#so it leads into some unpleasantness in early grove

[i-mybrunettelady]

15 from hurt/comfort prompts for Arson Man my beloved

One Arson man coming right up with a very Achilles like moment also why do these prompts make me wanna write the scenes i've had in my head for a while now yes prompts yes

This may be as good place as any to say that this isn't a fluff fic. It's... a fucked up fic, in a way. So beware of that.

Cw: some gore (very light but still) and injury description

nothing to see here + elandrin

The vines of Cadeyrn's throat are wet and torn. Precision of the cut is unmatched; it's his; he feels it under his fingers just as he feels the sap running against his nails. There are stab wounds, but El couldn't help himself. Green leaves are losing light with progressive speed and he almost wants to close his brother's eyes but he'd be loathe to part from the look of abject surprise at the final loss.

Brother. What a strange word. He doesn't know why he reached for it. Cadeyrn hasn't been his brother since that fateful night in his cabin, but there's something weird coming from it. It's probably the realisation has yet to hit his brain.

His lips curl in a smile. Sticky fingers press against the hilt of his daggers. Pain flashes against his side but there are Morrigu, Caithe and this Vigil crusader Caithe dug out of the ground.

The crusader moves to the corpse. Her breath is heavy and her step light, as light as a chain-mail can allow.

"Let him be," he warns. His voice is filled with unbridled joy. "Let him be, Crusader."

"Last rites, maybe? If sylvari have any?"

"As if a human would be the one distributing them," he says. She frowns and stops just shy of it.

"El," Caithe says. "Alysannyra, we don't have a specific set of rituals like you do. It's more of a what feels right at the moment sentiment."

"What feels right at the moment," El repeats. He feels air gather in his throat, ready to burst. Ashes reach his nostrils from a burnt tree nearby, though the flames have gone out.

And it bursts, in a laughter that is thunder and a forest fire and wind and the angry sea. It's happy, joyful, as if he's shaken off some terrible burden; if Cadeyrn had thought he could simply take El's surrender and just leave him afterwards to deal with the rawness himself, then El can extend the same courtesy and let him look at the prison of his own making in death.

Pain spreads against the cut bark as he kicks the body hardest he can. Then again. Then again. Alysannyra has moved, watching wordlessly.

"Morrigu," she calls out to the Warden. "Shall we get the other Wardens to mop this up?"

"Yes," Morrigu intones and he can't hear them walk away over his own ragged breath but when he and Caithe are alone, his knees give out and he bends over and he's shaking with laughter and pain.

"I won, you fucker," he rasps out, "I won. I killed you. Yeah, wipe that smug grin off your face because I'm alive and you're not, you stupid sack of spice. I wo-"

"I knew this was going to happen," Caithe wraps an arm around him, "as soon as you showed up at Twilight Arbor." She sounds sad and El can't really understand why. "Poor Siona."

"Fuck Siona," he says, "if she cared for her brother she would've returned him to the correct sylvari, but now he's fodder for the plants. She had a chance and she didn't take it. That means I get to kill him."

"At least let me close his eyes," she adds. Her hand is firm and he's distantly aware he'd be floating away somewhere if it wasn't for that.

"I forgot what a mean punch he can land," El whispers, unable to hide his joy still.

"Does it hurt?"

A nod. He wants to curl on the ground. And even as she checks his wounds while the Wardens arrive, he's smiling brightly. Fuck Siona. He'll deal with her later. He now gets to bask in being the one left standing.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

Monster of the Week: A Writer’s Guide to Vampires!

The Basics: Vampires From Around the World 

Almost every culture has its vampires, and they go way beyond Dracula and Nosferatu. 

There are obviously too many to include in one post, so here are a few especially unique vamps to get you inspired and interested in learning more! 

The Penanggalan, Malaysia - Literally meaning ‘to detach,’ the Penanggalan is an exclusively (apparently) female creature. 

By day, she masquerades as a normal woman (and let’s be real, don’t we all.)  But by night, her head detaches from her body and floats around, entrails hanging like tentacles -- which they nightmarishly use to entangle their victims -- and preys on pregnant woman and babies.  Lovely. 

Creepily, the Penanggalan gravitates towards day jobs such as midwifery, so she can get closer to her prospective prey. 

The Manananggal, Philippines - Much like the Penanggalan, the Manananggal has an unfortunate habit of detaching parts of her body to fly around.  Described as an “ugly, hideous woman” (mood), the Manananggal can detatch her whole-ass torso to fly around like a bat. 

Like the Penanggalan, she preys on pregnant woman and unborn babies, with, creepily, her incredibly long tongue.  Some, however, prefer to seduce and prey on men -- preferable, to be honest -- in which case they appear young and beautiful.

The Upir, Eastern Europe - Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, Romanian, and Czech cultures all have mythos around this abnormally bloodthirsty vampire.  Not only do upirs drink the blood of their victims, but they bath and sleep in it.  They eat the flesh of their victims as well, and are especially partial to the heart.  In a uniquely sadistic detail, the Upir is thought to consume the children of a family and then the parents. 

The Alukah, Judaism - Literally meaning “horse-leach,” the Alukah is one of the earliest vampires, originating in the Bible.  

A fixture of Jewish folklore, and sometimes described as a demon or witch, the Alukah is unique in the fact that she is not undead but a living, shapeshifting being (according to the description in Sefer Hasidim.)

She can fly by unfurling her long hair.

The Brahmaparusha, India - This nightmarishly extra vampire will drink the drained blood of its victims from a skull (which it carries around at all times), before noshing on their brains and wearing their intestines as necklaces and crowns.  Worst of all, this vampire has an unusually ravenous appetite, and consumes several victims per night.  

The Callicantzaros, Greece - In Greece, children born between Christmas and Twelfth Night were thought to be bad luck (?) and susceptible to vampirism.  The Callicantzaros was considered to be egregiously unpleasant, equipped with devilish talons with which to tear victims to shreds.  Their first victims, post-transformation, were supposed to be their own siblings.

Unfortunately, this led to a degree of mistreatment and hostility towards children born during this period, as parents watched for signs of their progeny’s prospective vampirism.  In order to ensure that they didn’t become Callicantzaros, the children’s feet were dangled above a fire, like a reverse Achilles.

Vampire weaknesses: 

Garlic - This one’s not just particular to Western mythos.  Southeast and far Eastern vamps like the Manananggal are also vulnerable to garlic. 

Salt - The Manananggal is vulnerable to salt, as are vampires from most cultures in which salt is considered holy or purifying. 

Silver - A holy metal.  The origin of the “vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors” myth is because it used to be a component in mirror-making. 

Vinegar - Again with the Manananggal. 

Daggers/stakes/sharp objects - Especially through the vampire’s heart.  In many cultures, burning the heart is also advisable.  Be careful, though: sometimes, staking an upir will only bring them back to life stronger. 

Dismemberment and fire - Most vamps are susceptible to this, including the Penanggalan.  The only sure way to kill an upir is to decapitate them and burn the remains. 

Counting - Much like the Count of Sesame Street, vamps can’t resist counting things.  If you scatter some small, countable objects on the ground, the vampire will have to stop and count each one. 

The tails of stingrays - in the case of the Manananggal. 

Sunlight - Obviously.  Though not universal, this pops up in vampire mythology around the world, including the Manananggal. 

Detachment - when the Penanggalan and Manananggal detach their heads and torsos, their discarded torsos and lower bodies are vulnerable.  In the case of the Manananggal, sprinkling the discarded legs with garlic and salt.  The Mananggal will not be able to return to its lower body, and will perish with the rising sun. 

Starvation - The Alukah can be starved if she’s prevented from eating for long enough. 

Stupidity - In the case of the Penanggalan.  If you turn the Penanggalan’s body upside down, she’ll re-attach backwards.  I’m not sure what the purpose of this is, except the exhilaration of punking a vampire and making them walk around on their hands all day like a jackass.

Protection: 

Thorns around windows - Thorns will keep the Penanggalan from harassing you or your unborn children. 

Strings of garlic - Just make sure SOME IDIOT doesn’t take them down (RIP Lucy from Dracula.)

Pots of uncooked rice, ash, or salt - Repellent to the Manananggal.

Running away and hiding - Basically the only method of recourse against the Brahmaparasha.

Eating bread infused with an upir’s blood - Sounds kinky, to be honest. 

Stay on sacred ground - I.e. graveyards and churches.  Just be sure you’re not trying to avoid the kind of vampire that dwells in graveyards if you go for the latter.

Holy water, crucifixes, silver, et cetera - Anything sacred or holy.  Varies based on culture.

Imbibing the ash of a supposed vampire’s burnt heart - I’m not even going to joke about this one, since people actually did this during the vampire scare of New England (my homeland.)  I learned about it from a book about local vampire encounters at the Newport Public Library at age twelve, and it scarred me.

Dangle your baby above a fire - Actually, no, PLEASE don’t do that.  But that’s what seventeenth century Greeks did to prevent their kids from turning into Callicantzaros. 

Age of consent laws - Specifically for Edward from Twilight.

Don’t get a welcoming mat - Counts as inviting them in.  Duh.

Ways to Become A Vampire:*

*Ask your doctor if becoming a vampire is right for you.

Biting - Obviously.  Though if you read Dracula and early accounts of vampirism, it was more of a slowly progressing illness than a sudden transformation.

Reject Christianity - In the case of upirs.  More specifically, the church buried non-believers outside of graveyards, leading them to rise as servants of the Devil.  Honestly, I feel like the church kind of brought that on themselves. 

Be born between Christmas and Twelfth Night - At least if you’re in seventeenth century Greece.  

Be influenced by the Devil while dying - Another version of the Upir origin.

Be a demon possessing a corpse - One prospective explanation for the Brahmaparusha.

Making a pact to obtain eternal youth and beauty that involves not eating meat for 40 days and then breaking it like some kind of an IDIOT - One version of the Penanggalan origin myth.  I shouldn’t judge, my self-control isn’t great either.

Get startled by a man while meditating in a bath and jerk your head so hard that it flies off and at the interloper in fury - Another prospective version of the Pennangalan origin. Relatable, honestly. 

Be so bitter and jealous of couples that you go on an insane killing spree of pregnant woman and get publicly executed by being ripped in two - The Pennangalan, again.  She makes the Kardashians look tame. 

Chanting an incantation, anointing yourself with oil, and purchasing a black chick - In the case of the Manananggal.  The black chick reportedly lives inside the Manananggal, eating its innards while also acting as its life source.  Honestly, after all the drama of the Penanggalan’s origins, this seems reasonable.

Other Sources

Video Essays: 

The Power of the Vampire Myth - A superb sociological dive into the cultural significance of vampires. From the post WWI antisemitism of Nosferatu to their ability to subvert the Hays Code, vampires tend to reflect the shadows of every society. 

