#give me 21 to 32 business days to recover from this please

[jjanguri]

no babygirls babygirl more than haobinrae babygirl

[sorrelchestnut]

EVERYBODY’S PICKIN’ UP ON THAT FELINE BEAT, PART 39/39

So, uh.  This seems to be, well.  Done.

I still need to sit on it a bit before I can make the final round of edits - and if there’s anyone out there who would be interested in doing a general readability edit on the last chapter, please let me know - but somehow, against all the odds, after more than a 100k words and very nearly six fucking years, I have finished this fic.

Shit, I don’t even know what to do with myself now.

Part 1.  Part 2.  Part 3.  Part 4.  Part 5.  Part 6.  Part 7.  Part 8.  Part 9.  Part 10.  Part 11. Part 12.  Part 13.  Part 14.  Part 15.  Part 16.  Part 17.  Part 18.  Part 19. Part 20.  Part 21.  Part 22. Part 23. Part 24. Part 25. Part 26.  Part 27. Part 28. Part 29. Part 30. Part 31. Part 32. Part 33.  Part 34. Part 35. Part 36. Part 37. Part 38.

Title: everybody’s picking up on that feline beat Author: Sorrel Fandom: Fallout 4 Rating: Mature Warnings: None Relationships: Deacon/Female Sole Survivor Series: Part 3 of everybody wants to be a cat

The Rail’s just starting to fill up when he walks in, the usual crowd of drifters with just enough caps for a hot meal mingling with the off-duty guards still hanging around from their late lunch.  Magnolia isn’t on stage yet, but he can see one of Charlie’s goons dragging the equipment up from the back, so she’s definitely on tonight.  

He doesn't bother trying to scan the crowd for a familiar mop of dark hair; she's only rarely in the mood for that kind of company, and he doesn't think tonight of all nights is gonna be the exception.  Instead he just elbows his way through and up to the bar and flags down Charlie, who eyes him with one curious eye stalk.  "You look nervous, guv.  Big deal afoot?"

"The biggest," Deacon says with a flash of a smile, and flips him a couple caps.  "Two beers and a shot, please."

"Sure, that'll sweeten the pot," Charlie agrees, and then gives him a look that would be a raised brow if he had one as Deacon immediately downs the shot.  "Wet your whistle, ay?  Must be some trouble you're trying to talk yourself out of."

"Into," Deacon corrects, and picks up the beers by the necks.  "Wish me luck."

A robotic burble that might be a laugh essays from Charlie's speakers as Deacon turns away.  "Luck, guv!" he hears behind him, and smiles to himself as he wades back into the crowd.

It doesn't take him long to locate his target.  The back tables aren't crowded yet, this early in the evening, and he'd know the sturdy shape of her shoulders anywhere.  Right now they're slumped in a way that probably reads drunk to someone who doesn't know her so well.  She looks so tired, alone in her dark corner.  What a fucking day she's had.  And what a piece of shit he was, making it worse.

"Evening, ma'am.  This seat taken?"

She's slow to look up, though he can see the recognition in the angle of her head.  He wonders if she, in turn, can see the way his pulse is pounding in his ears.

"D-"  She almost slips.  Whisper never slips, never, but she almost does it now, he can see her lips forming the first letter of his name.  "Depends," she says instead, recovering smoothly enough, but her gaze is still wary when it meets his.  "You got business for me?  'cause I ain't looking for company."

That fast, she read him and downshifted to match, easy as breathing.  God, she really is the perfect woman.

"Yes ma'am, that's right.  A Mister Valentine gave me your direction, said you could use a hand with a job."

The slightest flicker of her eyes is the only thing that betrays her consternation.  "Did he now."

"Yes ma'am," he says again.  "Said it was a real big job, too.  With a payout to match."

A muscle ticks at the hinge of her jaw.  "And that's why you're here?  The payout?"

"Well, the thing is, Miss…  Sorry, he never told me your name."

"Olivia," she says, after the barest hesitation.  "Olivia Bailey."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am.  John Daniels," and somehow, by some miracle, neither his voice nor his hand wobbles as he thrusts it out for her to shake.  "At your service."

Her eyes widen as shock stamps itself across her features.  It's just for a moment, before she catches herself and shuts it down again, but Deacon knows he's gonna savor it for the rest of his life.

"We'll see about that, Mister Daniels," she says, and gives his hand a brief, professional handshake before she gestures languidly at the seat across from her.  "Now, you were saying?"

Deacon flexes his tingling hand and slides gratefully into the indicated chair, not sure how much longer his shaking knees were going to hold him.  "Well, it's like this, Miz Bailey.  Uh, this is for you," and he sets the other beer in front of her.  "The truth of the matter is, I'm looking for an excuse to get out of town for a while, if you take my meanin'."  His accent thickens as he feels his way into the bit, letting impulse carry the way because he sure as shit didn't plan any of this out in advance.  "Had some trouble with some- well it's a real long story, but the point is, I'm looking for a job that'll take me out of the Commonwealth for a bit.  Let some of the fuss die down, you know.  And from what Mr. Valentine said, seems you could use a bit of company of your own.  Seems to me like maybe we could make a deal."

"Is that so."  She studies him for a long moment, her face unreadable now as she plays with the neck of the beer bottle.  "Well the problem with that, John-  Can I call you John?"

His pulse throbs in his ears.  "Feel free."

"The problem, John, is that Mister Valentine might have misrepresented the job just a tad.  You see, the place I'm heading, people don't tend to come back.  It's bad enough I'm putting myself at risk.  I couldn't in good conscience drag someone else along to die on my fool's errand."

Under the table his hand tightens into a fist, but Deacon keeps his voice steady as he says, "I understand, ma'am.  Better than you know.  Been on my own a long damn time, and you know what I learned?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"I learned that some jobs are just too big for one person.  You're better off with a partner who can watch your back."

She finally looks away at that, taking a sip of her beer to cover.  When she looks back he's waiting, his trembling hands palm-up in front of him.  Cards on the table.

"Is that what you think I need?  A partner?"

"I hope so," he tells her, his heart in his throat.  "I'm not looking to get in your way, and I'm not looking to make things harder.  But if you're asking me what I want, then yeah.  I'd like to stick around for a while.  If you let me."

After a moment, she says, "Deacon."

He swallows hard.  "Yeah."

She bites her lip.  "I really don't know what I'm doing."

His heart breaks for her, just a little bit.  "You know, a good friend once gave me some pretty good advice.  She told me, you do what you gotta in order to survive.  One foot in front of the other, partner.  Long as it takes."

She looks down at the table, at the litter of beer bottles, at his open hands.  Slowly, so slowly he's afraid she's going to change her mind at any moment, she inches her hand across the tabletop until they're resting just inside his waiting palm.  When he closes his fingers around hers, she closes her eyes and he watches her throat bob in a swallow.

Her voice is hoarse when she says, "A good friend, huh?"

"The best."

When she opens her eyes again, they're shining in the lantern light.  "Well then, Mister Daniels," she says, and gives his hand one last squeeze before she slips away.  "It sounds to me like we've got ourselves a deal."

"Yes ma'am," he says, and doesn't even bother trying to hide his answering grin as he stretches out one leg to knock the toe of his boot against hers.  "It seems that we have."

She knocks back, slouching further into her chair until she's achieved something closer to her usual insouciant lean.  They're not touching anywhere but the press of her booted ankle against his, but that doesn't matter.  He knows exactly where they stand.

"Hey, I almost forgot to ask.  Where exactly are we headed, anyway?"

"Oh, didn't I mention?" she says airily, as if Whisper would ever forget.  "The Glowing Sea."

He tries to make sense of that.  He doesn't try for very long.  "What the hell for?"

"It's a long story, partner," she says, and grins at him over the top of her glass.  "I'll tell you on the way."

*****

“Hey boss, message for you!”

Desdemona catches the message tube Drummer Boy tosses to her, frowning down at the seal on the end.  The only person she knows who uses that particular type of murky brown wax is Deacon, but he doesn’t usually send message runners back to HQ.  Either he leaves his reports at a dead drop or - more often, these days, thanks to Whisper's influence - he’ll deign to show his face and give his report in person.  A break in protocol like this is... disconcerting.  To say the least.

She opens the message tube with a quick twist of her wrist and pulls out the report inside.  TOP SECRET is stamped across the outside with Amari’s authorization code next to it, and Desdemona studies it for a moment, wondering why Deacon is sending her a report she’d get from Amari in two or three days anyway, before she notices the folded piece of paper clipped to the side.  Boss Lady is scribbled across the front, with the obnoxiously childish scrawl Deacon uses when he’s being particularly irritating, and so she’s already frowning when she tugs it loose and unfolds it to reveal Whisper’s neater hand in bold black ink.

Gone fishing.

xoxo,

D&W

[kisslettrs]

haikyuu characters talking after a fight with their s/o

featuring: lev, kuroo, suna

a/n: first post woo! hope you enjoy this ! ALSO UM. THEY TURNED OUT TO BE SO MUCH LONGER THAN I THOUGHT THEYD BE??? ESPECIALLY KUROOS LMAO THEYRE NEVER THIS LONG I PROMISE DONT GET YOUR HOPES UP OR VICE VERSA. also not beta read soz 💔

warnings: none i don’t think? relationship fights ig. oh and angsty with some gushy shit at the end for each of them 💞

→ HAIBIA LEV

you and lev rarely get into fights. only small complains about his behavior and him whining, or friendly petty arguments. but last night was different... I guess you could say.

lev was always pretty immature and playful yeah, but sometimes it felt like he never took anything seriously. it felt as though he never took him and your relationship seriously. especially now, when you decided to confront him about it.

“why are you laughing...?” you asked, staring at him

“i-i’m sorry, y/n honey, i just...!” he said, covering his mouth as a half assed attempt to keep in his laughter.

“lev, i know it’s just in your nature to act like this but I’m being genuine. i’m not joking, please. you’re doing it again! please just listen—!”

you were cut off again by the sounds of your significant other’s laughter, causing all your frustration to let loose.

“lev haiba!”

he immediately stopped, before looking at you in the eyes, his thin pupils meeting yours.

