#dark is its counterpart meaning the absence of energy

[chernobog13]

I watched the first episode of Ultraman Blazar last night.

It was an unusual first episode for an Ultra series, but overall I liked it. Very happy that it is not another "New Generation" series, especially since the last two were re-treads of Tiga and Dyna.

Very much got a Nexus vibe off this episode, but not as dark and gritty as that series. Part of that might be Blazar's mostly grey and silver color scheme, which is evocative of Nexus, who also had red and blue costumes.

You can tell that the production team was also trying to emulate the style of Shin Ultraman (2022) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023), albeit on a much smaller scale.

I like the fact that Blazar's human counterpart, Captain Hiruma Gento, is actually in charge of the kaiju attack squad. That changes things up a bit, as he will have to work extra hard to mask his absences when joining with Blazar from the rest of his crew.

Gento is also an older, more mature protagonist than is usual for an Ultra series, which is a nice call back to the original Showa series. I know this a franchise aimed at kids, but I am sooooooooooo tired of the whiney kids with no idea about personal grooming that we've had a near-steady parade of as stars of the shows.

As for Blazar himself, he's a bit...different than previous Ultras.

For one thing, he WILL. NOT. STOP. GRUNTING! It is non-freakin'-stop. And it's not regular grunting that you hear from other Ultras as they fight kaiju; it's as if the actor is speaking some crazy, made-up language.

This was seriously distracting during the fight with Bazanga, the space kaiju du jour. I certainly hope that it doesn't continue for the rest of the season.

Something even more disconcerting were Blazar's antics during the battle. At one point he was doing rapid high-knee jumps like he was a little kid having a tantrum. That was disconcerting, to say the least.

I do like Blazar's main attack weapon, which is a spear made of energy that he summons. It was a little silly that he tossed it a Bazanga (I have to stop myself from typing Ba-Zinga), but it worked so I guess that's all that matters.

I tried to stay away from most promotional material before watching the episode, as I don't want to know everything about the characters and premise before hand. If the show does its job properly, that information will be conveyed through the story. A show/film shouldn't rely on supplemental material in other media for the audience to understand what's going on.

That said, I did read some articles and posts today that gave me some supplemental info.

On this Earth, humanity has been battling kaiju since 1966, which I think is a nice touch. Apparently, they've succeeded at doing so without the assistance of an Ultraman; at least until now.

Ultraman Blazar is not from M78. He is, instead, from M421, a blazar (Wikipedia: "an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a relativistic jet (a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light) directed very nearly towards an observer. ") far, far away.

And, Blazar is reportedly a "more primitive" type of Ultraman, whatever that means. It might serve to explain his wild antics and why he was grunting/babbling the whole time. I haven't investigated this further because I want to see how this is explained in the show.

So now I guess I'll just wait until next Friday night to see how things progress.

[kuragacreation]

The Eternal Forces

"In the beginning, there was only the Void, an endless, formless expanse where nothing yet existed. From this emptiness, two great forces emerged,forces that would shape all that was, all that is, and all that will ever be. These are the twin essences of the universe: Dharva and Shamva. Dharva, the essence of light, order, and creation, is the force that gives structure to the universe. It is the source of harmony, the architect of the cosmos, the melody that unites all things in a grand symphony. Wherever Dharva flows, life flourishes, and the world takes shape in accordance with its divine design. Dharva manifests in countless forms. It is in the gentle caress of the morning sun, in the rhythmic cycle of the seasons, in the love between kindred spirits, and in the pursuit of wisdom and justice. Dharva is the force that binds us together, that draws us toward the light, that inspires us to create, to build, and to nurture. But know this...Dharva is not simply the absence of chaos. It is an active force, ever vigilant, ever striving to bring balance and unity to a world teetering on the edge of darkness. It is through Dharva that the constellations themselves were woven into the fabric of the night sky, each one a beacon of power, guiding those who seek to harness its energies.

