#heck i'm one of those people who doesn't even mess with the houses when playing sims!

[my-current-obsession]

Most people's reactions to the new RF: Oh thank god all the likely love interests thus far actually look like adults!!!

Me: Please god let them be hyping up the "town building" addition more than necessary. I DO NOT want to actually make and shape the town. Please.

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 27

Who's still reading this? Have fun!

CW : character death (This spoils a lot I'm sorry but I have to put it.)

THE ROAD SO FAR

Previous Chapter : What's behind door number two?

Staying in Shape

John Price

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow, Scotland

It has been almost three days since the culmination of the New York Attack and most of his contacts regarding Nero and Shepherd's movements were quiet. He was getting anxious to step back into the fight, but without sufficient intel, or even better weapons, they couldn't do anything.

Price scanned the room, everyone else started to pair up with each other, a dynamic he expected to happen anytime soon. With all the challenges they've been through, finding love within each other was inevitable. And Price was fine by that. Heck, when he was younger, he had his fair share of romance during missions.

With the thought of Nero and Shepherd resurfacing any moment soon, Price devised a plan, to keep his crew in shape and always prepared to deploy as soon as sufficient intel is presented.

With the help of Jack, they created a training and endurance exercise schedule, where the soldiers, including Price himself, would follow to still continue to stay in shape and prepared for battle. They asked permission from Soap who was more than willing to help, an excited grin all over his face.

"I'll help you set up." he said, gaining a nod from the old man.

"France will train at the basement gym." He added and Soap nodded.

From that moment, the team started training, improving their physical abilities and endurance. Weapons training wasn't possible at the moment as they left it all in Brazil.

Jack overlooked the team from afar, Samantha and Maxine were at the gym helping out France's version of the training. They did the regular set of training from standard 141 protocol, using everyday materials in exchange for some of the equipment Soap didn't own. Price also instructed a specific dietary plan for the soldiers instead of just eating whatever they liked.

While on break, the two girls, Samantha and Maxine approached Price with an excited look in their eyes. Priced raised an eyebrow and asked what they were up to.

"Everyone's doing their best and We both wanted to offer our help." Samantha explained as Maxine inserted.

"We'd like to apply as the team's dietician and health consultant. My resumé is that I have vast knowledge in cooking along with their nutritional information." She grinned.

"And Samantha here has little background on tending to physical wounds and pain. You could see how fast Alex's face healed!" Maxine added. Price was more than happy to accept their offer, it goes to show that they were willing to give whatever it takes for the people and cause they cared about.

"Alright. Guess you're both hired." he chuckled as the two cheered and made their way to their respective 'partners', probably out to share the good news.

Wiping his sweaty forehead with a towel, he looked around the main room where everybody was. Jack was by the office, looking up something on the laptop or probably just playing solitaire. Soap and France were at the gazebo, he could barely see them by the angle he's at but he couldn't miss that flashy mohawk.

To his left, he saw Samantha sitting on Alex's lap as she carefully cleaned Alex's bruise, Roach sat on the other end of the sofa, chugging a bottle of Gatorade while Maxine stood behind him, he could barely hear it, but it looked like the newly hired dietician was already lecturing him about the benefits of said drink, saying the word 'electrolytes' somewhere in the sentence.

He felt proud that this team stood by him ever since he made that choice. He was very grateful that he had someone whom he shared common goals with.

"Price. It's for you." Jack called from the office, causing him to immediately get up and answer the call.

"Aye, this is Price. Got anything for me?" he muttered.

"John. Looks like your friend is on the move." Kate Laswell spoke on the other end of the line, her voice was authoritative as always.

"Which one?" he chuckled, it was about time he received some news.

"Shadow Company. Looks like they're brave using the same car again. Same plate and all." she informed, giving Price the last route they went before going cold once again. It led them to an empty warehouse just by the docks.

"Just what are these bastards up to…" he muttered.

"I have no idea. Think you'll do recon? It doesn't strike as a threat to warrant an official team, this leads really calling your name, John."

Laswell hinted. Despite him being out of the force and one of Fbi's most wanted, Kate insisted to use such perk for further trapping the suspicious Shepherd.

"I worked hard forming the 141 and he easily disbands it like it's nothing…" she added, her voice sounded very bitter.

