#But they’ve maintained that they don’t make political statements as Queen

[not-the-coffee-machine4]

I really love how Queen have defended the Break Free video. It absolutely destroyed their career in the USA at the time. America was the motherland of musical success, it was their hopes and dreams that they worked their asses off for and they made one video that cost them future hits and lost them their audience and potentially millions of dollars and they VERY EASILY could have immediately backtracked and been like “haha yeah we didn’t really like it, probably wouldn’t do it again but you know how Freddie is”

Y’know trying to please both sides and crap so they could remain business as usual. Or just not taking it as seriously as they did. But Freddie didn’t want to tour there—in protest and probably also for safety reasons—and they were with him completely and have STOOD. BY. THAT. VIDEO

FOR FORTY. Y E A R S

and you see it in interviews from across all those decades, questions like “did you ENJOY dressing up as a woman??” “How much convincing did it take” “must’ve been Freddie’s idea of course”

and every single time both Brian and Roger have been like “absolutely no convincing whatsoever, we loved it, best time we’ve had making a video, it was awesome, we had a blast, this is our favorite one”

THAT is true allyship. Common sense nowadays, sure. But for a musical act of their status in that time and culture/expectation to completely give up their golden ticket in favor of what was (kinda) protest for a social issue (and of course, protecting Freddie I’m sure)…it’s just not what you would expect but it continually delights me

[loyalflutist]

Just a Dream - Part 1 (F!Byleth x Edelgard)

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: Major Character Death Words: 2,173 Summary:  The war is finally over and it was the Adrestian Empire's win. Most everyone moved onward from the conflict at their own pace. For Edelgard, she has a surprise coming from Byleth one night.

A/N: Obviously due to Tumblr’s layout, I doubt I can leave my author’s note to the bottom like I intend to. Oh well. This is a fun side project I was working on! The second half should be out next week or so... depending on how my school load is going and, god forbid, if my PI isn’t a jerk. Hope you enjoy this! I enjoyed writing this fluffy piece, heh.

-----

The atrocious conflict that lasted for more than five years came to a roaring conclusion.

What should have been a magnificent creature in legends stayed as a legend, its real counterpart far crueler than any villain in history. Two brave leaders swung their relics at the formidable white dragon. In one strike, the beast pierced the fiery battlefield with its shriek. An axe and a sword plunged its sharp edges into its thick scales. Bloodied, battered, and bruised, the large monster wildly tossed its head left and right. Another inhumane squeal tore from its elongated throat as it dug its massive claws on the cracked pavement.

Byleth and Edelgard plopped back on the ground simultaneously. Sweat gleamed on their foreheads, their breaths bated, and eyes trained on the foul beast. Their weapons were deeply ensnared in its moist flesh. No matter how much the dragon shook, it won’t remove the powerful blades. Amidst the flames in the background, their surviving comrades and troops watched in awe.

“It’s… finally over,” the emperor breathed. “We won.”

Just as she uttered that confident statement, the white dragon collapsed to the side, its jaw jutted open. Black blood pooled underneath its large head as its last light flickered out. Everyone kept their limbs locked in place, their respiratory system temporarily paused. Byleth and Edelgard eventually straightened their posture. Although they were out of breath, they exchanged glances. Then, a worn smile broke out from their face.

“Thank you… Byleth.”

This war’s victor was none other than the Adrestian Empire.

Peace draped over the united land after five, long miserable years. Although there were plenty of sacrifices and regrets from Byleth and Edelgard, they marched forward with their heads held up high. After all, the emperor must reign over their new country and people with persistence and conviction. It was a worthy offering for the next chapter in Fodlan.

As for the leaders of the Black Eagle Strike Squad? Many of their comrades retired from the battlefield. Some of their comrades worked under or alongside with Edelgard.

Petra returned to Brigid with the songstress shortly after the final battle to build a diplomatic relationship between the two nation. Eventual news about a new theatrical show in Brigid starring none other than Dorothea spread across the sea. Its popularity skyrocketed as many nobles desperately scrambled onto the next boat to catch a glimpse of the beautiful opera singer. Lest to say, many were disappointed to hear that she was already taken. The Brigid queen made sure to make it clear.

Linhardt resumed his activity as a researcher, eager to chew on anything that perks his interest. Whenever Edelgard and Hubert visited the man’s estate, he would greet them with a piece of toast, their much-need answers, and a slam of a door. Hark, it was not from malice! Disturbance of a slumbering prince would present a predictable reaction. This led to a small stack of apologetic, handwritten letters from the green-haired to the emperor.

Bernadetta slithered back to her life as a noble— Well, it would have been more peaceful had it not been for Caspar. That young man made sure to take her out every month to sightsee a new scenery during his service with Edelgard. Safe to say, Bernadetta both did and did not appreciate his way of carrying her high up the mountains or through the fields in plain view. (How embarrassing!) Their laughter could be heard from miles away as the couple bloomed in the vast, green field.

Ferdinand and Hubert continue to maintain a close relationship with their new emperor’s activity at the castle. Of course, many of the guards and Byleth would spot them sharing a moment of tranquility over tea with each other. Suffice to say, they knew how to take care of each other in ways not even Edelgard knows.

Shamir and Catherine broke off from the group and traveled the country. No one knew where they were. The only clues they’ve left behind were the occasional, unaddressed letters delivered to Byleth at the castle. That didn’t include the rumors of famous fight scenes that broke out throughout Fodlan. (It appears they were mostly self-initiated by the troublesome duo.)

Overall, the turbulent times simmered down to a lazily, wafting steam. Those Who Slither in the Dark were still a danger to society, but Edelgard, Byleth, Caspar, Ferdinand, and Hubert were on top of their game. It was a lengthy session of chess, but so far, they’re nearing the endgame. Hubert, Ferdinand, and Byleth approximated about five more years until this evil is squashed for good. Five more years until Edelgard can retire.

“Edelgard?”

At the emperor’s patio of her grand bedroom late at night, the woman in bright red glanced over her shoulder. Edelgard released her hold on the concrete railings and approached the older female. The moon’s soft rays of light lit Byleth’s entrance into her vision. Her ex-professor had both hands behind her back, her hues sparkled like the stars. It would almost seem out of character had they not been dating!

Edelgard tried to resist an amusing chuckle as Byleth slowed her steps.

“Professor, what brings you here?”

Both females stood in front of each other. The close approximation allowed their breaths to tickle each other. They shyly giggled. Byleth soon leaned down to plant her lips on the shorter’s forehead. Pleasant warmth grew in the noble’s chest as she rested her hand on the other’s chest. She lowered her head and felt the corner of her lips curve upward.

“Okay, Byleth, what is it that you have to tell me?”

“You’re always straight to the point.”

“That’s just who I am.”

“Well… I have a surprise for you.”

Byleth began to back away from the emperor. The ex-mercenary got down on one knee. Her hands that were once behind her back were brought forward. There was a small object pinched between her thumb and index. It was a silver ring ornamented with bits of fine gemstones and diamonds; a precious gift that her father, Jeralt, had once given to her mother. He bestowed it upon his daughter before the incident that transpires afterward.

“Will you marry me, El?”

Her cheeks flushed. Those were the words Edelgard would never expect to hear from anyone in her life. Commitment to ending the Hresvelg line and isolating herself from politics once her duties were complete was all that filled her mind. She and Byleth had fallen in love, but they never exchanged anything more than a simple peck or tender embrace. Honestly, Edelgard held low expectations for their relationship to deepen. The fact that her partner in battle would become her lifelong partner increased her heartbeat’s pace.

' Is this a dream? It's too good to be true! '

The noble’s violet hues searched for an object other than Byleth to fixate. Happiness was an understatement. It was a complete understatement. No terminology in any living dictionary would be able to describe the euphoric sensation that threatens to burst from the seam of her epidermis. She failed to completely remove her gaze from Byleth as her reply tumbled out of her mouth like a rockslide.

“I— Wow, yes… Yes!” She finally diverted her attention back to the teal-haired. Hidden ears as rosy as her cheeks, she grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, I want to marry you, Byleth!”