Yet, for all the beauty that Dharva brings, there exists its eternal counterpart: Shamva, the essence of darkness, chaos, and destruction. Shamva is the shadow that creeps at the edges of existence, the force that seeks to unravel the order that Dharva imposes. Where Dharva builds, Shamva tears down. Where Dharva creates, Shamva consumes. It is the gnawing void that seeks to return all things to the nothingness from whence they came. Shamva is the hunger that cannot be sated, the rage that cannot be quelled, the fear that lurks in the hearts of all living things. Shamva manifests in the decay of life, in the crumbling of empires, in the spread of disease, and in the violence that rends the world asunder. It is the force that drives demons to corrupt and destroy, the darkness that feeds on the despair and suffering of the living. Shamva is the relentless tide that seeks to drown the world in its abyssal depths. But do not mistake Shamva for mere evil,it is far more ancient, more primal than that. Shamva is entropy itself, the inevitable end to all things. It is a necessary part of the cosmic balance, for without Shamva, there would be no change, no evolution, no cycle of death and rebirth.

Dharva and Shamva are inextricably linked, two sides of the same cosmic coin. They are the forces that govern the universe, eternally opposed yet forever bound together in a dance as old as time itself. Neither can exist without the other, for it is in their interplay that the world finds its shape and its meaning. It those who follow the Word of Ahkra, who say that Dharva is the greater of the two, that it is the force of goodness and righteousness, while Shamva is a malevolent shadow that must be vanquished. But this is a simplistic view, born of fear and misunderstanding. Dharva and Shamva are not good and evil...they are the forces of order and chaos, creation and destruction, life and death. They are both necessary, for it is in the tension between them that the universe finds its balance." - passages from the "Chronicles of the Universe" by the Traveling Sage, Wokan.

[incarnateirony]

Hi! I think you get a lot of such asks and I’ve read a bunch of your posts but I still don’t get the concept of Death/Amara/The Empty completely. Are they all the same entity? I also remember the original Death saying that there wasn’t nothing before God/Earth etc., there was the Darkness. But then The Cas!Empty said that it existed before Amara&God. And Billie, she said she’d throw Winchesters into the Empty. How could an ordinary reaper know more than the Death itself? I’m so confused pls help

Sorry it took me so long to answer Nonnie, my work schedule is wild so I’ve been trying to save the heavier anons for when I had the time and mental energy for it: 

Not necessarily the same, but consider division more liminal. For example, they do not have true bodies. They may have vessels or apparations, but this extremely mortal fleshy coil we define ourselves through is very different from their state of existence. 

I’ve actually tried to answer this before WRT Death vs the Empty vs God and Amara not existing: (x)

So here’s the thing, you know the good ol chicken or the egg (or the snake) debate? I’m going to need you to take your concept of time and flush it wholesale to grok this. Time is only a thing that passes within the human world. This is similar to how physicists get confused on if the universe even has an origin story from before the point it expanded from an infinitely dense node. Because if time didn’t exist, then there is no origin story, right?

This brand of metaphysics takes that a step further, where there technically is, but you ultimately have to shatter your order of operational thinking.

So to repeat things I’ve said before: Think about Nothing. About true void, oblivion, before anything, even dimensions or light or darkness or anything were made.

Congratulations, you’ve already failed.

This is the paradox of Void, and frankly with truest void is itself synonymous with khaos. It is all and it is nothing. It can not be defined and the second we even try to, we start to fail. But in this chaotic nothing, somehow, something sparked. It questioned if and why it existed, and by that created the very polarities of the ideas of either of these. Enter: Chuck and Amara.

Now, review the post I linked. Chuck’s world is Being. It also, in some of its branches, is Life. Death only exists where life is not. So it is an absence of life. However, if we’re querying on unbeing and being, Death itself only becomes relevant when Life exists, and yet it Exists wherever life is not, like Darkness theoretically does wherever Light does not. Because both are an Absence of a thing, like the absence of a soul being the absence of good. Because the soul is good. So Death always existed, but never was manifest, until there was Life, in which it had its counterpart. 