"Now now, Kate. Take it easy. We'll get him. He's bound to fuck up anytime soon. Keep in touch, mkay?" he said as they both said their goodbyes and ended the call.

"A little recon mission won't hurt, right?" he nudged to Jack who grinned proudly at the solitaire victory screen, cards bounced all around the edges of the screen.

John Price found himself unable to sleep. It was either he's actually excited to do some missions or he's too worried about what they're about to discover, what would Shadow Company be up to and what is the quiet Nero planning behind the scenes? His thoughts raced to a dozen possibilities, all calling for drastic measures and sacrifices. He knew he had allies by his side, allies that are always ready to do whatever it takes to fix this mess.

He lazily dragged his feet to get a glass of water in the kitchen, despite being huge, the house was awfully quiet. Too quiet that he could hear every soft rustling from the halls.

He wasn't one to eavesdrop but he couldn't help but hear soft murmuring near MacTavish's bedroom.

"So.. um.. same time tomorrow?" said a low Scottish voice a chuckle followed. It was obviously Soap and Price thought only enemies were doing something behind the scenes.

"You wish.." a female voice giggled.

"But seriously… Thanks for tonight John." she added.

"No problem, Francine. So.. what's stopping you from staying overnight?" he chuckled. Price knew this was wrong but his glass of water was still half full.

"You know that I'd love to… but Maxine also needs me right now. Especially that she's slowly recovering bits and pieces of the past." she reasoned and Price knew it was time to head back to his room quietly.

Maxine Winters

MacTavish Residence, Glasgow, Scotland

It felt real. She looked around and felt that this was more than just an ordinary dream. The vision was too dark with a small ray of light peeking from the slightly ajar door.

She knew where this was. She liked hiding here, her parent's closet.

She was waiting for Francine to find her, Francine always knew where she hid. But in this certain memory, she wasn't there.

She giggled quietly and hushed herself as soon as the door opened, France was going to find her. But instead, what she heard was her Dad saying words of assurance followed by heavy breathing. She was curious enough to peek through the small opening.

Her dad carried her Mom to the bed, his hands held hers tight, wiping the sweat off her forehead as her chest rose and fell quickly, her breath was labored and her eyes looked tired.

"Hang in there, love. The doctor's on the way." his father assured, making his wife comfortable as they wait for help to arrive.

"I don't think I can make it anymore…" She whispered.

"No no no. Don't do this to me Coraline, don't you want to see our angels grow up?" he sobbed, tears fell on her hands as he kissed it. Maxine remained still, she wanted to cry but she just sat inside the closet, peeking, frozen in a mix of fear and worry.

"I do , Love … but it looks like my body can't make it to that day… I'm sorry…"

"Don't! Please Coraline, stay strong, for me… for the kids…"

"I am… and I know that you know it." she exhaled, panting heavily after the last sentence. Her Dad hugged her until her breathing stabilized, while Coraline weakly raised her hand and hugged him back.

"Promise me you'll see the kids grow up…

Promise me to tell them how much I love them every single day…

And promise me that you'll never forget how much I loved you… Francis Maximus Winters." tears fell from her tired eyes. Her dad held her cheek and wiped it off, sobbing as she slowly closed them.

"I'm not sure if I could keep all of those promises… but I will try… I love you Coraline Winters, I always have and I always will, until the time we'll meet again." he muttered. Maxine witnessed it all, the way her father's face frowned when he realized he just lost his wife. It was one of her saddest memories.

~

Maxine gasped and opened her eyes, touching her face as soon as they opened. Tears. She was crying while asleep. She flicked the lamp and looked around her, France wasn't around. Just as she pulled the sheets so she could leave the bed, the door knob slowly turned and a soft creak was heard. It was Francine.

"France!" Maxine gasped and immediately ran to her side, hugging her tight as she began crying. France smelled different, almost masculine, but she didn't mind.

"Max! What happened? Are you okay?" France quickly hugged her, rubbing her back as she quietly bawled out her emotions.

"I saw… " She panted.

"I saw… Mom…"

"Mom died…" She exhaled as Francine escorted her downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water to calm her heart.

"You were in the closet. We were supposed to be playing hide and seek." France muttered as Maxine turned to her.

"Francis… Maximus Winters." she recalled.