No time was wasted in slipping the ring onto Edelgard’s finger. She cautiously removed the armored glove. Scars and permanent engravings from her surgical procedures were exposed to the open air. A shudder ran down Edelgard’s spine; she had to resist the temptation to rip her hand away. Besides, when her tactician inserted the precious band, all forms of negativity eroded away in a flash. The ring’s surface glimmered in the moonlight as Byleth brought her lips on her soon-to-be-official-wife’s knuckles. The sensitive flesh brushed upon the marked hand.

“We’ll always be together in spirit.”

“Just in spirit, though?”

Edelgard chuckled as her professor rose from the crouch. Hands now holding each other, they exchanged a kiss. At her lips’ touch, the vermillion girl blossomed like a flower. Sweet nectar dripped from her lover’s whispers as they went in for a second round. They repeatedly kissed, the one after another becoming briefer and more playful. Their eyes were closed as giggles emitted from their direction. From a distant, it would be to no one’s surprise if literal heart shapes sprouted from the couple.

“Once we finish ridding Those Who Slither in the Darkness, we shall find an appropriate person fit for the throne.”

“Mm… Five years is long, isn’t it?”

“We cannot help it. We have to stay focused on our goals.”

“It would be nice if five years were to hurry, don’t you think?”

“I agree.”

Edelgard placed a hand on her hip once their hold broke away. She looked downward, the smile lingering.

“Still, I have you by my side. To think that I would be walking down this path on my own… I was mistaken. I wouldn’t know what to do if you weren’t with me.”

“You should learn how to be independent without me, El.”

“Oh, hush! I doubt that would ever happen now that we’ve promised to be with each other.”

“…in spirit.”

“Why do you keep saying that? I hope you are misunderstanding the original phrase—”

A faint, but warm, yellow light glowed on Edelgard’s face. Stars. Tiny, little stars twinkled before the shorter female.

“?”

Particles of light began to grow brighter around the emperor. Edelgard raised her head; her violet eyes widen at the newfound sight.

“Byleth…?”

The older woman tilted her head, eyelids closed and smiled. Those particles grew in its number as Byleth became transparent. Their gentle nature floated near her face, almost as if they tried to hug her. Alas, these creations were not permanent. They were meant to fade away into nothingness… just like her Byleth.

“Byleth!”

She reached out towards her lover with the same hand that received the ring.

That was right… How could she have forgotten?

During the final battle, the two emerged victoriously… but at a heavy cost. Byleth had collapsed after the dragon’s death. Edelgard immediately dashed to her girlfriend; she ignored the throbbing aches from her bruises and stings from her cuts. The noble flipped over the instructor. A quick examination told her of the bad news. Confirmation was needed, and it was a confirmation Edelgard wished she had never done.

Byleth’s heart stopped beating. No matter how many times she pressed her ear against her chest, pressed her fingers upon her wrist, and shook the older woman, Byleth would not crack open her eyelids. Not a single peep came out of her mouth.

Did she die peacefully?

She didn’t know. She won’t know. She will never know.

“Are you leaving me again?”

Tears stained Edelgard’s cheeks as she witnessed her professor nod at her direction.

“This is farewell.”

Farewell? There was no need for farewell when the noble glanced down at her hand again. The ring… it was still there. Yes! It was still there! That same ring that she had slipped onto her ring finger! It… No— it has always been there. Byleth had given it to her and proclaimed her proposal right before the final mission. It was the last gift her girlfriend— her wife had given to her before the untimely demise.

She felt her throat become dry and lips tremble. Edelgard grabbed at the bright lights that encompassed her significant other. They went through her fingers. But she repeated her actions. It became frantic and wild as dizziness seeped into her skull. The tears continued to pour from her lacrimal glands as Edelgard shook her head with slanted eyes.

“No… NO!”

This isn’t right!

“Don’t you dare—!”

Her heart squeezed until it physically caused pain. Streams flowed down her face as her fingers curled inward at the golden clumps. Another outcry burst in-between her sharp exhales.

“I’ve already lost you once!”

No no no no no—!!!

Why can’t she grab her?!

Why?!

WHY?!

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!

“Don’t leave me again!” she wailed at the disappearing woman. “Please! I don’t know what to do anymore!”

Byleth reached her illuminated hand out. Though contact was not felt, she began to smooth the crying noble’s head. Particles from her legs began to dim as she tilted her head. Despite the anguish from her lover, she still smiles. How could she still smile…? No, that smile was only because she was an illusion. Edelgard’s blurred vision deluded her of a Byleth she finds solace in. Her lips trembled violently as another choking sob blubbered out of her.

Her professor, her friend, her lover, her only one closed her eyelids.

“Open your eyes, my dear Edelgard. This was only just a dream.”

This delusion has to end… and the first step to it is acceptance. As Byleth vanished, Edelgard crumpled to her knees. She cried hard into her hands, her weeping echoed into the lonesome night.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights: Critical Role Episode 111

Guests are Liam O’Brien and Matt Mercer. Full video on Project Alpha!

Brian: “Hello, welcome to Talks Machina. I am... dressed for success.” Liam: “You are very cute today.” Matt: “I call this look Saturday Darin De Paul.”

Matt is doing much better than he was on Thursday.

Digital copy of the Critical Role comic is out!

There’s now a Talks Machina shirt in the store.

Episode 111 is tied for the most natural ones in an episode.

The show has now surpassed 10,000 d20 rolls. Brian suggests buying @critrolestats​ a yacht for keeping track of all this.

The comic takes place before the game. At the first session, because it was meant to be a one-shot, Matt just had everyone assume they all knew each other and were used to working together as a party. The comic explores how they actually met and started working together as an adventuring party.

Moments they’d like to see from the pre-stream game if the comic continues: meeting Gilmore, finding Percy in Jorenn Village, going after Grog’s dad, the birth of Burt Reynolds, early interactions with the Clasp, the one time Pike and Vax had a solo adventure together. Brian: “Do you think we would have to get rights from Burt Reynolds’ estate to... oh, wait, he’s still alive.”

The pacing of this arc was always going to be different, since it’s epic-level stuff and many of the character-centric arcs have been closed; it’s a lot harder to draw in character backstory the way the previous arcs could. The time-crunch aspect of this particular plot (the villain is actively moving through his to-do list whether or not Vox Machina intervenes) is a careful balance to make sure the players don’t feel too rushed but can still maintain that sense of urgency. Liam: “I am consistently surprised and shocked by everything that’s happened, so no complaints from me.”

If it were just Liam’s decision, he’d want everyone to take a long rest before facing Vecna. He thinks losing Vasselheim might be the cost of actually having a slim chance of defeating Vecna.

Matt’s been slowly been building this last dungeon over the last six months. It’s right up there with Opash’s necromantic lair as his favorite dungeon he’s made. Liam wants to see the dungeon mapped out and described in PDF format at some point, and Matt mentions that, depending on what state it’s in at the end of this campaign, it might be a location in a future Issylra campaign guide.

Matt and Liam talk about how early adventuring in D&D is generally a selfish endeavor, and then later on there are considerably higher stakes. Matt mentions that even in high-level D&D, you want to include obstacles in a dungeon that characters can bypass easily as a reward for quick thinking or just being awesome at high levels. The dungeon is also fundamentally a power-sink where you have to prioritize where you put your resources before the final battle you know is coming.

GIF of the week. Matt: “It’s funny the effect painkillers have on running a D&D game...”

Once the oven had closed, once a round, everyone in the room would’ve taken 1d6 fire damage, then 2d6, then 3d6, and so on. Solving it was meant to be a little more high-stakes, but the party avoided getting trapped in the room themselves.

Matt had half a page of information, a voice, and a name prepared for the nothic that Vax just annihilated. Could’ve ended up being a small encounter or a temporary alliance with a Gollum-type character or an uneasy alliance that could’ve gone wrong. Matt: “What you did was quintessential D&D, and I loved it.”

Liam recently ran a D&D game for his whole family in which his son rolled a d20 on opening a door he wasn’t supposed to go through, forcing him to improvise.

Matt’s been working with Travis to build his next character, and he keeps having to remind him that most characters only have a movement speed of 25 or 30 feet.

