith.”

It was only on those nights, when nothing quite made sense and he was too sad and confused to know what to do, that he finally let himself remember. Let himself wonder what had happened to his friend in that S.M.I.L.E gang, and wonder if this was what he had felt like back in school, holding on close to a memory he wasn’t supposed to keep. Gyrus would toss and turn in his bed, and wish desperately for the faith Iro spoke of so freely.

----------

Everything was going wrong. Lights flashed as Gyrus ran. Over the communications line he could hear Iro yelling commands, but they filtered by him. Only one thing was running through his head. Sakura was stranded outside. And Iro had ordered them not to rescue her.

He threw on a suit and jumped in the hatch. Scout attaching to his side. “This is against protocol User Gyrus,” the robot warned him.

“She’s going to die!” Gyrus yelled. “I have to try.” Carefully he exited the aircraft. Sakura hung there, surrounded by explosive material, unable to activate her jetpack without setting it on fire. Gyrus pushed off the edge, using his momentum to go towards her.

“Gyrus...What?” Sakura’s voice echoed over the comms as he crashed into her.

“It’s ok!” Gyrus smiled, even if he knew it would be almost impossible for her to see from his position clinging to her side. “I’m going to get you out!”

“But the explosives, and the ship...” Sakura protested. “You weren’t supposed to rescue me! This is against protocol...”

“Protocol also prioritizes crew,” Gyrus replied as he adjusted his position against her, before shoving hard. “I’m prioritizing crew!”

She flew back towards the ship, out of the danger zone. Good, she could be rescued. Better, his own momentum pushed him so far in the other direction he cleared the danger zone entirely. He could get picked up from here. It would just be a little tricky.

“Gyrus what have you done?” Iro’s voice crackled over the comms.

“I saved Sakura,” Gyrus replied. “But its fine. I’m on the other side unharmed. I think I see a way you could get around it to rescue me.”

“Gyrus,” Iro’s voice sounded broken. “I can’t.”

“Sure you can,” Gyrus said as he eyed the ship from across the danger zone. You’d have to duck into the planet’s orbit, but you could still get here. Unless the ship’s paradox engine is damaged.” Gyrus’s stomach sank. “Is...is it damaged?”

For a long time Iro was silent. Gyrus felt his heart plummet. Finally Iro said, “Gyrus you don’t understand. I can’t. To rescue you would involve a too many risks that go way too far out of protocol. And I can’t...I can’t risk this many crew members on someone with a black mark on their citizenship.”

“W-what?” Gyrus asked, a numbness creeping into his body that made it difficult to speak. “I..I don’t have...”

“You were always high risk, always questioning far to much and doing what you thought was best instead of waiting for orders,” Iro sounded uncomfortable. “But what you did today...Gyrus, you directly disobeyed orders from the Cerebrum itself. That was your final strike.”

“You��re...you’re going to...Iro you can’t! You can’t just leave me here! Please!” Tears ran freely down Gyrus’s face, but he couldn’t brush them away through his helmet.

“I’m sorry Gyrus,” Iro did sound genuinely sorry. “But for the good off all...we can’t come to get you.” The comm switched off. Gyrus tried shouting, crying, calling, but nothing could get it to switch back on.

“Scout,” he said, when he finally ran out of tears. “They haven’t quite left yet. I could toss you across, you could attach to the side and go with them.” The thought of Scout leaving him was more than he could bear, but he didn’t want them to suffer for his sins.

“You are my User, Gyrus,” Scout hummed. “I will stay with you.” Gyrus relief swelled up in Gyrus as he hugged Scout tightly to his chest. He began to cry again, so pathetically grateful to not die alone.

They lay in space, floating suspended in the emptiness, watching the ship from across the explosives as it prepared to make the final jump. “Don’t go.” A memory flew unbidden into his mind of Jeremiah’s pleading face, so afraid for Gyrus. Even after he hadn’t believed him, even after he’d gotten him a black mark and thrown in a S.M.I.L.E. gang, he’d still tried to warn Gyrus. As the ship made the final jump and left Scout and Gyrus alone in their grave of stars, Gyrus wished more than anything that he had listened. Not just about the mission, about everything. He wished he’d had the courage to believe Jeremiah, to accept that the world he believed in was a carefully constructed lie.

The oxygen tank beeped. It was low. Gyrus closed his eyes and let himself relax. If he fell asleep, this would all be over soon.

He awoke on a strange planet under a black sun.

#room of swords #room of swords fanfic #room of swords gyrus #gyrus #ros gyrus #ros scout #captain iro #1984 inspired

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howtosocialjustice · 2 years

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(Race) and Heritage - Talking about the question “Where do I belong to?”

Have you ever come across the question “Where do I belong to?” ? I must admit I have but I will come to this at a later point in this blog.

You may ask yourself why the word “race” is in brackets. So, I do not really like using the word race when talking about people. The term “race” “[...] invokes phenotypical features such as skin color, eye shape, hair texture, facial features, and so on” (Kubota and Lin 2). It has a negative connotation for me since always actually. I rather use the term “heritage”. Heritage can be seen as “something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor” (Collins Dictionary). Just for clarification I will go on using only the term “heritage”.

Coming back to the question “Where do I belong to?”. I am Vietnamese and I have to admit that I am adopted. My parents adopted me when I was 6 months old (if I remember it correctly). As you might assume, I have been raised in a country other than my birth country since I was a baby. I have no connections to my birth country and I do not identify with it. My parents were open about my adoption and the ones of my siblings. So, we never really asked them because we knew why we were adopted and none of us really wanted to dive deeper.

Recently, I gave up my second citizenship. Some may say that it is cool to have two but I mean you do not know what could happen in the future. Furthermore, I have nothing to do with the traditions and so on of my birth country. As an example, a friend of mine is officially German but her parents are Vietnamese. So, she really is proud of her Vietnamese heritage. We talked about this issue and I told her that she is more Vietnamese than I am even though I am the one who was officially more Vietnamese before giving up my second citizenship. And I still believe she is more Vietnamese because she celebrates the traditions, can speak Vietnamese and so on which I do not know and which I cannot do. Maybe you want to know why I think that way? It is simple. I think so because all these aspects mentioned earlier are more relevant to me to say “That’s her heritage.” even though she was not according to the papers. So, I would describe myself as being German with Asian (or Vietnamese) roots. I know that I was born in Vietnam. I know that I inherited something from my birth mother. But other than that, I was raised by my parents who adopted me. And they will always be and always are my real parents because I do not know it differently. I have learned and know everything from them. I mean it. They passed good values and everything on me. So, I can say I know where I come from, through what I went through and what I appreciate. I will never know how my life would have been if I grew up in Vietnam. It might be worse, it might be better. You will never know but I am glad that they adopted me because I have everything I want in life and it could not be better. You might think that my relationship to my parents, grandparents and siblings are different because we are not blood related but you are wrong. It is a typical family relationship with conflicts and that stuff which a blood related family would also have.