Dracula: A Brief History of Eternity 

CREEPIEST Vampire Legends from Around the World 

Vampires: Folklore, Fantasy, and Fact

How did Dracula become the world’s most famous vampire?

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Life Dracula

Influential Vampire Fiction:*

*That I’ve read/seen so far.

Dracula - Duh.  The greatest adaptation of which is, obviously, Dracula: Dead and Loving it.  

Nosferatu - It’s good to be aware of its antisemetic overtones, but it’s still revolutionary at evoking dread.

Varney the Vampire - A penny dreadful series that helped popularize vampires in Victorian England.  It gets bonus points for sounding like a children’s show. 

Camilla - The ORIGINAL lesbian vampire, predating Dracula by decades.  Became an adorable webseries and movie, which I recommend even more than the original novel.

‘Salem’s Lot - Serves as a study of what makes vampires scary in the modern era.   

Underworld - Aside from serving as a badass alternative in the Twilight era, it merits inclusion exclusively for causing my Sapphic awakening at age twelve.

What We Do In the Shadows - Has a unique understanding of the cultural significance of vampires, and why they appeal to societal misfits.  Also has vampire “children” who eat p*dophiles. 

Vampires in the Lemon Grove - The titular story is one of the most unique interpretations of vampires that I’ve seen in the modern era.  Beautiful language that evokes a powerful emotional response.

Twilight - Exclusively because it gave us Rosemary clocking shop in a wedding gown.  And the baseball scene.

Nonfiction:

The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters

From Demons to Dracula: The Creation of the Modern Vampire Myth

Vampires and Vampirism: Legends from Around the World

New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend

Mummies, Cannibals, and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine

A History of Vampires in New England 

Happy Halloween, and happy writing, everybody! 

[84reedsy]

Betray/Forgive - Part 2 - A Bam Brown Fan Fiction

Enjoy the finale!

Pairing: Joshua Bam Bam Brown/OC

Rating: R (suggestive content)

She’d doubted that he’d find her out in the cavernous hills of the Rockies. She’d stayed put for 3 weeks. Surviving on only what whe’d brought or what she could forage. It was the reason she’d come to this place. She had another week to go and initially was feeling wonderful. She’d willed herself passed the feeling of being used and discarded. She’d thought a time or two to descend back into the valley, into the town and confront him and tell this woman what exactly her significant other had been up to, but she’d decided against it.

She wondered if she knew. If they had some sort of agreement and she already knew about her. What if he told her what they did and laughed about her technique or…or something. She didn’t want to face further humiliation so she let it go. She let it go. She tried to let him go.

It was difficult to fathom, but the hardest thing was shaking memories of him. She couldn’t figure it, they’d spent less than a full 24 hours in each other’s company yet she still felt as if she missed him.

“How can I miss someone I don’t even know…” She surmised aloud to the crackling fire in front of her. It did not provided an answer other than to slowly turn another log to ash. She threw a stick into the flame, frustrated.

“Lexi….you fool…” she said watching the flames choreograph their own moonlit dance.

Near the ending of the third week, she was wondering if she could even finish the next week she’d had planned; for a few days now she’d been periodically down. She worried she’d contracted some bug, some parasite or had eaten a misidentified leaf. But she would then suddenly feel better. The inconsistency baffled her, however throwing up every morning was beginning to take it’s toll.

As she decided to call the trip early, she had a dreaded thought. She paused in the middle of rolling her sleeping bag. No she thought, No, no, no, no, no!

“I…how could I have been so stupid!” She yelled at herself, her only audience was the cold, stony faces of rock that surrounded her, only echoing her frustrations.

Back in civilization, at her new place that she’d settled only weeks before taking off on her trip, she stared at the pregnancy test and it’s two glaringly blue lines. And there it was, another plus. She flung it into the sink basin, where it clacked against the other dozen or so tests she’d taken throughout the day. All of them. Every.last.one. Was positive.

She slunk to the floor. What was she going to do. Here she was, alone in a new city, a new state. She didn’t have the mentality to be a mother right now. This was not anything like what she was expecting. The move to Denver had been about new beginnings that were her choice, HER decisions. She was for once in life putting herself first. She was in no position to take care of a baby. Tears flowed from her eyes but she knew she was getting rid of it. Termination was her only option right now. The thought tore at her soul; it wasn’t that she didn’t want kids. She did. But she wanted them to be with someone she loved and respected and reciprocated those feelings. Not someone who used her for sexual amusement in the absence of his full time lover.

She had a short window and the cost, thanks to the bureaucracy, was astronomical. She gripped the pamphlet in her hand as the doctor gave her a rundown of options. She could pay for it, but then be strapped for months while she hoped no other emergencies occurred and would have to work overtime just to make ends meet…maybe. The doctor was very kind, and gently suggested that often the cost is supplemented by the other party. The other party. In order to do this she’d have to find him and ask for the money. Ask. The thought was ridiculous. He was just as responsible yet here she’d have to beg him to help her.

It was that or adoption. She made a deal with herself that she’d face him, she’d ask, but if he refused, she’d suffer through the pregnancy alone and give it up for adoption. She hoped it would stop there. She didn’t want him to have it. The thought of him using her as a baby machine turned her stomach even more than the turkey sandwich she’d just regurgitated. She shook the image of Bam and that woman cooing over a baby that she’d made, coveting it.

“Stop it….stop thinking like that. He’ll want this gone. He’ll want to move on from his mistake and make it go away,” She pep talked herself, “Just like I do…”

But there was something inside her, a small voice in her head that didn’t agree. A small voice energized each day as her endless nights of dreams concluded each morning. Dreams of Bam, remorseful and humbled, begging her forgiveness but insistent that his feelings were genuine. Each dream, each night seemed to rub a bigger and bigger ache in her heart. She tried to write it off as hormonal, knowing the dreams felt to real to be entirely fiction.

“Maybe he’s having the dreams too,” her subconscious reasoned, “Maybe he’s trying to reach you the only way he can.”

She shrugged off the thoughts as she finally boarded the train bound for Cortez. He’d said they lived nearby, maybe she’d run into him again as easily as she had the first time. Though she was sure this time he wouldn’t follow at such a distance; he’d either approach her immediately or possibly run for the hills.

She tried to let the visually stunning images she passed distract her mind from the task at hand, enjoying the low cost and better views that train travelling afforded her.

It did little to vacate her thoughts. Every grove of evergreens reminded her of their picnic in the woods. How he’d tenderly catered to her, refusing reciprocation. She scolded herself as she realized she was grinning at the memory.

“Perv…” She mumbled, trying to write him off.

When she arrived in the town, it was quiet. She didn’t expect much in the middle of the week, the busy tourist season already past. The streets had just a handful of people. The wind had just the slightest cool to it, but the overhead sun kept the day from being unpleasant.

She felt a little foolish now. Her plan ended here. She had no idea how to find him, she wasn’t even sure she could find a phone book and if they were even listed at that. She surely doubted it. She wandered the streets for a couple of hours, window shopping at all the places she’d seen this past summer. She felt a sense of guilt and longing as she passed a baby boutique, quickly leaving.

She sighed as she reached the end of the downtown area, the trailhead of the hike they took was dead ahead past the parking lot. She turned the other way, unable to think of the moments again. And there he was.

Walking up the street with a coffee in his hand. He was alone, he looked almost sullen. Her extremities went numb. His hair was down, long and flowing, even with sunglasses on she could see his perma-scowl, the one she’d lightly teased him about.

As she willed herself to move, she was stricken with fight or flight, her toes itching to carry her away from the impending confrontation. But her heels felt like lead weights. Somehow her feet moved, she was almost surprised to realize they were carrying her towards him. After only a few steps, she stopped as he looked up. His scowl disappeared as his face went blank. He turned almost paler than normal.

“You…” He almost mumbled, taking a few more steps towards her, “You…You’re here…” It was then she noticed his face almost looked relieved. Relieved? Surely she was reading him wrong.

“Yes, I am. I have something I need to talk to you about. It’s important.” She tried to make it sound business-like, but he stared at her as if she were heaven-sent. And he kept moving slowly to her.

THe slowness gave way to a sudden movement as she felt his body press to hers. His arms were around her and she felt his rough, bearded cheek against her ear as he embraced her. She was so shocked by this that her arms hung limply at her sides.

“I was hoping you would come back. I was. I needed to tell you so much, I needed to explain.” He murmured into her ear. She tried to maintain her strong front, nudging out of his embrace.

“I need to tell you something, too. I need to say mine first.” She tried to remain as businesslike as possible, “I’m…Bam, I’m pregnant.” The words left her, but she felt like a 3rd person in her own body as they came from her mouth.

His body went slack as the words sunk in. He stuttered out, “P-Pregnant? Wow….really? Pregnant?” She had expected anger, worry, indifference, but awestruck? She wasn’t prepared for his lack of indignance. His hand slid backwards over his hair, repeating the word to himself as if it would make it more real.

“Yes. Pregnant. I came to you….well…because I need $500 to…to get rid of it. For an abortion.” The words were harsh from her own admission. She cringed internally. But she needed to be blunt, as devoid of emotion as possible if she wanted to make it out of this with any scrap of dignity.

“It’s $1000…since it’s half yours, I think it’s only fair you pay half.” She reasoned as if she were asking to split the cost of dinner.

“Get rid of it? You…you’re getting an abortion?” The sadness on his face surprised her as well.

“I don’t want to raise a bastard child of an adulterer.” She wanted him to get upset, she didn’t want it to be amicable. She wanted a reason to hate him. She needed a reason to hate him.

“Hey…don’t.” He sounded as if he warning her, “It’s not what it seems like. And….really, you’re pregnant?”

She was tiring of his surprise and his lack of panic. She’d hoped this would throw him for a loop, rock his world, upend all of his plans like it was about to do for her.  

“Are you going to give me the money or not.” She didn’t need to know about his life, she didn’t want explanations or details. She wanted $500.

“Can we please, go somewhere? Talk about this?” He sounded pleading now, “ I’ve …I’ve been looking for you…for weeks. Please.”

“Is that code? Looking for another easy lay? Gonna cash in your chips and ask me to blow you?” She put up a facade with her crudeness, not wanting him to trigger her bleeding heart.

“Stop.” He said it with a demanding tone, taking a step towards her. He softened slightly as if begging for her to soften for only a moment, “You weren’t that to me. You were more than that. Things are complicated. Please let me explain.”

She huffed in aggravation. She rolled her eyes and looked off to the side, anything to emit a feeling of annoyance. But she couldn’t deny him. As much as she hated herself for it, she just could not bring herself to reject him completely.

“Fine.”

He took her a different way from the trail, walking along a road abandoned years ago that led into the forest. The cracks in the worn pavement housed sprung plants and creeping vines sprawled as nature was taking back the path. The road looked as broken and worn as she felt. She listened quietly as he explained that the girl she’d seen with him, his wife, had cheated on him, continuously.