Brian: “Like Matt and I, you too can be not in terrible debt and situationally famous without going to college!” Matt: “I cannot support any of these statements at all.”

Vax would be willing to sacrifice even Emon or Whitestone if it meant stopping Vecna, because the alternative is Vecna reigning supreme over the Material Plane... or the Divine Gate coming down and armageddon ensuing.

Fanart of the week.

In-universe flashbulb memory of the campaign: Chroma Conclave attack. Liam: “The goldfish dive will be remembered for millennia.” Matt: “Young druids will be taught from a very young age...”

Matt gave the party the ring to give them a level of comfort in a near-impossible situation, but the risk of fucking it up is what makes it fun.

Liam: “Matthew Mercer is one of the sweetest men I’ve met in my life, but I know within the boundaries of this game that you have this really devilish streak, like an inclination to fuck with us... fucking rakshasa.”

Vax has made peace with everything, but he thinks about the Tomb all the time, especially since the Raven Queen is the goddess of fate. Liam: “As Liam, I loved every dumbfuck thing that I chose to do in this game, ‘cause I’m sitting with my best friends making each other laugh every week, we love each other, we get a fucking kick out of each other every week, and the mistakes are some of the greatest memories of all time.”

Liam’s top priority even way back in the home game has always been that Vax will do whatever it takes to keep Vex alive; Vax still thinks that the Raven Queen will only keep her side of the deal if he does as well. It’s made things extremely complicated, but that’s the fundamental backbone of his character and he isn’t going to mess with that.

Matt has never had players embrace the sibling aspect of their characters to the extent that Laura and Liam have. Matt: “It’s been a gift from a storyteller’s standpoint to play in that space.”

Matt thinks Sam did a fantastic job on his one-shot, and encourages other new DMs to just commit and jump in and see how well it turns out. Liam: “It’s not a religion and it’s not appellate court, it’s just the world’s best game. Just fuckin’ have fun with it.”

Matt was expecting the undead titan reveal to happen in early or mid-July, but it just worked out to happen at Gen Con. Stressful as it was, Matt was excited that he could have such a big reveal at the live show.

Liam wasn’t worried about Simon because he knew it would take more than fire to destroy a magical item.

If the game had continued as a home game, Matt probably would’ve truncated elements of the narrative because they got to play so seldom. Both he and Liam agree that getting to play weekly was the best part of starting to stream the game.

Vax’s "this could be the last time” moments this week had less to do with his imminent death and more to do with Liam processing that in the next few weeks they’re going to be ending this game that they’ve been playing together for four years.

Brian is very sad about the end of the game as a fan of the show; he remembers Ashley coming home after the home game and giving him multi-hour summaries of everything that had happened. The game started around the same time as he and Ashley started their relationship, and he’s really delighted by how close they’ve all gotten since then. Brian: “I mean, we’re practically... I plan on sleeping with both of you on After Dark.” Liam: “I’m open to it.”

Talks Machina After Dark: Liam hosts for the first time!

Liam: “The only reason I agreed to do this Dungeons and Dragons show is so I could sit here, now, and I have you both right where I want you. Undress.”

If Matt could forget everything he knew and join VM as one of his NPCs for the final fight, from a personality standpoint, he’d want to play as Allura or Gilmore, but from a functionally helpful standpoint, probably Kima.

Matt once LARPed World of Darkness and had a very stressful experience where he was thrown into the midst of an extremely political game with no knowledge of what was going on.

Matt’s never had to ban particular items or spells, but there are aspects of the game that require discussion. In a primarily good/neutral campaign, he won’t ban evil characters per se, but he’ll require a discussion to figure out how not to ruin the experience for the rest of the characters. Liam points out that Jayne (an evil character) could easily have killed Clothesline in Sam’s oneshot, but he decided against it because it’d make Ashly’s game less fun and would mess with Sam’s having established that they all survived. It turned out to be more fun having to come up with a reason for that.

Worst possible person for Vax to face as part of Vecna’s undead army: his mother. Liam: “That would fuck his shit up.” Or Vex, if she were killed and then immediately brought back by Vecna.

On the theoretical possibility of a new campaign starting in a post-apocalyptic Tal’Dorei if Vecna wins, Brian: “It would be hard to Transport via Plants.” Matt thinks it’s an exciting prospect, and he has things in his mind if it goes that direction, but he thinks it would be really sad to culminate a five-year campaign with a loss, although planting seeds for the next story could make it retroactively pretty hopeful. 

Liam: “Story-wise, I know that everything’s gonna hurt and everything’s gonna be amazing, and I also trust you to flip my expectations somehow. We just love discovering the story together.”

[jcmorgenstern]

Hi friend! Do you have any shadowhunters s3 theory on what will Jonathan's and Lilith's relationship be like? The bit when Jonathan tell Izzy about his mother having a strange way of showing her love and that he forgave her was obviously about Lilith. It makes me wonder if her 'love' for Jonathan will turn out to be another child abuse rollercoaster (since Edom is her realm she apparently allowed demons to torture Jonathan and Jon had to scheme with Azazel to escape her). Watcha think?

Hey there friend!!! Okay I was super excited to get this ask because I have a lot of Lilith Feelings, so I hope this won’t devolve into an excited ramble (it will), but thank you so much for sending this ask!!! I love talking about Sebastian, maybe too much lmaooo. Anyway, without further ado:Okey so first off, I personally interpreted what Sebastian says about his “mother” to be about Jocelyn, but that definitely could be wrong. I just sort of assumed that when he said “she’s gone now” he was referring either to Jocelyn abandoning him/Val, or her death. Though he could also mean that Lilith is “gone” because he escaped hell, though I personally just didn’t think of it that way?? But either interpretation is valid honestly. Either way, I sort of found his statement that he’d forgiven her sort of disingenuous, since he does tend to lie through his teeth at the drop of a hat, and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t moved on from anything that’s happened to him, ever. I did find it a bit odd that Lilith is supposed to rule Edom with Asmodeus and she didn’t lift a finger to help him. Like, how many half-demon half-shadowhunter kids are there out there??

I did also find it a bit weird the demons chose to torture what could have been a pretty good ally (what better way to get out of hell than to make Jonathan like them and then summon them as soon as he’s out?), so either that’s a writing goof or they’ll come up with some sort of explanation. Especially since they apparently torture him (for his awful bowl cut?)…but also give him sweet shapeshifting lessons? “Now that you’re ugly as shit, you’ll have real motivation to learn how to shapeshift into someone prettier!!”

Jokes of dubious taste aside, I’ve given this a fair bit of thought and overall we can’t really know what justification she’ll give, but she certainly seems to owe him one hell of an explanation. I sort of guess it’ll be a political thing, like Lilith was somehow out of favor and couldn’t do anything, but it’s definitely possible they’ll take it in another direction so that she’s heartlessly manipulating him to her own ends.Personally speaking, I would like to see a dynamic where Lilith is overjoyed to finally have a child, and resents the Clave/Jace especially for what they did to her “baby,” and Sebastian is so happy to have a parent who loves him he’ll do literally anything for her. I’ve seen a theory (unfortunately probably not going to happen) that she might imitate Jocelyn at some point, and while that would be awesome, it seems Anna Hopkins is cast as her and Maxim Roy isn’t returning. I do find it strange they chose to present Lilith as the Big Bad for s3 (and perhaps beyond?) and give her the world-destroying motive she never quite had before. Maybe because they don’t feel show!Sebastian really has the villainous force to try to conquer the world yet? I do have a pet theory that the Seelie Queen and Lilith are teamed up and the Seelie Queen is going to make Simon help bring Sebastian back (and perhaps the “secret” Valentine told the Queen before dying has something to do with that).

Either way I really want Sebastian + Lilith to target the Clave, especially if they manage to add some moral grey to it. That is, make it less “murder everyone for funzies” and more “it’s time for the Clave to end, look at all the bad shit it did, even the Consul was in on it.” Especially if Lilith seeks the downworld’s help, and the Clave (read: long-suffering Alec) is forced to justify the Clave’s existence to the people it oppressed for…literally forever. Especially if Javier Munoz’s character is secretly on Lilith’s side?? She is the mother of all warlocks, after all. Play the warlocks against Magnus for siding with the Queen, all the while being in league with Lilith who’s in with the Seelie Queen….the Intrigue!!! I also think that would make the struggle of Clary trying to deal with the fact Jace is being controlled much harder and more interesting, because it’s harder to condemn a morally grey goal than a pure evil one, and the whole “you’re just like me, join me” from Sebastian will make more sense.