And why do I tell you this because I did not answer the question? I will in the next sentences but you need to know where I come from and how I think to understand why I answer the question “Where do I belong to?” the way I do. There are different answers to the question depending on the point of view. To answer the question, I belong here. Living in Germany, having my friends around me, studying to become a teacher. All of this is what makes me believe that I belong here. And this was not always the case but that is another story to tell you. I feel like you need to feel safe and happy about your living place, family, friends and so on so that you can say that you belong to something or somewhere. And due to the fact that I feel safe around my family and that I am loved by them even though we are not blood related but connected by our hearts makes me say that I belong to my family no matter what.

In case you want students to think about where they come from you could let them do a family tree. Having different nationalities in one class is an opportunity to let students create a project and let them think about their heritage.

You could also do a little interactive activity where students need to place themselves in the classroom. Questions could be:

Where do you live? (Naming the regions)

Where were you born? (Stating countries and giving in-between options)

Where were your parents born?

And so on (be creative)

Such questions could let them also think about their heritage and their predecessors.

These are not much and very open recommendations but we, as a group, think it is up to you to what extent you do these recommendations.

Here are two recommendations about adoption:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG_JdW54pJY

https://youtu.be/TN_eblCUE30, https://youtu.be/sLiM2-izFl4

The topic “adoption” is important to me, possibly because I am adopted myself and think about such things differently.

Feel free to leave us a message and also what you think about adoption and everything that is related to it!!

#heritage #adoption #where do i belong

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lizworlds · 3 years

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“ Grievance “ 9/15/2021

I may not have the most beautiful things other people have; It isn't because I can't afford them. It's just that: I know my worth & value, without it or without it: In my perspective these are not aligned to define my happiness in life neither to impress me. ( Social status, job titles, money. )

I know being an adult is challenging its full of responsibility, but that doesn't matter as long as you are genuine to yourself : And you can do whatever you want with your hard earned money, and lastly get anything you craved for w/o asking for permission, is the best feeling of all. I consider my happiness as success : That is to be Independent & to be free with someone who feels like home.

If you've ever experienced a hungry stomach before going to bed at night and suddenly you get an opportunity to change that kind of lifestyle, We all know what it's like to be desperate. You'll do everything you need to alleviate your discomfort, out of desperation: And convince yourself, with anything that you want to believe, just to justify it: because of desperation not to go back to the kind of life you had before.

But...

Money is merely a tool. When used correctly, it creates something beautiful. But if we seek to establish it, we will get stuck/messy, or even worse, suffer from mental anxiety and depression, since money dominates your thoughts and hence controls your entire life.

(Image source :

https://www.coolnsmart.com/quote-he-who-wants-everything-gets-nothing-he-8820/)

Always remember whoever gives the money or Whoever controls the money, controls your whole life, because you give them the power by constantly relaying on them. ( this is one of the reason: why other individual felt trapped, as if there is no growth or nothing in life interests them ) & let us not forget that: YOU are the most valuable person, before anyone else.

Those are just material or monetary commodities.

Money always magnifies who a person is, because there is a saying that

( “ Instead of loving people and using money, nowadays people tend to do the other way around, Some people are loyal to their needs: once it changes It becomes

love money and use people:

by the acts of cheating, lying, stealing. betrayal,, “ )

( Image source : https://slideplayer.com/slide/8698372/ )

This involves a lot of things, including :

Being sexually active with multiple partners/or just one partner , on the Internet is called “virtual sex'” but in the real world, It’s engaging in high-risk and irresponsible behavior. Sending lewd pictures of your private parts online is called “sexting,” but in the real world, it is a crime called indecent exposure.

What happens in the virtual world affects your real world ( Low self value ). Don’t buy the lie that you can have dual citizenship in both worlds, breaking the rules in one without consequence is a fool to yourself.

Even though there is a monetary value, money always amplifies who a person is most specially to those

" Making unwanted sexual advances virtually " through mirroring ,

in exchange for money / shopping spree

by weekly or by monthly. “

This is an addiction, that begins with the hopes that something out there can instantly fill up the emptiness inside.

There are certain realities we will have to look at , to see that you would never have considered about, and to move forward with genuine differentiation.

The question here is :

Do you wish to be free here? Not all tied up & having all the anxiousness wrapped up in your head at night?

Destroy your illusions, so you can see reality.

Destroy your fears, so you can take risks. Destroy your ego, so you can see life. Selfishness creates greed & greed destroys the soul.

The bigger your ego, the more you’re scared.

The more others control your life.

The more devalue you see in yourself.

Destroy the justification you put up with yourself , stop making a fool out of what you would want others to think.

Not doing what we love in the name of greed, is very poor management of our lives. You won’t be able to do live a contented life with that, as long as greed is inside you: What’ll happen here is, you'll be happy for a time, but you'll go back to , staying guilty, you’ll stay imprisoned, you’ll stay broken, like forever.

This generation has people driven by ego, money & status. As a result, good souls are ruined daily. Hold on to every genuine person you find, keep your head up and be conscious of the energy you give and connect with.

Money is an acquired taste. But, once acquired, it becomes an addiction.

which makes a person have what? In our language, we call it “ GREED “

GREED is a strange, strange sin.

All you want to do is Acquire.

*Acquire Money,

*Acquire Material,

*Acquire Time,

*Acquire Energy,

*Acquire Attention,

*Acquire Power,

the running mantra is

“ I WANT, I WANT , I WANT,”

but that quickly turns to :

“ I NEED, I NEED, I NEED “

( Image source: https://relatably.com/q/excessive-greed-quotes )

( Image source: https://slideplayer.com/slide/8698372/ )

There are some things that money can’t buy. Such as : Moral, Manner, Integrity

Jealousy, greed, and envy will not get you very far in life because you will constantly be unhappy, spending your whole life trying to do something that is not right for you, being insecure, dissatisfied with yourself, and the people around you .

The more you have, the more Occupied, Imprisoned, Manipulated, and Threatened you are.

The less you own, the more independent you are: perhaps you might begin to consider by being honest within yourself. I wish people could grasp the sense of the freedom and liberation that comes with being honest and genuine to themselves.

All the wealth in the world will never be able to acquire back your soul nor insecurity & inner peace .

NOTHING IS MORE EGREGIOUS THAN GREEDY POLITICIANS. — Sonia Rumzi

( WIP ) WORK IN PROGRESS

#greed

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heavyarethecrowns · 6 years

Link

It was breathlessly reported this month by British newspapers that Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s American TV-star girlfriend, had been introduced to Queen Elizabeth II.