Ergo, Death also exists in the Empty. It is the art of the shadow’s abyss, in fact, as all things come from it. The human soul is the purest emanation of this, becoming Light when perceived, and becoming Life when entering the created world by Grace. Death is where that Life is not, but predates Life, and simply Is. And if the Shadow seeks its own meaning through the manifest world, then death is simply the art of the shadow’s abyss, reaping and yielding the new transitional stages of the growth of the soul in the universe made from itself as the Prima Materia (the first material). This is WHY reapers, especially death, can cross there and engage there, because it essentially belongs there, but it also has reach into the body of the world to terminate the terrestrial experience, in an attempt to ascend man back towards the crown on his journey for truth (only to be met by Chuck’s boxes being a corrupted system rather than a proper throne.)

This, however, is why “I do not know this Death,” said Amara, and yet, Amara predates Chuck (darkness before light), and yet Death can’t remember which is older, it or god, and neither can remember anymore. All of these are fundamentally true things, but it’s a matter of active vs inactive/passive/inert forms.

When one considers these “characters” in embodied abstracts, rather than like super saiyan power level, to understand how even the power of humanity interplays, this becomes a lot clearer to cruise through.

[nahalism]

Pls do share

well.. i was doing a breathing/grounding meditation in the park and began to experience having multiple bodies. (an energetic body, mental body, emotional body, pain body, sound/vibrational body, light body [even a ‘colour body’ that isnt limited to one colour, but does vary in colour according to the person and emotional state] ect).

being that i could see myself existing beyond the parameters of my physical body, (liquid, organs, skin have restrictions that light and sound dont), i began to see if i could gauge where i started, where i stopped, and if i could still experience things that were beyond the periphery of my body and my senses. i had already read a lot of books, particularly Drunvalo Melchizedek’s the flower of life and Masuru Emoto’s the miracles of water, so i understood the basis of vibrational frequencies, and thus how my own vibrational frequency was not only regulating my body, but as depicted by the merkaba/tetrahedron often used in esoteric teaching, was being projected beyond my body and consequently impacting all that surrounded me whether i was aware or not. 

[although this isnt directly related, it happened and i find it interesting so ill proceed to include it]. i settled on the feeling that there was no ‘end’ point to which i felt i could project myself. and because of that i began to think about urban planning. the proximity of houses and apartments in cities, how close we sit, stand and work to each other, the construction of our undergrounds/metro’s and most congested areas. i thought about the idea of none of us ‘beginning’ or ‘ending’ in any specific place, the possibility that we may all just be individualised/localised experiences of the same thing living in an amniotic sac that we call the world, a world that is fundamentally made of the same energy as us. and that if that were the case, how little truly separates us. and that if so little separates us then just how contagious thoughts, emotions, and a persons ‘way of being’ might really be. then i thought about why the most expensive communities are less densely populated, filled with detached houses, have less wifi.. why people with similar income brackets, daily practices, and mental attitudes choose to preserve these communities with such urgency and legislations as they do. then i continued thinking about the impact that environment can have on someone and how what one is consistently exposed to impacts their spiritual, mental and emotional evolution. i then began to acknowledge how ignorantly i conduct my own self when i walk clumsily on the ground or forget to look at the sky above me, because in doing so i realised i was neglecting two entirely separate realms of reality, and by doing that id neglected to consider the impact i was having on the life forms that inhabited those spaces. i started to think about how if a thought or a word can alter the molecular structure of water, what was there that i or other humans could do to reverse the damage being done to the earth: the geopathic stress that runs underground, or even the displacement happening to the earths techonic plates. that went on for a while then i spent some time taking in the people in the park. watching their demeanours, seeing if i could ‘feel’ them despite their distance from me. 

this all got a little claustrophobic so i decided to breathe through the experience with my eyes closed, and as i did, i saw two movements in my minds eye. [1] light being used to draw an infinity sign in darkness. the motion was continuous. and [2] the second (which is unexplainable) but resembled a motion similar to a bowl of water continuously spilling over, each time re-absorbing the fallen water from underneath. almost like a continual feeling of sucking something up and pouring it back out. 