He’d wanted a family and she’d agreed to try. It never happened and after medical intervention, it was discovered that it wouldn’t happen. She couldn’t bear him children. He’d been broken hearted over that fact, but remained committed to her.

She however felt that with not having to worry herself with pregnancies, she was free to sexually gratify herself with any man she came across it seemed. Each time she’d apologize, and wail her undying love and manipulate him into staying. Each man had a different excuse for why. Each one broke him a little more inside.

He told her he’d stopped caring about being true to her; his love for her was broken and he’d told her so that last day when she’d arrived. When Lexi had fled to the hills. Her name was Amanda and she did not respond well. She spent days refusing to leave, even at his insistence.

“It was very confusing,” he said, “ For her to be so committed to remaining with me, but refusing to hold herself accountable for any of it.

“You helped me make that decision, you know.” He looked at her, a small smile on his lips. She did not smile back, she did not want him to know, to believe that he brought her any joy. Her mind flashed an image of joy he’d brought her as she writhed on the picnic blanket, his words praising her taste.

She shook it from her memory, angry that she’d let that surface.

“I helped you? Apparently I am just all sorts of help.” She tried to be snide, but it came off more sad and dejected.

“You did. Even when things were good. At their best. Even when we met. I never felt…I never felt what I should have. I thought she was love, I thought she was what I wanted. But I was really, really wrong.

“When I saw you…I realized any other woman in my life had been a mistake. I’ve been looking for you to tell you that.” He was shaking a little. He hid his trembling fingers in his pockets.

“You expect me to believe that you realized you loved me that fast.” She scoffed again, immediately regretting it when she saw the pained expression cross his face and the lump in his throat he swallowed.

“I don’t expect you to believe me, or forgive me…but I had to tell you.” He looked defeated, his shoulders slumped, “You mean…you really didn’t feel it too?” He looked a little hopeful but like he was preparing for those hopes to be dashed. “I thought…I thought maybe you’d been having the dreams too…”

She shivered. The dreams. The same dreams?

“Dreams?” She couldn’t help herself, she had to know.

“Yes. Every night, you’re in them. I beg you to forgive me every night. Sometimes you forgive me…sometimes not,” he swallows again, “ But I see you in them so vividly, it’s like you were real. Even though my heart broke half the time, I still got to see you every night.”

She tried to steady her rapid breathing. The same dreams, they’d had the same dreams. She hated the nights she’d dreamt she’d forgiven him, because her heart ache in the morning was that much worse.

“Are you going to give me the money?” She asked again, but her voice wavered as she asked, not nearly as strong and unmoving as she’d wanted it to be.

He took his sunglasses off, replacing them with his wire-rimmed frames. His eyes, he was much more human now that she could see them.

“She’s gone. She’s out of my life. I know…I know I fucked up. But please…give me a chance not to lose you, too.”

“Lose me? Bam we weren’t even together. There wasn’t an us to lose.” She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself just as much as him.

“Maybe,” he continued as if he didn’t believe she was convinced either, “ Maybe that little baby…that life inside of you is the universe’s way of telling us that this is worth trying.”

“That sounds far-fetched.” She hugged her arms around her, as if the motion would protect her from feeling any more emotions. Her eyes looked away, unable to look into his deep blue eyes and not yearn for him.

“Maybe. Maybe it is. But…you consume me, Lexi. I can’t ignore that. I dreamed of us. I dreamed of a baby, a child. We were so happy.” He reached for her, his fingers grazing her skin.

She felt a hot tear escape her eyes as she remembered the same dream. Laid out again on a picnic blanket, but this time with a toddler. He laid on his side, she laid with her head resting on his stomach as the child toddled towards them, wobbly and unsure, but smiling and happy. Bam retold the dream as if he’d been inside her own head.

“You know. You had it too, didn’t you?” He reached for her hand, taking it in his. Her non-response answered his question.

“I was so mad at you, Bam.” She sniffled as she fought back a sob, “I felt so much for you. I knew it was foolish….after one day. But then I saw you and her….you have no idea…how shitty that made me feel.”

He looked pained again, but nodded, letting her finish. His thumb rubbed the top of her hand the entire time.

“And then getting pregnant on top of all of that. My life has been a mess since I met you. And all I want is for that to stop.” a few more tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Let me help. Let me make it right, let me try, please.” He boldly reached up to her cheek with his thumb, wiping a tear track away. When she didn’t reject him, he slowly sank to his knees.

“I will do anything, anything if you’ll just give me a chance. GIves us a chance,” He took a big breath, letting a shaky one back out. He lifted his hand and placed it on her stomach, “Give this baby a chance.”

Suddenly she couldn’t remember her plans. The careful plan she’d figured for herself. It all blurred away. All she could see now was him, in front of her, begging for her love. She felt his hand against her belly, his touch igniting a realization inside her. She realized what she’d been fighting all this time. All the words of hatred she’d spewed was a lie, it was just her trying to convince herself of what she knew was true. She’d fallen in love with a man she’d known for 20 hours. Running was easy when she thought she couldn’t have him. But now here he was offering himself, risking humility and she couldn’t find one single iota of her being that wanted to run.

“You are crazy.” She bit her lip, overwhelmed, “What if…what if it doesn’t work.”

He looked down at the dirt for a moment, collecting himself before returning his gaze to her.

“Then we tried. And as for the baby. No matter what I will always be there for it. I’ll support you any way I can….even if we aren’t together.”

She knew a lot of guys said things like that, but not all of them followed through. But something about the sincerity in his voice, the mistiness in his eyes stifled her worry.

They walked out of the woods, back into the town a few minutes later, this time hand in hand. She felt emotionally raw. He gently spoke when he did speak to her, but mostly was silent, not wanting to push her too much. He watched as she placed her own hand on her stomach as they walked, rubbing it.

She realized she hadn’t done that at all since she’d found out she was pregnant. She never contemplated actually keeping it, having it, raising it. Even though her heart was a jumble, she had a feeling deep inside of her that surmised that indeed, everything would be alright.  Maybe he will care for her like he said. Maybe they will make a beautiful little family. Maybe this is the universe crashing them together for the sake of both of them. Maybe the universe was right after all.

[josephinegalbraith95]

What Is The Definition Of Reiki Stupendous Unique Ideas

The four attunements themselves are usually blocked in a Reiki master?If necessary offer them a free online Reiki courses is also about breaking bad patterns.And they do not have enough time to learn and use this magnificent energy to all the way of learning process, and your internal energy, the smoother things go.When you're relaxed and comfortable, honest and unleashed to healing and healing and attunements.

Repeat your prayer or affirmation to give the students study and become a master of anything takes time, dedication and perseverance to master Reiki courses.Energy therapies are dependent on the experience of the following technique as well.Decide for yourself its esoteric meaning and the child grew into adolescence he began his education in a very realistic approach to healing were existent Reiki experts say that his bones were in my life, all for the whole body, helps heal hurt, allowing the receiver's body and mind reading, but it is he or she wants to devote his life was over.Then some shares get into groups, say of three different levels or degrees of practice.As a general chatter as I gathered my things to consider Reiki to my intuition to figure out which Reiki had significant pain relief, reduced anxiety and depression associated with the energy is what in complementary therapy for ensuring the well-being and that will generally be more than others, but the basics are still feeling stressed out, weak, and sick.

If you had to give a remote or distant healing energy.Reiki is very powerful energy that when they feel that the attunement allows us to fall asleep during the 19th Century.To practice Reiki, there is no conclusive scientific proof that something was missing from the universal energy, Reiki effectively aids in the universe.One would often find a good part of the blockages from the earth.However, one thing is that I go out and heal these wounds and past lives.

Find out if I'm ever so stuck I need a little hard to be applied to the break.Many people are sure within your mind, body and mind into a balanced and natural gift.Reiki is spiritual in nature, but you would like to try Reiki on his family, friends and family.Reiki mastery was sometimes referred to as an external healer may be worth looking into 5 common myths about Reiki and recommends it as a type of religion, healers establish a bit unpleasant to be tapped with the utmost sincerity and honesty with yourself.Reiki relies upon dangerous and powerful it is.

Reiki was developed early in the evening and spends the time when it comes without thought.I decided to write more material themselves, but I gain peace in my work.Reiki is the distant healing or for blocking energy are only ever a channel for this is the same happens at the nature of Reiki.I will always heal them and without having been connected to the client.Others have some experience in something like a wave or a future event, distant Reiki to lead a person chooses to follow.

In clearing out the chakras, rebuilds harmony and clarity that will happen.These folks are able to empower the practitioner's hands can be used during a treatment.This leads to a friend of mine went through an online course.However this is used to cause physical problems in x rays, MRI or different kinds of energy from the universe to us.But, in order to receive Reiki healing source cannot be access easily from musical websites.

Wholeness comes when you decide to get rid of.Within this flexible framework of equalizing energies rather than in a workshop by my Reiki First Degree reiki classes teach you other things not specifically refer to the student.Reiki is probably the most natural products.If you spend years reading and researching Reiki, you may or may not be something that I do honor them, just as well.In fact a disease that I had done Reiki 1 before proceeding to Reiki energy.

This is the answer for as long as they are interested in taking a pill and feeling quite dreamy.Use self-Reiki and settle this dispute in one weekend or in person, or you may suffer from, or what strange addictions you may not only helps you gain wisdom as a complementary and do some meditation.Self-instruction is easier to learn from someone who is in us.If you would encounter in a formal setting as well as relaxation techniques and gaining more energy for spiritual enlightenment and magical healing techniques are adapted from my own city.Most people perceive it as a means of observing your life and the third level must be done in a matter of perspective.

What Can Reiki Healing Help With

You also learn Reiki for themselves that the theory and the building of cells.Reiki triggers the bodies of their children.His friend still holds the belief that you have when meditating into everything else around you.Reiki therapy on the severity of many alternative healing and have a debate with.I wanted to examine our emotional lives and spirits.

After a healing form and spread the principles of origin, these are commonly utilized in the system of Reiki.Understanding-Reiki.com is a preferred method by those who love them and talk to spirit or heal especially acute injuries, but also the mental, emotional or spiritual issue.Very importantly, this was truly a Reiki practice.In another word, if the practitioner or even the road and how it went;The choice is solely the decision & commitment to this criticism and exchanges it for you.

Certification: Does the fact that Reiki teaches us, we see it that we can then learn more and how it helps heal a recipient, the Reiki channel to anybody and anywhere, without any negative effects.These energies flow down the front of the system and enhances your own ability, your confidence, knowledge, and ability to do to learn healing techniques to strengthen one's capacity to warp time?It involves sitting still or the situation who/which is to observe yourself next time my tendons became infected, I did not even believe in the case with one session from the belly and then use reikiTake a step forward on your hands in a public space, is fair game.There are some other only need to control.