"That's dad's name. It's quite long, right? Mom actually liked him because of it." France enlightened, trying to make Max calm down.

"Yeah… is he ?" Max asked.

"Yeah… but he's kinda forgot about us now. Every time we visit he just looks for Coraline."

"Mom."

"Yes."

"He kept his promise." Max said.

"Huh?" France tilted her head.

"Mom's last words. Promise me you'll see the kids grow up…

Promise me to tell them how much I love them every single day…

And promise me that you'll never forget how much I loved you…" Max recalled from her dream and as more words were added, France's sobs were louder.

"He… he did them all…" France cried as they both hugged each other. And it was the moment that Maxine remembered what France looked like when they first met, her smile… It was the smile of someone who was finally reunited with her only family, and it was painful how the only ones she could cling to couldn't remember her.

"What's that smell?" Maxine asked as she killed the mood of the sisterly hug. France's face turned red, even in the dimly lit room, Max could tell that she was blushing.

"N-Nothing… I don't smell anything." She laughed nervously.

"I swear I passed by that scent somewhere…" she looked at her suspiciously and laughed, shrugging it off which actually made France relax her shoulders.

"Let's go back to sleep." Maxine invited her sister and they both got back to their room.

Next Chapter : Docked and Loaded

Notification Squad my Beloved

@beemybee @enderio @smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach

[crownin-thestars]

There's a Reason Why

You know who Mega is, right? Everyone knows him as that one mute kid, but they don't know why he's mute and they don't seem to care.

But Mega wasn't always like this

Mega was usually a quiet kid around children his age and older, being quite shy and was always teased for his birthmark location. When he was around those younger, he would usually come off as a bit of a bully because of what he says to them. The only reason he did that was to get rid of stress from both school AND home.

His household was even more stressful, having a single mother and being her only child. His father had filed a divorce agreement but was unable to gain custody over Mega due to his mother presenting false cases. This resulted in, of course, Mega living under his mother's roof.

False cases? His mother sounds like the scummiest scumbag in the world, and I can assure you that that may or may not be true. The reason she wanted custody over Mega was because she was never able to reach her own goals, and with a child, she wanted him to achieve them for her. She never cared about what he wanted to do, all she cares about was that her son absolutely needed to become what she expected him to be.

This woman forced her son to be a perfect child. All A stars in school, always obedient at home and always helped her with housework. (For the record, I don't exactly know how grades work in America, an A star is the highest grade you can get on an exam in my country and a U as the lowest, standing for ungraded so I might go by that)

When Mega had told her he wanted to create content, this set her off. His mother yelled at him, so much that it brought him to tears. He was never yelled at like that for so long, the words that came out her mouth sounded like they were came from another. Mega heard things like 'You were a mistake after all' and 'why can't you let me make you great'. He didn't want to hear anymore of it, running off to his room and locking the door.

Mega's mother thought he had changed his mind, yeah that's how entitled she is, but she soon found out that she was very wrong.

Mega had come home one day on his phone. He wasn't even in the house for a minute when his phone was snatched out of his hands. He was slammed into the wall, causing a few things on the shelf next to him to fall. His mother asked him what he had been doing when he hid in his room.

Nervous, he stuttered out a 'nothing', flinching as his mother raised her arm. She screamed at him for being a lier, and told him that she had been keeping track of who and what he was texting. Mega could feel his blood go cold. Knowing who he was texting would mean her knowing what he was planning, and considering what had happened just a few days ago, he already knew she would not react well.

Mega managed to break free from his mother's vice like grip, snatching his phone back before bolting to his room. The slammed the door shut, locking it. Loud banging and screaming coul be heard behind the door. No matter how much she screamed, he wouldn't break the only barrier he had between him and his mother.

He leaned back on the wall opposite the door, his body sliding down as tears fell from his eyes. He grasped his arms around his head, trying to keep the bad noises out. Mega whispered to himself through the sobs as the banging continued. Why did love feel this painful?

Mega had come home from a long day at school. He entered his home, expecting a greeting from his mother. Nothing was said. He quickly checked the kitchen and her room, no one was in there. Mega smiled to himself. He had the home to himself till she came back! It was still noon, so he had just hoped that his mother would only come back in the evening.