[1] the first image that arose felt like the vertical motion of breath and the sense of continuity i felt whilst breathing. though i could easily distinguish the act of breathing in or out, breathing itself could not as easily be divided into parts. neither breathing in or breathing out could be said to be start or end of of breathing. similarly, despite the presence or negation of air in my lungs, the ebb and flow was consistently interrupted by a median in which there was both presence and absence. everything was woven together, in order to breathe new air, old had to be removed. in order to remove that air, new air had to be breathed. both processes were inextricable.

[2] the second image felt more lateral in motion, as though i were a nucleus and waves were both emanating from me and being drawn to me. at this stage i was in flow from the vertical breathing (finding expansion in the body with each breath in and ease in the body with each breath out), and as this progressed lots of feelings that made sense but lacked chronology & are hard to articulate flooded in (so excuse if this gets confusing). the small motions of up and down changed to a cycle/continuous stream, of up, out, over, in 🔁. [energy spurting out the head, throat, hands, chest, and stomach, washing out and over beyond my physical self, then coming back in as if drawn by a magnet, and up through the feet and through the sit bones]. as i continued to watch this happen the energy began to feel denser and more potent. and so i imagined pushing/propelling it further out beyond me, projecting it at the world, plants, people ect. and so as i continued to watch this happen i realised that which i was receiving could only be that which was a match to what id sent out. moreover, focusing on asserting the energy didnt stop me receiving the energy that came back & vise versa. the two were different processes, and each process could be focused on individually without its counterpart, but when i breathed with mindfulness of the two the energy grew more potent. [legit, the only thing i can liken this ‘energy’ too is the depiction of nen in hunter x hunter]. and as this was happening i remembered what i had learned about polarity [yin/yang, masculine/feminine energy, the upward facing tetrahedron/the downward facing tetrahedron], and adopted an electro-magnetic view of the situation. our ‘upward facing’ tetrahedron (representative of electric force, order, structure, assertion, reason, logic and masculinity) can be likened to the upward and outward projection of energy. similarly the ‘downward facing’ tetrahedron (which is is symbolised by magnetism and governs chaos, pleasure, creativity, sensuality, carnal instinct, receptivity and femininity) can be likened to the force that pulls the energy down from over and back in. 

im not sure the correlation between what i observed that day and what i answered in the ask earlier is clear, but that is the resource i drew on to help me articulate my view. a lot of teachers and businessmen in the business of self empowerment do speak about transmuting sexual energy to creative energy (napoleon hills a good one) but i think when getting into these matters its good to understand the science/the alchemy. for example, this principle taught me a lot of things; how much power one conscious, self aware individual harbours. humanities true capacity to raise not only their own spirits, but the collective spirit of all they encounter. ectect. but looking at it under the lens of manifestation showed me how understanding the individualised polarities (especially that despite differences all things are fundamentally the same) and learning to balance them, is whats key to not only developing the lives we want, but fundamental to being able to maintain them. moreover understanding of the fundamental principles teaches the individual particular guidelines that are key to knowing how to bring precisely what they want, and not what we think they want, into being. funnily whilst imbalanced application of the two leads to .. imbalance.. lol, the imbalance if questioned shows itself to be perfectly balanced. e.g if one confronts the chaos that emerges in their material world, they’ll likely find the root issue to be a matter of the mind. similarly, having a structured plan and logical path to attain ones goal means nothing without the emotional intelligence necessary to enjoy the plan once come to fruition.

anyway. moral of the story is that books are great and they often provide sound information by teaching terminology and introducing concepts but, experience is the best teacher. understanding and consolidating the information we learn so that it becomes knowledge upon which we may build wisdom, is a process that occurs within the individual. so dont worry bout the books, if you are curious knowledge will find you. in the meantime, go and live

[skvaderarts]

Apocrypha Chapter Ten: Baggage

Masterlist can be found Here! Thanks!