The teatime meeting — said to be over finger sandwiches and scones at Buckingham Palace — with her love’s granny was the most significant indicator yet that the 36-year-old “Suits” actress will soon step into her biggest role ever: joining the cast of one of the world’s most celebrated families.

Markle, who was photographed on Sept. 25 holding hands with Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada during their first public outing, is said to have given up her Audi lease in Toronto, where “Suits” films. And her work contract ends in late November.

It seems to be a case of when, not if, an engagement is announced.

Rumors are swirling around London that the 33-year-old prince has already proposed to his squeeze of 15 months after getting permission from his indomitable grandmother.

It’s an understatement to say that free-spirited Markle is about to experience a dramatic lifestyle change. As Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of “Majesty Magazine,” told The Post: “It’s going to be a minefield.”

Sources reveal that as the Los Angeles-raised actress prepares for a very public engagement and wedding, she is also being schooled in the ways of the Firm — the royals’ affectionate nickname for themselves. There’s no special “school” where Markle will learn how to curtsy, hob-knob with foreign dignitaries or emerge from a car without flashing her underwear.

British writer Katie Nicholl told The Post that Prince Harry has been Markle’s main mentor in all things royal.

“He knows how daunting this will be for Meghan and he’s keen for her to be relaxed in the company of senior royals,” she said.

Before the auspicious meeting at so-called “BP,” he would have told his girlfriend how to address the 91-year-old queen, strongly suggesting that she curtsy, even though that’s an optional move these days.

“Harry will have made sure Meghan knew how to address the queen and how to behave in her presence,” says Nicholl, who has written a forthcoming biography of Harry. “He calls her ‘Granny,’ but after Meghan had curtsied and called her ‘Your Majesty,’ she would have reverted to ‘ma’am.’ It seems strange to mere mortals, but it is how [Princess] Kate addresses her.”

The American divorcée will be encouraged to be herself — with one giant caveat.

“She will always have to remember, in public at least, that she is royalty and certain behaviors are expected,” said Seward, whose latest book, “My Husband and I”— chronicling the marriage of the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh — is soon to be published.

“It’s going to be difficult for her because she is an independent career woman who [won’t] really like being told what to do.”

Markle’s position is unprecedented, although there are echoes of the scandalous love affair between divorced US socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to the king’s abdication in 1936.

“We’ve never had an American divorcée marry someone who is in line to the throne,” said Seward. Harry is currently fifth in position, behind his father, Prince Charles, brother, Prince William, nephew George and niece Charlotte. He will be shunted to sixth place after the birth of William and Kate’s third child next April.

“American manners are different than British manners,” Seward added. “[She] can’t walk down the street eating or chewing gum.” Markle will even have to correct her table manners. “We hold our cutlery differently. It’s a whole different culture.”

Markle did well in her new role in a September Vanity Fair cover-story interview, sanctioned by Harry, when she revealed: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”

Still, the corridors of Kensington Palace (where Harry lives in an apartment near William and Kate) are a long way from the San Fernando Valley, where Markle was raised by her yoga-teacher mother, Doria, who is black, and lighting-director father, Thomas, who is white.

When she launched an affordable clothing line in 2016, she told the Toronto Star: “I was not a girl who grew up buying $100 candles. I was the girl who ran out of gas on her way to an audition.”

She first attended the private Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and then an all-girls’ Catholic school, Immaculate Heart High. Markle studied theater and international relations at Northwestern University, just outside Chicago, where a fellow alumnus remembered her as being “very sophisticated for a college student.

“We were in our early 20s but she seemed like someone 10 years older. She had the poise and grace it takes to being a royal.”

By the time she graduated from college in 2003, Markle had already made her screen debut in “General Hospital,” which led to roles on TV shows such as “90210,” “Knight Rider,” “CSI:NY” and, ultimately, “Suits.”

Charles Rae, former royal correspondent for Britain’s Sun and author of the book “Diana: The People’s Princess,” believes the starlet’s professional skills will come in handy when she signs up with the Firm.

“She’s a natural performer and will chat with people with ease,” he said. “Besides, everyone will be intrigued by her accent.”

It’s not as if Markle lacks experience in public speaking. A global ambassador for World Vision, she traveled with the humanitarian organization to Rwanda for its clean water campaign. Her résumé also includes working for United Nations Women as part of the HeForShe gender-equality movement. All of this earns her extra points with the royal family, as she would be expected to perform charity work and have pet causes as a princess.

Rae, who described the possibility of Markle marrying Harry as “the best thing to happen to the monarchy in years,” revealed that the brunette has been “studying hard” to fit into the lifestyle.

“She has practically been living at Kensington Palace whenever she is in London and will have seen the routine that goes on with the butlers and servants,” he told The Post.

As of late, Markle has been zipping around London in a new Volkswagen — sometimes, but not always, with a driver. According to the Daily Mail, this is significant because the royal family has a deal with VW in which they get a 60-percent lease discount; Princess Kate had a similar deal, leasing an Audi (owned by VW) before marrying William.

It will likely only be after an engagement is announced that Markle will receive formal briefings on her public appearances. A personal assistant will also be hired.

As Seward points out, advance information on how to dress correctly could have helped Markle ahead of the Invictus Games, where she famously wore ripped jeans.

Meanwhile, the royal protection squad, an elite team of police officers, will be on hand to advise her on dealing with the traditional “walkabouts” so loved by the British public.

“She will learn how to cope if someone [in a crowd] comes on too strong,” said Rae. “Ever since John Lennon was shot, the royals have been told never to rebuff anyone. Members of the family, including the queen, have had assassination attempts against them in the past, and no chances will be taken with Meghan.”

As with Grace Kelly, when she became the princess of Monaco, Markle’s “acting career will, of course, be a thing of the past,” Rae said.

Robert Lacey, historical consultant for the hit Netflix series “The Crown,” told The Post that Markle will not be expected to take British citizenship — mainly because of Harry’s low place in line to the throne.

“Her position as the wife of Prince Charles’s second son would not warrant it,” said the author of the upcoming book “The Crown: The Official Companion.”

The Greek-born Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Philip], now 96, became a British citizen in March 1947, eight months before his wedding to the then-Princess Elizabeth.

“Times have changed and the heat is off Meghan,” added Lacey. “She is a new recruit but, apart from being assigned a lady-in-waiting, it would be demeaning for her to get too much advice from courtiers.