“i’m sorry. but lev, please can you just take me seriously for once?! i love you, but you need to understand that you can’t just—!” you frailed your hand around, motioning towards him, you, whatever this scene was. “—you can’t just do this all the time I—!”

before you could finish, your mind had been too pent up with frustration. “nevermind...” you grabbed your bag, before rushing out the door, not giving him the chance to talk.

fast forward next day, and you checked your phone.

[32 new messages from favorite dork 💝]

you sigh heavily, before letting the cold feeling of guilt claw at the back of your head. you hadn’t mean to make lev worry, you just needed your time alone. although if you did have to be honest with yourself, leaving without a ‘i love you,’ or hell even just a ‘bye’ was cruel.

as you opened your messages, you were bombarded with messages of pleas and apologizes that were sent at 9:21 PM last night, moments after you left his house. the guilt swallowed your stomach again, your hands slowly typing; “it’s ok hun. really. I love you too.” and pressing send.

you threw your phone onto your bed, before deciding to get ready. you and lev never really saw each other much since you two were in different grades, he was a first year, you were a second. you both had to wait after school, or well... maybe moments after. your phone buzzed a few times, but you decided to ignore it. it was too early.

schools over, and you’re walking home. you were gonna talk to lev today, just not now. you didn’t wanna interrupt his volleyball training just for some stupid relationship issue. as soon as you reach home however, you see a familiar tall figure fidgeting on his phone.

“...lev?” you called out, causing the silver haired boy to whip his head around, his eyes lighting up. “Y/N!”

he quickly shoved his phone inside his pocket, before running up to you and embracing you in a warm hug, shaking you a little. “y/n! y/n! i’m sorry for being stupid last night, I’m sorry, i’m so sorry.” he was squeezing you tight, and god did it hurt hearing his voice break like that.

“lev, sweetie, i told you it’s okay, really.” you spoke, caressing his back. he seemed to stay still for a moment, before speaking once again. “is this okay? me holding you like this, is this okay or do you... need space?”

you smiled softly. it made you happy lev wanted to make sure he wasn’t overstepping any of your boundaries. you felt your other arm hold him. “yeah, this is okay.” you swore you could feel him smile out of relief.

“i’m... i’m sorry again y/n honey, it’s just hard for me, i don’t...” he paused. “it’s just...difficult for me to handle situations like that.” you nuzzled into his shoulder. “it’s okay, you dork. i understand.” you reassured him again.

“but—!” he pushed back, meeting your eyes. “i’m gonna try...i’m gonna try harder. i’m gonna try to be better, for you y/n! i love you so much... i’ll do my best.” god, this dork. no wonder you loved him so much. you cupped his cheeks. “i’ll do better too lev, i won’t be as mean again. i promise, i love you too, so much.”

and with that, both of your faces met, and the two of you kissed lightly.

→ KUROO TETSURO

you and kuroo get into small arguments here and there like every other couple, and whenever you do you two usually recover quickly. you both like to call them ‘squicks.’

however, that night there was no denying that wasn’t any other normal squick you two had. no, that was a fight.

kuroo and you haven’t had a moment alone that wasn’t just you and him walking back home, and it’s been making you upset. so uh, that night you decided to confront him about it.

yeah it didn’t go well uhh

“i know we’re like, a couple y/n. but honey you have to understand i’m busy. you have friends don’t you? go hang out with them or something.”

“yeah, i know kuroo, and trust me i’m happy for you! but you’ve been so distant, we haven’t had a moment alone that lasted more than 5 minutes for like, 2 months! it wasn’t a big deal then, but i miss you and i’m worried.”

you paused, before continuing. “don’t you wanna spend some time with me? just, for like 30 minutes? don’t you miss me?”

“i do, y/n. i miss you and i love you. but like i said i’m busy with volleyball, you aren’t my top priority right now.”

“it’s been 2 months kuroo!” you shouted, causing him to widen his eyes. “don’t you understand? i’m not asking for your top attention, I’m asking for you to give me 25% of it at least!”

it was quiet for a moment. “sorry.” was all he said, before turning around his eyes focused on the volleyball between his feet.

you felt hurt and frustrated. “you know what? fine.” he immediately went back to look at you, seeing you grab your bag. “see you whenever you feel like to acknowledge my existence, I guess. bye.”

as soon as you touched the doorknob, you could hear him get up and say the words ‘wait, baby wait—‘ but you had enough. you needed to air out your head of the tension and frustration of the house and you left. you felt tears peak at the corner of your eyes as soon as you did.

next day, and you’ve been feeling shittier than usual. as soon as you woke up, you turned to make you lay on your back, staring at your ceiling and thinking; “was i too harsh? am i being too selfish? too clingy?”

you loved what your boyfriend did and you were perfectly fine with him having his time to himself. you knew you weren’t his top priority and he wasn’t yours. but 2 months with little to no communication felt too long. was it wrong to want to spend at least 30 minutes with your boyfriend? was that too much to ask for?

the anxiety raced to your head again. what if you were being too clingy. maybe kuroo had the right to be upset too. you were being too selfish, stop thinking of yourself so often. you curled up into your side. you didn’t want to think about it, and you didn’t want to see him in the halls either. you didn’t even wanna check your phone to see if you messaged you.

you decided to skip, staying home, watching TV and playing some games. you couldn’t mentally handle seeing him. at least not for right now.

some time passes by, and your phone is buzzing. you checked the time from the small clock on your wall, seeing the handles pointing towards 4:30 PM. oh wow, after school clubs should be over too.

you grabbed your phone to see who it’s by, knowing deep down it was who you thought it was.

[23 new messages by Hubby 😾💗]

[Kyanma: uhh hey y/n? did something...]

[2 missed calls by Hubby 😾💗]

choosing to ignore kuroo for now, you swiped at Kenma’s notification and read the full message.

[Kyanma: uhh hey y/n? did something happen with kuroo that youre aware of??? he seemed so much more down than usual during practice.

you: no. we rarely talk anymore because of practice lol I guess.

Kyanma: ???

Kyanma: Did something happen between YOU two?

you: we had a fight. im not really in the mood to talk to him. I skipped school. itll be back to normal in a few more days, sorry for the inconvenience snchsychsj

Kyanma: you two should resolve that. like seriously. hope u two feel better tho, bye✌️

you: we will hopefully lol bye kenma !!]

sighing, you placed your phone down on the small coffee table infront of you, but as soon did, you heard a knock coming from your front door. humming in response, you got up and made your way towards the front door, but decided to look through the peephole to make sure it wasn’t some scammer person or creep.

well, it was neither of those two but it was in fact no one else other than kuroo tetsuro. you sighed heavily again, before unlocking the door and turning the knob opening up to your boyfriend.

“hey y/n.”

“hi kuroo.”

you folded your arms, deciding to put up a strong facade, pretending you weren’t mentally screaming and that anxiety wasn’t clawing at your back. “did you forget something or...?”

kuroo brought his hand to the back of neck, awkwardly scratching it. “yeah uh...” he looked around, not wanting to make eye contact. “um. listen y/n.” he made his way to grab your hands, holding them together. “i’m sorry. i really am.”

“please don’t touch me. not right now at least...” even though you seemed so desperate for his touch the other night, you really did need your space. kuroo seemed alarmed at first, quickly swiping his hands back, wanting to respect your space. “of course baby! i’m sorry for acting too soon.”

you watched him scramble around a bit, finding it a bit cute. “can I come inside?” he asked. you nodded, and both of you went inside and sat to your coach.

“like I said y/n. i know ive been distant, and ive missed you so much. god, do I miss you. i wanna hug you and cuddle you so bad but volleyball and the nationals have been bugging me i couldn’t have find the proper time. i’m just scared... and I...”

“kuroo.” you said. his head snatched upwards, looking at you. you were gonna say something as soon as he did but the look he gave you caught you off guard. he looked like a cat pleading.

as soon as you pushed away the thoughts of him being stupidly adorable, you continued your sentence. “I understand, and i’m sorry for being too clingy. i just miss you a lot. i’m willing to wait for you, baby.” as soon as you said that, you saw his eyes pierce through your soul. fuck did I say something wrong.

before you could say anything else, it was kuroo’s turn to speak. “no baby. it’s alright, you aren’t the one at fault here it was me. i’m sorry for not listening to you that night. i’m gonna be a better boyfriend, i’m gonna be the boyfriend you deserve through and through.”

fucking idiot, i’m the one who was supposed to say sorry, not you! You didn’t say anything for a moment, before laughing lightly. “babe? i love you but i have to be the one who takes at least, 50% of the fault. it’s okay, i love you and i forgive you. and i’m happy for what you’re doing and how far you’ve come.” you placed your hand on his. “you can touch me now.”

his eyes immediately lit up, his lips curving into a smile and you swore you could see tears start forming in his eyes before he launched himself onto you. “my god y/n, how did i get so lucky. i love you so much, i love you so much.” he hugged you tight. you laughed. “i love you too kuroo. so much, i love you so much. i’m the lucky one.”

he pulled away and brought you to a kiss. before you could respond, he asked, “are you free saturday?”

→ SUNA RINTARO

while suna and you disagreed on a lot of things from time to time, you two usually both came to a mutual agreement and it wasn’t anything big.

but lately he seemed even more off than usual. communication was such a huge thing between both of you, but he seemed to just not be...cooperating?

suna is someone who doesn’t like expressing his emotions. and as his significant other, you felt like understanding him was a priority. but you just didn’t sometimes and it made you worry. him being distant did not help.

one day when you decided to bring it up, the situation got a bit... out of hand

“what?” he asked.

you shrugged your shoulders. “i don’t know. suna i care for you, and you just never helping me understand makes me extremely upset! i know it’s hard for you, but...”

you could feel him roll his eyes. “i don’t know what you’re going on about y/n,” he looked at you. “but really, i’m fine. do you not trust me to talk to you or something?”

“no..!” you denied. “listen. youve been getting more and more tired each day and i could tell. you’ve been ghosting me too.”

“...what?” he basically hissed it. “i’m not an asshole y/n. nothing is wrong. why do you keep trying to butt your head into my life every second?” his voice began to raise.

this was rare. even when he did raise his voice at you, it was never filled with negative intent but this time...