Chapter Ten: Baggage

Note: All your comments on the last chapter about Vergil had me rolling on the floor laughing like an idiot. See this, this is the kind of chaotic energy I thrive off of. Thank you for allowing me to flourish like this!

(-~-)

4:50 am

A soft mist settled across the worn metal of the train tracks as the moon hung low, casting shadows across the dimly lit train station. The long beams of hardened steel shined from a combination of moisture and moonlight, making them look as new as the day they had been placed. Everything tended to look clean and new at night, and this was no different.

Everyone held their positions, babysitting their megar luggage (not so megar in some "cases") and the children in Nero's case as they awaited the arrival of the train. It would be here in a matter of minutes, and was supposed to be relatively empty considering the time of morning that it would be arriving during. Considering the fact that most of the locals were scared stiff of the dark at this point, getting them to stand at a train station in the middle of the night in dim lighting during a light sprinkle was totally out of the question. But that worked out better for them. And even if they were foolish enough to venture out during such trying conditions, Morrison had pulled some strings and, as a result, they basically had a whole train car to themselves. Apparently, someone owed him a favor and was in the good graces of the train company.

As Kyrie and Nico rounded up the children and took inventory of their belongings, Vergil took mental inventory of his surroundings. Dante had long since decided that he couldn't be bothered to stay awake and wait for the train, so he had made himself comfortable on a nearby bench and dozed off, much to his older twin's bewilderment. How Dante was capable of sleeping in such an unfamiliar environment was beyond him. Just a few feet away from him were Lady and Trish, trying to work out how they were going to get their luggage onboard the train. They had brought at least a month's worth of clothes on what would be, at most, a week long trip, and were having a difficult time reconciling the logistical challenge that came with moving that many bags. He would actually be amused by this if it weren't for the lingering feeling of discomfort that hung low in his gut, keeping him on edge. 

For a menagerie of complex yet obvious reasons, the prospect of spending several days with his two adult children put him seriously on edge. While waiting for the train, the realization that he actually had no idea what went on in either of his adult children's lives had slammed into him like a van into a brick factory, and he found this fact supremely unsettling.  Aside from the different abilities they possessed in battle and the basic facets of their dramatically different personalities, Vergil was forced to admit that he actually had no idea what his children were like below the surface level. And making small talk wasn't something anyone in their family was any good at. 

This was going to be… challenging.

As if called upon by the awkward atmosphere itself, V walked past silently, taking a moment to stop and catch his breath. For all his talents, waking up early and actually being functional were not qualities he possessed. While he was coherent, that didn't mean that he was at peak physical condition. Due to V's habits and general disposition, he was much better acquainted with the concept of staying up for long periods of time that he was with getting up at a moments notice and catching a train. He found the concept distasteful and exhausting.

Vergil glanced between their respective bags, half wondering what V had actually packed. While he was more than willing to believe that Nero and Nico owned clothing suited to an afternoon at the beach, the polar opposite could be said for his eldest son. V didn't come off to him as the type to even know how to shop for outdoor clothing, let alone own any. It was curious. Regardless of what he believed, the young summoner actually owned a luggage bag though, to the shock of literally no one present, it was a rolling one. While Vergil was more than aware of his son's condition, it put him off slightly to be reminded of it. Perhaps if he helped him with the bag…

Without a moment to spare, a vintage red convertible pulled to a stop in the parking lot and out stepped Morrison. He opened the car door on the opposite side of the car to allow Patty to exit, the young blond girl dragging an oversized rolling bag along behind her as she headed towards the loading ramp to join the others. Upon catching sight of Dante sleeping, she stopped and shook her head, clearly disapproving of his sleeping habits.