(on an unrelated side note, Sebastian reacting to Clary murdering Valentine will be interesting. He maintains in the books he would never kill his father, and I’m guessing that’s why show Sebastian chose to try to banish Valentine to Edom rather than kill him. I’m guessing he will have complicated feelings about it, which may feed into the whole “you’re more like me than you think” line).

If they don’t have the rights to COLS and COHF, I’m guessing they’ll modify the plot structure so that Lilith is the Big Bad and Sebastian is her morally-grey pawn (they seem to be enjoying making him more morally ambiguous than in the books, so I hope that doesn’t change any time soon). I’ll sort of be bummed if that happens, because COHF was hands-down my favorite book, but IP rights are IP rights :// There’s also theory that Sebastian will be more like book Sebastian when he returns, which I reaaaaaally hope isn’t true, book Sebastian has much less of the complexity that show Sebastian does. But after he’s back and mad as hell, he might be more aggressive, especially with Lilith leading the way.My guess is they’ll go for a mix of this, a “is she using him or does he have an ulterior motive?? or both??” sort of thing, though they promised that with Valentine in 2b and unless they drop some real tea on us that…didn’t happen lmao. Valentine pretty much played the abusive parent “I love you and didn’t mean to upset you by sending you to hell!! you’re so sensitive!!!” card and Sebastian came running, which is extremely depressing when I put it that way. So they’ve set the stage perfectly for him to be manipulated, but they could also make him into more of a “monster” by giving him what he’s always wanted, a mother who loves him and will tell him exactly what to do, just like Valentine did. Yike!

One last thing that I think may end up being extremely important: if they don’t have the rights to COHF, and even if they do, Clary and Jace’s vision from Ithuriel in 2a is probably gonna be REALLY important in how Sebastian is ultimately defeated. (For those of y’all who don’t recall what the hell I’m on about, Clary and Jace have a vision of a half-demon half-angel being destroying the Soul Sword and dying along with it). Sound like anyone we know? At first I was super stumped by this, because who cares about the Soul Sword it’s basically a MacGuffin, but if they can’t use the heavenly fire because Rights Issues, maybe they’ll convince him to hold the sword for some reason and zap him. It obviously doesn’t work if he just holds it, because he threatens Valentine with it in 2x16 and carries it off in 2x10, so maybe it needs electrical activation like it does with Jace’s angel blood? it’s a mystery. (They could also have it be used as a sort of redemption arc thing where he dies to save the world or something if Lilith tries to change the Sword’s allegiance to kill all Nephilim instead of all demon-blooded creatures, but based on Will’s commentary it seems they’re painting him as a slightly more villainous/tragic figure than that, so I’d be surprised).

tl;dr: My personal hopes are that they go for an angle of Lilith fulfilling Sebastian’s deep-seated need to be loved while also completing his descent into villainhood, but they have also definitely set him up to be kept as a manipulated pawn as well. I personally think it might stagnate him a bit in terms of character evolution to have him stay the abused child throughout the series, but it could definitely work, and we’ll just have to see how it plays out!!

[ultramarcypan]

A Soft and Messy Thing

Characters/Pairings: Shingo Sawatari, Yuya Sakaki, Dartshipping

Summary: Kings rise and fall; what determines the success and length of their reign are the faithful knights who serve them--and Shingo is nothing if not faithful.

Notes:So, Kingdom AU has taken on a life of it's own and this fic can best be summarized as "I needed a way to drive the plot forward and made Yuya cry to do so"This is why I can't have nice things.

Heads up for a brief mention of homophobia.

The quiet of the castle is almost suffocating.

Shingo had been brought up in a country filled to the brim with whispers that were very much treasonous and not at all kind towards the royal family because, as honorable and as noble as the Sakaki royal family is, human nature requires a handful of people to be dissatisfied no matter the situation. “The coffers have almost run dry--the family has no power left,” the whispers said.  “The King makes deals with demons in the dark and the Prince is a bastard child.”  Shingo listened to these whispers, these malicious rumors, with a quiet, wide-eyed wonder.  It was amazing what adults would say with a child in the room, especially one who kept his mouth shut and clung to his father’s leg. “Is what they say true?” He had whispered once to his father.  In return, he’d been given a sharp glare and a hard squeeze on his shoulder. “Hush,” his father had whispered back harshly.  “True or not, what does it matter?”

At the time, he hadn’t understood what his father had meant.  Now, though, he thinks he may just have the smallest inkling.

It is human nature to whisper and to jeer and to mock; no matter how good life is or kind the ruling body is, there will always be those who find issue with the situation.  The court will whisper as long as it exists, but as long as it continues to whisper, the world will carry on and the status quo will be maintained.

It’s when the whispers stop that one should be concerned.

So yes, this unnerving and endless silence that has plagued the castle for well over a week now has set Shingo’s every nerve on edge.  It speaks volumes for what the nobles of the court dare not say out loud. The King has run off with a mistress, are the unspoken words that echo in the silence.   He has abandoned the Crown and Kingdom for a whore from a far off land.  And still the nobles of the court greet the Queen Regent and her son with broad smiles that have no meaning and grand gestures that are merely that--gestures.

The Queen Regent and her son take the rumors in stride, meeting the accusations and distrust with their heads held high.  It’s the first time that Shingo hasn’t seen Yuya smile and it makes his heart ache for the young lord.  In its place are hollow eyes and a look of grim determination that are the only hint of how tired the Prince truly is.  

Shingo can’t begin to fathom what Yuya is going through right now.  Shingo never spent much time with the King, but even a blind man could see how close the Prince was to his father.

Now, not only is his father missing, vanished like a thief in the night, Yuya has to contend with vicious rumors slandering his father’s good name.  

Yuya meets every false word of comfort, every cleverly disguised jab at his father’s integrity with a polite nod and impassive gaze, and Shingo wants to scream every time he sees it happen.  But words and politics are a far more powerful weapon than any that Shingo has been trained to use, and no one ever thinks to teach one how to protect themselves against such barbaric methods.

It all comes to a head late one night, a few hours after the Queen Regent has announced to the kingdom that Yuya will be acting as King from here on out.  Only then had the whisperers resumed, but Shingo hadn’t cared to listen to them at the moment.  He’d been far too preoccupied with watching Yuya’s face, with how his mouth had set into a thin, grim line, how his shoulders had stiffened almost imperceptibly, how his hands had tightened into fists that left his knuckles white.

Shingo wants to offer his lord words of comfort, anything that could make the situation right, but he has none to give and now isn’t the time anyway.  A knight’s role is the silent protector by his master’s side, not the one to comfort him in times of hardship.  It’s a mantra Shingo has to echo to himself daily to keep his composure.  He would give his life and so much more for Yuya, if their positions would allow it.

Still, he finds himself outside the Prince’s--the new King’s--chambers late that night, hovering outside his door.    There are a thousand reasons that he shouldn't be there, but the thought of Yuya suffering alone is enough to force him to raise his fist and rap lightly on the wooden door.  For a long moment, nothing happens and Shingo is just preparing himself to knock again when there’s the sound of scuffling behind the door.

He lowers his arm just as the door swings open, leaving Yuya standing in the empty frame.

“Figured it was you,” his lord says, his voice low and scratchy.  He titles his head and by the light of the moon Shingo can just make out the tears still clinging to his lashes and how he’s shaking from head to toe.

He acts before he can stop himself, before rational thought and years of manners can kick in and prevent him from doing what he truly wants to, which is to crush Yuya against him in a fierce hug.  The other lets himself be embraced without a sound; in fact, he tucks his head neatly under Shingo’s chin, burying his face into the crook of the other’s neck.