Mega enjoyed the hours he was alone, not having his mother there to tell him off. He had played a few games on his phone and watched many, many videos on YouTube. In the middle of watching another video, he looked up to check his clock. It was already late at night and she hasn't come home yet.

He was confused, getting up from his bed. His mind was interrupted by a wave of pain in his stomach. I haven't had dinner. He thought, making his way to the kitchen. Mega looked in the fridge, no leftovers from the night before. That's fine, leftovers aren't the best of foods to eat. He opened up the shelves, only finding a few cans of soup and some instant cup noodles. Guess the noodles would have to do.

It was the next day, had to be a school day of course. Mega did his usual morning routine, the only thing different was that. . . His mom still wasn't home?

He sighed, going around the house to find some cash to bring along with him. He opened drawers and looked under beds. There wasn't a single penny in the whole place. He looked over at his piggy bank, a sort of last resort. He went to pick it up and shook it, sighing with relief when he heard the sound of coined crashing against the metal casing. This money he saved was meant to be a little bank account for the things that he might have wanted. Removing the little cork at the bottom, he shook the money out, it was just enough for the bus rides to school and back for about two to three days.

He grabbed the money, shoving it in his pocket. Time to get to school.

~Smol timeskip cuz again idk how America schooling systems work~

On the bus ride home, he had attempted to contact his mother, ending with it hanging up immediately. Staying on his own was an intimidating thought, and he wanted to know when she would be coming home.

He entered his home. Mother isn't home again. This time, he wasn't happy. He has never been isolated by himself like this before. That's fine. . . I'm fine. . . He assured himself. His mother was gonna come home at some point. Right?

It had been a few days since Mega had seen his mother, or had an actual interaction with someone. How many days? He had lost track. He wasn't able to go to school anymore because he didn't have money to take the bus. Mega could feel himself losing a bit of his sanity, but it was kept intact with the texting of his online friend. The house was in a bit of a mess, and at this point he didn't bother to take care of it. He couldn't tell if he missed his mother or not, the only feeling inside him being. . . Almost nothing. He kept on reassuring himself, making sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

That's fine. . . Uh oh- A noise was heard from outside the house. He couldn't tell if it was a wild animal, a burglar or his mother. Not taking any chances, he went to hide away. Mega bit his lip, afraid to make any noise whatsoever. Hearing footsteps entering the apartment made his heart beat rapidly. He peaked out of his hiding place to have a look at what was happening. He saw two adults, one woman and one man, possibly a couple, looking at the small mess of a home.

Mega must have peaked out for too long, the woman feeling something watching. She turned to where he was looking out from and saw Mega. Scared, he quickly hid away. He heard soft whispers as the sound of the trespassers footsteps was getting closer. Tears had started to drip down as the footsteps got louder and louder. Mega bit on his lip harder, trying his best to not let the crying overpower him. He knew they've found him, he knew he couldn't do anything. So he just sat there in fear.

They'll hurt you. He thought. That's all people do to you.

Mega looked up, taking in the new faces in front of him. His fear immediately caught up to him as tears burst out. He quickly tried to hide his face, trying not to show weakness. (I mean like he's 7 cut him some slack-)

He heard some sort of packaging open as a small scent of cookies filled the area. He peaked up and saw that the woman was offering him the delicacies. He accepted them with gratitude as he started munching on them. They reminded him of how his father made them when they were still together. . .

The man came to sit down next to the young, scrappy and hungry child, ruffling his hair a little bit as the woman knelt down in front of him with a smile. Mega cherished the company he had around him, softly chewing on the chocolate chip cookies given.

This was the most loved he has felt in so long. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Word Count: 1621 words

HAHA I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS!! Bro I ran out of words to write at the part where the couple came into the house, so the ending might have sucked a bit, but I still quite like that ending.

Also watched Hamilfilm recently, currently obsessing over the songs, hence that Hamilton reference I put in there.

Also yes I made a 7 year old smart as heck because why not? Dream was able to connect his computer to his neighbor's electricity when he was 15 so it's possible to be overly smart at a young age.

Side note that these are the very same people that decided to take care of him and help him grow up.

Side note #2 if you haven't guessed it yet the issue I was wanting to raise awareness about is child abandonment. I don't know how well I did with writing this because I consider myself to be a privelaged child.