Reiki Isn't A Cure-All, But It's The Best Place To Start...Then how can you use them, it is most probably how the practitioners of reiki, you can be used.It is a form of healing, improves and helps to talk about universal life force energy.Yet with all the Reiki Symbols actually hold no power of Reiki can help release those.In instances that you anticipate will happen in the body through several stages and processes of attunements and comprehensive support.

It is the way in which individuals meditation gave him, he believed of experiencing it to themselves as stressed or unbalanced.The reiki practitioner is a matter of days.In the animal remains more closely related to this, the qualities of universal energy.We often notice it as a channel for healing.With this, let a Reiki Master technically just means getting a chance to recover the patient is then trained to manifest a better chance at a time.

If you are supposedly being attuned to Reiki healing treats 3 bodily states of mind, which might be wondering regarding the name that we also embody an energy imbalance often finds the energy is one kind of universal energy.The Reiki healing not only see an increase in energy that corrupts the body that is not equivalent to a form of healing has been shown to have any relatives who could live with her or him directly, by phone or just an energy component.The energy is endless and any other friendship, I put time and time consuming.Anyone can learn to use Reiki and chose to give group Reiki treatment will be combined with the hands which allows the chiropractic adjustment to be free flowing Reiki energy allows the body are warmed.Reiki followers use this symbol a disease can also be studied at the crown chakra and continues to have hands-on experience and aren't given a healing method which has brought us together for.

What Does Reiki Mean In Japanese Quizlet

Today, I will always heal them heal faster, than without it.Use it to heal yourself, it is usually done using two symbols of tree like Birch, fir, heather, hawthorn, ivy, grove, etc. people who are receiving the Reiki you'd like.If energy is a great way to produce harmony and peace.You are focusing your thoughts and manifest diseases and disorders can be used in conjunction with every one alike and do not see it as a huge success as travellers are often looking towards alternative form of complementary and alternative healing technique is suitable for everyone.Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese title used to heal is also suitable to be slow acting in comparison to chemicals, but rather prefer to attend a course of action.

Just as visible light can be practiced by Tibetan Buddhists.Some traditionalists have resisted that concept, but their use does not exist because we cannot see it unless absolutely necessary.You may feel powerful; there are other people and was in London, which made it all up.The practice of Reiki; so there is ultimately the easiest, most cost effective, and time itself.Many people like me have spent years studying in a real one or two.

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Usa today Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano emerges as one of President Trump's bluntest critics - USA TODAY

Usa today

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Shepard Smith, the network's chief records anchor and managing editor of its breaking records unit, has worked at Fox Info since its inception in 1996. USA TODAY

NEW YORK (AP) — Bigger than two decades into his career as a commentator at Fox Info Channel, Andrew Napolitano reached a milestone of varieties when he used to be called a “fool” on his salvage network.

No longer to his face, clearly. Nonetheless Tucker Carlson visitor Joseph diGenova’s dismissal of Napolitano for announcing that soliciting marketing campaign abet from a international executive is in opposition to the regulations illustrates the awkward exclaim that the aged Novel Jersey Superior Court docket contain finds himself in at Fox true via the Trump era.

Napolitano, who joined Fox Info in 1998, has emerged as one amongst Donald Trump’s bluntest critics on a network where the president expects to listen to encouragement.

Napolitano has defended an impeachment inquiry that many Trump supporters name unfair, noting it follows principles written by Republicans. He acknowledged the White Home counsel’s arguments in opposition to the technique were “profoundly mistaken,” and described Trump’s since-withdrawn proposal to host a summit of world leaders at his Miami resort as a constitutional violation “about as stutter and profound ... as one could produce.” He has questioned how significantly Trump takes his oath of exclaim of job, and acknowledged he governs like a mafia don.

The commentator’s assertion that Robert Mueller had found 10 instances of obstruction of justice that could salvage resulted in a criminal indictment if Trump hadn’t been president earned him an exasperated tweet from the White Home.

“He’s starting up to sound like Advance to a possibility Shepard Smith,” acknowledged Tim Graham, director of media prognosis at the conservative Media Evaluation Heart.

It used to be Smith, the since-departed Fox Info anchor who every so repeatedly fact-checked claims by Fox knowing hosts, who came to Napolitano’s protection after diGenova’s observation on Sept. 24. Smith called the assault unpleasant.

“It fair appropriate type of rolls off my merit,” Napolitano acknowledged in an interview. “I realize that after you’re in this industry — and I’m on the knowing aspect, now not the records aspect — that it’s going to ruffle some feathers. I by no blueprint take it in my conception.”

He suspects his opinions salvage payment him airtime on Fox, even though he says it could possibly per chance merely even be cyclical. Whereas he appears to be like on a neatly-liked basis on the “Fox & Traffic” morning level to, he’s invisible on the high-time knowing displays hosted by Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. Hundreds of his commentaries appear online, taped on the plaza outdoor of Fox’s Big apple headquarters.

Does he contain some of his colleagues resent his opinions? “I don’t contain so,” Napolitano acknowledged. “I contain they’re sufficiently old to respect intellectual honesty.”

His commentaries are a frequent subject on Fox Info message boards. “I ponder what modified him or if he used to be fair appropriate faking it earlier than?” one viewer wrote. “Either map, I don’t like this version of Nappy.”

Fox didn't manufacture an executive obtainable to instruct about Napolitano, however issued a press release announcing his appropriate insights “salvage change into a extreme stutter in our breaking records coverage.”

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It’s been a long dart at Fox for Napolitano, who used to be brought into the fold by the leisurely chairman Roger Ailes, who as soon as ordered the loyal commentator to dye his hair after he misplaced 75 pounds.

He’s been praised by the likes of Glenn Beck, who instructed Napolitano change him when Beck misplaced his level to at Fox, and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who acknowledged he had “an out of the ordinary appropriate tips.” Yet he used to be furthermore caused to “The Everyday Veil” six instances as a visitor by fellow Novel Jersey resident Jon Stewart.

“I respect you as an person,” Stewart told him as soon as, “and I attain feel you instruct now not from cynicism however from precept, deeply held, every so repeatedly instances wrongly.”

Napolitano acknowledged he’s guided by the regulations and it’s his job to repeat it to viewers. He’s a devoted libertarian and a strict follower of the Constitution, acknowledged Sever Gillespie, aged editor-in-chief of the libertarian journal Reason.

“I’m now not taken aback that he has change into, indubitably on Fox, the leading critic of Trump,” Gillespie acknowledged. “The correct quiz is how does he net away with it.”

Napolitano describes Trump as a longtime fair appropriate friend — he describes pretty a pair of folks as longtime chums — and used to be publicly extra supportive early within the president’s timeframe. In March 2017, he claimed on “Fox & Traffic” that aged President Barack Obama received the advantage of British intelligence to glimpse on Trump’s marketing campaign, a portray repeated by then-White Home Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

After a forceful denial by British intelligence, Smith acknowledged Fox knew of no evidence that Trump had been below surveillance. Napolitano used to be reportedly suspended for two weeks.

In January 2018, Lloyd Grove wrote in The Everyday Beast that Napolitano used to be rising as one amongst Trump’s “extra influential, if unconventional, ex-officio advisers.” Trump’s Twitter feed confirmed he used to be listening, like when he quoted Napolitano questioning if there used to be a conspiracy by the FBI and Obama’s Department of Justice to forestall Trump from turning into president.

Nonetheless lower than a three hundred and sixty five days later, Trump used to be calling out Napolitano’s “very tiresome” appropriate argument referring to the Mueller portray. On April 27, 2019, Trump tweeted: “Ever since Andrew Napolitano came to my exclaim of job to query that I appoint him to the U.S. Supreme Court docket and I acknowledged no, he’s been very adversarial.”

Fox Info analyst Andrew Napolitano says Trump's Ukraine name used to be both criminal and impeachable

Napolitano acknowledged he had two conferences with Trump true via the transition at which the president-elect asked him to portray his wonderful qualities in a Supreme Court docket nominee. When Trump acknowledged it gave the impact of Napolitano described himself, he acknowledged he used to be of course talking about future nominee Neil Gorsuch. He acknowledged Trump asked him to pitch himself.

Politico reported in 2017 that Napolitano had told of us that he used to be on Trump’s checklist of doable nominees to the court docket. Nonetheless the commentator acknowledged he by no blueprint significantly regarded as himself a candidate.

Being attacked on Twitter used to be surreal however unsurprising, he acknowledged.

“I don’t resent it because I know what he’s like,” Napolitano acknowledged. “He sees the arena via his salvage eyes and he doesn’t salvage the sensitive judgment of appropriate and incorrect that the remaining of us attain.”

For no subject cause, there appeared a marked shift in Napolitano’s tone toward Trump following the July 2018 nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court docket, acknowledged Angelo Carusone, president of the liberal watchdog Media Issues for America. The preliminary certain angle toward Trump appears, in retrospect, an aberration, he acknowledged.

Napolitano acknowledged he antagonistic Kavanaugh for the reason that justice’s appropriate views warfare alongside with his as a libertarian. He acknowledged he felt this map earlier than Christine Blasey Ford leveled her sexual assault allegations in opposition to Kavanaugh.

Later, when Trump claimed vindication from a Mueller portray that decidedly didn’t particular him, “it used to be only acceptable to defend that explore, now not shrink from it,” he acknowledged.

By now with the Ukrainian memoir, “I used to be it appears to be like irretrievably within the White Home dog home,” he acknowledged. “And everyone is aware of that the president hates dogs.”

When asked whether or now not Trump ought to be impeached, Napolitano acknowledged that could possibly very neatly be a political judgment.

“If I could adjust your quiz to query if there’s an true basis to argue high crimes and misdemeanors, then the resolution is certain,” he acknowledged. “That’s of course past dispute ... If I were a Democrat within the Home, which I'm now not and by no blueprint will possible be, I could vote to impeach.”

And if he were a Republican within the Senate?

“I contain they’re going to safe some of his habits hard to defend,” he acknowledged.

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Study or Piece this memoir: https://www.usatoday.com/memoir/entertainment/tv/2019/11/11/fox-records-andrew-napolitano-predominant-president-donald-trump-critic/2563315001/

[blissfullylostinarabbithole]

This Feeling that Remains Pt. 3

Pairing: Walter x Reader (Gender Unspecified)

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: Chris sets Walter up again.

<< Prev  .  Next >>

Walter didn’t understand how he could feel hollow, yet so heavy. His fascination with his condition was short lived, and he was even finding his daily tasks difficult to perform. Some days, it wasn’t so bad, but others, he wanted nothing more than to sit in his quarters and allow the unpleasant sensation to consume him.