“The best person to give Meghan advice would be her fellow divorcée, Camilla [the Duchess of Cornwall and Harry’s stepmother]. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had taken Meghan aside for a strong gin and tonic and some helpful tips on joining the royal family,” Lacey said. “She’s a very funny woman who’s had it all thrown at her but survived.”

Rae said the royals have learned lessons from the ill-fated introductions of both Princess Diana and Sarah, the Duchess of York, to the royal family in the 1980s. “Kate Middleton’s entry into the world went relatively smoothly in comparison.”

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that, when Middleton joined the royal family, an agreement was drawn up among Kate, her parents and Prince William to protect her from undue stress during the first five years of marriage. “Prince Harry is said to be considering a similar agreement to shield [Markle] from palace courtiers who like to keep their charges busy,” said the newspaper.

Speculation is now rife that Markle will appear on the balcony with Kate, Camilla and the queen as princes Charles, William and Harry place wreaths on London’s Cenotaph memorial on Remembrance Sunday, the British equivalent of Veteran’s Day, on Nov. 12.

“Meghan will no doubt follow royal protocol to the letter and wear a nice black coat and hat,” said Lacey, adding that her presence will be another indicator of an impending engagement.

And Christmas is approaching. If Markle is invited to Sandringham, the Norfolk estate where the queen and her family spend the holidays, she might as well be walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey.

“I just hope she enjoys pheasant shooting,” said Rae. “When the birds drop and they’re not yet dead, Meghan will be expected to join the other royal ladies in wringing their necks.”

“[She] can’t walk down the street eating or chewing gum.”

by: Ingrid Seward

Does Ingrid Seward love to insult people? Is that her favorite past-time? She really needs to let it go, the monarchy has to evolve, modernise, if they are to continue well into the 21st century.

However, I honestly believe that Prince Charles will be the last monarch.

SUBMITTED

I can’t be bothered to read this.

But from the mild skimming, I don’t believe that meeting took place

Of course Harry will help her when need be, that is what the born royal does for his partner - married yet or not.

#meghan markle #prince harry #link #article #submission

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universal-translation-services · 5 years

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Spanish to English translations for critical USCIS forms

A considerable number of Spanish-speaking migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers apply for residence in the United States annually. Despite that almost half of the American population speaks Spanish, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) do not offer paperwork in Spanish. Applicants need to hire private individuals and firms to help them with their translations. The USCIS provides a list of certified translators that could help Spanish speaking individuals with their paper works. USCIS forms are an essential part of applications for residency in the United States. The office requires all its documents to be translated into English before accepting it. The office also requires a certification from the translator that the paper works are complete and accurate. The translator also needs to attest to his or her capacity as a language converter. It means that if you have a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or any other documents, you will need someone to who is fluent in English and Spanish to convert and provide the original translation with the translated text and copy of the original document. Applicants need to remember that the petitioner or the beneficiary can’t convert the documents. Applicants need to ensure that their forms are clearly and adequately translated and filled-in since it is critical for their immigration. The USCIS regulates applications requiring them a certificate of translation. It is a formal statement that requires a language interpreter to show that they have accurately translated a foreign-language document into English. To ensure the approval of your petitions, papers need to be translated entirely and directly, including signatures, dashes, seals, stamp, etc. It is also required that the visual format of the document and its conversion. For example, the conversion of an official seal must appear in the same place on the page as where the seal appears on the actual document. The documents need accuracy from a certified language interpreter and not by the petitioner. Simple errors in converting your paper works might risk your application. You might be required to send your documents to a transformation service provider because of the mistakes. Paper works done in the U.S. don’t need notarization. Immigration documents are only notarized if it is submitted outside the U.S. If you want an easier way to apply for residency, you can ask guidance from freelance translation services. This blog will list down some of the translators that might help you with your critical USCIS forms.

Kevin Gerry Dunn: FTrMP Project

The project aims to provide free Spanish interpretations of as many documents as possible. The FTrMP Project provided language conversion, which was approved by at least two professional interpretations. The materials included I-914: Application for T Nonimmigrant Status, I-918: Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status, I-485: Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, I-589: Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal + Supplements A and B, N-400: Application for Naturalization, I-360 Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, Pages relevant for VAWA and SIJS petitions, G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request, I-918 Supplement A, Petition for Qualifying Family Member of U-1 Recipient, I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant, I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.

Citizen Path

Citizen Path might help in your application quickly and correctly. Lawyers review the software, and it guides applicants in their immigration forms as you provide help in answering your immigration questions.

Motaword

The website provides certified translation from Spanish to English. It assists with your applications for a Green Card, Naturalization or to replace your Naturalization or Citizenship documents that need a conversion from Spanish to English. It includes documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, transcripts, inoculation documents, divorce decrees, and death certificates that are in a foreign language need to be interpreted into English for your petitions. The website is focused on Spanish since it is the most widely converted language in the U.S. Its language converters assured that they adhere with the rules set forth by the USCIS form. It provides certified services from its competent language converters.The firm utilizes the Optical Character Recognition technology that read the words in a picture in their translation. It means that you can take a photo of the document on your phone, upload it to MotaWord, get a price quote, and make your payment.

Rush Translate

The website advertises a 100% USCIS Acceptance Guarantee. The site assures that their certified conversions meet all USCIS requirements that guarantee acceptance. More than 60,000 clients trust the firm with a favorable rating from 3,568 verified reviews. Petitioners will expect a 24-hour average turnaround for three pages of documents. It can interpret around 60 languages for any material. The firm guarantees that their conversions are performed human translators and include basic formatting that mimics the original layout of your source document. The firm hosts optional services (listed below) to meet your specific requirements. It is one of the most trusted sources for online translation services in the U.S. It assures that their converters have the experience to complete your project on time with a high degree of accuracy while our support staff is available to you every step of the way. The firm requires $24.95 per page, defined as 250 words or less, for their services. It assures that the conversion will have similar formatting to the source document as it provides a word-for-word translation of all legible text including stamps and signatures in PDF on our company letterhead accompanied by a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy. Read the full article

#spanish #english #spanishtranslation #englishtranslation #USCIS #form #uscisform #paperwork #immigration

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chyemmi-chimi · 7 years

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Tagged by @mirioes and @ultra-ugo. This is pretty long? So I’ll put it under a read more.

Answer 30 questions + tag 10 people you’d like to know better

- Nicknames: Berry, shorty, munchkin, toothpick - I have a long list of nicknames, a lot of which I can’t even remember how they came to be. Honestly, someone can call me anything and I’ll totally go along with it.

- Star Sign: Sagittarius

- Gender: Cis Female

- MBTI Type: INFP, if I remember correctly.

- Height: I’m like, uh... 4′11. I think? Idk. Last time I measured myself, I went up to like 148 cm or something *cough*

- Time: 4:19 p.m.