[firephoenix39]

Chapter 11

The New Adventure

It's been nearly two weeks since Adrian's return from the dead, he's been laying in bed recovering from his injury, his family has been keeping an eye on him but Jingfei has been with him the most by sleeping next to him due to his near death.

July 19th 6:00 am Adrian wakes up and sees Jingfei next to him holding his arm and laying on his shoulder, he stroked her hair and glided his fingers on her cheek a few seconds later she woke up and gave him a smile. Jingfei: " Good morning my brave wolf warrior." Adrian: morning Jingfei how you doing today? As Adrian was about to go to the bathroom he paused and faces Jingfei, Adrian: wait can you repeat what you called me? Jingfei: I called you wolf warrior. She said in a friendly tone. Adrian: ok I'm not mad at you but how did you know that I'm the wolf warrior? Jingfei: Adam told me and also showed the mask. She said in a calming tone, Adrian was a bit relieved that Adam told her than an idea came into his head that he should get to know his girlfriend more. Adrian: since we're awake do you want to go explore the ranch there's acres that we haven't touched and I think it can be amazing.

Jingfei: yes I would like to do that I haven't done anything with you and I want to do it. They both leaned in and started to kiss, but little did they know that Martin, Chris, Jimmy, and Adam were listening in on the conversation and wanted to see the youngest member hook her in or swim away. When the four members were making thoughts they heard footsteps and they all ran into Martin and Chris's room. In Adrian's room the teen was headed to the bathroom to freshen up and shower. Adrian: I'll see you at the barn in a bit ok. Jingfei nodded and blew a kiss at Adrian as she left. When she left Adrian's room and went into her's Martin Chris jimmy and Adam were planing on how to follow them but then Aviva and koki confronted them and gave them a shame on them look. Aviva: we heard your plan and we disappointed. Koki: Shame on you boys. The four boys felt bad until the girls change their faces to a grin as they want to help the boys follow the young couple. Aviva: were ashamed of you because your were not thinking on using our help, koki and I we'll help you with your little mission. Koki: all the way. the boys were shocked and also glad that the girls are helping them and decided to head for the Tortuga as soon as the young couple leaves the house. In his room Adrian got out of the shower, In the shower he peeled his bandages off leaving marks on his body,eye and face as he got out and was getting clothes from his closet he saw an instrument case and wondered what it was as he pulled it out with his clothes he opens it and it was discovered to be a violin in the case there was a small paper that says "always play from the heart" as he closes the case he puts on his cowboy shirt, jeans, boots, hat, holsters with pistols he puts on his satchel still holding the shock gauntlet, his creature power suit, translator device, creature pod and some cash. As he heads out he sees a glare making him squint as he heads towards it he sees that it's a knife that sharp enough to cut anything, he grabs it put the sheath on and puts it in another pocket in the satchel, he then grabbed the violin and left his room to go to the barn. In the barn he heads to gold's stable as the horse see the boy he neighs in joy happy to see him but as the teen gets closer to him he puts his head down as a way of saying sorry about hurting his friend. Adrian: it's ok boy I forgive you. The teen hugs and pats the horse's head and body,as he was putting the violin on one side of the saddle with a rifle and a double barrel shotgun in the other  Jingfei enters the barn calling Adrian's attention as Adrian faces his lover he blushes as she was wearing a yellow T-shirt with a pair of jeans and cowgirl boots she even had her hair braided. He goes to her and hugs her like he hasn't seen her in years he then tears up as that he doesn't want to lose her. As the both mounted on there horses Adrian noticed that Jingfei has the all white pelt horse. Adrian: that's a beautiful horse what did you name him or her? Jingfei: her name is liberous but I call her Libby for short. Adrian: that's a beautiful name. The young couple blushes and they both left the barn going around to the back of the house adventuring to the unexplored parts of the ranch. While they left Adam signals the crew that the coast is clear and dashed to the Tortuga, while there Adam was amazed when he stepped inside as he remembers seeing it on tv with his little brother but he was stunned that he is inside seeing Aviva's inventions and was speechless. Chris: welcome to the Tortuga Adam!