"Hey, at least he made it here on time," Nero said as he walked past her, finally finished with taking inventory of the children's personal belongings," We've gotta give him credit for something. I was sure he was going to be late. I got no idea how he managed to beat us here."

Vergil spared them a passing glance as he folded his arms across his chest. He most certainly shared patty's disapproval. "When the alternative is being impaled on the end of my blade, I find that he is usually willing to accommodate my demands. But there have been a few... exceptions," Vergil drifted off for a moment, thinking," Did you know he didn't own any cookware or dishes before today? It's truly absurd."

Nero shot him a knowing look, taking a step closer to V to assess his condition. "Yea, neither of those facts really surprise me. You're both insane, after all."

Patty shook her head, clearly entertained by the pent up tension that fueled their conversation. She had no idea what caused it, but she definitely found it funny. "See, I was right! Dante just needs motivation! And the best way to motivate him is to smack him with stuff. It all checks out."

Vergil stared at her blankly for a moment. Yes that was what his twin needed. Motivation.

Just a moment later the lumbering locomotive they were scheduled to be boarding blew its whistle, signaling it's approach. It didn't sound far off. Everyone scrambled to collect their things and receive their tickets from Morrison who laughed under his breath at the unorganized mess in front of them before wishing them a safe trip. Literally everyone he knew was a walking disaster, and it never got old. Or less funny.

Much to Nero's surprise, the only person who seemed totally at ease was V. The taller while haired descendant of Sparda was leaning against the streetlamp nearest to the tracks, having migrated there during the commotion. He had everything together and seemed to be quietly observing the children. Though the little ones were well behaved, this was their first time near a train. If Carlo's experience with hot soup was anything to go by, he needed to divert a bit of his attention towards maintaining the welfare of the children. Kyrie was keeping an eye on them, but she and Nico had their bags to deal with and Nero only had two sets of eyes. At least as far as he knew. He'd grown wings and a new arm during his absence. Anything was possible. Nero was practically a super advanced amoeba at this point as far as he was concerned.

"Were you… You know, um…," Nero's entire mental process flat lined as he made eye contact with V, unsure of how he wanted to phrase his proposal," Did you… ya know… need help with your bag, V?"

The young summoner blanched, his pupils dilating for a moment like an alarmed house cat before he blinked and composed himself. It all happened so quickly that it was nearly imperceptible, but he'd done it nonetheless. V shifted his stance slightly, diverting his eyes in an attempt to break eye contact with Nero. He glanced in the direction of the oncoming train before speaking. 

"... I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've had to board a train recently," He glanced sparingly at Nero, clearly somewhat flustered by Nero's polite offer." But… I do appreciate your offer. Your concern is refreshing. I'll manage."

Nero shrugged, scratching the bridge of his nose before ducking away. He needed to check on the children. "Sure thing. Let me know if you, ya know, change your mind or something."

As the train pulled into the station, Nero took a moment to step away and join Kyrie and the kids. Attempting to keep three young and excited children under control while juggling luggage was going to be quite the experience. Thankfully children's clothing was smaller than its adult counterparts, so they were able to fit everything in one bag. In hindsight, it was rather impressive that Trish and Lady had individually packed more clothing than their entire family put together. Impressive, excessive, and hilarious. After a cursory check and a hurried final count, they prepared to board after the rest of the group. Going first would slow things down considerably.

While Patty gave Dante hell for falling asleep, V watched the train pull into the station casually. This was far from his first train trip, but it had been quite some time since he'd traveled with other people. And never with children. He shot Nico a quick glance, collecting his bag before it became an obstacle in their path. The young mechanic nodded in approval.

"I wonder why Nero didn't take Magnolia up on her offer to babysit the kids," She said as she grabbed her bags," I mean, I love em as much as the next person… but don't people usually take vacations to get away from their kids?"