“Oh, Yuya,” he breathes out, nuzzling against the top of his lord’s head.  Yuya’s hands clutch at his tunic, balling the fabric up in tight fists.  He wants to reassure the Prince that everything will be fine, but he has no proof of that, and both of them are sick of empty words.  He settles for stepping into the other’s room fully, taking care to shut the door behind him and running his hand through Yuya’s hair.

“You’re such a soft and messy thing,” Shingo says quietly, brushing unruly strands of red hair back.  Yuya shifts in his arms, letting out a small whimper.  “Not at all like a King is supposed to be.”

“Believe me,” Yuya says, voice muffled against Shingo’s chest.  “I’m well aware.”  He lets out a breath that’s more a shuddering sigh than anything else.

“No one quite knows what to do with you.”  And it’s true: the whole court has no idea what to make of their new King, though Shingo knows it won’t be long before the political games start.  He grimaces in the dark, over Yuya’s head; his master will need a guardian now more than ever.

“Liar.”  Yuya’s voice is still shaky.  When he lifts his head there are tear tracks clear on his cheeks, but his eyes have a fire in them.  He pulls away just enough so that he can look Shingo in the eyes.  “One person knows me very well.”

They’re playing a dangerous game now, one made even more perilous given the recent circumstances.  Yuya’s soft gaze is doing nothing to help his already troubled resolve to remain neutral, and Shingo is only a man.  “I...milord--”  Shingo cuts himself off, unsure of where he was planning to go with that sentence.

“Don’t!”  Yuya’s voice is uncharacteristically sharp and harsh.  Shingo blinks in surprise.  “I don’t want to hear any more words tonight, they’re not good for anything!”  The p--King, Yuya is the King, he must not forget this--is still trembling but there’s a set to his body now, one that suggests he’s through with being sad and hopeless.

“Then what do you want?”

He’s not surprised in the least when Yuya leans forward and lets their lips brush against each other.  It’s a chaste thing and lasts only a few precious seconds but it’s enough; they’ve passed a point of no return now.

“This is a fool's errand,” Shingo whispers to him, but he still doesn’t pull back.  From how close they are, every word he speaks makes his lips brush against Yuya’s.

“I don’t care.”  Yuya’s hands release his shirt and move up to wrap around his neck.  “The court has already made their judgments of me, so what does it matter?”

“They’ll kill us if we’re found out.”  It’s not a whole truth, not really.  There is no ready heir to take Yuya’s place, but Shingo is just one of many knights.  It’s scandalous enough for the King to take to bed with another man, but even moreso if that man is supposed to be his loyal retainer.  There will be a price on Shingo’s head should all this come to light and though he doesn’t really want to protest, someone has to be rational right now and it’s unfair to place another burden on Yuya’s shoulders.

His King’s eyes burn with a hard fire, one born of determination and sudden realization of the harshness of the world.  “They can try.” He says grimly.  “But I don’t intend to roll over and die for them--do you?”

“No.”  It’s one word, but it makes for a powerful statement.  “No,” Shingo repeats, pulling Yuya closer to him.  His hands curl around Yuya’s slender waist, and he relishes in the way the other tilts his head to place a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw, how Yuya’s hair tickles his cheek and the softness of his skin.

“Stay with me,” Yuya whispers, sniffling slightly.  The statement is ambiguous; Shingo doesn’t know if he means just for the night or something much more than that.  He supposes it doesn’t matter.  His answer would be the same regardless.

“Always.”

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily News Cap 2/14/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for February 14th 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via purchasing a Mid-Week Nation Newspaper or via Barbados Today.

BE NOT ASHAMED! – Minister of Education Ronald Jones today assured students of St Leonard’s Boys’ School that they had nothing to be ashamed of following a stabbing at the school yesterday which left two students nursing injuries and two others facing a police probe. Speaking in Parliament today on the 2018-2019 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Jones reported that he had visited the school and offered words of comfort to the pupils. “And I had to say to the students they have not done anything wrong. They were not involved in stabbing anybody. This nation brings a harsh punishment on the innocent as well by a global involvement of good, productive, decent young people and pit them against those who are problematic,” he said, adding that he had urged the students to remain focused and committed to building themselves, their families, their communities and country. He also said the teachers were under added stress because of severe scrutiny by a nation which had been unfair to them for a long time, while complaining that some were playing politics with issues such as violence in schools. The minister also responded to a recommendation by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur for the establishment of a compulsory national youth service in schools, designed to counter the current deviance. He said several efforts were made from as far back as the 1970s for such a programme but there were stumbling blocks and concerns over whether only youth from certain social backgrounds should be involved. “I still believe that we might be able to have a version in which young people must be able to do community service, and community service doesn’t mean you go and sweep a street. It means you can be involved in the various groups of your school . . . clubs and teams in our community,” he stressed, adding that such an initiative could allow for programmes in entrepreneurship, discipline, value clarification and patriotism. The issue of school violence has again catapulted to the fore with a recent spate of stabbings and cutlass attacks. However, the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) have been complaining for the past three years that the situation was getting out of hand, and had been calling on Jones to meet with them in a bid to identify a solution. After a student of Ellerslie Secondary School (now The Ellerslie School) allegedly attacked a student in April 2016, Jones announced he would establish a committee to look into school violence and offer recommendations. (BT)

 BSTU STATEMENT – Tomorrow will be 658 days since the Minister of Education promised, on 27th April, 2016 to set up a special committee to address violence in schools "within a week". In actuality, 94 weeks have passed and no such committee has been established ... no consultation has taken place with the persons in the trenches, our teachers, nor has their Union been invited to any meetings to dialogue on this dangerous situation. Ironically, the Union that has asked for such meetings at their Quarterly meeting on 24th May, 2016 and at the subsequent meeting a year later, 24th May, 2017 has been denied any form of dialogue on the issue, to the present. They have even been barred from inclusion in recent meetings at the Grantley Adams School, which they initiated, despite protest against the Ministry's action from members there. Further, the agenda item of violence in schools was removed from the BSTU's agenda submitted to the PS for their Quarterly meeting on 6th February, 2018. How serious therefore are we to take the new promises emanating from those at the Ministry that this issue will be addressed? How secure are workers and students in schools to feel with proclamations that no-one will be "abandoned" in this regard? Where and when has this intention been demonstrated to those of us exposed to unprecedented levels of escalating violence in our workplace? With all this is mind the BSTU will be holding a meeting with all interested teachers tomorrow at NUPW to focus on and devise recommendations and strategies to protect ourselves and the students in our charge within the context of a Ministry of Education seemingly unable and uninterested in doing so. (PR)

TEACHER’S PLEA – As efforts are made to get the situation at St Leonard’s Boys’ School back to normal, teachers there are fearing for their safety. President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Pedro Shepherd, conveyed the teachers’ concerns yesterday as he spoke to the MIDWEEK NATION following a meeting between the union and stewards at the school earlier in the day. “Teachers are fearing for their safety and they are calling on their union, they’re calling on the Ministry of Education, their employer, to put systems in place to help curb the violent behaviour and lawlessness coming from some of our schoolchildren,” he said. “They’ve always had that challenge in schools, particular secondary schools where children bring to school weapons and so on.” The Richmond, St Michael school was placed on lockdown Monday after two students had to be rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following an altercation at lunchtime which turned bloody. (MWN)