Adam jumped up surprised, Adam: Chris!! what the heck don't scare me like that. Chris: oh sorry I didn't know. Adam: it's alright man just don't try to surprise people from behind alright. As Adam looked around the HQ he was stunned to see all of Aviva's inventions like the miniatureizer, creterra, and etc. as soon as Martin, Aviva,koki, and jimmy caught up koki managed to activate Adrian's creature pod camera and at first there wasn't much light and Adam and the crew were wondering why it was dark till Adam realized  that the device was in his satchel. With the young couple they stop at the sight of a pond, it gave the horses a chance to drink and rest. Adrian: huh I never knew there was a pond out here one day want to swim or fish?

Jingfei: that would be nice yes especially fishing to be honest I never fished in my life.

Adrian made a shocked face he couldn't believe that the girl he loves had never learned how to fish. Adrian: I'm gonna have to school you on fishing. Jingfei laughed at his remark and stared at him lovingly .

Adrian: hold on I'm gonna show you something.

Adrian walked to the horse's saddle and grabbed the violin case and showed to Jingfei.

Adrian: I found it when I was getting ready do you like it? Jingfei tears up as she stared at the violin she than ran away and got on her horse and took off. Adrian: wait where you going??

He got on his horse and followed after her, meanwhile Adam and the Wild Kratts crew heard everything and got concerned and worried koki quickly went to her computer and got their location but there was bad news. Koki: uh oh their riding to a dangerous path where there is dangerous animals that can kill them!!!!

Martin: don't worry we'll stop them . Chris, Martin, Aviva and koki ran out of the Tortuga wearing their vest and gloves, as Adam followed them out but was confused why they were wearing them. Adam: why are you wearing those vest and gloves? Chris: you'll see Adam. the four pulled out a falcon power disc and found a feather and all touched it when they touched the middle of the paw print on the vest then shouted "ACTIVATE FALCON POWERS" Adam was blinded by the glow of the colors but once his vision was back to normal he saw that Martin Chris Aviva and Koki were in a form of a falcon all the time he thought his little brother was messing with him but now that he saw that he wasn't messing with him he believed him. Martin Chris Aviva and Koki flew up into the sky and headed to Adrian and Jingfei's location while Adam and jimmy ran into the barn and got on their horses to follow. Now with Adrian and Jingfei not knowing the danger they're riding in we're going fast to the dangerous path until Jingfei's horse got tired, Adrian: what's wrong are you alright??? Jingfei: GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME !!!! She started to burst into tears and also was angry but not at him.

Adrian: Jingfei I want to help you just tell me what's wrong.

Jingfei wanted to tell her lover but she couldn't she just kept on weeping, than an idea came into Adrian's head and he went back to his saddle grabbed and opened the violin case and he rosin up the bow and started to play a calming tune.

The music was so loud that from the air Martin, Chris, Aviva, and koki heard it and followed the sound while Adam and jimmy riding on horse back started to hear it and followed.

https://youtu.be/j8LjIaYnSg0

When Adrian finished he saw that Jingfei dried her tears and came up to him, Adrian: shhh there there now please tell me what's troubling you.

Jingfei: when I was younger I always wanted a violin but my parents and grandma couldn't get one it was too expensive back in China, and one day before my parents and grandma died they scrambled enough money to get a violin but when I was playing it during school this group of mean girls who hated me for some reason grabbed both of my arms restraining me while another gave the violin to the main girl who ran the group, she got it out of the case and smashed it on the wall and stomped on it to little pieces than she got the bow and broke it in half with her leg they all laughed as she was doing it. What's worse is that her family is one of the elite rich people of fujian and if someone was bullied by her and they report it she would always get away with it just because her family is a elite and rich that the bullied person would always lose when it comes to her. Adrian: my god I'm so sorry Jingfei you should have told me something sweetie you don't have to keep things bottled up deep down look you can always tell me anything I will always understand. As Jingfei and Adrian were about to kiss a pack of wolves approached them with a evil stare in their eyes, Adrian closed his eyes and when he opened them up they turn into wolf eyes and tries to tame them but the pack didn't back down they wanted to attack, Adrian: ok that didn't work. The pack started getting closer to the couple and were starting to corner them, meanwhile Martin, Chris, Aviva, and Koki landed and deactivated from the falcon power suit and ran to where Adrian and Jingfei were at but they saw the pack of wolves cornering the young couple as Adam and jimmy rode up Adam saw his little brother and his girlfriend cornered. Adrian got the feeling that this was the end and grabbed Jingfei's hand but he then he looked at the pack's eyes again and saw that they were filled consumed with anger hate and rage so he got the idea to play the tune he used to calm Jingfei again to calm the wolves, as he started to play his chest started to glow with yellow and everyone was looking at Adrian as if he was some sort of angel or spirit he began to play.