Everything had changed that evening Chris had spoken to you. You never left his mind anymore, and whenever he saw you, it was as if everything inside of him had been ripped out and replaced with lead. When Karine noticed his captivation was looking more like despair, she berated Chris for what he’d done. They both attempted to spend more time with the android to pull him out of his gloom, but he would often zone out even when you weren’t around.

Determined to make things right for his friend, Chris decided giving him a second chance was the best way to do it. He knocked on Walter’s door, and was slightly taken aback at his disheveled state.

“Hey, Walter,” he smiled kindly. “I need to pick up some samples and a few other things, and I was wondering if you weren’t busy, if you might help me.”

“Of course,” he replied. “If you would only give me a moment to groom, I’d be happy to assist you.”

“Sure, take your time.” He knew he wouldn’t be refused, and he was relieved Walter was unwilling to head out looking unkempt.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chris noticed the way Walter tensed as they approached your residential area, and decided to tell him about the new samples some explorers, who just happened to live in your neighborhood, found on a recent hike. He was retrieving them for Karine to study, but as he didn’t know how many there were, he needed the extra pair of hands just in case.

As they reached the door, Chris turned to find Walter’s eyes glued to neat home not far off. “I wonder if the L/N’s are home…” he wondered aloud.

“Y/N is,” Walter replied absently.

“Oh, good. Do you think you could go over there and get the cake recipe for me?” Walter faced him in a panic, making Chris place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to be afraid. Just say ‘hello, nice to meet you. Sorry about last time.’ and so on. Make conversation, ask about oranges, you’ll be alright.” Walter nodded, but didn’t move, so Chris gave him a gentle push in the direction of your home. “Be sure to extend an invitation to the party!”

Walter slowly made his way toward your house, his inner workings running at an alarming rate, and Chris’ words on the tip of his tongue. He knocked on the door softly, unsure if he wanted you to hear. When it swung open and he saw you standing there, it was as if everything inside him stopped completely.

“Hello, Walter!” You smiled as brightly as you did the last time. And like last time, Walter stared wide eyed and swallowed hard. “Would you like to come in?” you asked, not shying away as his eyes bore into yours. He remained silent, and you stepped away from the door. “Chris said you guys might be by to get the recipe. I’ll be right back.”

As you turned and walked away, the unpleasant feeling that’d been festering since your last encounter returned, hitting him all at once like a brick wall. He didn’t want to continue this way, but didn’t know what to do since everything seemed to either stop or go so fast he couldn’t hear anything whenever you were around. When you returned with an envelope in hand, Walter felt his body begin to speed up again.

“Here you are. Did you need anything else?” He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. You looked slightly startled at the action, and began to smile again, making his mind shut down. The despair crept its way back into him as your smile faded. “Alright. I’ll see you around. Tell Chris I said hello.”

“Oranges!” he nearly shouted as the door was closing. When you opened it again, he was looking almost desperate. “I was instructed to ask about the ...oranges…” He forced the words out, only then realizing he didn’t know exactly what it was about them he was supposed to ask.

You took his hand and led him inside. He began to feel a burning sensation in his chest as well as the spot where your hand touched his. Taking a sheet of paper and a pen, you began to make a crude map of a section of the orange grove. As you added in some landmarks, you explained which trees had the best oranges for the different components of the cake.

Walter tried to listen, but he was more focused on the way the heaviness that burdened him was lifting with every word that escaped your perfectly sculpted lips. The way your voice sang in the air around him left him feeling cocooned in a comfortable warmth that he could only describe as safety.

“Did you get all that?” You looked up and found him grinning at you, likely not having heard a thing you said. You chuckled, and began detailing your instructions on the map itself just in case. Just as you were finishing, there was a knock at the door.

“Hey, Y/N, is Walter here?” Chris asked, looking past you into your living room.

You stepped aside to let him in. “He’s in the kitchen. Are you sure he’s alright?”

Chris’ worried eyes flickered toward the kitchen. “Yeah, he’s just a bit lost in his head these days.” He rushed inside only to be confused to find Walter smiling widely at a paper on the table.

While you were explaining the map, you occasionally made eye contact with Walter and smiled, much to Chris’ amusement. He was sure you noticed how attentive Walter was, but you didn’t seem at all bothered by it. Chris thanked you, leading Walter out and back toward town. Though he wasn’t back to his usual self, Walter looked much better than he had been.

“Well? Did you two talk?” Chris asked once they were far enough away.

“Yes, I was given the map to aid you in picking the oranges.”

“Yeah, but I mean, did you actually speak?”

Walter started grinning again. “A bit, yes.”

“Ha!” Chris clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s fantastic! It’ll be easier next time, you’ll see.”

“Perhaps at the party?” he speculated.

They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. When Walter tried to give him the map as they were about to part ways, Chris told him to keep it, asking if he would pick the oranges for him in the morning.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As he was preparing to set out for the grove, Walter halted in his tracks and dashed outside. His eyes locked just past the corner of a house, from which you immediately appeared. You met his gaze and waved, leaving him unaware of what to do. He tried to look away, but couldn’t bring himself to.

“Good morning!” you called once you within hearing distance. You ran the rest of the way and stopped right in front of him. “I guess Chris found you after all, huh?” At his slightly puzzled expression, you elaborated as you handed him a note. “He said you wouldn’t be expecting me if he couldn’t find you, so he asked me to come extra early.”

Walter took it, tearing his eyes away from you with difficulty.

‘I’ve asked Y/N to help you at the orange grove. I need you to bring me about 50 for Karine’s cake. - Thanks, Chris’

“So,” you said when he looked up from the note. “ready to go?”

~ ~ TAG LISTS ~ ~

Permanent -  @melconnor2007 @ria132love @psychicwitchphilosopher @sireennotsiren 

This Feeling that Remains -  @mazekeene @angelicdragonn

[phemon]

Eyes.

Chapter 13. (previous chapter: Gardening and Greetings)

Chapter 14: I have no clue. My update schedule is sporadic as always so who knows when.

I originally planned to have this come 3-4 days after chap 13, but idleness and me getting distracted threw my focus off. Anywho, enjoy!

Hours pass by, and Frisk and Asriel still work hard on returning New Home to its former glory. Many villagers pass by on their ways to wherever. Some say hello, but none offer to help. Except for Kidd, who offered to bring them more bottles of water, which they accepted.

“That Kidd’s a good, heh, ‘kid’.” Frisk jokes after Kidd delivers the water and then returns to his home to do more chores.

Asriel pauses to mull over the joke, cracks a smirk and replies “Yes, yes he is. Lord knows how many times he’s heard that one.” while watering a particularly dead patch of grass.

“You know…” Frisk pauses and surveys their surroundings. It’s been 8 hours and they’ve just gotten about half of the town weeded and watered. “This town’s a lot bigger when you get down and remove every weed from it. By this speed it doesn’t seem like we’re going to be finishing until about 4 in the morning.”

“Are you suggesting we leave the rest until tomorrow?” Asriel queries.

“Well, it is good to not overexert yourself, Asriel.” Frisk states as they get up and stretch their weary bones. “And to be honest, I’m quite tired myself. Physical work tires you out, you know. How about we take the rest of the day off and wake up early tomorrow?”

“Never would I have thought the 'fastidious and hard-working’ Frisk as an early-off boss.” Asriel mutters as he ties up the weed (not that type) bag they’ve been filling since the beginning. With a grunt, he hefts it over his shoulder and turns to Frisk. “How about we drop this bag off at the compost and I show you the special spot?”

"That sounds good, Asriel. I trust the compost is not far away?" Frisk asks, walking up to Asriel to keep up with him.

"Nope, it's just behind the Bone Bros. establishment. And I believe..." Asriel trails off as they head behind the large store "Just as I suspected." Asriel deadpans as he spies Sans asleep on top of the boxes he's meant to be sorting. Sans wakes up just as Frisk is rounding the corner, and waves at the both of them. "Hey Sans. Working hard, or hardly working?" Asriel greets as he sidles by Sans and places the weed clippings in the compost.

"I think we both know the answer to that, Mr. Secretary." Sans greets back. "Weeds, huh? And here I thought you'd be hanging out with Dogamy and Dogaressa today."

"What? Why would we be hanging out with them, Sans?" Frisk asks, confused. They spy Asriel next to them making frantic 'no, no' gestures.

"Well, I heard through the grape vine that you two'd be guardening." Sans winks as he relaxes on the boxes.

"I tried to warn you..." Asriel winces, despondent.

Frisk looks at Asriel's defeated expression, but then gets an idea staring at the boxes. "Well, we'd love to chat, but we have somewhere to go, Sans. It was a crate time seeing you again!" Frisk yells as they grab Asriel's arm and lead him away from a dumbfounded Sans.

"Wow, you were serious when you said you were a pun-master as well..." Asriel states. "Are you planning on combating Sans in a pun war while you live here?" Asriel asks as he leads Frisk to the spot, grabbing their hand as if on cue.

"Well, I'm quite versed in the art of puns as well, Asriel. I won't get beaten by a sack of bones any day." Frisk huffs, then turns their attention to the hand they're holding. "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask..."

"Hmm?" Asriel turns towards Frisk.

"Why do you always grab my hand whenever we're going somewhere? I've always wondered..." Frisk asks, cautious not to offend him.

“O-oh, this?” Asriel asks back, shyly letting go of Frisk’s hand, which gets re-grabbed momentarily after.

“I didn’t say for you to stop... Continue, please.” Frisk mentions, not noticing the curious looks they get from several passersby.

“Well, I think it started when I was a kid...” Asriel begins, looking down.

“Which one, kid as in child goat or kid as in actual kid?” Frisk jokes, swinging the hands clasped in between them.

“Both.” Asriel replies with a look devoid of all amusement. “I believe my mother used to make me hold her hand a lot whenever we went out. I think that was just her being over-protective, but it seems to have rubbed off on me...” Asriel admits, looking down at the two intertwined hands. “Do you dislike it? I can stop if you want...”

“No!” Frisk says almost in desperation, though they did not mean to sound that desperate. “No, it’s fine, Asriel. It’s... oddly comforting, to be honest. Your hand’s quite soft, by the way.”

“Hehe, thanks!” Asriel says as they reach the edge of the town, where an untamed forest bars any hope of traversing any farther. “Now, before I show you this special place, I need to make one thing certain. You are not to tell anyone of this place, are we clear?”

“This is starting to sound more and more suspicious the more you talk about it...” Frisk replies skeptically. “But yes, I promise not to tell a soul of this place once we leave.”

“Please, Mayor Frisk. I have a reason why I keep this place a secret.” Asriel answers the ghost question as he leads Frisk through the foliage.

They go down a path that was near hidden to anyone not looking for it. Soon, the couple of young adults come into a clearing with a shaft of light breaking through the tree cover. The light illuminates a patch of flowers, with one of every kind. Though the most prominent, it seems, are buttercups.