HEALTH MINISTER WANTS SCANNERS IN SCHOOLS TO CURB VIOLENCE – A senior member of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration is urging Minister of Education Ronald Jones to reconsider his opposition to the use of metal detectors in secondary schools as a means of helping to reduce the increasingly worrying levels of violence involving weapons. In fact, taking it a step further, Minister of Health John Boyce is suggesting that in addition to detectors, the Ministry of Education should also sanction the searching of students entering school compounds. He made the suggestions in Parliament today as the issue of violence came under the microscope during debate on the Barbados Sustainable Recovery Plan (BSRP) and the 2018-19 Estimates. “I am seeing a different Barbados and I would even want to urge my colleague, the Minister of Education, that he may have to rethink what up until now has been one where they are not necessarily comfortable with – the presence of metal detectors in the schools. It is a very serious thing,” Boyce said. “We obviously have a very serious problem with violence in our country and the attitudes of some of our adults who are guiding the minds of our children. Therefore, it will take serious action on our path to see to it that the criminal element will not exist with such freedom in our society as to make this wonderful country that we have gotten to know, impossible to live in.” Jones has in the past dismissed such recommendations as “foolishness”, arguing that “the majority of our children do not travel with sharp edged tools, with weapons of destruction”. “So Peter got to pay for Paul and Paul pay for all? If you have the metal detectors there the disobedient will stash their weapons outside. You don’t change society by patchwork, so don’t come asking me foolishness,” the Minister of Education said in an address at The Ellerslie School in the wake of an incident there last November in which a student suffered lacerations to an arm and had one finger severed and another partially severed in a cutlass attack by another student. Jones also said then those who called for scanners were blowing the incident out of proportion. Despite the rising use of weapons by students, proponents of the idea, including the Barbados Union of Teachers and Crime Stoppers Barbados have been unsuccessful in convincing Jones that scanners were the way to go. Only yesterday, Chief Education Officer Karen Best reiterated the ministry’s position on the issue, telling a news conference to address the stabbing at St Leonard’s Boys’ School, which left two 16-year-olds nursing injuries and two 15-year-olds detained by police, that metal detectors would not work.    “I need you to explain to me how the metal detectors would work in that situation. Our schools in Barbados are not built for the use of metal detectors. Metal detectors are used in situations where you have one entrance and one exit. Our schools are not designed that way . . . .At this point in time, we do not need metal detectors in our schools. The ministry will not support placing metal detectors in our schools,” Best maintained. However, Boyce appeared convinced that it would help reduce the use of weapons by the students. He also said perhaps the time had come for “a discussion” on expanding the stop-and-search powers given to teachers who suspect students of carrying weapons, to a policy of searching all students before they enter the school grouds. He tecalled being searched before entering the premises of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) in the past, and advised the Minister of Education and the team at the ministry “to have a discussion with the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic principles so as to speak to that matter”. “But there is definitely a clear indication that the ship of state has to be righted not only in respect to our economic situation, but our social position and certainly our behavioral patterns as it comes to our young people and regretfully, to some adults who have the duty of care of these young people,” Boyce said.  (BT)

ARTHUR WANTS COMPULSORY YOUTH SERVICE – With increasing incidents of violence involving young people, veteran parliamentarian Owen Arthur is calling for the establishment of a compulsory national youth service. He has urged Government to take action as a means of curbing the kind of deviance being manifested in schools and the wider society. Delivering his last speech in the House of Assembly yesterday after a 34-year career as a parliamentarian – including 14 as Prime Minister – the Independent MP for St Peter said: “I agree with the mantra of the Democratic Labour Party that we are building not just an economy but a society. My disappointment in these Estimates is that there is no new striking programme upon which the Government is prepared to embark to recognise that there is social disorder, and that the state can have things to do that can help us to address social disorder. “I think the time has come and I would like to see it moved into these Estimates, where a compulsory national youth service at schools and other places will have now to be a means by which we begin to address that disorder that wants to destroy the fabric of this society. I am prepared to vote for it, no matter how much it costs.” Arthur, contributiong to the Estimates Debate, complained fathers of Barbados were failing the country and not stepping up to their parental responsibilities. “Barbados has been built on values and I want to use the benefit of this speech to say that parenting has been one of those strong values, and that the fathers of Barbados are failing this country. When I see people at the scene of crimes, I see only single mothers weeping for their children.” He called for “a serious intervention” to enable our social services to assist single mothers with sons at risk. Arthur said as a father of a daughter at Queen’s College, he would never entertain the kind of deviant behaviour being exhibited by schoolchildren from his child. He added that making fathers pay child support “is not enough”. “Not only the economy is in trouble, the society is in trouble and if it is in trouble, the duty of a Parliament is to rescue it.” In a word of advice to his former colleagues on the Opposition benches, the former Barbados Labour Party leader said: “I know often I am accused of being too critical of the Leader of the Opposition, but I agree with her when she says that the Government must seek a mandate. “But it also has to be the case that if the Barbados Labour Party wants to be the Government of Barbados, it must seek a mandate too, and it would have to let us know what is in its contemplation in the light of these dire social and economic situations that I have just described,” he added. (MWN)

‘DEMS CAUSED SOCIAL DECAY’ – Member of Parliament for The City Jeffrey Bostic is blaming Government inaction for the problems facing the country. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) legislator said the Freundel Stuart administration had ample time to put measures in place to avert social decay, but had done little to that effect. What is more, Bostic charged that instead of sticking to promises to lower the cost of living, a socially balanced, environmentally sound and economically viable society, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Government had overseen a significant increase in the cost of living, social disintegration, an unsound environment and an unviable economy. “We see what is happening within our schools, in our communities and all aspects of our lives,” said Bostic, who expressed disappointment that the DLP members of the House did not address these issues yesterday during the opening of the debate on the Barbados Sustainable Recovery Plan (BSRP) and the 2018-19 Estimates. “In terms of good governance, that will have to be decided by the people of this country whenever that time comes. The people will make their decision and we will know exactly where we are with that,” he said in reference to the pending general election, which is constitutionally due by June. (BT)

NUPW’S CALL TO WEAR BLACK – It will be a black Friday in the public sector if the latest protest action planned by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) comes to fruition. According to a memo seen by the MIDWEEK NATION, Government workers are being urged by the union to wear black on Friday to protest the failure of the Freundel Stuart administration to return to the table to negotiate salaries. It was signed by NUPW general secretary Roslyn Smith and read in part: “Public officers feel that they have earned the right to a salary increase, based on the fact that they have not received one since 2008 and continue to produce at optimum levels. “To protest Government’s failure to return to the bargaining table and to support public officers in their quest to receive an increase of salary/wages, the union is calling on all workers to wear black on Friday, February 16, 2018. Those in specified uniforms are asked to wear black armbands.” Efforts to reach Smith yesterday were unsuccessful. This is the latest form of protest taken by the NUPW since salary negotiations started in January 2016. The union is demanding a 23 per cent increase, but Government has not budged from its zero stance. A January 15 deadline for a response from the Ministry of the Civil Service was ignored, prompting two days of protests on January 18 and 19. They were largely deemed a failure as it appeared to be business as usual at most Government departments. On that occasion, teachers at Combermere School stayed off the job, but there was no physical support from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) or the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB). BWU officials said while they supported the call for a wage increase, their demands were different, while CTUSAB said it had no mandate from its members. And while members of the ruling Democratic Labour Pay acknowledged civil servants deserved a raise, they said it must be tempered by the ability of the ailing economy to sustain it.During debate on the Appropriation Bill 2018 in the House of Assembly on Monday, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler said civil servants would get their increase “at some point in time”, but Government also had to take greater control of its expenses. “Therefore, in that regard, all sides – Government, private sector and the labour unions – have to be cautious in the demands which are made, recognising it is a fact that public officers are deserving of a salary increase.”  (MWN)

ARTHUR’S CURE: FORMER PM AGAIN SUGGESTS IMF REMEDY IN FINAL HOUSE SPEECH – In an emotional farewell speech in the House of Assembly this afternoon, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur left a major piece of economic advice which he said could save the country from further decline.  Arthur, who today ended 35 years as a legislator, told parliamentarians during his contribution to the debate on the 2018-2019 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure they needed to face up to the reality that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was the answer to their economic problems. “There has to be a stimulus in the short term to stabilize and bring about growth while we go about the medium and longer term matter in trying to transform the economy,” the former political leader of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) said, adding that the immediate task was to get spending power of the kind that could be sourced from the IMF and other financial institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The noted economist said that once this was done, it would serve as an injection into the revenue stream that could “stop the body from being at rest and would be the factor that would allow you to be able to start to grow”. Arthur, the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, warned that if his prescription were not applied, “this body which is at rest will remain at rest”. Strengthening his argument that the IMF was the preferred way to go, the respected retiring parliamentarian said the homegrown Barbados Sustainable Recovery Plan (BSRP), which he endorsed, should be the catalyst for funding from the international lending agency. With a general election around the corner, he assured the Government it ought not be afraid of the IMF anymore, since the lending agency now had a flexible credit line that has benefited other Caribbean states, all with economies that are growing fast. “The International Monetary Fund would have in the past related to countries entirely on the basis on financial quantitative targets. It has changed its ways and now enables countries to have what is called flexible credit lines,” he said. (BT)