- Birthday: November 23

- Favorite Bands: Simple Plan, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, RADWIMPS, etc

- Favorite Solo Artists: Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran... I can’t think of anymore at the moment.

- Song Stuck In My Head: How Far I’ll Go (Russian ver.) from the movie Moana

- Last Movie I Watched: I... honestly don’t remember.

- Last Show I Watched: Does BNHA count

-Other Blogs: I have an art blog @chyemmi and I’m also in charge of @sulkingsolomon, though the latter is nearly dead since I’ve gotten into BNHA (Sorry to those who were expecting it to be active ahaha;;;;)

- When I Created My Blog: The beginning of this year, I believe? Or the end of last year.

- What I Post About: Mostly BNHA and the occasional Magi post and random anime.

- Last Thing I Googled: “Cintiq 22hd” ((because I love crying over the fact I don’t have that kind of money to buy it hahaha *sobs*))

- Following: 126

- Followers: 202

- Favourite Color: Purple, green, and blue

- Average Hours of Sleep: About 5-7 hours, unless something happens in which it can range from 30 min to 3 hours *cough*

- Lucky Number: 16...?

- Instruments: I’ve tried learning piano and guitar, though sad to say I gave up.

- What I’m Wearing: Work uniform.

- How Many Blankets I Sleep With: One really soft and warm blanket. Sometimes two if I’m feeling especially cold.

- Dream Jobs: Never really thought about it. I still haven’t figured out what I wanna do in life and my health doesn’t really help decide, either.

- Dream Trip: .Vacation is a dream in itself at this point. Though if I had to pick... I guess I’d like to see Japan, Germany, and maybe Azerbaijan (my mom used to talk about how beautiful it was there). Maybe where I was born, too. Just to see if it’s changed since I’ve moved.

- Favorite Food: Blinchikis

- Nationality: As in... citizenship? That kind of nationality? Because I don’t have one. That would be considered stateless, right?

Tagging: @cana-mochi, @artommu, @itsdanystormborn, @teammagi, @helena-hikari aaaand. Idk. Whoever wants to do this??

#tag meme #get to know me #thanks for the tag!

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sketchysaniwa · 5 years

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Halfway Saniwa (Ch.4)

{Chapter 4: Speak Your Mind}

“English”

‘thoughts’

For the following 2 weeks Kaiita was brought into contact with the outside world; the new and digitally tangible one as well as beginning her introduction courses. Firstly, her studies of the Japanese language took the forefront along with her basic introduction to the Saniwa and the Grid of Transient Time Channels. This was the system in which most of her power over her mission would be intimately integrated. It was late evening and Kaiita was sitting on the floor in a new room in a different wing of the E.S.C. HQ with a clear stylus brush hovering over a large plate on a low table. She was practicing her hiragana and katanana, when Konnosuke came padding into the room. It was one of the rare times he ever left her side- but it was important due to the fact he was clarifying something that had arrived for her. “ Here it is!” he announced with no shortage of pride in his voice, which made Kaiita look up from her work. “Hm?” “Your ID and citizenship papers.” ‘Citizenship papers?’ this irked her eye brow with a bit of concern. “But- I’m Canadian, right?” she agreed to joining their army- no one said anything about giving up her citizenship. Konnosuke shook his head and pushed the envelope he’d brought in closer to her. “Of course you are, but since around a few years before the war began, everyone became a dual citizen of the planet or United Countries Sovereign. It was a sign of the world’s unification under a common cause of restoration and collaboration. It is considered a sign of progress of this era, one of our finest achievements!“ Kaiita could only imagine what impact this had on immigration, but she had enough politics to worry about. For now she took a look at her card which slid out smoothly into her open palm along with a small folder of documentation papers. Everything seemed to be in order; it signified her as Canadian in origin and alliance, and – sure enough- a dual citizen of the UCS. It showed her sex, height, weight, skin and natural hair color-… biological age? This was actually marked down as Early 20’s but then in brackets – unspecified. ‘Perhaps they couldn’t gauge exactly how long I was frozen for?’ There was that odd shudder again. Every time she encountered something that nailed it into her that she had lost everything, it left an unsettling weight in her stomach. It scared her. In some strange way perhaps Kaiita was still in denial. She was still refusing to admit what happened- even when staring at her own picture on the glassy surface of her ID card. “Ah! You’re rather good at this.” Konnosuke commented, having crossed behind the girl and now stood with his front paws sitting on top the table. He- it- they, where looking over her hand writing. “You think so? It can use some improvement, I think my hand shakes too much and makes some of the loops too small.” She replied placing the documents down beside the sheet of scribbled words.

“ – Now you are officially in the roster of Saniwa , if you searched up your name, your basic stats will appear on a simple web browser search.” “W- what wait?! That’s public knowledge?!” she was joining the army- Not wanting to become an internet presence! “Hardly, “ Konnosuke said, holding out his paw in a gesture for her to calm down, “ It’s not what you think. Saniwa are privy to a lot more information than the common public. Your name will pop up in a basic search, but not your photograph, just a few simple details, that’s what’s available to the public, but as for specifics- if YOU- yourself looked up your name you would get a much more in-depth profile result. While other saniwa may have something in the middle- depending on what you wish to share. “ ‘I suppose that make sense’ she thought, “ If I wanted to search up allies or team mates I’d get a rough overview of a saniwa in question right?” “Exactly!” the fox confirmed.

“Now how about we do a few practice phrases- introduce yourself Kaiita-sama?” the fox situated himself across from her and Kaiita swerved around to face him with her text book on her lap. For the next 2 hours they went over basic phrases of introduction, some key situation things and words she could really use in emergencies before breaking for dinner. Japanese was a dense language, and she was having trouble remembering similar looking symbols. Kaiita only hoped with usage in real life the meanings would stick eventually. For now she could relax and eat her dinner- which was found down stairs in a cafeteria.

What Kaiita eventually came to understand was the science and research wing- where she was originally kept, this was the main center. People came and went from all branches of the government in regards to the war on the world history. She saw people dressed in various military garb and regalia- and most of all- saniwa. It was easier to pick them out in fact- what she had initially felt with Keiko was a saniwas aura. A natural barrier or space in which their presence fills a space around them. Konnosuke explained that a saniwa was a shorter word for sayaniwa which was originally what a purified site was called. Specifically it referred to a place where a deity was worshiped and its divine will was received- eventually this translated over to people who fulfilled a similar function, receiving the name of the location itself as a literal title. So like a shaman or a priest- but something a bit more intrinsically connected to ‘space’ itself. This space seemed to follow saniwa wherever they went. It was a core attribute of their powers. Kaiita wandered into the mess hall where a plethora of people milled about their business, grabbing a snack, taking a break or just passing through on their own business. What was so interesting, was the clash of old and new right before her eyes. People clearly dressed for battle, would don combinations of modern and ancient clothing! It was rather an interesting sight to see. It proved to her quickly that a saniwa could be literally- anyone! Men or women, adults and even children! CHILDREN! What sort of branch of an army hired children?!