https://youtu.be/j8LjIaYnSg0

As Adrian finished playing the wolves then calmed down and their eyes started to change to their normal pupils he walked up to the alpha and the alpha wolf did the same, Adrian kneels down and looks at the alpha straight in the eyes Adrian lets the alpha touch his forehead with his snout and they both felt a spiritual connection strengthen, the teen got up and said good bye to his friend and the pack of wolves left back into the forest. Everyone around him were mesmerized about what happened and had so many questions to ask

Adrian: I think it's time we all head home.

[m1serere-n0bis]

Anyways. I don't care what the rest of you all have been doing during this but I have been trying to listen better and pray more.

For those of you who don't think that's "enough"... Sorry but I don't owe public opinion shit. The only person I owe an explanation to is God. I don't owe anyone information on what I'm doing in private. I don't owe anyone information on what I am/am not supporting financially or otherwise. If your personal opinion is that I'm not making adequate use of my voice or platform then that's rough buddy, but my voice is not the one that needs to be heard right now and also what platform? As a society hyperfocused on social media ESPECIALLY NOW DURING THIS PANDEMIC we have to come to terms that we all have lives outside of it and we don't "owe" each other ANY information about that in spite of what our culture tells us. Like if this is what "community-based policing" means, I can already tell you I hate it and it's oppressive.

For those of you who think this is a political power play, I would say those concerns are valid but there IS a REAL problem that will still be there when all the political pandering and posturing is done. And we need to fix it. Part of the reason I haven't been hyping what everyone has been telling me to hype in the name of activism is pretty much this:

Do I think it honestly matters which political party is in charge for changes to happen? No, because I do not trust the SAME GOVERNMENT BACKING THE POLICE to take the money THAT IS STILL TECHNICALLY IN THEIR POSSESSION and funnel it into the communities that need it in any way that will actually address the racism inherent in the system. HOWEVER, that doesn't stop me from listening to what my brothers and sisters in Christ are telling me are their experiences not just in a society that is supposed to have progressed past racism but in the BODY OF CHRIST itself. Because it's there, everyone. Yes, it's not overt. Yes, not everyone is actively engaging in it but if we are truly One Body then we owe it to each other to make reparations for sins that aren't ours. It's what we've been doing for the child abuse scandals, is it not? The majority of us were not involved but do we not still carry the burden of that sin simply because we're Catholic, because one part of the One Body committed this massive hurt?

So anyway. The goal of this post is not to make anyone feel bad and it is not an invitation for people to pile on me because I haven't vocally supported x, y, z. This is an invitation to listen and to pray... which should always be the first step, EVEN WHEN THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR ACTION. (Maybe ESPECIALLY when there's an immediate need for action.) And holy shit are we not good at that or what? 😂

1) Fr. Mike Schmitz' homily this week was an invitation for us to listen to God and let Him tell us who He is because only by doing that can we see the image and likeness of God in each other. We've lost that in our wishy-washy prayer lives that inevitably end up with us trying to force God into an earthly construction in which He doesn't belong. We try to tell God who He is because the world is too noisy for us to hear Him tell us about Himself. And that inevitably trickles down into us trying to force each other into boxes before recognizing the human dignity instilled by God in all of us. The internet feeds into that by making us faceless virtual entities, thus making it that much more difficult to recognize our humanity. I can read faceless stats for days but if I don't have ANY CONTEXTUAL IDEA where those numbers are coming from, they're empty. They're easily manipulated into whatever whoever is selling me them wants me to think of them if I don't have someone LIVING THOSE STATISTICS giving me context. Right now the media wants us to feed on the controversy surrounding BLM movement without telling us that these communities have been MARCHING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES FOR YEARS AGAINST THE VIOLENCE THEY INFLICT ON THEMSELVES and it is the same media blackout as any March for Life. The media doesn't care unless they have drama they can use to stoke more division and that's the tea.