“i can take care of myself, y/n. i don’t need you and your noisy nose in my business all the time. sorry if you feel like you’re on baby sitting duty, but you really don’t need to be so clingy and emotional all the time...”

well damn. his words hurt. a lot.

“sorry for caring for you then, damn...” you grumble under your breath. you quickly grabbed your house keys and bags. he perked his head up. “y/n? where are you going?”

you didn’t reply. “y/n!” you rolled your eyes, trying to ignore the pain in your chest and stomach, before opening the door and leaving.

as soon as you woke up, your head hurt more than usual. those words must’ve hit you deeper than they should’ve, huh?

maybe i was just being too clingy, you thought, and those thoughts hadn’t left your mind the whole morning. whatever, you’ll just apologize after school.

you haven’t seen suna at all that day, not on the walk to school, not in the halls, not in his classroom. he was... nowhere. when you went to the volleyball club after school, asking if any of the members had seen him all of them replied with a simple ‘no.’

kita specically had been giving you long glances ever since you arrived. once you finally reached him, instead of denying seeing your boyfriend, he told you, “he wasn’t in school at all i assume. maybe he’s at home.”

home? why would he be home? maybe he was feeling sick...

you bowed and thanked him and the rest of the teammates before leaving. on your way home, you decided to stop by a connivence store and buy him his favorite snack, chuupet. or well, just jelly fruit snacks. you bought 2 packs for you and him, hoping it was a good time to apologize.

you walked up to his house, knocked lightly on the door and was greeted by his mother. “ah~ greetings y/n!” you smiled lightly and gave her a wave. “good afternoon! say, is rintaro home?” you asked. she nodded, moving to the side as a way to invite you in the house. “he should be in his room!”

“thank you!” you bowed quickly before making your way up the stairs. as soon as you passed by his sisters room, there you were infront of his. with your free hand, you lightly held a fist and began knocking on his door.

“suna? rintaro?” you called out. you would call him by a sweet pet name but remembering last night, you didn’t wanna break any boundaries. the room was quiet, and though you really didn’t wanna disturb him, you wanted to make sure he was okay. as soon as you did, however, you were greeted by a sight that broke your heart.

suna rintaro, the boy you loved so much, had his hair messier than usual, his eyes seemed red from crying and he was up against his bed frame, his phone in his hand. when he looked up, he saw you, his eyes widening.

“...y-y/n?” you stood there frozen. “rintaro...honey my god,” you quickly went up to him. “what happened?” you looked at him, his gaze looking down. you wanted to hug him so bad, but yet again, that argument you had last night prevented you from anything.

“hey. listen, sweetie. i got your favorite.” you held up the 2 bags of jelly fruit gummies. “it’s gonna be okay, okay? i’m here.” he was just looking at you, not saying anything, before muttering something under his breath.

“huh? what was that? i didn’t hear you hon, what’s up?” you asked, making sure to keep your distance. suna choked back a sob, before launching himself onto you, almost knocking you into the ground. “w-woah there!”

“y/n... i’m sorry i’m so sorry. i’ve been so frustrated with school... exams... volleyball and i’ve missed you so much but i was so tired that night! i lashed out on you but i didn’t mean any of it. i promise, i promise, don’t leave me please.” he sobbed quietly, his head resting against your forehead. when you looked up, you could see him squeezing his eyes shut.

wow, this was even more rare.

you brought your arms to his neck, embracing him. “it’s okay rintaro. shh, it’s gonna be okay. i love you and i’m sorry for being upset, i just worry about you.” you rubbed his back lightly as he continued sobbing, allowing you to give him a few kisses on the cheek, neck and forehead. “you’re safe, you’re gonna be okay honey. i love you so much.” you repeated.

suna never showed his emotions much, but he seemed to have a lot of pent up anger, sadness and confusion up in him, and he let it out for an hour infront of you, there to comfort him.

as soon as he stopped, you and him were snuggling on his bed watching whatever was on his TV, eating the fruit snacks. he leaned onto your head. “i love you...please, don’t leave me. i’m sorry.”

you bumped your head back onto him. “stop apologizing. i keep telling you it’s okay.” you giggled lightly. “please sweetie, talk to me so this doesn’t happen again.” he only nodded silently, before drifting to sleep in your embrace.

[determined-magi]

Pick  one  of  your  muses . Fill  in  the  questions/statements  as  if  you were  your  muse  in  a  new  post Tag  five  people  to  do  this  meme TAGGED BY: @rhesus-skavative  TAGGING: @voidedfate @cosmosfated @yettoberefuted​ @itsraiyninmuses​ and everyone following me that may want to do this.

1. What  is  your  name ? Agarwaenor, or Agar, for short.

2. What  is  your  real  name ? ............That... that is my name?

3. Do  you  know  why  you  were  called  that ?    roughly translated it means something about being stained with blood, or such defining a good portion of my being, and I agree.

4.  Are  you  single  or  taken ? No girl or guy or someone for me, I guess, better that way. You don’t want a wreck like me as a lover.

5.  Have  any  abilities  or  powers ? Space-time and energy magics are what my magic inclines more towards, but I can cast many spells really, as long as my magic doesn’t decide they aren’t the best spells for me.

6. Stop  being  a  Mary Sue.  Bitch, if I could I would, I want the sweet embrace of death and oblivion, but everything in me and around me doesn’t.

7. What’s  your  eye  color ? Red as blood that has been just spilled, red as a sword’s wound and as my soul.

8. How  about  your  hair  color ? Some brown tone, I don’t really care the exact color.

9. Have  you  any  family  members ? Three, with a fourth on the way. most look older than I do, might die before I do.

10. Oh ? What  about  pets ? Twelve wolf dogs trained by dad and myself, three wolves that chose to tag along, and a massive black stag I use sometimes to travel, his name is Morn, it adopted Belle’s stag as a brother too... ironic, I’d say.

12.  Do  you  have  any  hobbies / activities  you  like  doing ? Hunting is my favorite, learning to cook and bake sweet foods is another, exploring the forest... hoarding a few items of interest, pestering people with pranks, disrrespecting the local authorities are among some.

13. Ever  hurt  anyone  before ? Blood stained one would be a good way to describe me.

14. Ever …. killed  anyone  before ? Yes.

15. What  kind  of  animal  are  you ?  Dad and mom calm me their little dragonling mage, as a reasuring thing most people call me demeaningly, some call me demon, some a monster, but I am just another HUMAN MAGE, you know?

16. Name  your  worst  habits.  Too many, I’d say... too many to keep myself holding to what sanity’s remains are left.

18. Gay,  straight,  or  bisexual ?  .....Whatever wants to fuck me that isn’t some low-intelligent animal? I don’t really care, if I can put my dick there or have some form of sexual pleasure that is consentual I am doing that... unless they have ulterior motives.

19. Do  you  go  to  school?  Used to, I am a full high mage, and a young member of the council, I do try to go back the academy to... better get a grip on my magic, like Gil does. It is kind of hard to do so with my job, however.

20. Do  you  ever  want  to  marry  and  have  kids  one  day ? I... I don’t know? I should right? I am the firstborn son... I will get da-... father’s tittle as lord of the village, I should have a heir sometime soon... and yet...

21. Do  you  have  any  fanboys / fangirls ? I stopped caring about that, other than to get a few fucks at night... sounds crude and rude, but... I don’t think I can handle the spotlight.

22. What  are  you  most  afraid  of ? Snapping... I hardly have anything holding me together, or giving me a reason to keep these lies going.

23.  What  do  you  usually  wear ? I used to wear some commoner clothes under a poncho my grandmother did for me... the council forbid me from using it. Now I just use high mage robes, or my personal formal clothings for the council, whenever I am called for a formal meeting or event.

24. Do  you  love  someone ? Wish I could... perhaps I would find more purpose and reasons to stay determined if I did... but I don’t... I am just tired.

25. When  was  the  last  time  you  wet  yourself ? back when I was recovering from some wounds as a teen, my body was weak, and some idiots decided to take the opportunity to try shit. Thanneth was there that time... guys needed an expert healer after she was done with them.

26. Well,  it’s  not   over  yet!  It never is.

27. What  class  are  you ? ??? I... we could say I multi-task, but the main role I have for now is... overseer of business affairs?

28. How  many  friends  do  you  have ? Not as many I could or would wish to honestly call friends.

29. What  are  your  thoughts  on  pie ? if it is sweet? I will hoard it.

30. Favorite drink? anything that can get me drunk and forget myself...

31. What’s  your  favorite  place ? the forests... they can be quiet... they are timeless, you enter there and time is not felt, you enter there and you don’t feel out of place.

32. Are  you  interested  in  someone ? Were it so easy....

33. Would  you  rather  swim  in  the  lake   or  the  ocean?  it matters not which for me, so long as no one annoyes me... or the enviorment itself. Water is allways welcome in life, and vital for it to thrive.

34. What’s  your  type ? If they can beat my ass and have the charms, I am in.

35. Are  you  wanting  the  quiz  to  end ? please.

[imitranslates]

Fukigen na Mononokean Ch. 70

Finally a peek into Sakae’s past, and maybe a storm brewing in the background?

Please remember to check out the official English release when it comes out, preferably on Crunchyroll if you’re able to!

The newest chapter can be read on the official website by clicking the yellow button labeled 読む!

Fukigen na Mononokean Chapter 70 - Sunflow

Page 3

Neighbor: Good evening.

Dog: Woof, woof!

Nara: Good evening.

Dog: Whine, whine...

(Could you please tell me what you know about Ashiya Sakae back when he had gold hair and eyes?)

Page 4

Demon: Kyuukyuu...

Demon: Kyuu!

Ashiya: Furyuu-san!

Furyuu: Kyu.

Page 5

Ashiya: If there's anything on this food menu

that you want to eat, please tell me!

Furyuu: Kyuu!

(Ashiya: There's Japanese food, Western food, and Chinese food.)

Furyuu: Kyu!

[A karaoke place has private rooms, so no one will bother us...]

Furyuu: Kyuu...

Mononokean: "Before I go the Underworld, I want to eat delicious food from the Mundane world! Kyuu!"

Is what our client says.

[And the menu is expansive, so it's the perfect place for him to enjoy a dinner!]

Page 6

Furyuu: Kyu!

Ashiya: Pizza!