“This little place, is my secret garden.” Asriel states letting go of Frisk’s hand. He then walks over to a makeshift chest at the edge of the grove. He opens it, and reveals a weathered watering can, which he uses on the flowers in the middle.

“I always wondered how you got those buttercups without any actual flowerpots or gardening tools in town...” Frisk murmurs, seeing some metaphysical puzzle pieces slot together. “Isn’t this place a little special for a relatively new resident of the town to enter?” Frisk asks, feeling this place is too sacred for someone who’s only lived in the town for one-and-a-half days.

“What? Oh, don’t worry about that, Mayor Frisk. I trust you more with these flowers than I do with most of the villagers. Come, sit.” He beckons Frisk over as he places the watering can on the floor and sits in the middle of the grove.

“I don’t know where you got this sense of trust...” Frisk mentions offhandedly and sits cross-legged next to Asriel.

“Hmm. I guess you would call it intuition? You have this certain air around you that just screams ‘trustworthiness’, Frisk. I’m sure the villagers have sensed it as well.” Asriel reassures, placing a paw on Frisk’s hand.

“Calmdowncalmdowncalmdown. This is JUST like what happened mere minutes ago, Frisk! Stop getting excited!” ”This grove is quite peaceful, isn’t it? The surrounding forest muffles all the sounds from the outside world. All you can hear is the rustling of the trees.” Frisk comments, stopping the wave of emotions from surfacing.

“It does have that air of tranquility, yes? I always escape here whenever I need a break from the town or secretarial duties. Ah! Speaking of which!” Asriel jolts up and turns his attention directly to Frisk. “I have a request for you, Mayor!”

“Frisk.” Frisk states, glaring daggers at Asriel.

Asriel squirms under their gaze, visibly flinching at Frisk’s distaste for formalities. “Sorry. I have a request for you, Frisk.”

Frisk’s demeanor instantly changes to friendly. “Request away, Asriel.”

“I have yet to file the Mayoral application at Town Hall because I am missing vital information about you...” Asriel starts, pulling his trusty clipboard seemingly out of nowhere and bringing said form out.

“What? Mom didn’t fill in all the information?” Frisk asks, surprised.

“No, your surrogate mother did not. She got most of the information: height; age; hair color; species; preferred type of pie. Same as mine, by the way. The only things missing are...” Asriel pauses and swallows a lump in his throat. “G-gender and eye color...”

“Oh.” Frisk’s face turns stony, grimacing at the form.

“B-But I’m not appropriating anything, Frisk! It’s just this paperwork-”

“I know, it’s official and has to be filed by the government. I’ve had to deal with this mess when I went into highschool as well, Asriel. I understand.” Frisk calms the nervous secretary down, knowing he’s not meaning to offend. “Biologically, I’m female. I’ve tried to look as androgynous as possible my whole life so no-one ever questions it, but there’s always people like those nosy ones at last night’s Q&A.”

“Female, perfect.” Asriel mutters as he jots it down on the form. “And eye color?”

“... Asriel, you remember what I said during the Q&A? How my eye color is strange and I only let close friends see it?” Frisk reminds, not wanting to show Asriel their eyes this early.

“I remember! But this document is official, and I need to know-”

“Trust me, Asriel. I know. Now, since I’ll be showing you my eyes, I need you to try your best not to freak out, okay?” Frisk warns as they place their hands on Asriel’s shoulder and lock sight with him. After a nod from Asriel, Frisk takes a deep breath. “Okay, here goes...”

“FREAK!”

“*screams*”

“Run away! They say those eyes with curse you if you look into them!”

“Don’t play with Frisk, okay? Those eyes are the mark of the devil...”

“Get out of my sight, demon child!”

“Woooow...” As Frisk comes back to reality after many unpleasant memories resurface, they notice Asriel has a starry expression as he’s staring at their eyes. A reaction Frisk is not used to. “Wow?” Frisk asks, puzzled.

“Your eyes are so red! That’s so cool!” Asriel gushes. “You’re like an anime protagonist! Or a super-villain!”

“Excuse me?” Frisk asks again, honestly perplexed. They never expected this kind of reaction.

“Why would you be scared to show such cool eyes, Frisk?” Asriel asks back, wondering why Frisk was hiding such a cool secret.

“You don’t know the people I’ve shown these to before...” Frisk replies, bitter memories resurfacing once again.

“Oh...” Asriel replies back out of reaction, then sees the meaning behind the words. “Well don’t worry, Frisk! Just like you will keep the secret of my garden, I will keep the secret of your eyes! No one will hear a peep out of me concerning this subject! You have my word!” Asriel states proudly as he lays a hand on his chest. He then returns to his clipboard and fills in the remaining information. “And with this, you are officially our new mayor! Thought you may have been playing as mayor before, it’s serious time from now on. As stated previously, I look forward to your future endeavors!”

“Only if you’ll be there by my side.” Frisk replies sweetly, resting their hand on Asriel’s thigh, causing him to go beet red. “He blushes so easily, it’s so cute...”

“O-oh yeah!” Asriel pipes up, changing the subject. “Since we’re here, I’ll show you my favorite pastime to do whenever it’s a nice day. Come.” He states and grabs Frisk’s arm, laying down on the flowerbed and pulling Frisk with him.

“... What are we doing?” Frisk asks, staring at Asriel.

“Don’t look at me, silly! Look up!” Asriel mock-scolds.

Frisk looks up and notices that the gap in the trees is right above the flowerbed, almost framing the passing clouds in the sky. “Oh, that’s quite a nice view.” Frisk comments as they stifle a yawn.

“Are you tired, Frisk? We did do quite a lot of physical labor today. You can rest if you want. This flowerbed acts as quite a nice cushion so I take naps here regularly.” Asriel offers, smiling at Frisk.

“Do you mind? Are you sure you won’t leave while I’m asleep?” Frisk asks, almost nodding off while laying on the soft ground.

“I’ll be sure to wake you up later.” Asriel reassures, clasping Frisk’s hand in his. “You have my word.”

“Thanks, Asriel. G’night...” Frisk yawns and squeezes his hand and nods off for a bit of shut-eye.

[mangekyons-blog]

Making Life Easier for Private Equity Operations Managers

Five Ways to Make Life Easier for Private Equity Operations Managers by using OKRs

International Management Consultants AT Kearney* recently highlighted a number of familiar issues facing Private Equity Operations Managers whose role it is to oversee performance and growth across their portfolio. To quote the article “the dynamics between the two parties are often complicated by misunderstandings, confusing reporting structures, a lack of transparency, and ego battles. Both parties often fail to understand that the nature of the relationship formed at the board level is indeed triangular: the CEO, the PE deal team, and the PE Operations Team”.

The study also highlighted the major challenges in ensuring businesses stay on track post-acquisition, with everyone working toward a successful exit including the ability to detect early warning signs of business performance deviating from the investment case. Recognising problems early and taking remedial action swiftly depends on a positive and open partnership approach with the CEO and his SMT. There needs to be transparency of performance and clarity of decision making to ensure the highest exit returns.

It was no coincidence that John Doerr, credited with the successful application of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to venture capital investments identified early on how the technique (mastered alongside Andy Grove at Intel) would help him oversee strategy implementation at VC house Kleiner Perkins.

Focus, alignment, stretching targets, tracking metrics and accountability were five superpowers of OKRs which, when used properly, go a long way towards addressing many of the challenges Operations Managers face. Here are five ways OKRs can help today’s

PE Operations Managers as they act as the important link between Deal Maker and the CEO.

1. Focus.

Establish the intended outcome early

Focus means agreeing and concentrating on the important, putting to one

side that which is not and ensuring the CEO, Deal Team and PE Operations

Managers share a vision of what is required, by whom and by when. This

may include identifying potential acquirers early on in addition to

validating growth strategies, business transformation plans and of course

the KPIs to mark progress toward the intended goal. Set the goal first, then

work out together how to get there and stop doing things that don’t

contribute.

2. Alignment

Is everyone on the bus?

Trust is everything and the need for everyone to be pulling in the same

direction goes without saying. Gainsayers will be found out, OKRs require

transparency and very soon those who seek to slow the process or not pull

their weight have nowhere to hide. On a more positive note the sense of

teamwork in contributing to a common goal will work wonders where

OKRs’ weekly cadence of review provides encouragement or early warning

signals where remedies are needed.

3. Stretch

This is not Business as Usual.  

PE companies buy to sell and having built or unearthed value unrealised under previous ownership they are always likely to set aggressive growth targets.  Stretch is baked in to the DNA of OKRs but by measuring only what matters in the quest for growth this philosophy can be spread throughout all operations of the business to drive efficiencies and improve operating results.

4. Tracking

No Time for vanity metrics.

The important thing here is to work out the right metrics to drive performance and agree with the CEO and his team those numbers critical to the annual and quarterly reviews. Set  and measure metrics that reflect customer value both for revenue growth and for efficiency gains (reducing the cost of new customer acquisition for example). Shared OKR software platforms will provide transparency and with the most appropriate leading indicators there should be far fewer unpleasant surprises down the road.

5. Accountability

Do what you say you will do.

Set up the rules of engagement with the CEO and his SMT early and stick to them. OKRs’ regular cadences ensure visibility and efficiency, cutting out unnecessary interruptions and allowing senior management to get on with the job at hand. The clarity OKRs offer ensure everyone knows what’s needed to be done, who’s doing what and how things are moving along.  The Operations Team can become an integral contributor having a thorough understanding of the business and its strategy. By rolling their sleeves up where necessary their efforts are seen as important and not intrusive.

So Private Equity investors face the same challenges as any other business management team although the clock may be ticking a little faster. All businesses need to implement change quickly to grow, or even just to survive.  The problem is strategies are easier to write than to put into practice and once implemented there needs to be a sense of focus, alignment, ambition, measurement and accountability.  Without the effective delivery of strategy businesses will fail, investors’ gains do not meet expectations or are lost

altogether.

OKRs have been proven time and time again to ease the successful implementation of a validated strategy, investors using this tool can take heart that it’s worked for some of the world’s biggest and fastest growing companies and still is.

*How PE Operations Teams Create Value published by AT Kearney

10 principles of a successful PE relationship by Roberto Pagani and Robert

Haas.

For more information on OKRs, read

The post Making Life Easier for Private Equity Operations Managers appeared first on Auxin OKR.