Kaiita gawked in the middle of eating her food at a girl standing no taller than maybe 4 feet ! She short brown hair brushed over one eye in the company of a man who… had pink hair? They also wore a very ornate and flashy golden kimono. In fact all those she could tell where saniwa were rare ever alone. They have an attendant of some sort at any given time usually. Kaiita couldn’t figure out who they were exactly, for now she had a lot to memorize simply in terms of how people got around now a day. From learning basic transit, language and customs, it was a lot to take in and get straight. At the very least people were not to unforgiving to someone who just didn’t get it right away- even more so- she wasn’t the only foreigner there. Not by a long shot.

As she bit into a piece of tuna she could see a blonde across the mess hall with the ugliest jacket she’d ever seen! He followed by a much more refined individual wearing a rather artistic attire and what she could tell was purple hair. Purple hair- so many colors. At least she guessed that about the future correctly- she imagined once upon a time a future where people could look however they wished- including normally impossible shades of hair. Another thing she did notice about every single saniwa’s attendant was each carried some kind of weapon on their person. Usually this weapon was some sort of Japanese blade. In fact- she could tell the difference between the types- because Konnosuke made her memorize them. The fox told her this was also very important to her line of work- which would become clear once the first initial hurdles of her training where done.

‘One of the most important parts-‘they had said.

She must have mouthed that perhaps whilst eating for suddenly- “Hm? Did you say something Kaiita-sama?” the fox who had been eating some stuffed inari sushi- something she was surprised an synthetic organism was able to- was not looking at her. “Oh!” she put her chop sticks down a moment, sipping her tea to clear her throat. “I was actually wondering- about what you said regarding the study of swords.” She gestured to yet another saniwa who stood up across from another table, a small girl in a very flowery military attire following them with a ‘tantou’ on their hip made to follow. “Oh? You’re curious about them huh? Well worry not- your introduction to the toudan danshi is tomorrow.” They declared with an excited swish of their tail. The fox pointed with a paw, “ –every saniwa as you can observe has a person following them yes? Those armored people are called toudan danshi. They are very important, to us, and to you. You’ll see, I am quite looking forward to this myself- I am curious who will be called to your side first!” “ -called? you mean, someone is going to volunteer? One of them?” she straightened up, watching them more closely- and for a moment she could have sworn she’d seen the SAME person pass by a second time. The one with the purple hair- but the saniwa they followed was different! Did they switch charges here too? “ Tommorow, Kaiita-sama, now that you have clearance to leave since your ID has arrived-… we shall be leaving this place. But not before you learn who and what toudan danshi are.” That made her stand up in shock- “ I’m leaving?!” So soon?! Or was it? Maybe she was just becoming used to this place… when did the time creep up?

“Calm down- calm down- sit sit- everything will be fine.” Konnosuke said once again doing their best to settle her down. And how could it not work- with those adorable paws waving at her? The girl resumed her seat and waited for her partner to explain. “ I understand you perhaps are nervous, but you need to go somewhere more… home-like. As much as I’m sure you have adjusted to this place, it is both part of your training, your job, but also as another positive contribution to your health. You need to go somewhere more domestic now. Your home, your citadel awaits. It waits for you to open the door to it and take shape. It’s going to be quite the sight- I know you’ll be happy there.”

Konnosuke sounded so sure- “I’m not so sure.” Kaiita blurted out. Realizing how rude it must have sounded- she apologized. “ I mean- “ words died in her throat. How could she feel at home in such an alien place? As much as it was nice, wonderful even-..this wasn’t home. How could it ever be? It shamed her to think this way, but she was homesick. An irrational part of her felt guilty of some kind of betrayal, to simply replace her –home- with another. It was perfectly juvenile! As she mentally admonished herself the fox padded closer until they were nearly nose to nose- and Kaiita straightened up in surprise.

“….?” What did they want? Eventually the creatures face softened into an unmistakable smile.

“It is going to be okay Kaiita-sama. You will be fine. You can do this. You’re ready.” Convincing herself was one this- but hearing someone say that, with such conviction, was another. And it slammed hard in her chest- resulting in her shoulders feeling just a bit lighter.

#Halfway Saniwa #female saniwa #saniwa oc #refference to other saniwa here #can you spot the other saniwa?#touken ranbu fanfiction #saniwa kaiita

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sputtanare-blog · 7 years

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Immigration questions online free from Riley Aviles

How can I protect my illegal husband of 20 years from deportation? I'm a US born citizen and we have 3 children.

He entered illegally before we married and got found, so he'd orders to be deported. He left, but came back 18 months later, after we married, and was not found the second time. He's no criminal record other than a seatbelt ticket. Our kids are ages 19, 15, and 12. He doesn't have an visa. Without having to leave, how can he get legalized? We have been married 20 years. I am scared for him. Will someone please reply me? A: Consider contacting an attorney for a consultation. Scenarios similar to this are highly fact specific. There can be a method to assist your husband, but it is difficult to figure out without more information. I 'm US citizen who married my wife in Jamaica. What's the best alternative to bring my wife to the USA? Affordable lawyers? What exactly is the avg. fee rate from start to finish? To comprehend the process. Is the green card just like partner visa? Is there any who applied for Visa has the process slowed down due to Trump's new executive order? A: The Trump EO shouldn't slow down the processing of the I-130 petition for a Jamaican citizen. Best way to appraise your wife's scenario is always ask for price quotes during the consult and to discuss in a consultation setting with multiple lawyers. Many immigration attorneys offer free consultations. Decide the one you feel most comfortable with and rather who is an AILA member (American Immigration Lawyers Association).

LPR documents requirement when travel outside U.S.