Furyuu: Kyu!

Ashiya: Chinese fried rice!

Furyuu: Kyu!

Ashiya: Yakisoba!

Furyuu: Kyu!

Ashiya: Fries and onion rings...

Abeno: ...Will you be able to eat that much...?

Phone: Ring, ring!

Furyuu: !?

Abeno: !

Furyuu: Kyu!

(Abeno: This ringtone belongs to...)

Page 7

Phone: (continues ringing)

[Mom]

Ashiya: !

Ashiya: ......

Page 8

Ashiya: Excuse me.

Abeno: ...?

Abeno: Is it okay to decline it?

Ashiya: ......

Ashiya: I'm working, so...

Ashiya: I'll get back to her later.

Page 9

Abeno: (That stilted speech...)

(Abeno: He's acting weird.)

Ashiya: Furyuu-san, what would you like to drink?

Abeno: .....

Furyuu: Kyuu!

Abeno: (It seems like Ashiya's mother hasn't responded

To the message I wrote this morning on his behalf...)

(In that case, that incoming phone call was probably...)

(Ashiya: Anything besides alcohol is OK.)

Page 10

Furyuu: Kyuuu!

Ashiya: Furyuu-san, please eat your fill!

Furyuu: Kyu!

(Abeno: How many people could this feed...?)

Furyuu: Kyu!

Furyuu: Kyu!

Furyuu: Kyu!

Page 11

(Furyuu: Kyu.)

Ashiya: You cleared all your plates!!

Furyuu: Kyu!!

Abeno: To eat all of that at your size... I truly underestimated you...

Ashiya: You have quite the appetite, Furyuu-san!

Ashiya: Do you want another helping?

Ashiya: There's also dessert.

Ashiya: ...Furyuu-san?

Furyuu: Kyupupu...

Ashiya: ...Don't tell me...?

Page 12

Furyuu: Kyupu.

Ashiya: Where's the restroom!?

Ashiya: Over there!

Furyuu: Kyupu...

Furyuu: Kyurororo.

Furyuu: Kyurorororo.

Abeno: ...

(Please excuse us for a moment...)

Page 13

Furyuu: Kyu... Kyuu...

Abeno: You overate.

Furyuu: Kyuu...

Ashiya: He's still feeling unwell, huh..

Abeno: I'll allow him to rest for a while before exorcising him to the Underworld.

Ashiya: Please sleep until your condition improves...

Furyuu: Kyuu...

Page 14

Abeno&Ashiya: ......

Ashiya: ...Abeno-san, would you like something to drink?

Abeno: I'm fine.

Abeno: ...Hm.

Page 15

Abeno: We're taking a break from work right now, so

Abeno: Here you go.

Ashiya: !

Ashiya: ......

Page 16

Nara: Hello.

Ashiya: Oh!! How was work today!!

Ashiya: It's me!!

Page 17

Ashiya: Please forgive me for not being able to take your call earlier...!

Nara: (It's fine.) Were you busy...?

Do you have a little time to talk?

Ashiya: Yes!

Nara: ...After you come home would be fine, too, but...

I thought it would be easier to talk over the phone...

Nara: ......

Nara: I read the message you sent me this morning...

Page 18

Nara: Hanae... Why do you know that Sakae used to have gold hair and eyes?

Ashiya: Eh?!

Nara: I've never told you that, you know?

Ashiya: Oh, about that... I heard it from my sister?!

Nara: I don't think she would have told you that either...

Ashiya: Oh, it wasn't her? Maybe it was a customer at the shop, then?

Nara: ...I see... So one of our customers is someone who knew the old Sakae...

Nara: Well, he did stand out...

Nara: ...Me, too...

Page 19

Nara: When I first laid my eyes on Sakae-kun in high school,

I was surprised by his gold hair and eyes...

Ashiya: ! (High school..?!)

Ashiya: Mom, you attended the same high school as my dad!?

Nara: Yeah. Our years were different, but we went there together.

Ashiya: (Then she knew Sakae when he had gold hair and eyes...!)

Page 20

Ashiya: (If so, then...)

Ashiya: (I might hear something about how Sakae came to attack demons!)

Abeno: !?

Ashiya: (I'll put the call on speaker and...)

Page 21

Ashiya: Mom, if you don't mind,

Ashiya: I'd like you to tell me about Dad back then...!

Nara: ...I see.

Nara: I haven't told you about it before now,

Nara: but since you want to know, Hanae... I'll tell you.

Page 22

Nara: ...I...

Nara: When I saw Sakae-kun, who looked like a sunflower...

Nara: I fell in love at first sight!

Ashiya: Ngh?!

(Abeno: Like a sunflower...?)

Nara: When we met, I was in my second year...

Nara: On that day, I'd fainted from anemia soon after reaching school...

Page 23

Nara: Uuuugh...

Nara: (This splitting headache...)

Nara: (It's cold...

I feel so awful...)

Page 24

Nara: (Whenever I come to school, I feel anemic...)

Nara: (Medicine doesn't have any effect,

and the hospital can't find anything wrong...)

Nara: Uuu...

[It hurts...]

[Why...

Why do I have]

[Such a horrible condition all of a sudden...?]

Page 25

Sakae: Disappear...

Page 26

Nara: Kyaa!? Who's there?!

Sakae: !?

Page 27

Sakae: ...So you were awake...

Nara: ....

[Golden...]

Page 28

[This guy...]

[His hair and eyes are golden...]

[Just like a sunflower...]

Sakae: ......?

[Currently admiring.]

(Nara: Hieee... (wonderment))

Sakae: ?

Sakae: ?

Sakae: ......

Page 29

Sakae: How...

are you feeling?

Nara: How am I...?

Nara: Now that you mention it, my chills and headache and nausea are gone?!

Sakae: ...

Nara: My condition always goes downhill when I enter the school, but

Nara: I'm glad I recovered so quickly today! (I might even be able to participate in P.E.!)

Nara: (Could it be?) Maybe when you gave me that shock, you cured me!

Nara: Thank you! Umm... Sunflower-kun!

Page 30

(Sakae: Sunflower-kun...?)

Sakae: .......

Sakae: My name is Ashiya. (Don't give me a weird nickname...)

Nara: (What a coincidence?!) I'm Ashiya, too!

I'm a second year in class 2, Ashiya Nara! What about you?

Sakae: ......

First year, Ashiya... Sakae.

Sakae: ...Hey.

Sakae: Does your health always have problems like today?

Page 31

Nara: Yeah...

Nara: From around the time I started high school, I started fainting a lot due to anemia.

Nara: And lately, even when I'm away from the school, my back will suddenly feel heavy and I won't be able to move,

Or my legs with seize up and I'll fall down on a totally flat path,

Or I'll feel itchy, like something is trying to move through my body...

Sakae: I see, so it's like that...

Sakae: Your constitution makes it easy for you to get drained....

Page 32

Sakae: ...Senpai.

Sakae: While you're still feeling well,

You ought to hurry back to your classroom...

Page 33

(If you're here, you'll become even more drained.)

Ashiya: ......

[Mom can't see demons,

So she misunderstood Sakae's words...]

Page 34

(He meant that her constitution makes her easily drained by demons...)

Abeno: ......

Abeno: ......

Abeno: (Ashiya Sakae...)

[Used his influence to kill demons to help humans...

...Was that sense of justice his motive for attacking demons?]

[When I saw his remnant back then, rather than having that sort of justification,

It felt as though he had a much darker reason behind his actions...]

Page 35

Nara: Because of that...

Abeno: !

Nara: I returned to my classroom like Sakae-kun said.

Nara: There, I told my classmate about Sakae-kun.

"I fell in love at first sight!" I said.

Nara: My classmate's face turned downcast...

Nara: She told me not to have anything to do with him,

Nara: And that misfortune would inevitably befall any person that gets close to him.

Page 36

Nara: In truth... His family died in mysterious circumstances, and the relative that took him in suffered from an unknown illness and was constantly going in and out of the hospital.

One after another, his friends suffered from poor health or got injured in accidents...

Nara: That's why people began to secretly call him a "God of Death" and avoid him...

...I heard.

Ashiya: (Could the source of it be...?)

Abeno: .......

Page 37

Nara: That's everything I remember clearly,

About Sakae back when he had gold hair and eyes.

Nara: The second time we met, Sakae's hair and eyes had become black...

Furyuu: Kyu.

Furyuu: Kyu.

Nara: ...Did you have anything else to ask me?

Ashiya: .....

Ashiya: ...Yeah.

Page 38

Ashiya: But that's more than enough for today.

Ashiya: ...I'll make sure to ask you next time.

Furyuu: Kyu!

Ashiya: Yeah...

Ah, I'm still at school.

Ashiya: Okay...

Furyuu: Kyu?

Ashiya: Okay... I'll see you later.

Page 39

Furyuu: Kyuu!

Page 40

Abeno: That story before...

Abeno: If the misfortunes occurring around Ashiya Sakae,

were a tragedy caused by a demon...

Page 41

Abeno: I can see how he'd come to think that demons had to be exterminated.

Ashiya: .....

(He lost his connections to the people he cherished because of demons...)

Ashiya: To Sakae, demons...

Ashiya: ...were probably the source of his misfortune and loneliness, huh?

Page 42

(Since he was someone who had experienced that suffering firsthand...)

(He surely couldn't leave Mom alone, when he saw her suffering from possession...)

Sakae: ((Uwah...) I thought I felt an awful lot of demons around...

Does this person draw demons toward them...?)

Ashiya: ...!

Ashiya: ...In that case, demons are...

Page 43

Abeno: Ashiya.

Abeno: Haven't you realized something?

Ashiya: Even if demons were responsible for stealing away his bonds with people,

They were also the Cupid that tied those two together in love!

Abeno: !?

Abeno: (Ah?)

Page 44

Ashiya: If demons didn't exist, I wouldn't have been born!

So it's thanks to them that I'm here today!

Abeno: (I'm an idiot for trying to talk to this 5 year old seriously.)

[The person in question, trying his best to have a serious conversation.]

Ashiya: I wonder how those two ended up hooking up...?

Abeno: ......

Ashiya: Maybe Mom confessed? (She did fall in love at first sight...)