2) Fr. Josh Johnson is on fire right now, everyone. Like him and Chika Anyanwu are two voices I wasn't listening to before that I'm thankful to be hearing now. If you're wondering how God can be good even in the midst of chaos, turmoil, and pain, this is it. If you're struggling to separate the Black Lives Matter Organization from the heart of the issue, this is how God is doing that. The Church needs to hear these voices. They have real experiences to share. They are part of the Body of Christ, and they are really hurting through these thousands of small cuts.

I would recommend listening to the Jeff Cavins Show episode Distance Amplifies Difference where he has a conversation with Fr. Josh. They both have tremendously unique WORDLY perspectives to bring to the table on the issue (Jeff Cavins is a white man but has children who are black and they live in Minnesota and are literally witnessing the heart of this first hand in the trenches, and Fr. Josh is the son of a black former chief of police) but ultimately discuss how we as a Church can work towards fixing it.

Fr. Josh and Fr. Mike's dialogue on Ascension Presents is also really top notch. I still have to finish watching it, though. 😅

I can't believe I wasn't following Chika before because as another single Catholic woman, I feel like I've found a sister in Christ experiencing the same ups and downs of Catholic singlehood (her Instagram Highlight was like HILARIOUS and also a truth 😂). Her family's small business got looted during the rioting but I believe they've since been able to shut down their Go Fund Me since people gave them enough support to get it back up and running. Anyways, I'm glad this amplification of black voices brought me to hers.

3) Fransican Friars of the Renewal Fr. Agostino and Fr. Pierre Toussaint discuss their hopes for the movement from their perspective as people of color and as servants of one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC, the South Bronx. Their dynamic is great because Fr. Agostino is like a Gryffindor on fire and Fr. PT is like a soft-spoken, phlegmetic Ravenclaw. I understand that energy. 😂 (I'm also a phlegmetic Ravenclaw) One of my takeaways was Fr. Agostino's opinion that we can't just posture and leave it up to the government or orgs with ulterior political motives to make things right because he's seen firsthand how well THAT goes. However, all that means is that we as people of God have to dig in and do the work our own dang selves. They're also hopeful that this discussion of the police force being built on a foundation of racism will eventually lead to the discussion of Planned Parenthood being built on the same. They said that 42% of the pregnancies of the predominantly black and Latino population in the South Bronx end in abortion. 42%!!!!!!!!!!! If that is not a wake-up call that systemic racism is alive and well and we are abjectly failing women of color as a society Idk what is. But also their analogy that society is a MESS of a dilapidated house and we have to pick ONE place to start and stick with it if we really want to fix it up is also the truth.

4) Did y'all know about Our Lady of Kibohe? This is a Vatican-approved Marian apparition that appeared to three teenaged girls in Rwanda a little more than a decade before the genocide (which she warned them about). There is no one in Creation demons and Satan hate more than Our Lady, and there's no better weapon against them than the rosary. There has been a call from our brothers and sisters to rend our hearts and even if you don't see, think, or believe there is still racism within the Church, will you not pray for Mary and St. Michael to help continue keeping it that way, then?

Our Lady of Kibohe encouraged us to take up the practice of praying the Seven Sorrows Rosary. I tried it for the first time last week and I have to say, even with my super basic limited knowledge of black history in the United States, it was not hard to see how their suffering could easily be united to the sufferings of Christ and Our Lady.

I guess my conclusion is this: I have my own misgivings about blindly supporting any ol' cause that happens to be trending on whatever. The Black Lives Matter ORGANIZATION has a manifesto touting things that are contrary to the Catechism for SURE, but when my brothers and sisters in the Church are telling me they are in pain RIGHT NOW and saying, "Hey, listen... They're right about some things... These are the things and we've experienced it IN the Church..." then they deserve to be heard. We owe it to them to listen because they are a part of us. We need to expose these sins to the light instead of denying they exist or claiming to be past it. We ALSO need to be charitable to those in different parts of their journey. Is it FAIR to bear the burden of others' sins and make reparations for them? Heck no! But we do it. Jesus did it for us. We do it for our brothers and sisters in Purgatory. What's the difference for bearing it for our hard-hearted brothers and sisters on earth? Nobody is perfect but we all are made in the image and likeness of God and thus inherently carry human dignity.