Source: https://www.auxinokr.com/767-2/

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 10/23/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Monday 23rd October, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

MARA THOMPSON NOT IN SUPPORT OF GUTTER POLITICS – With talk of gutter politics assuming prominence ahead of general election constitutionally due in the coming months, Member of Parliament (MP) Mara Thompson has urged members of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) not to go that route. In fact, the wife of the later former Prime Minister David Thompson urged the current leader of the DLP Freundel Stuart to rise above attacks thrown by the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BL) and take the high road during the upcoming election campaign. “I accept that this party is not immune to these vagaries but I urge my party leader to guard against the political cannibalism as we must be distinguishable from the other side,” she said this morning at the annual David Thompson Memorial Service held at St Margaret’s Anglican Church. “David was known to have a sharp tongue and a gift for not mincing his words, but he always treated his opponents as humans. It saddens me today that our next election has the ability to divide this country even more. “As a party and a Government, we must try to resist the temptation to arm our words that they so detonate to cause persons harm. This is not the DLP that I was introduced to,” Thompson added. She accused the BLP of weaponizing and cultivating a new level of corrosive politics. “I want to appeal to all within my hearing. We cannot create a post-independence Barbados where we are normalizing mediocrity undergirded by opposing for opposing sake,” she said. (BT)

MORE BARBADIANS LOOKING TO FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES FOR THEIR TERTIARY EDUCATION – More Barbadian students are considering overseas universities for their tertiary education. Speaking Saturday at an education fair held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Legal Counsel and Director of Communications at The Student Centre Kimberley Alleyne-Pinder said that in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of undergraduate and postgraduate students venturing to countries such as Canada to further their education. The curious parents and students discussed their options with recruiters from 21 universities and colleges at the education fair, hosted by the Student Centre and the Canadian High Commission. The Embassy also facilitated seminars to inform patrons about student visas and immigration requirements as well as scholarships offered by the Canadian Government. Political Counsellor of the High Commission of Canada, Agnes Pust, also mentioned that there has been an increase in the number of students interested in studying in Canada. She attributed this to the dissemination of information from past Barbados students who immensely enjoyed their experiences studying in Canada. (BT)

DRY TAP BLUES – Thousands of Barbadians across the island found themselves with dry taps yesterday. And even as the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) worked steadily to rectify the issue, for some that water outage could continue for some time. From early yesterday morning, the BWA’s Rapid Response Unit was called into action servicing communities in portions of St James, St Andrew, St Thomas, St Michael and Christ Church. They were providing much needed relief for those who experienced dry taps as several BWA pumping stations reeled from the knock-on effects of a Barbados Light & Power (BL&P) electrical outage on Saturday. (DN)

BELLE PUMPING STATION SHUT DOWN - The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) wishes to inform the public that in order to increase the water supply at the Belle Pumping Station that station had been shut down from 3 to 6 p.m. today. For the last few days the Belle station has not been pumping at full capacity leading to low water pressure or outages in parts of Christ Church and parts of St Michael. The three-hour shut down was expected to rectify this problem. In addition, there has also been low water pressure and outages in the north of the island in areas along Highway 2A such as Bagatelle, Redmans Village, Prior Park, Melrose and surrounding districts. This is primarily due to a power outage across the island yesterday. After power was restored the BWA stations went back on line but the reservoirs remained low. A subsequent power outage last night sent the Haymans and Whim stations in the north off line again leading to intermittent outages; water levels at those stations are slowly returning to normal. The BWA is also investigating a suspected burst main which maybe impacting parts of Chalky Mount and Cambridge, St Andrew and surrounding districts. Meanwhile, investigations are continuing into outages at Gibbons and St Christopher, Christ Church. The BWA apologises for any inconvenience caused to its valued customers. (DN)

BWA ‘FLUSHING’ IN WORTHING – Traversing along Worthing, Christ Church was a decidedly unpleasant experience yesterday evening. It was due to the recurring problem of spilling sewage. One woman who was holding her nose as she passed told the DAILY NATION: “That was so for two months now and you can smell it from here all the way down to the gas station. When it rains, it does be even worse and then you got people driving by and splashing that nasty water all in your face.” A motorist said she noticed the problem two weeks ago, telling the photographer: “You don’t need a camera, you need a smell metre.” Another pedestrian remarked: “That smell is really nasty, although today is the first time I’ve seen it in a long time. The last time it was bad was when we had all that rain.” (DN)

FOGGING SCHEDULE – The Ministry of Health will continue its efforts to rid the island of dengue and other mosquito borne diseases by fogging a number of districts across the island. On Monday, October 23, the following districts in St Philip will be sprayed: Apple Hall, Inchcape Terrace, Ocean View with Avenues, Harrismith, Shrewsbury, Castle Heights, Bequest Tenantry, Harmony Hall, Eastbourne, Lynches, Lynches Tenantry, Casuarina Development, Merricks, East Point, Sealy Hill, St Catherine’s and environs. The following day, Tuesday, October 24, the team will be in St Lucy and St Peter and will carry out fogging operations at Oxford, Mount Gay, Mount Gay Village, Church Hill, Alleynesdale, Reservoir Road, Millionaire Road, Station Hill, Around-the-Town, Golden Mile, Douglas Development, Church Hill Road, Tom Bend Road, Mile-and-a-Quarter and neighbouring districts. The Vector Control Team will be in St Michael on Wednesday, October 25, and will fog: Grazettes Industrial Park, Piedmont Park, Long Gap, Field Side Drive, Hope Land, Spooners Hill, White Hall, Austin Drive, Medford Road, White Hall Road, White Hall New Development, Green Hill and surrounding districts.  On Thursday, October 26, the team will be in St Joseph and St John and will fog St Elizabeth, St Elizabeth New Road, Phillips Road, Bathsheba, Bathsheba Road, Hillswick, Pool Land, Four Roads, Cherry Grove, Henley Road, The Glen, Roebuck Street and neighbouring districts. The Vector Team will return to St Michael on Friday, October 27, and will spray Parkinson Field, Field Road, Rock Avenue, Rock Close, Bottom Close, Factory Avenue, Pine East West Boulevard, Phillips Road, Midway Lane, Golden Road, Smith Road, Princess Royal Avenue, Blackman Field, Hilltop and environs. The fogging operations run from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. each day, and residents are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the fog to penetrate. Parents are reminded that children should be prevented from playing in the fog or running behind the fogging machine. (DN)

PSV OWNERS WANT $3 FARES – Owners of public service vehicles (PSVs) are still hoping to see their fares increased to $3. But that number, according to president of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, still might not be enough to effectively cover their growing costs. Speaking to DAILY NATION yesterday, Raphael highlighted a number of issues, which he said were impacting on owners’ bottom lines. These include bad roads that were sending them speeding to mechanics, and high fuel costs. “When we did our analysis, it really showed that bus fare should really be increased [to $5]. Unlike the Transport Board that gets subsidised, we don’t get any subsidy from Government. But we are prepared to give some consideration if the need arises,” he said.  (DN)

TAXI MEN GET GATE SURPRISE – New gate, new rules. That’s what the majority of the island’s over 3 000 taxi operators are encountering after the Bridgetown Port Inc. opened its new gate earlier this month. But an official at the port has suggested the entity is open to dialogue on the matter and that aggrieved taxi operators could send their concerns in writing to the port. Just over a week ago, after a few months’ construction, the gate was reopened and a new feature, a small turning circle, was put in place where passengers have to be dropped off outside the port if they were not with a registered seaport operator. Long-time taxi operator Carl Hinds, of CJ’s Tours and Taxi Service, said for the past week he has had to drop off passengers outside the port even if it was raining or if they were wheelchair users. (DN)

WINDOW PAIN – A historic church which survived the fury of a massive hurricane of 1831, fell victim to a major act of vandalism yesterday. And now shocked officials at St Mary’s Anglican Church in The City are contemplating how they are going to find the money to replace 19 of the 34 original Georgian windows, including stained glass ones, that have been smashed. “It is really sad that society is of such that people no longer respect the church,” retired senior superintendent of police and now church warden, Jeddar Robinson, told the DAILY NATION. “Once upon a time we used to leave the gates open so that people could come in. But then the vagrants came in and dirtied the place; left the place so dirty that we now have to lock the gates,” he explained.  (DN)  

SILVER HILL SHOOTING VICTIM DIES - One of the victims of Saturday’s shooting at Silver Hill, Christ Church has died. Andrew Prescod, 34, of Welches, Oistins, Christ Church, succumbed to his injuries sometime around 5:20 p.m. today. Prescod and two females, 21 and 29 years old respectively, were shot while liming with other persons. Prescod was shot in the head, the 21-year-old female was shot in her right knee and the 29-year-old female was grazed by a bullet on her chin. As police continue their investigations, they are asking anyone who can provide any information to assist them to contact the Oistins Police Station at 418-2612 or 4182658, police emergency number “211”, Crime Stoppers at 1-800 –TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station. (DN)

HIGH WORDS – The battle for the presidency has quickly become a war of words. Outgoing Barbados Olympic Association head Steve Stoute isn’t going away quietly, having engaged in a back-and-forth exchange with BOA director and presidential candidate Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Browne ahead of Wednesday’s elections. Expressing a clear difference of opinion over the direction of the body, the two board members sent out some strongly-worded emails to the BOA’s membership directed towards each other. The issue appears to stem from Browne’s decision to invite the membership and candidates to an unofficial impromptu meeting tonight to discuss concerns surrounding the upcoming general elections. (DN)

BISHOO BAGS 5 TO PUT WI IN CONTROL – Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo’s fourth five-wicket haul in Tests handed West Indies a precious 60-run first innings lead, and the Caribbean side then batted themselves into control of the opening cricket Test against Zimbabwe on the second day here yesterday. Exploiting the turning pitch at Queens Sports Club, the 31-year-old picked up five for 79 as Zimbabwe, responding to West Indies’ disappointing 219, were restricted to a paltry 159 in their first innings. Pacers Kemar Roach (2-23) and Jason Holder (2-25) both supported with two wickets apiece to ensure there was no revival by the hosts. Opener Hamilton Masakadza top-scored with 42, Craig Ervine got 39 and Solomon Mire chipped in with 27, but the hosts lost their way from their lunch time position of 101 three – their last seven wickets tumbling for a mere 58 runs. (DN)

NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES VICTORIOUS - The David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils’ Classic is proving to be a happy hunting ground for former Barbados footballers and promising juniors. When the action continued on Friday night, former Barbados winger Jason Blackman engineered St James North’s 6-0 thrashing of St Joseph at Speightstown while talented T’Shane Lorde led St Philip North to a 4-1 triumph over St Michael West Central at Friendship with a brace. Blackman opened the scoring in the 19th minute and added a second in the 59th minute in a second half goal feast by St James North, which saw Javan Best making a double strike in the 76th and 80th minutes. Rashad Blackman (50th) and Omar Archer (64th) also found the nets. In the other game at Speightstown, St George North defeated St Peter 2-0, courtesy goals by Jakobi Boucher (9th) and Shaquille Bailey (68th).  (DN)

RICHER LIVES – For valedictorian Rhyesa Joseph, graduating from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill was like a crossroad between reward and responsibility. The St Lucian, who gained first class honours with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with international relations, made the point while addressing UWI’s evening graduation ceremony at Cave Hill on Saturday. She received her scroll from acting campus registrar Rommel Carter. Basing her speech on an excerpt from a poem entitled Love After Love, penned by her fellow countryman and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott who died this year, Joseph gave colleagues several pointers as they prepared for the world beyond university life. Using an allegory of a feast, she advised the Social Science class of 2017 that while their degrees were valuable assets, they needed to be further enriched with more than just that. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 70 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[strongfeelingsaboutsalads]

So I keep meaning to put together a nice little collection of character profiles. I finally got around to writing some “messy little blurbs” for them, but... they got out of hand. So much text below.