Ashiya: It'd be really troublesome if demons kept interfering with their dates, though...? Hmm... I'm curious...

Abeno: You... Why don't you walk home today...?

Ashiya: Huh, why? I wanted you to send me back. (With the Mononokean, it's like woosh...)

Abeno: Don't make me look at your idiotic face any longer. Hurry up and leave in the next 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...

Page 45

Nara: !

Ashiya: Thank you for telling me so much today.

Page 46

Ashiya: Right now, I'm walking home from school...

Ashiya: I'm hungry! I wanna eat omlete rice~

Nara: Come back home soon,

Hanae~

[dr-nero-is-god]

all of the evil asks (but only if you have the time!!) for wing because he's my favorite son

Good news, nonnie! I am recovering from a twenty-one hour journey yesterday, which leaves me too dead to do adulting but just awake enough to dedicate 46 acres of my mind to Wing Fanchu. (And really, which is the more wholesome task, anyway?)

1. What does their bedroom look like?

I’ll do his pre-H.I.V.E. bedroom, since we’re all familiar with the cells. Tan walls, a large window with a dark pull-down shade, and a large, low bed with a white comforter. Some posters of tricky martial arts positions. A neatly-rolled yoga mat in the corner, and space on the floor to use it.

2. Do they have any daily rituals?

Meditation, for 15-30 minutes every morning, assuming Otto has not set a new harebrained scheme in motion.

3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?

Wing certainly would, even if he didn’t have to. Martial arts, running, swimming, pull-ups, all those things. Probably every day. Maybe many times a day. Can you get paid to be strong?

4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?

Wait patiently, acting as though he wasn’t hungry at all.

5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)

Very neat, but some of that comes from being someone who doesn’t take much stock in an excess of personal possessions. That said, Wing is very good about grooming his long hair, and keeping his notebooks in order, and so on. He makes his bed every morning, too, cuz his mama raised him right.

6. Eating habits and sample daily menu

Generally lots of vegetables—he enjoys treats but isn’t swayed by food just because it looks fancy. That said, he isn’t a picky eater, either. Whatever is on the lunch menu, he doesn’t mind.

Breakfast: raisin bran and yogurt, or avocado toast

Mid-morning snack: crushed nuts and dried fruit

Lunch: veggie wrap (i.e. tortilla with hummus, bell peppers, salad, tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese)

Mid-afternoon snack: peanut butter and celery

Dinner: Roasted mushrooms, onions, and broccoli with rice and a tofu burger

7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time

Wing isn’t really a time-waster. If he has a few extra moments, he might meditate or sleep. When he can’t focus, he tends to get up and do something else and try again later.

8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging

As a disciplined person, Wing doesn’t give much thought to indulgence, but he is generally good about restarting his routines after breaking them. Biggest example would be taking a day off from his workout routine.

9. Makeup?

“I am pleased you admire my high cheekbones, Shelby, but I see no reason to do something so frivolous as contour them.”

11. Intellectual pursuits?

Wing occasionally might read a book on strategy or martial arts, but he prefers the practical application in the gym.

12. Favorite book genre?

Non-fiction. He has little to no use for fantasies and make-believe.

13. Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?

Pansexual. Generally accepting of queer identities, but also considers them to be a very private matter and so can feel uncomfortable when people bring it up.

14. Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)

Allergy to strawberries and a bad knee from an accident that will probably need to be replaced later.

15. Biggest and smallest short term goal?

Biggest: get out of H.I.V.E. alive

Smallest: beat Shelby at literally any competition

16. Biggest and smallest long term goal?

Biggest: keep one (1) otto malpense from getting beaten up, burned, assaulted, kidnapped, brainwashed, bullied, bruised, cut, crushed, killed, maimed, and/or otherwise damaged

Smallest: visit his mom’s grave annually

17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress

Simple, non-dramatic garb. I have always imagined that Wing would be his best self in business casual sweaters. He is also very particular about the shoes that he wears, but I don’t know enough about shoes to comment.

18. Favorite beverage?

Water.

19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

He doesn’t.

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

Nothing much worse than the common cold, but he still has fond memories of his mom stopping in to check on him and give him soup, and his dad checking in on him before bed.

21. Turn-ons? Turn-offs?

Turn-ons: Sarcasm, which makes living with Otto and Shelby nigh unbearable.

Turn-offs: people who use the word “like” as a filler too much.

22. Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?

He would set them neatly to the side and then put his head down and take on his chainsaw persona.

23. How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?

Wing is very neat, but not entirely organized. In particular, he isn’t always good at keeping track of assignments for school, so he has gotten marked down a few times for not paying attention to dates and times, much to his disappointment.

24. Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?

Wing has a modest success with almost all of his classes, but he is really good at strategy. If pressed, he could be a one-man armada. (That said, it isn’t like he considers intellectual things like math his beloved.)

25. How do they see themselves 5 years from today?

I don’t think Wing knows, but he would certainly hope to be partnering with one of his friends from school. If not, perhaps finding his place after going through his mother’s belongings.

26. Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t work out?

No, in part because H.I.V.E. doesn’t exactly cater to someone with his particular ethical framework. Wing wouldn’t want to exploit people for money, fame, or love, but he would find it just as tasteless to contract with a government to expose these deeds. Wing would feel most satisfied in a career where he has a personal connection—for example, running security in Laura’s tech company, or working as Otto’s personal bodyguard. Until Wing can get some life experience away from the island, he won’t have a clear idea of where he belongs.

27. What is their biggest regret?

Losing Otto to H.O.P.E. and allowing him to be brainwashed and taken advantage of in the worst of ways.

28. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?

Best friend is Otto, obviously. Though their friendship was kind of manufactured by their close proximity, Wing finds Otto to be inspiring, trustworthy, and relatable.

Wing disdains all people he considers dishonorable, but he particularly loathes people who abuse their authority, like Dekker.

29. Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (e.g. The house is on fire! What do they do?)

Action! If there are people and pets involved, then he saves them! If there is critical information that is needed, he makes that a second priority! He gets people to safety, calls for help, and continues to risk life and limb to make sure the people he cares about are okay.

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

Well. It can be hard to tell, at first—Wing isn’t an entirely expressive guy. But, unsurprisingly, his pain has to come out in other ways. Lashing out, making rash decisions, losing motivation… all of these things are his way of not-coping with disaster because he struggles to express his emotions in a healthy way. (Many thanks to his dad for making him respond this way.)

31. Most prized possession?

His mom’s yin/yang necklace, although that is a gimme.

32. Thoughts on material possessions in general?

Not particularly concerned. Though Wing is not immune from sentiment, as in the case of his mom’s necklace, Wing’s strongest responses are for people and situations, not lifeless objects. It isn’t true to say that you could just pick Wing up and drop him anywhere, because of the social loss, but you could certainly burn his house down and he would be able to move on.

33. Concept of home and family?

Wing makes very deep bonds with the people who are emotionally open with him and who he spends a lot of time working and playing with. His mother (and father, to some extent) gave him that familial care when he was very young, but after Xiu Mei’s death and Cypher’s withdrawal from his home life, Lao became that staple of home love, a bond made strong by commitment and involvement. The same occurred when Wing came to H.I.V.E., and found a small home group in Otto, Laura, Shelby, Franz, and Nigel, who formed reciprocal relationships and made him feel like he belonged through the time they spent together.

34. Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)

Super private. He doesn’t mind sharing personal things with his nosy friends, but the rest of the school? If he had his way they wouldn’t know his eye color, much less the status of his feelings or relationships.

35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?

Puzzles, parkour, and frisbee.

36. What makes them feel guilty?

The times he has let down his friends, either by wrong action or inaction. Not taking care of himself. Lying by omission about his thoughts and feelings that he is not confident enough to share with people he respects. Leaving behind Lao, who might not know where he is.

37. Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?

Analytical, but with emotional motivations. Wing will bide his time bemoaning the loss of his best pal, very emotional and sad, and then assess the situation and jump into a helicopter when the time is right to save that pasty best friend’s ass.

38. Would they consider themselves a Type A or Type B personality?

Type B, which is not a usual thing for Alphas, let me tell you.

39. What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?

Sleep, meditation, working out, snuggling, listening to his friends have brilliant ideas (but only if he has been drained by hard and/or boring intellectual work), sleep.

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

Maybe a slight inferiority complex that doesn’t show. In the wake of Xiu Mei’s death, Cypher made his son feel completely unimportant. Lao did the important work of rebuilding Wing’s self-esteem, but that sense of abandonment and unimportance can return in dark moments.

41. How misanthropic are they?

Not very. True facts, Wing could probably work for Greenpeace or a humanitarian aid society after school and feel very fulfilled defending ordinary people from corrupt militias and other dangerous things.

(Side note, Laura and Nigel would be my other contenders for humanitarian/charitable work, but Laura needs a greater intellectual challenge and Nigel would probably get overwhelmed and get back into evil botany.)

42. Hobbies?

Martial arts, sand art, yoga

43. How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?

Wing received the best education his parents could get him as a young boy, but after his mother’s death he didn’t feel involved or interested, and his only interest became the passion for martial arts that he received from his mentor Lao. He quite admires self-education when it is done well, because it demonstrates high motivation and a deep passion for a subject of study.

44. Religion?

None, but he respects those who have one.

45. Superstitions or views on the occult?

Nothing major, but he does sometimes get the impression that his mother might be looking out for him, or reappearing in his life in small ways. Maybe in the way a flower blooms, maybe in hearing a familiar laugh. Or just good things happening.

46. Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?

Usually deeds, because it is easier for Wing to step up to the plate and help his friends in whatever way they need to be helped without their asking. But nor is Wing embarrassed to admit it when he cares about people, and when he says those things, he means them.

47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

Brilliant smile. Someone he can enjoy a little competition with, but always in a friendly way. Someone who balances his quiet nature and composure with eagerness and ambition. Soft. Enjoys snuggling. Someone he can be honest with, but also someone he doesn’t completely understand. Someone who makes him laugh. Someone who makes an effort to understand him, even when it is hard. Hard worker. Talented. Smart. Someone who doesn’t allow him to take himself seriously. Someone who meshes with his friends, or bare minimum won’t take those friends away from him.