NEW PARTY OFFERS ECONOMIC SOLUTION FOR BARBADOS  - The near two-year-old Solutions Barbados, which focuses on the improvement of governance and business development in Barbados, is promising a workable solution to the island’s debt of 145.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) as at the end of December last year. Political leader Grenville Phillips II said under his party’s plan Government debt would be eliminated within a year. Speaking at a University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus panel discussion hosted by the Political Science Students’ Association last night, he said if given the chance to lead the country, Solutions Barbados would implement a four-step plan. “Our plan is workable. Firstly, reduce taxes. Whenever we reduce taxes we take in more revenue in Barbados, it is proven. Secondly, manage all public service properly in accordance to the ISO 9001 quality project management system. Everyone agrees that are public services are poorly managed, the days of the long lines can be over,” he said. “Additionally, address corruption. We have been overpaying for goods and services because of corruption . . . .And, finally, our plan is to depoliticize our civil service, so that persons are promoted on merit alone, nothing else, not on who you know.” Phillips said he was so confident of success, a Solutions Barbados administration would resign if the plan failed to put the country’s economy back on track and eliminate its debt. He outlined his party’s proposals as he lamented that the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio was a long way off the 40 per cent recommended by the International Monytary Fund (IMF). And he blamed for the major political parties which have governed Barbados since independence, for the state of affairs. “The Democratic Labour Party believes that we finance our development; the building of our roads, airports and these things by taxing people. The Barbados Labour Party believes that we finance the development of our country by going into debt. Debt financing, you borrow money and then use that money to build,” Phillips said while recounting the country’s debt history. “Errol Barrow [the first Prime Minister] got the country and it was debt free and after his ten years we were $259 billion in debt. Tom Adams came along with the Barbados Labour Party and after his ten years $3.1 billion in debt. However, we had an airport and good infrastructure. The DLP came back and Erskine Sandiford struggled with the high debt and we were left with $4.3 billion in debt, so the Barbados Labour Party took over but they took the debt to $9 billion . . . .The current DLP led administration has now taken it to $14 billion,” he charged. Phillips contended that corruption was thriving here, blaming a lack of accountability. “You have never been able to hold a Barbados Labour Party or a Democratic Labour Party administration accountable ever, not in Barbados. Every few years, each side accuses the other of gross corruption, every five years the evidence comes out and we are told it is incontrovertible evidence but when the party gets in all the evidence goes away,” he said. Phillips said the country was on the brink of economic ruin, the accountability method of ‘trust us or believe us’, which has been used for over 50 years was no longer acceptable. Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes recently announced that the island’s foreign exchange reserves had slumped to just 6.6 weeks of import cover, or $410 million at the end of December last year, and he urged the Freundel Stuart administration to “continue to build on the gains it has made on reducing the fiscal imbalance” for fiscal year 2018/2019, arguing that “further consolidation, particularly through structural expenditure reforms and improved tax administration, was now required. “Effective implementation of these measures would help to prevent further accumulation of arrears which will aid in restoring confidence and facilitating private sector activity,” Haynes advised. In addition, the IMF has warned that the economy would slow to a jaundiced 0.5 per cent growth this year, and has emphasized the need for a comprehensive restructuring of state owned enterprises, saying this was critical in order to address structural imbalance in the public sector, “in particular by reducing Government transfers”. (BT)

BWA SAYS ODOUR UNDER CONTROL AT BRIDGETOWN SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT – Efforts by the Wastewater Division (WWD) of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) to control a strong odour from the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant on Monday has yielded results. This is according to a statement released this evening. “After identifying the substance which was off-loaded at the plant on Saturday, February 10 and which contributed to the noxious scent, WWD operators have started replenishing bacteria integral to the treatment process. This has been able to contain the odour considerably,” the BWA said. The utility also said it had strengthened its policies monitoring all waste coming into the plant and reminded haulers to observe established regulations for dumping at the plant. The BWA thanked the public for their patience and understanding and apologised for any inconvenience. (MWN)

EDGAR COCHRANE PHARMACY CLOSED FOR ANOTHER DAY –The public is advised that the pharmacy at the Edgar Cochrane Polyclinic, Wildey, St Michael, which was closed today to facilitate cleaning, will remain closed tomorrow as the process continues. The Ministry of Health regrets any inconvenience caused. (MWN)

POLYCLINICS UNDER THREAT, BOYCE SAYS – Workers at polyclinic in Barbados are under threat from increased physical and verbal attacks, according to Minister of Health John Boyce. However, Boyce today announced that security measures were bring put in place to ensure the safety of staff. Singling out the Brandford Taitt Polyclinic in Black Rock, St Michael, Boyce said it was “the most vulnerable facility to this type of violence”, adding that “several measures” had been implemented to combat this challenge, including increased security and police presence. The Ministry of Health has been allocated $329.7 million in the 2018-19 Estimates, down slightly from $332.5 million in the Revised Estimates for 2017-18. The Brandford Taitt Polyclinic has been allocated $3.1 million, up from the $2.9 million in the Revised Estimates 2017-18. Boyce said the 2018-19 allocation included funds for handheld radios, public address systems, and panic buttons for staff members. Boyce said the security concerns had prompted the authorities to consider restricting the number of people who would be allowed to accompany patients visiting the doctors or sitting in the waiting rooms. Boyce also revealed that his ministry was working on “a draft violent policy” that had already been shared with stakeholders, details of which would be “dealt with over the next couple of months”. (BT)

COURT BACKLOGS MAY CAUSE BAJANS TO TAKE LAW INTO THEIR HANDS – Former Attorney General Dale Marshall has warned that prolonged backlogs in the court system are frustrating Barbadians and could force them to take the law into their own hands. Addressing a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) rally over the weekend at Rices Playing Field in St Philip, the area represented by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, Marshall said the current legal adviser to Government had presided over a state of affairs that has seen the judicial system “grinding to a halt”. The BLP legislator quoted figures from 2013 to 2016 during which he said only 136 written decisions had been handed down from 8,122 that had been filed before the High Court. He blamed this in part on a shortage of judges, complaining that there were only eight judges to handle the thousands of cases during that period, a problem, he said, for which Brathwaite must be held responsible. “By any measuring stick, the performance of the Attorney General of Barbados has been less than stellar . . . .You could even afford to call it dismal,” Marshall said. “What the Attorney General, the representative for this constituency, has to show is a judicial system that has come to a halt,” he added. Pointing out that “law courts are there to dispense justice and we have way too many cases in our law courts that have been there for five and six years,” Marshall warned: “When Barbadians cannot find justice in the law courts because the system is too slow, because we do not have enough judges, because of all the inefficiencies that this Democratic Labour Party has allowed to occur in the system, then people will be forced to seek their own form of justice”. “Sometimes the embarrassment is that some of the people who brought the cases have died,” he added. “When you have a situation where thousands of cases are being filed every year, but in any one year only…10 or 12 are disposed of, sooner or later that system will cease to function. “It will be like the South Coast Sewerage Plant, but there will be no manholes through which the sewage can escape.” Marshall accused Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and the Attorney General of refusing to comment on, or take steps to, ease the court backlog. “It does not suit them to say anything about it because they not only do not know what to do about it; they have little interest in doing anything about it,” he charged. Speaking after Marshall, BLP leader Mia Mottley said a similar backlog exists in the criminal court system. “If somebody get lock up tomorrow, they got to wait probably five to six years for their case to get heard, if you don’t intervene and fix the system,” she lamented. (BT)