My mom is LPR, and she plans to travel outside U.S. in this summer. After reading the file "Traveling outside of the U.S. - Documents needed for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)/Green Card holders" on U.S. Customs and Border Protection website. it says," Foreign nationals who have applied for permanent residency may need to be approved for advance parole ahead of traveling out of the U.S. In order to be readmitted when traveling back to the U.S. (H1, H4, L1, L2, K3, K4 or V2, V3 holders don't require advance parole to travel abroad after applying to adjust status." I wonder, does my mom need to file parole earlier in advance to be able to be readmitted when traveling back to the U.S. ? Another concern, her green card will expire on March 2018. Is she okay to travel outside U.S. in December? As an LPR, how long can she stay outside U.S.? Exactly how many days can she remain outside U.S. if she travels multiple times during a year? Thank you in advance for your answer A: For every one of the specifics either contact an immigration lawyer or go to the USCIS office in Denver (schedule a meeting online since they don't meet non-scheduled parties). A lawyer will charge a fee as well as the USCIS is not going to charge you (but you will need to wait). Complex parole is for individuals who are applying for PR standing, but haven't been given proper PR approval. In other words, provided the green card continues to be legal advanced parole is not usually required.Within the boundaries of "temporary" journey, there are not any limitations of how many times a permanent resident leaves the US, provided that they still meet the minimal amount of time in the US required to keep the PR standing (i.e. 6 months or more outside the US can result in LPR abandonment).For the details of PR requisites review the PR application instructions. The USCIS webpage should also have this info accessible.Depending on when she files for a renewal and when your mom is outside the US an advanced parole may be demanded.Eventually, remember a legal green card AND ALSO a valid foreign passport are required to leave and reenter the US for green card holders.

Immigration Law Questions & Answers :: Justia Ask a Lawyer

I m a US citizen married a Nigerian and petition for him to come to US. separated after 6 month. How can I divorce him?

May 2015 we wed in his nation. After I petitioned for him to come he arrive in US May 2016. He's a 2 year green card. We split Nov 2016 due to his aggressive behaviour and signs he may have married me to come to US. I needed to call the police at that time and he offered to leave and told policeman that is is giving up his right to live in the house I've owned for 8 years. The officers helped him to remove what private things that were left in the house. He'd removed most items a week prior to me having to call the authorities. What's my duty and can I file for divorce in the typical manner? Thanks A: Yes, your divorce would be filed the same regardless.

Real estate lawyer

Does it matter whether we get married in the UK or USA if my fiance is British and wishes to move here with me?

My fiancee is British. She comes over here on a tourist visa a couple of times per year. My target would be to get her live with me here. I myself am a naturalized citizen, employed full time. Does it make any difference if she were to apply to dwell here, whether we get married here or there? A: Make any difference for what purposes? Your question lacks sufficient detail. The best first step is a First Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my credentials, awards, honors, testimonials, and media appearances/ publications on my law practice web site. I practice law in these areas of law in CA, NY, MA, and DC: Education Law & Contracts, Criminal Defense, Divorce & Child Custody, and Business. This answer doesn't constitute legal advice; make any predictions, guarantees, or warranties; or create any Attorney-Client relationship.

I won a green card through Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. My question is do I have to maintain my F1 status?

I'm student that is F1. I acquired a green card through Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. My question is do I have to maintain my F1 status while awaiting my Interview? A: YES! While living in the USA you ought to always keep standing.

I have my green card and want to apply for my Citizenship but I have a juvenile record will I get denied automatically?

A: Not mechanically. Nevertheless, you need to work with an immigration lawyer to find out whether the criminal record is debatable for naturalization. It depends on the crime.

Can I file I-130 for my 15 year-old daughter whose mother is not my legal wife?

I'm a US citizen. I 've a 15 year old daughter who was born in Hong Kong. Her mom isn't my legal wife. Can I bring her into the USA for permanent residency? A: Yes. For her to get a green card, as long as she's your biological daughter under the age of 21, you can file. She is going to probably derive citizenship from you under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 as long as you have shared legal custody, if she enters the USA before the age of 18. If not, until she is eligible to file for naturalization on her own, she'd continue to be permanent resident. Consider working with an attorney to sort this out.

My husband received a waived deportation document from a immigration judge, what to do with that document?

My husband is ex Marine grant or but to recieved for green and citizenship in USA, so we have to carry on to fill I-130 and I 485 or what we should do? A: Do you mean the judge terminated proceeding? Or did he or she grant a waiver to you? If so, what kind of waiver? (there are many!) You should take a seat with an immigration attorney for a consultation. As these issues can be quite fact specific, free consultations are offered by many of us.

Does my wife need to update her name on her green card before filing an I-130 for me (husband/spouse)?

I am a foreign national who married my wife who's a US permanent resident. We got married in america and she took my surname upon marriage. (1.) Does my wife, as the I130 petitioner, need to make an application for a new permanent resident card with her updated surname before filing the I-130 or will our US marriage certificate suffice? (2.) Additionally, she has 3 middle names (Example: Jane Alexandria Victoria Elizabeth Doe). Her permanent resident card has all her old names; nevertheless, our marriage certificate just has her first name, first middle name, second middle name initial and my new surname (Example: Jane Alexandria V Thomas). Which name should she contain on the I130 in accordance with my first question? Thank you. A: Almost daily is changing now and it's unwise to put it charitably to try and represent yourself in an immigration matter. Only an Immigration attorney has the expertise to correctly fill out immigration forms and put together the right package of files and other evidence to support the immigration advantages you are attempting to get. Nevertheless, especially in these turbulent times, you should retain an immigration lawyer. This really isn't a do-it-yourself project! You need to concentrate on keeping experienced immigration counsel, particularly now that immigration is a great deal more prohibitive since Trump is now President.