48. How do they express love?

In the dramatic ways, like risking his life. Also in mundane ways, like kissing on top of the head, or running errands on a busy day, or making sure that the beloved who fell asleep doing homework gets all the way into bed with a warm blanket.

49. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?

… at this point, I am going to defer to the master and tell you to just re-read the books. Like damn what do you want me to SAY.

50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

No, but he would prefer not to. He doesn’t lose sleep over the inevitable, though.

[tonydadisbestdad]

Master Summary List

A/N: The numbers are the order these stories were written in. Just to help me keep things in order.

MASTERLIST WITH LINKS * NOT Dad!Tony ~ Smut

Peter

111. Forgotten Request by: Anonymous: Prompt: “And slowly... I was forgotten.” Tony Stark’s daughter is dead and she was dating Peter Parker and she dies like through being kidnapped or something and the story is from her point of view where everyone mourns her at first but then she thinks she is forgotten?? 108. * Healed Heartbreak Prompt: We’re texting for the first time in forever and I told you about some stupid thing I did and sent a sarcastic ‘you must really miss me, huh?’ And you just replied ‘yes’ and I my heart just broke. 107. Pretend To Be My Date For hollandroos Drabble Challenge! I’ve never done one before so I thought it might be time. Sophs I admire your work and I hope you enjoy this! 106. Dear Peter Parker Dear Evan Hansen AU 105. * Brother Sister Secrets (sister reader) Request from chloe-geoghegan1: would you be able to write a peter parker x sister reader please? Your writing is amazing! 103. It’s Never The Answer Request from anon: attempted suicide 102. Comfy Cute fluffy story for galaxyoffangirls 99. * Long Lost Love You were little when you had your first kiss with the love of your life and best friend, but then he was pulled from your life. What happens years later when you meet again and don’t realize just who you’re making out with. 98. Relief Request by anon: Could you do a stark!reader, where tony finds drugs in her room. Maybe even some peter parker x reader please 97. Told You So Request from anon (I think I can’t remember and forgot to write it down): Hey! I love all your dad tony fics, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to request a story? Like, what if Tony was trying to set TR and Peter up but they 'hate' one another and then when tony finally gives up Peter actually admits he likes her and fluff?? it's okay if you skip this, but i thought it was worth the ask x 95. * Crazy Inventions Request by anon: Can you write a story with the quote “last time I did that I got tased on my neck”. You can take it however you want to… it’s like a challenge. 93. A Knight’s Love Request from anon: Can I request a medieval au with Dad!Tony being the King and Peter being a Knight to help protect the the reader, but Peter really likes her and is scared because of Tony being the King? 92. * Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson Request by @dancing4girls: Could I request a headcanon about Peter choosing between Gwen Stacy and MJ? 91. Senior Prom Stark Style Request by anon: How about Peter being nervous telling Dad!Tony about his huge crush on reader and trying to ask her to Homecoming so Tony, being the extra af dad he is, plans this whole thing to help Peter out and get his girl ^-^ -🌙 90. * That Dress I Like Summary: You’ve got a date tonight and you asked for advice on what to wear but I’m so in love with you and damn you look good in the outfit I picked out for you. 89. Stress Overload Request by Anon: Peter Parker x Stark!reader, reader is very closed off from the avengers and is just shy in general. She feels she can’t talk to them about her problems but along comes Peter and they instantly click. Tony isn’t too happy with them getting close but accepts it in the end 87. * Divine Intervention Request by: @dapartnerincrime99 Person c: “you know how I’m basically a god?” Person A: “yeah?” C: “then consider this as divine intervention.” C: *shouts out person a’s crush on person b.* 86. A Good Ending Request by Anon: Shy and Timid Reader x Peter where he catches her in the rain after she’s been ignored the whole day? Like everyone just passed by her without really talking to her and if she had spoken she was ignored, so he takes her to the tower, the rest is up to you! Is that too specific?? Sorry!! I hope this isn’t a bother!! 84. Would You Rather Request from anon: Imagine being Riri Williams (ironheart) and having to use your suit to save peter. Tony freaks out because 1 he hasn’t safely checked your suit (dad!tony vibes) and 2 because he doesn’t want you and peter in danger. I really don’t mind, whatever floats your boat. I feel like wringing a character like riri would be easier though……… 81. ~* I Can’t Believe You Broke Your Bed (DAD!TONYXPETER) Request by Anon: can I have 144 and 145 Peter x reader, where tony is Peter’s dad and in the morning they have to tell him why Peter needs a new bed? 80. * Meeting the Family (DAD!TONYXPETER) Request by anon: Could you do something with tony being peters dad and peter wants you to meet his family. Valentine’s 76-79 79. Steve’s Valentine’s Mission Request by @iams3bstan: I was wondering for a valentines idea where the reader is like Steve’s little sister and peter likes her so he send her anonymous roses but of course- stevie gets protective:,) thank you 78. Dadentines Day Request from anon: you being upset that you don’t have a valentine, so dad!Tony decides to spend the day with you. 77. Secret Admirer Request from Anon: Dad!Tony freaking out that his not so little girl having a secret admirer. 76. Not So Lonely Valentine’s Request from anon: Dad!Tony valentines one or even the avenger team? Reader is really lonely and wants to spend time with friends but everyone is busy, including Tony. But she pretends she has plans? Cause she’s very shy and nervous, she locks herself in her room. 75. Flirting for Jealousy Steve offers Peter some helpful advice when it comes to being jealous. 74. * Too Young ‘18’ by 5SOS in Peter’s POV about being sick of waiting to turn 21- from anon 72. Hero Mentality Fake boyfriend trope. Your boyfriend of a few years breaks up with you. So, you need someone to pretend to be him for a weekend to go home and meet your family. 71. * Wild and Free Song fic for ‘Wild and Free’ by Lena Meyer-Landrut 67. No One’s Fault You and your dad need to learn how to come together to cope. 65. Dad to the Rescue Not only did Tony tell Peter to stay out of things, he winds up having to save you and Peter. Jess’s Spooky Shorts 60-64 64. * Cute Costume You really aren’t all about the sexy costumes, but that doesn’t make you feel much better about yours. 63. Flying Popcorn You’re not a big fan of scary movies, too bad your boyfriend misunderstands when you tell him you want to watch some classic Halloween movies. 62. * Bobbing for Apples Someone doesn’t like bobbing for apples. 61. * Sweet Treats You get stuck babysitting on Halloween and it turns out sweeter than you thought it’d be. 60. Decorating Scares You’re decorating the tower when weird things start happening. 59. The Power of the Shower Peter needed to use your shower, and he certainly wasn’t expecting this to happen. 58. One Punch, Two Punch, Out the Door You regret going to a party, because a certain guy won’t leave you alone. 57. Surprise You have a surprise for Peter. 56. Midtown Catastrophe Midtown is under attack and it’s you and Peter to the rescue. 54. * Teleportation Hero You and Peter both have secret crushes on eachother, but also on other people. What happens when Tony want you on the team? 53. * “Slow Hands” Song fic based off the song by Niall Horan, I don’t think it needs more of a description. 52. * Secret Identity Blown Peter’s big secret finally gets out, so what happens when it does? 51. * The Ex Your first kiss with Peter doesn’t go the way you had imagined it might happen. 50. * Surprising Hotness Peter’s changing quite a lot and you finally decide to ask why. 49. It’s All About Personality Based off episode 7 of ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’. Tony and May set you kids up on a blind date right after Tony releases you to the world. 48. More than an Idol You’re dating Peter and he talks you up to Tony and he wants to meet you and then you find out something you never thought was possible. 47. * Overflow Sometimes life just doesn’t go the way you wanted it to. 46. * Snow Storm You get to go on a mission to somewhere really cold, and get stuck in a cabin with the person you spend most of your time trying to avoid. 45. * On the Edge You find a sleepy spider asleep on your balcony one morning. 44. ~ “I had a wet dream about you.” You have a sex dream about Peter and that definitely put a wrench in things. 42. * Insignia Soulmate au, you really can’t figure out why you have a strange looking spider on you. 43. * Y/N and Peter’s First Date! You and Peter finally get together, but your date really doesn’t go as planned. 40. * Shadow You weren’t exactly a cat burglar, you only ever took one thing from the places you went, and you always took something in significant, just as a souvenir. That was until you ran into Spider-Man  39. * I can’t do this without you. You’re hurt on a mission and Peter is very upset.  37. Bodyguard Babe Your dad has a different job for Peter and that’s to be your undercover bodyguard. But what happens when undercover actually means pretend boyfriend? 36. Accidental Discovery Your journal is your life, so what happens when someone else get ahold of all your secrets? 35. * Sticky Situation Peter is having a horrible date until you come to his rescue. 34. What is this Feeling You were stuck in an abusive relationship, but everything starts to get better when a certain someone is there to help you recover. 33. Unsteady Song fic. Sometimes all you really need is someone to hold you while you cry. 32. It’s too early to get out of bed Staying in bed for once isn’t ideal, but it sure sounds lovely. 31. I’m Done Peter’s having a rough time keeping you safe and loving you. 29. You’re Hot, I’m Not Part II After all the times of Peter catching you looking not cute, you finally have an opportunity to show off and he ruins it. 28. You’re Hot, I’m Not Part I Every time you’ve had an interaction with Peter, you somehow manage to look absolutely terrible, little do you know he always thinks you look beautiful. 27. Growing Up Your dad finds out your secret and he doesn’t handle it at all like you thought he would. 26. * It was probably a trap You had a mission, and of course it went wrong, but lucky for you the greatest guy you know is on his way to rescue you. 25. * I Need You All you want is to be curled up with Peter after you have an awful nightmare, so that’s exactly what you plan on doing. 24. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re Spider-Man?” Some big secrets come out when you accidently bump into each other in a place you never thought you would. 23. Meddling Iron Dad Your dad decides that it’s time for him to stop minding his business. 22. * Bedbug You think someone is trying to break in but really it’s a spider trying to find his own home to get some rest. 20. * Undercover You were supposed to be in and out. It’s not your fault Peter got a little distracted along the way. 18. All Wet Time for vacation, your only problem is that you hate pools, and apparently Peter loves’em. 17. * Sleepless Nights It’s very early when Peter finally makes it in from his nightly patrol. 16. Secret Love Song Song fic. It hurts that your and Peter’s love has to be kept secret. 14. We’re Even You save Peter, Peter saves you. Some secrets are shared.  13. Sleep Deprivation and Wrong Beds After a long mission you lose your way in the compound and end up in a certain web slingers bed. 12. Personal Space Everybody has their thing. Yours was you didn’t like to be touched. It took Peter only a bit of time to figure that out, but once he did he’d do anything to make sure no one would ever touch you. 10. * Lies, Lies, Lies Peter struggles to keep his lives sorted out. 9. The saddest days can be the best days Peter can’t leave you alone when he knows you’re not okay. 8. ~ Untouchable Peter knew you were off limits, but he also can’t say no to you. 7. ~ It wasn’t hard to figure out You definitely didn’t need the entire Avengers team to find out what they did that morning. 6. Will you be my date You’re having a little trouble getting a guy off your tail, so you elicit Peter to help you get your point across. 5. Secrets are irrelevant when they can't be kept No one actually knows the truth of who you are. Then you meet Peter and your life of secrets takes an unexpected turn. 4. Loving you is easy, saying the words not so much You always knew how much you loved, you were just too afraid to say them, and not for the reasons one might typically think. 3. ~ Phone sex You think you’re in the clear to act up a little. 2. *~ I didn’t know you had a tattoo You may have forgotten to tell your boyfriend you have a tattoo for your favorite hero. 1. Gym Misunderstandings You were just sparring, however your dad seemed to think otherwise.