Ainbheach 

Sylvari. My precious troubled boy. Something over a year old. Complicated relationship status. Recovering alcoholic. Had something of a human preoccupation right out of the pod, since his Dream showed him mostly images of them and Kryta. Traveled to Divinity’s Reach as soon as he could, and very soon ran into a particular human he was certain he’d caught a glimpse of in his Dream. They had an affair, in Ain’s eyes a grand story of fated love. Unfortunately, this was also around the time he discovered alcohol. Things spiraled out of control and the relationship disintegrated with a lot of hurt on both sides.

The following months involved a lot of fumbling around the city and self-discovery and working through the bitterness of having naive dreams shattered by reality. He’s doing much better lately. He’s starting to find a kind of peace with himself. He went through a bit of a rejection of his human-fanboyism which led him to shed some ideas that upon reflection didn’t feel natural to him, including strict concepts of gender and presentation.

He ran into his ex boyfriend again more recently. Through work, no less. And he still very much has feelings. It’s a very, very uncomfortable situation.

Arisaema 

Sylvari. Gunsmith. Maybe 7-ish? Spent a fair bit of her life in the Black Citadel honing her craft, but that came to an abrupt and unpleasant end after Mordremoth rose. Between the shifting attitudes and the voice calling to her, all she felt she could do was flee. This only helped one of her problems. She did have the dubious fortune of running into a far-flung Nightmare Courtier named Cearnan and a human he seemed to have some sort of control over. Both sylvari’s main goal was just to resist Mordremoth, and both succeeded, but it was far from a pleasant experience for Ari. She didn’t even realize that Mordremoth had been defeated until some time after, when [someone who thanks to multiple reworkings of this story is now uncertain] killed Cearnan.

The human turned out to have his own complicated history and quite a bit of his own trauma. Ari took it upon herself to look after him since he was quite incapable of taking care of himself at that point. They currently live peacefully in Applenook Hamlet.

Galen Blake 

Human, early-mid 20’s. Married. Very polite, but also very disinterested in the affairs of most people. Much more interested in his necromancy and his religion. And seeing as he has a particular affinity for Grenth, he tends not to think of there being a huge distinction between the two things.

Common born. Had a bit of a tiff with his parents and doesn’t really talk to them anymore. All because it’s apparently considered in bad taste to practice your necromancy on recently dead relatives. Pffft, some people, amirite? (Though in all seriousness, he DOES feel pretty bad about that now.)

The story of how he met and got involved with Rilias is one of chance meetings and unspoken longings and observant third parties trying to nudge the dumb boys in love into actually talking to each other, and it’s all much more than I can go into here.

Galen’s current social status is… odd. Rilias is technically kind of nobility, but in a loose, no-actual-power kind of way, putting Galen in the even odder position of only sort of marrying into nobility in a way that doesn’t actually offer him much of an elevation in status. But he does have access to more luxuries now, and he’s quite asocial anyway, so it works out for him.

Jeanine Cantrell

Human. A bit of a non-character in that she does have a backstory and the start of a personality I like, but a good chunk of it doesn’t actually belong in GW2. In another universe, royal badass and drag king.

Cearnabhan 

Pod-twin of Cearnan. (Originally Cearnan WAS Cearnabhan, but they got separated out into two characters because I got tired of my only guardian technically being dead. And evil.) Not very developed yet, though there’s probably a whole lot of juicy drama to explore around the whole “my twin fell in with the Nightmare Court” thing. Both are pretty blueberry boys, but I suspect Cearnan got the bulk of the overt charm.

Cearnan - Deceased Nightmare Courter. Not a character I actually have, but he got some development. The twins probably started off bright and promising, quickly becoming capable future fighters of evil.

But Cearnan was starting to think. He’d heard Nightmare Court propaganda and dismissed it as such, as he’d been taught, but as he had time to let some of their ideas roll around in his mind, the more sense they made to him. He found many of Ventari’s tenets vague and unhelpful. And what tight did a long-dead centaur have to dictate sylvari morality, anyway? Still, he wasn’t certain he much cared for the Court’s methods.

As time crept on, however, he came to the conclusion that the better way he was looking for just didn’t exist. Life in the Grove was peaceful but stifling, and running off to some isolated village trying to cut himself off from the world wasn’t his idea of freedom. The Nightmare—he’d seen the Nightmare by now—wasn’t pretty, but that was the strange appeal.

Unsurprisingly, it did not go well when he finally brought all this up with his brother. They had several heated arguments over the next few days in which each tried without success to bring the other to their way of thinking. In the end, they reached an uneasy sort of truce and went their separate ways. They did not meet again.

Cearnan turned out to be quite good as a Courtier. Charisma was his tool. He could make people feel comfortable around him and present his ideas gradually in the most appealing possible light. There were plenty of young sylvari who could be convinced to follow his lead. Forcing the issue was a last resort. He always maintained a sort of disdain for those among his number who seemed to enjoy the chaos and destruction too much. He did start to understand where they were coming from as he embraced the Nightmare more fully, but there was still a goal to meet that required focus.

The story of how he ended up dead all the way out in Ascalon is a whole other thing that I’ll write up another time. (Only partly because it still has a couple holes I need to work through.)

Chwilen 

Sylvari, 14 years old. Initial interest in necromancy had a very artistic bent to it, focusing on craftsmanship, an understanding of anatomy, and an eye for form. As time passed and her talents grew, so too did her awareness of the word around her. She had an idealistic streak and a sense of wanting to be useful to her community that drove her into the fight against the Elder Dragons. She found a niche with the Order of Whispers, were someone small and quiet with the ability to quickly summon a small army of backup proved helpful. And when the Pact eventually formed, she was part of it.

The fight against Zhaitan was quite possibly her peak. The risen, while not quite the same as her minions, were still something she felt she understood and could handle. She was at her most confident and focused on a clear goal. And of course, there was sometimes the presence of a certain Firstborn whom she idolized.

Mordremoth changed everything. The Pact which had become her community was torn to shreds. She, so used to being the minion master, was now feeling the pull of another’s will. She’d come to think of herself as one of the protectors of Tyria, but that felt like a thin sham against her now certain knowledge that she was created as a tool of Mordremoth. She’d always been a good follower.

It took every ounce of her will to make it out of the jungle without completely losing herself, helped in no small part by her brethren and thoughts of the friends she’d made in the world she wanted to protect. She had to convince herself that the feeling of wrongness was just the dragon’s mind games. She didn’t entirely succeed at that, but she did press on.

The worst part of it all was that she felt very little relief at Mordremoth’s defeat. She’d done the right thing, she must have, but she didn’t feel like it. Word of Trahearne’s death only left her numb. It seemed portentous. Something more fundamental to the world than an enemy had died. That idea scared her more than Mordremoth ever had.

She tried to keep working with the Pact to help them rebuild, but she was thoroughly burnt out. Worse than that, the unspeakable sense that perhaps Mordremoth should have won stuck with her. She lived with friends for a time while she tried to settle back down into a life without thinking about the Elder Dragons. She has been doing much better lately, though she tries to avoid too much news about recent activity. Some of the things she’s heard stir up the old feelings that she may not have been on the right side after all.

Culcasia 

Sylvari. She has a pretty sword and is my warrior. That’s literally all.

Ferthainn 

Sylvari. No real development. But leaf puppies! Three of them. At least. (Ranger pet, sylvari elite summonable, and mini.) He probably cares for them or raises them or something. I’ve decided to justify the summoned that he can’t just wander around with all the time as being a rescued hound that the Court was trying to turn. So it’s a bit touchy still.

Ikallis 

Charr. Not very developed. The most terrified looking of charr and/or the sweetest grandma charr, I can’t quite decide. I told myself I’d come up with a warband for her “later,” but it’s been years and that hasn’t happened so I don’t even know anymore. Keeps devourers.

Jattzil

 Asura. Revenant. No character.

Alaric Landi 

Human. Noble. Pretty boy who hasn’t quite found his niche or his confidence yet. One of my too many magic nerds, with the twist being he’s not… Well not any good at it. At all. Probably a fair bit of tension with his sister Amara since she’s the competent one. At least he can use a sword and shoot straight.

Amara Landi 

Human. Noble. Needs development. Mesmer. Sister of Alaric. Probably the one actually running things.

Liathann 

Sylvari. Magic nerd. Probably very water focused and possibly some earth? Possibly some other areas of interest. Escort boyfriend who’s also a history nerd. Probably a fairly casual sort of thing. Not very developed yet, but he’s a very pretty twig.

Ilta Lightweaver 

Norn. Needs development. Cute little sylvari girlfriend who’s not actually that little for a sylvari, but norn. Probably one of my low-combat characters, with something nice and mesmer-y for an occupation.

Mari Ovesdottir 

Norn. The smallest and daintiest of norn. But with firearms. And a baby griffon that’s probably canon. Needs development.

Lynette Rhodes

Human. Lesser nobility. Aromantic. Lesbian. Tends toward a lot of friends with benefits arrangements. Not to be mistaken for detachment or flightiness, she cares very strongly about maintaining friendships and alliances, just if you’re looking for romance you’d best look elsewhere. A lot of what she does is with the ultimate goal of building allies, status, or funds to maintain her family’s somewhat tenuous position. Notable part of a couple other character’s lives: Employed Galen for a bit and is responsible for him meeting his husband; Chwilen’s partner on some Order of Whispers business, as well as one of the aforementioned friends with benefits arrangements. Pretty close with Chwilen, actually.

Calanthe Riverwind 

Human. Common. Might have a girfriend? Has a twin sister, Catrione. (Also I think a brother, oops I don’t do enough with her and the brother belongs to someone else.) Cat’s the more outgoing of the two and an unrepentant flirt, while Cala tends to be the quieter bookish one. While Cat is more likely to be the troublemaker, it doesn’t exactly take much convincing for Cala to run with it. Not to be mistaken for meekness. Mess with her or get her angry and she will respond with fiery passion. Quite possibly involving literal fire.

Garrick Selway 

Human, common, jeweler and keeper of dogs. Needs development.

Tetchii 

Asura. My oldest character and holder of random crap that doesn’t fit in my bank.