PARENTS WARNED TO STAY AWAY FROM DAUGHTER – Stay away from the girl. That was the warning to the Fitzpatricks, and every friend and member of their family, after the parents charged with wrongfully confining their daughter made a second court appearance yesterday. Watchman Antonio Marcus Fitzpatrick, 49, and his 47-year-old wife Stacy, both of Brereton No. 1, St Philip, were in the District “C” St Matthias Magistrates’ Court where they denied wrongfully confining 19-year-old Antonia Fitzpatrick between June 1, 2017, and February 7 this year. The two remain on $5 000 bail each but Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch added one condition. “When she is discharged, it may well be that she may be taken to a safe house. Neither of you is to approach nor contact the complainant. Don’t send anybody to her. Don’t go to her. If you do, you will be remanded,” he told them. But he turned down prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim’s request to have the parents undergo a psychological evaluation. “What is bothersome to the prosecution at this stage,” Pilgrim had said, “albeit both accused are on bail, is that the prosecution is of the opinion that a practicable exercise should be obtained in order to ascertain the psychological factor in relation to the accused.” But the Chief Magistrate responded: “If other Government agencies wish to get involved, I have no problem with that. If the Child Care Board, the Welfare Department, the Probation Department want to get involved, we will leave it to them. “But I don’t want to seem to be prejudicing the accused by ordering a report,” he added. However, he did order one from the Psychiatric Hospital on the girl. “What I would like as a matter of urgency is a report from the Psychiatric Hospital on the complainant as to her physical and mental health.” Prosecutor Pilgrim had earlier said that even though he was not objecting to the Fitzpatricks remaining on bail, the charge was serious and he wanted certain information clarified. He said the allegation spoke of “demons and diabolical sources” which was “bothersome at this stage”. “My information is that other members of the household are exhibiting some of the characteristics,” he told the court. “If the complainant is at an institution and it is alleged she is demon-possessed, it is alleged the accused have some healing powers to expel demons, the question is, why was professional intervention not requested in this matter? Who makes them an authority to expel demons? Who makes them the authority to decide who is possessed?” he asked. He added the accused could be a danger not only to themselves but to the other children in the household, which included a three-month-old child. However, attorney Carol-Ann Best said the three-month-old was a grandchild of another daughter who was 20 years old and not their child. She added the two parents were “more than ready to submit” to any evaluation, either psychiatric or psychological, ordered by the court. “The difficulty with this case is the fact of not going into the evidence. Even though I have instructions, this is not a case where it is straight down the line,” counsel argued. “There are a lot of variables involved in this matter.” The matter was adjourned until March 27. (MWN)

CHICKEN THIEF JAILED FOR A YEAR – Narie Leslie Hinds will spend the next 12 months in jail for stealing 30 pounds of chicken and six drinks from a St Michael canteen.The 51-year-old King Street, St Michael resident admitted that he burglarized LRS Foods sometime between February 6 and 7 and made away with the items costing $224, belonging to Elizabeth Cooke. The owner of the canteen located at Hothersal Turning closed up her business on the first mentioned date, only to get a telephone call the following day from her daughter informing her of the break-in. When she went to the canteen, she found a padlock missing as well as the poultry and beverages. Cooke called the police after viewing security video which showed Hinds taking her property. In his defence, Hinds, who now has 51 convictions to his name, told Magistrate Douglas Frederick that he had a “very bad drug problem and needed help”. “I have a two-month-old baby, Sir . . . and drugs choose a drug addict for a mother. I need help,” the well-known thief said. But Frederick told Hinds he was behaving as if he had never been offered help. The magistrate pointed out that he had recently referred Hinds to Verdun House. “I said ‘if they can change you, they will perform a miracle’ and when I last saw you I was impressed, but quick so you were back to your old ways,” the District ‘A’ Magistrate stated, even as he acknowledged that fighting drug addiction was not easy. Frederick said Hinds would be penalized for his actions as he had stolen “probably the entire stock” from the canteen and taken away the proprietor’s livelihood. “I just take up one pack of chicken just to get something to get drugs. This is the first time I went to a small place to steal. I go to supermarkets,” Hinds stated as he asked the magistrate for leniency. “I can’t let you out again,” Frederick replied, as he imposed the sentence and urged Hinds to take advantage of the drug rehabilitation programme at Dodds. “Twelve months, okay I can do that,” Hinds said as he was ushered out of the court.  (BT)

LORDE AND WATKINS GET BAIL – A man and woman who appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on separate charges have been released on bail. Regina Tana Lorde, of Roxy Gap, Waterhall Land, Eagle Hall, St Michael, denied before Magistrate Douglas Frederick that she damaged a motorcar belonging to Sasha Boxhill on February 3. The prosecutor granted the 32-year-old self-employed woman $2,000 bail after there were no objections to her release. The case against her will continue on May 23. Also reappearing in the court on that date will be Clarence Rudolph Watkins of 3rd Avenue, Chapman Lane, St Michael who allegedly entered Lorde’s house as a trespasser on February 6 and inflicted grievous bodily harm on her. It is further alleged that he had a chair as a weapon at the time. Watkins, who was represented by attorney-at-law Dennis Headley, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $3,000 bail.The accused has also been warned to stay away from Lorde and her residence. Before he was allowed to leave the court, however, he had to pay a $350 forthwith fine for the $45 worth of cannabis he had in his pocket when he was arrested on the grievous bodily harm charge. Watkins also had to honour a $500 debt to the Crown dating back to 2011. Both amounts were paid. (BT)

CHASE ON POINT – Roston Chase hasn’t featured in a West Indies One-Day International team for the last three series. He has, however, now given the selectors something to think about. His rich vein of form in the regional Super50 Festival continued yesterday with an impressive century that highlighted Barbados Pride’s rain-affected victory by 17 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis Method against Hampshire at the Windward Cricket Club. The victory confirmed their place in next week’s semi-finals. Chase’s attractive 105 off 120 balls guided the Pride to a handy total of 253 for six off 49.1 overs – an innings cut short by five balls because of rain that delayed Hampshire’s response to a revised target of 250 in 45 overs. More showers in the afternoon, accompanied by strong winds that combined to make it uncomfortably chilly on occasions, caused the target to be amended to 198 in 31 overs, and Hampshire were 107 for five off 20.3 overs when the third and final stoppage at 4:50 p.m. ended the match. It was Barbados Pride’s sixth win in seven outings and cemented the defending champs’ place in the semis in Antigua, before they play their final match against Combined Campuses And Colleges Marooners on Saturday at Kensington Oval. (MWN)

TIGERS ALL THE WAY – Three words, West Terrace Primary, summed up the day of junior school track and field supremacy. The overall boys and girls champions of the 2012 National Primary Schools Athletic Championships walked away double crown winners of the Patsy Callender Zone at the Usain Bolt Complex yesterday. The Williams Industries West Terrace Tigers captured the girls title with 145 points. Second was Wesley Hall Junior with 134 points and third Bayley’s Primary with 132. And last year’s big boys champs in the competition and winners of the Champion of Champions title, Bayley’s Primary, placed a disappointing fifth. (MWN)

WAVE HITS HOLETOWN – The 41st annual Holetown Festival got off to a rocking start on Sunday, thanks to contributions from several talented acts. The evening began with a short procession by the Haynesville Youth Group, whose director drew the attention of scores of people to the Holetown Complex, where there was a stage and tent set up for the remaining activities. Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Alvin Jemmott, said the festival, which celebrates the landing of the first English settlers in 1627, must be congratulated for its longevity. He said it was events like these that added to the uniqueness of the tourism product. “The last three years of tourism record growth have not been a surprise. It has not been easy, but it’s because of the uniqueness of the Barbadian tourism product offering that we continue to grow from strength to strength,” he added. There were performances by Dancin’ Africa, the Barbados Defence Force Band, who did the Beating Retreat ceremony, and later a stage performance where they covered songs by The Mighty Gabby, Spice & Company and Alison Hinds. Actress Janine White had the audience in stitches with her comedic presentations, while both Trinity Clarke and Paula Hinds sang their hearts out. But the festivities really kicked into high gear when Red Plastic Bag (RPB) and later Grynner took the stage. Both RPB and Grynner unleashed hit after hit. From Bag’s Ragga Ragga and Something’s Happening to the Old Dawg’s Leggo I Hand and Turn On De Speaker, members of the crowd had no choice but to get up out of their seats and shake a leg. The Holetown Festival will continue this week and end on Sunday night when the Holetown Queen Of The Festival pageant will be held. (MWN)

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