Tom

114. * More Than Good Enough Request from anon: Would you be willing to write a Tom Holland x Reader fic where the reader is dating tom and is also an actress and she’s been facing a lot of rejection (like not getting parts) recently and she gets really depressed and thinks she’s not good enough and he comforts her and makes her feel better? 113. * Marriage Before Love Prompt: I think I got married on impulse last night… and after looking a second time, I don’t think I’ve made any mistakes. 112. * A New Life She Has Found You and Tom hate each other. You’re neighbors and he’s always trying to antagonize you. So what happens when you find yourself in an abusive relationship and he’s the only one you can turn to? 110. * Tinder Date You find Tom Holland on Tinder and start talking to him, the catch? This can’t possibly be Tom Holland. 96. * Happier Song fic “Happier” by Ed Sheeran 38. *~ “New Man” Song fic sort of. You and Tom breakup and neither of you are over the other even if you are with someone else. 30. *~ Watch out for those quiet ones What happens when a game of truth or dare gets a little out of hand? 21. ~ You’re hot, I’m horny, let’s fuck You and Tom definitely can’t hide your interest from each other. 19. Winning and Losing You’re devastated when you don’t make it to Tom winning the Rising Star Award. You’re even more so when you see headlines the next morning.

Bucky

15. Love and Loss and Love Again Love isn’t always easy. Especially when not all parties are aware of it.

Focus is Dad!Tony/RDJ some xPeter tho

109. Teasing Cast Mates Request from anon: reader plays tony stark’s daughter in the avengers movies and she’s like a new character. them on a show (either an interview or something like jimmy fallon) and her and rdj have a really cute relationship and it shows and all the other cast members kinda tease them 104. Awful News Request from anon: I love your writing! Can you please write something about Tony telling the reader Peter is dead after infinity war? I know it’s been done before but ?? 100. New School Year Request by @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars: Hey there, I was just wondering—this is something I literally JUST thought of hahah— could you maybe do a Dad!RDJ Au where his (reader) daughter is like on her way to school and gets ambushed my reporter so overprotective Mama Bear Robert has to save the day and kick some ass?? Thank you so much and good luck with college!😊 94. Hand To Hand Combat Request by anon: Could you please write about: Tony being really mad that Captain America beat him in hand to hand combat (end of civil war) and complaining to his kid. And the kid suggesting tony train with Natasha because he forces them to train even though the kid has an iron suit. Then The three of them are training and tony is constantly complaining. You can take it however, I’m more suggesting the concept 88. Roasted SO When I asked for requests I got two that could work together. I hope you guys don’t mind me combining them. They were both from anon’s: The reader being Tony’s kid, and all the avengers thinking they are super sweet, until one day they sass/roast the avengers. And tony is like I told you guys… AND…  Would you write an image about Tony’s kid hardcore interrogating all the avengers. Peter does that stuff really come out of you. Captain are you really old. Wanda why are you crushing on an android. You can take it how ever you want to. I’m sorry I kinda changed the second one I realized after writing… if you want a rewrite alone I can do that. 83.  Apple Cider Can Fix Anything Request by Anon: Y/N trying to get Tony to stop stress drinking pouring out all his alcohol and replacing it with apple cider. The two of them turn it into a ritual, every night drinking cider and talking it out. 82. My Dear Summary: Mainly based off the song ‘My Dear’ by: Matty Mullins, but the song is kinda religious so obviously I changed that aspect. Reader has to sit and watch a video from her dad that he left in his will. 73. Follow The Rules And You Won’t Get Hurt Request: Peter and Tony are at the tower and Peter gets in a fight with Tony for whatever reason (probably Peter being stupid and risking his life again) and Tony’s yelling at him and Peter gets shot through the window. I want him to get like, ‘if it weren’t for his super healing, he’d be dead’ kind of injured and just him. 69. The Stark Anxiety Anxiety runs in the family, and you just can’t help the panic attack that happens at an event you’re at with your dad. 68. Skepticism At It’s Best Tony really can’t believe his eyes when he sees you and Peter flirting with each other. 66. Superboy and the Invisible Girl Song fic based on the song from Next to Normal. In your eyes, your own father would rather be a better parent to someone else rather than his own daughter. 55. Yours If You Want It Masterlist Song fic based from Rascal Flatts. Tony would give you anything in your life. No matter what, no matter how hard it might be for him. 41. Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re planning a surprise party, so you make Peter keep your dad occupied fro the day. 11. I’m your daughter Part 1: All your life you never would have guess who your dad was, turns out he was just as surprised as you were. Part 2: Request by @missrowle: I’m your daughter more parts. Teams reaction if or when they meet her.

Steve

70. Long Ride The reader is stuck in the elevator with Tony and Steve and the guys are arguing about something stupid. She’s getting so sick of listening to them bicker so she decides to put her hands over her ears and let out a series of horrifying screams. The guys stop arguing to help but she suddenly stops and they get out of the elevator. They ask her what was wrong and she’s just “got you to stop arguing didn’t I?”

NOT xReader

85. Find the Cure Request by Anon: How about Tony and Peter are living in a Zombie Apocalypse for some time now. And now one of them is bitten - for you to choose - and the only way to stop the transformation is to take out the heart before he turns. I expect lots of father and son fluff and how they will not be able to live without the other anymore. Have fun ;) 101. Science Fair Request by pishposhpink: For you requests, uhm, tony helping peter on a school project??? like a science fair? (Child!Peter would be preferable, but it’s up to you. ^^)

[womenofcolor15]

Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Wife Maya Thanks Everyone For Prayers After Successful Double Mastectomy, Preps To Run For Husband's Seat + Republican Woman Who Attacked Cummings Runs For His Seat Too

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings – the widow of late congressman Elijah Cummings – thanks everyone for the outpouring of love following a successful double mastectomy. Yes, she still plans on running for her late husband’s Congressional seat. And so is Republican/Trump supporter Kimberly Klacik. More inside…

On the same day Maya Rockeymoore Cummings announced to run to fill out the remainder of her late husband/ Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cummings’ term in Congress, she announced she was undergoing a preventative double mastectomy at John Hopkins Hospital. The surgery was a success and she’s now recovering before she hops back on the campaign trail for her late husband's 7th Congressional District seat.

During her announcement, the 48-year-old revealed her mother died of stage 4 breast cancer in 2015. Last year, her younger sister was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and she decided to undergo a double mastectomy as a pre-emptive measure. She also said she had a good friend who was under the age of 40 recently die from the disease.

Before Cummings’ passing, she said he went with her to her doctor’s appointment and they decided she would go through with the preventative surgery and that the surgery date was scheduled long before her husband’s death. After the surgery (that went down last Friday), she sent an email out, revealing the surgery was a success. We can't even imagine the strength this takes, especially while grieving.

  Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings recovering after a successful surgery on Friday. She recently announced on the Rachel Maddow Show that she would enter the race for U.S. House of Representatives Maryland's 7th District, a seat held by her late husband Congressman Elijah Cummings. pic.twitter.com/rYxnrqWxjB

— SexMoneyPower (@SexMoneyPower) November 16, 2019

   Yesterday, she hopped on Instagram to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers she received:

          View this post on Instagram

                  My name is Maya Rockeymoore Cummings. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes during my recent preventative double mastectomy. I am doing well and my heart is full from the overwhelming support I have received. One in 8 women and 1 in 1,000 men are at risk of getting breast cancer in their lifetimes. Unfortunately, my mother died of breast cancer and my sister was diagnosed with it last year. We must take charge of our health. That’s why I urge you to conduct regular self exams, get an annual mammogram, and lead healthy lifestyles and encourage others to do so as well. Please visit Susan G Komen at Komen.org and the Black Women’s Health Imperatice at bwhi.org for more information. It’s time to save more lives. #breastcancerawareness #breastcancerawarenessmonth #breastcancer #mastectomy #mastectomyrecovery #doublemastectomy #prevention #cancerprevention #curecancer #women #blackwomen #komenforthecure #komen #blackwomenshealthimperative #health #healthy

A post shared by Maya Rockeymoore Cummings (@rockeymoorecummings) on Nov 21, 2019 at 5:41am PST

"My name is Maya Rockeymoore Cummings. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes during my recent preventative double mastectomy. I am doing well and my heart is full from the overwhelming support I have received," she captioned a picture of herself. She then encouraged others (women and men) to take charge of their health and get screened.

"We must take charge of our health. That’s why I urge you to conduct regular self exams, get an annual mammogram, and lead healthy lifestyles and encourage others to do so as well," she said.

Maya plans on getting back to business once she's fully recovered.

"Most importantly, we are so glad that Maya is healthy and recovering, and she’s looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail in a few weeks," Tucker Cavanagh, Cummings's campaign manager, said in a statement.