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aslan744 · 7 years

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My dudes, I am going to rant about a topic that is talked about a lot in the media. It is a topic that concerns me, as a Latino and as an immigrant. Ya see, I live in a lovely place called Wisconsin. If ya don't know much about Wisconsin, then lemme tell ya. We got them farmers my dude. We got a shit ton of farms and cheese and cows and shit. We number 1 in cheese production but not milk, which is weird. We are second. California is first I believe. ANYWAYS. So since there is a lot of farms here, my good ol Hispanic ppl come here and work in farms. Cause most of us had unos pinches ranchos, ya know. Con las pinches vacas and shit. So we familiar with these farms. (Sort of. We good with working with the animals. The machinery is something that we don't normally do, but we learn to use it, in hopes of getting payed and helping our family be healthy and live in a nice home.) Now that we got that shit outta the way, lemme tell u bout the actual shit that's going on here. Today, there was a Day Without Latinxs, Immigrants, and Refugees march in Milwaukee. This march began cause of the county sheriff, David Clarke. Now my dudes. I don't know much about this dude, but this is what I found. This dude pledged to "crack down on undocumented immigrants." He wants to partner up with Immigration and Custom Enforcements (ICE). He wanna do dis so the local police force can have the same power as the ICE, to be able to arrest and detain undocumented people. This dude wants the POLICE FORCE to have this power. Like bro, no ty. Now, my friends. I know some of u might be like "yeAH GET RID OF THE FOOKIN SMELLY ASS TACO BREATHING MEXICANS U FILTHY SLUTS!" Now, whoever thinks this, gtfo my post. Get out. Didn't ask for yo damn opinion. Now. For the ones that are like "gimme a reason to side with u" then allow me to explain. Now you see, as a fellow Hispanic, Jennifer Estrada once said, "Immigrants are the backbone to the dairy industry in my area and without them, the economy would get worse for all of us. People should not be afraid of law enforcement, they should not live under the threat of their families being torn apart." Now. As she implied, many immigrants work in the dairy industry. In my area, there are several immigrants working in farms. A big farm company near my area, Holsum Elm Dairy, (I hope I spelled it right) they have so many immigrants working there. Like. I barely see any caucasians working there. There are a few but like I barely see them. And they are a very big company, lemme tell ya that. If we were to get rid of all those immigrants, then the company would go down my friends. They would have to try to find several people who want to work. (Now this is gonna me my input in this, this isn't accurate shit, but this is what I see and I'm going to state it cause I can) Now, white ppl seem very fookin picky to me. With a lot of things including jobs. A lot of white ppl I know would say stuff like "Ew! I ain't gon' work at a place full of filthy, disgusting cows that shit everywhere! That's gross! I can just go work at Starbucks or Subway or something." Now I know of some people who would be totally okay with it but there's barely any :') So if all the immigrants left, it would be really bad for the company and the economy. And it's not just farms my friend. In Milwaukee, there is a big market that is run by Hispanics and many people in that area go to shop there. So if the Hispanics were taken away, then there would be no market. Now my doods, we also got them authentic taco trucks, the little carts that sell corn on the cob, Mexican candy, and ice cream. And remember my doods, it's not just Hispanics who are in risk either. There's a bunch of other races and ethnics and all other shit. Now on the other shit. As my girl Jennifer Estrada also said, many people are in fear of being stripped from their families. Personally, I don't really care about this economy shit. This isn't my country. I came here because my parents wanted a better life and we wanted to escape poverty. My whole entire plan was to be here, make enough money to actually stay alive, and perhaps go back and live our nice and quiet lives. If I really wanted to, I could try and stay. So economy isn't really important and it's not my problem if the economy goes down. Y'all are the ones who allowed this to happen. We warned you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyways. The only thing that really, really scares me is the fact that families are being split. That is THE biggest fear most immigrants have. Lemme just put a picture in ur head my doods. Imagine just causally driving towards the grocery store with your mom and siblings. (Or dad. Or guardian. Or whatever. And if u don't have fookin siblings then friends and if u don't have friends then by ur fookin self ajdjwjjsj Ima stop here) So y'all going shopping and shit and then the police stops you. Why? Your mom was driving correctly and shit. She didn't do nothing wrong. But ya know, the po po just pulls her over and asks for documents. She says something like "I don't have them with me." And then the police says "you're under arrest ma'am for [some dumb shit that I dunno I'm not a cop jfc djjwjw]" So now. Your mom is arrested and you're never going to see her again. Cause she's being deported. And now. You're living in a foster care cause you don't got any other family member. That right there my friends. That is something that could happen to ME. THAT right there is my biggest fear. Having my mother deported. I lost my pops man, don't gotta get my mother taken away man. Now imagine all the kids that are being affected. Kids like me. I am only 15 years old. Going to high school. Got a sister that's almost a freshman. Having a loving mother who works her ass off to take care of me and my sister. I don't really know what is to happen to me and my sister. I have papers to be able to study here, but not my sister since she is not old enough to get them yet. And my mother doesn't have documents either. In this situation I am the only one who will probably stay here, but I'll be parted from my family. That is my biggest fear. And I'm not the only one dealing with this shit. Other families are living in fear. This is why the march started. Because the sheriff doesn't want just criminals removed. He wants ALL undocumented immigrants to be removed. Now I'm okay with criminals being removed. When I say criminals, I mean people who have broken the law SEVERAL TIMES or someone who did some really bad illegal shit besides being undocumented. NOT someone who has to use fake documents. Because listen here my doods, lots of us use fake documents. The lady from Arizona was deported because she used a fake social security number. A lot of people have those man, and that social security number was given to us by the DACA program or the DREAM program. (I don't know much about the DREAM program cri) Now people are deported yearly. Like all the fookin time, but they are usually criminals. Families are still being separated but like it's the persons fault for breaking the law several times and for not being careful. (Not tryna be rude but it's true) Now listen. We are not threats to your beloved country okay. Several refugees and immigrants help this economy. We do the jobs that other people don't want to do. We all have our own reasons for being here. Some of us have no reason to be here, but they still here helping ya know. This country was made by immigrants. LET ME REMIND YOU THAT THIS COUNTRY WAS MADE BECAUSE Y'ALL LEFT YO KING TO PRACTICE YOUR OWN RELIGION AND BE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT FREELY. AND Y'ALL ALSO KICKED OUT NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE LAND THEY ALREADY OWNED AND LIKE Y'ALL RAPED AND KILLED THEM SO LIKE..... Anyways. This country btw, has no main language. It is not English. There just isn't one because there is so much diversity in this country. So like. Wake tf up. And realize that we aren't criminals and rapist. LOOK AT THE CHARTS AND INFO MY DOODS. MOST AMERICANS WERE KILLED BY AMERICANS. We barely did any killing my doods. We probably killed our own tbh. But like yeah. Also. I'm like okay with being deported. Like I can just go study in Mexico now like it's fine by me. Same sex marriage is legal in Mexico now and I, as a gender queer little lesbean, am totally okay with that. Except I don't wanna be deported just yet. Like. A bunch of drug lords are running around and killing each other in the streets of Mexico and it's crazy shit. I wanna at least finish schooling before I go back. Alright bitches. Lemme tell ya something. I love me some Barrack Obama. But lemme tell ya. He was one of the presidents who deported the most immigrants while he was in office. But he did this in a safe and sane matter. He got rid of the criminals. He still parted families but like, as I said before. The criminals decided to be pinches pendejos and like fuck shit up for themselves and they didn't watch themselves so they have a criminal record and then they got deported. Obama got rid of those criminals. HE DIDNT GET RID OF THOSE WITH FAKE DOCUMENTS. Why? Because he is the one who created DACA. He is the one who said something like "Alright, my fellow Americans. I'm gonna do a president thingy and make a program that allows the good immigrants that want to study and work here and make a living and shit. They allowed to apply for this good shit and take one step towards citizenship." And that's what my man Obama did. He helped us and warned us. He did some good reasonable shit unlike DONALD DUMP TRUCK. Also known as Donald Trump. Now. He needs to chill tf out. Like. Give him a beer. Take a fucking sip, babes Anyways. The point of this post is that I finished ranting and I hope I educated u guys and I hope y'all educate ur fellow white friends.

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