Congressman Cummings passed away on October 17th. He was 68-years-old. Elijah and Maya tied the knot in 2009. She was elected chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party in December 2018. She resigned the party chair position to clear the way for her congressional run.

Thank God she's on the road to recovery as there are plenty of folks gunning for Rep. Elijah Cummings' (D-MD) congressional seat, including Republican/Trump supporter Kimberly Klacik.

    Did you donate $250 & over to my campaign? I’ll be giving you a call tomorrow. I am truly thankful for the support & want to thank you personally.

All donors will receive something in the mail from me soon. Every penny means the to me!https://t.co/sDJbWLtWbr to donate pic.twitter.com/5imbR23x71

— Kimberly Klacik (@kimKBaltimore) November 21, 2019

Rising Republican strategist Kimberly Klacik announced that she will run for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings' congressional seat. The unmitigated gall. She’s the Baltimore County Republican official who put up social media posts/videos about trash in West Baltimore that prompted President Trump to verbally attack Rep. Cummings. Trump used her videos during his attacks against the city.

The 37-year-old filed for the special election in the 7th Congressional District, a seat Cummings held for more than two decades. Right after making her announcement, she quickly hopped on Twitter with claims that the "left" is attacking her.

  I have not been an announced candidate for more than 2 hours and the far left is already attacking me. I need your help now more than ever. Baltimore deserves better https://t.co/sDJbWLtWbr https://t.co/wvZKmUAgiv

— Kimberly Klacik (@kimKBaltimore) November 9, 2019

Girl...

The list of hopefuls is jammed packed with 32 candidates (24 Democrats & 8 Republicans) all fighting to succeed Cummings. There are eight females running, however, political analyst John Dedie predicts Maya Rockeymoore Cummings has the best shot at winning.

Here's the list of candidates below (via the Baltimore Sun):

Among the other Democrats running are Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Cummings’ widow and former chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party; state House Majority Whip Talmadge Branch; longtime Cummings staff member Harry Spikes; Del. Terri L. Hill, a physician; international public health professional T. Dan Baker; pulmonologist Dr. Mark Gosnell; and community activist Saafir Rabb.

Del. Jay Jalisi of Baltimore County was among the last-minute filers, smiling for pictures in the Maryland State Board of Elections office in Annapolis as he signed his paperwork Nov. 20.

The Republican candidates include Kimberly Klacik, who runs a nonprofit and is a member of a county Republican Central Committee; former 2nd Congressional candidate Liz Matory; grassroots activist and businesswoman Reba A. Hawkins; businessman Ray Bly; and William T. Newton, a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.

The other listed Republicans are Christopher Anderson of Baltimore, James C. Arnold of Baltimore County and Brian L. Brown of Montgomery County.

The other Democrats are Alicia D. Brown of Baltimore County, Anthony Carter Sr. of Baltimore, Matko Lee Chullin III of Baltimore County, Jay Fred Cohen of Howard County, Nathaniel M. Costley Sr. of Carroll County, Jermyn Davidson of Charles County, Darryl Gonzalez of Carroll County, Leslie E. Grant of Baltimore County, Dan L. Hiegel of Baltimore, Paul V. Konka of Baltimore County, Adrian Petrus of Prince George’s County, Charles U. Smith of Baltimore and Charles Stokes of Baltimore County.

The candidates will run in a special primary election in the 7th Congressional District. The primary is set for February 4th and the general election will go down April 28th.

Don't let us down, Maryland!

  Photo: Getty

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2019/11/22/elijah-cummings%E2%80%99-wife-maya-thanks-everyone-for-prayers-after-successful-double-mastectomy

[stevedonnellyfaith-blog]

Father Jerry (Post 62) 11-5-14

                        In his homily the other weekend Father Jerry talked about his decision to offer his life to Christ by becoming an attending nurse in an AIDS ward in a San Francisco hospital during the time before any knowledge existed about how the virus was transmitted.  Fear, prejudice and the incredible speed by which the AIDS epidemic spread had created an environment where people were scared to care for a group of the suffering - predominantly men- stricken with the dreaded disease.  We see a similar situation currently with Ebola victims. Father Jerry knew that he possessed a group of useful talents gifted to him by God that would allow him to provide the needed service to suffering patients. I expect that if we asked him, Father Jerry would admit that he expected or least acknowledged the possibility that he would contract AIDS from one of his patients.  Although Father Jerry did not, like Damien of Malaki, contract the illness of those he served, I think we would at least discover that he found the call to provide palliative care to hundreds of dying patients more taxing on his soul than he ever expected. His offering of himself in service to others is a reminder to me of the type of sacrifice to which we are called as Christians.  Were he not already under an obligation of obedience to be our pastor, I could see Father Jerry volunteering again and heading off to Liberia.

In several other homilies, Father Jerry has also discussed the discernment process he went through in his decision to answer God's call to the priesthood.  As a former Protestant Minister, Father Jerry understood the difficulty of the opportunity he was considering.  With respect to God's plan and the impact on his own life, he discerned the likely outcome each road would lead to upon leaving from the fork of his decision.  Father Jerry knew which of the two paths would allow him to most effectively use his God-given talents to bear fruit pleasing to our Creator. Of course the most fruitful path, as it usually is, was the more daunting and unfamiliar way ahead.  Still he discerned and answered, "Here am I, Lord.  Send me (Isaiah 6:8)."  That Father Jerry's difficult decision led to a fruitful outcome is apparent to me in each homily that he gives, and within each word of counsel that he has provided me as I have stumbled over and around my own obstacles.

 While I discern my own path, I draw upon father Jerry's experiences as well as biblical stories about St. Peter.  Even before Jesus' crucifixion, Peter and the disciples receive instructions on where to meet The Lord after He has been given up to the Jews.  "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee (Matthew 26:32.)"  After they're reminded again later in Matthew, the men proceed to Galilee as directed but the lack of more specific instructions makes them unsure of themselves.  Jesus was to have preceded them, but they don't find Him upon arrival and therefore are forced to wait uncomfortably.  Peter, most impatient and ill at ease because of his betrayal of Jesus, can wait no longer.  '"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go out with you."  So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing (John 21:3)'

I have heard it explained that this passage is an illustration of Peter's desire to return to his former life as a fisherman.  Although the explanation has been given to me more than once, it has yet to convince me.  Because I am predominantly of Irish heritage, my resistance to this line of argument may have more to do with a cranium that is genetically enhanced with regard to thickness.  Still, I like to think that I am giving Peter the benefit of the doubt with regard to his motives.  I believe he was most likely ill-at ease with waiting - antsy like I sometimes get when I am in need of confession. 

The idea that Peter wanted to resume his former business strikes me as unlikely.  After all, Peter and his friends left Jerusalem and headed back to the hinterlands as instructed not as an entrepreneurial venture.  They had cured the sick, cast out demons and recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.  A return to a lucrative life of vending mackerel would only be a return to the inner restlessness that dedicating their lives to Jesus had resolved.  (I think Judas realized this in the end as well.)  Once you have worked in Jesus' mailroom, even an over-stuffed leather chair in Donald Trump's boardroom isn't an attractive alternative.  Having accepted true discipleship, no other alternative path remains for Peter other than to continue to follow Christ.

I expect that Peter and his fellows were worried with Jesus' delay, fretful that they had come to the wrong place or that He had decided that they were no longer worthy of His friendship.  In their anxiousness they decided to return to fishing as a way of remembering what it was like to be with Jesus.  Anyone who has lost someone close has certainly sought their beloved in a familiar place or in a once shared activity.  In this case, the fishermen did not recover a happy memory of their beloved; they encountered Jesus again in the flesh.  They truly hit the lottery as He even cooked them breakfast.

 I have been thinking a lot about their fishing trip as I discern my path forward.  Certainly, although I may choose to stay here or to return to one of the many places I have been before, I can never return to my former way of life.  I know that I will still be able to enjoy an occasional Bruins or Ohio State game with my father, but these moments will be recreation along the way not a destination.  I recognize that I did caddy for Jesus as He worked to transform Pam with His splendid hand during the last two years of her earthly life. 

 I also understand that there can be no retirement for me from that type of work.  As a sports fan, I always felt bad for unquiet souls like basketball star Larry Bird, a man so driven to succeed that he was unable to enjoy even a day of the triumph after any one of his championships.  I am sure Larry woke up the day after winning each coveted ring and hit the gym in anxious fear that Magic Johnson might already be at work bettering his jump-shot. I think that Larry fully understood that there would come a day when he would no longer be able to achieve excellence on the basketball court.  Mother Theresa must have felt the same way about her work in Calcutta.  Over the weekend, Barbara, my mother-in-law, and I discussed a couple of priests that have a similar understanding of their vocation.  Father Hempsch, who has come several times to IHM to speak, seems a likely candidate as any to try to attempt to preside at his own funeral mass.

 A fruitful tree ought to continue to bear fruit until it can bear fruit no longer.  For Father Jerry and all Christians, the fruitful path seems to be continually the most inconvenient one, the rockier road, the thorny path, often the trail that heads out into the desert.  Sacrifice is what seems to fertilize best, yielding the sweetest fruit.  There seems to be a paradox in suffering.  Nobody seeks it, but pain is the only thing that increases our capacity to love.  When it is offered to God or incurred in service to our fellows, sacrifice is the wellspring of grace.  Pain will come to us regardless of our intent.  When we offer our pain to God, we unite our suffering to Jesus' passion.  Suffering without communion is the empty pain of an animal and serves no purpose.  Other than Judas all of the apostles and many of the disciples accepted paths that led to martyrdom.  Although John was not martyred, that outcome was not the result of lack of effort on the part of his tormentors.

While I am sure that God is not calling all IHM parishioners to missionary life in Iraq, Liberia or South Dakota; I am confident that we are called to walk continuously closer to The Way.  All of our lives can be sacrificial. No life is bereft of suffering.  Pain abounds even in Brentwood.  The question becomes whether we will accept our measure of difficulty.  Will we unite ourselves to Christ crucified in our own unique way?  Our parish has distributed several books by Matthew Kelly and by his group.  They encourage us to be the best version of ourselves.  Can we be the best version of ourselves if we eschew our own path to Calvary alongside Our Lord?