V stood up straight, no longer leaning against the lamp. He considered her words for a moment, before facing ahead, clearly focused on something in the middle distance. That was a reasonable question, and he couldn't fault her for being curious. While no one minded that the children were along for the ride, especially since Nero had told most of them beforehand, he had to admit that he'd wondered the same thing when his younger brother had made that decision with Kyrie.

"If I were to make an educated guess, it's partially for his own benefit. He may wish to spend time with them," He said as he stepped towards the now still train, clearing a path for everyone," And also, what better way to drive our father absolutely insane? It's as much an act of revenge as it is an act of kindness. In a way, I almost find it poetic."

Nico gave him a funny look before the gears in her brain unstuck and she laughed slightly. "Oh, I get it! It's a parental pissing contest! Gotta remind his old man that he's the better parent!"

"Yes, I believe he's taking the moral middle ground on this trip, isn't he" V said, a hint of humor in his voice. He closed his eyes for a moment, scoffing at his sibling's petty yet understandable level immaturity," Well, that is when the high ground is being morally impregnable and the low road is refusing to come at all."

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same thing," Nico said as she tried not to laugh. Vergil was approaching with Dante, and she didn't need him honing in on their conversation. She liked to think he liked her. Well, at the very least he seemed to want to stab her less than most of the rest of the team. That had to count for something.

V let out a brief chortle, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. " I have no children. And my methods of causing aggravation and proving my moral superiority are a bit more… subtle. Not to say that I care much either way."

Nico punched him in the side, eliciting a surprised exhale and a curious look. "No kids that you know of!"

He stared at her blankly for a moment, an unreadable look passing across his face. It was completely belied by his calm demeanor. "No. I'm quite certain that I don't have any. That would be impossible. I… Damn it."

She gave him a silly look, repressing the urge to go totally wide eyed and burst into laughter at what he had just inadvertently implied. Nico had caught him red handed, and his involuntary confession answered a lot of burning questions for her. "But what if ya did though? Or what if ya do someday? I mean, you've gotta have some luck getting a date with all that poetry you read, right? And it's not like your ugly or somethin..'"

V stopped for a moment, both to allow Kyrie to board first and to consider her statement. He turned back to her, his head tilted slightly to one side in an involuntary action that indicated that he was somewhat unsure as to how to answer that question. Nico got the impression that he'd probably never been asked that before, and Nero shot them both a curious look as he passed by them.

"... I've… I haven't… I don't think I've taken the necessary time to... consider that question yet. I have no way of answering that, at present." V seemed distant for a moment, almost troubled. 

For a second, Nico felt very uncomfortable. This was obviously a touchy subject, but not in the way she would have expected. Most of the time people got angry or flustered when asked a personal question they didn't intend to answer. V just seemed… forlorn and absent from the conversation. It was as if she had just asked him about someone dying or something, and he was recalling a painful memory. In that moment, Nico was certain that he had thought about it before, but uncertain as to how the subject affected him.

At least for the time being, she was going to drop the subject. This wasn't a good way to start what was supposed to be a fun group outing. V was always a little gloomy, but she'd clearly struck a nerve that she hadn't meant to, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause him to spend the entire train trip being upset and distracted.

"Yea um, sorry about that, I guess. Wasn't tryin' to… you know…" Nico said as she walked along behind the rest of the group, her bag in hand. The train was only going to stay for a minute or so longer. No one wanted to have to drive there to meet them.

V waived her off, blinking slowly in a way that showed that he absolutely did mind, but wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. He had bigger problems and didn't tend to hold petty grudges as a general rule. Although there were exceptions to that rule, he knew that Nico hadn't meant anything by it. If anything, she'd probably been trying to entertain them both.

"I'll go after you," He said, tilting his head nonchalantly in the direction of the train door. He honestly didn't enjoy being the first to board the train. Even though he knew it was entirely irrational and foolish, he felt as though he was being watched when he was the first to do something with his group. It made him feel slightly anxious, even when he was with people he trusted. 

She nodded and hopped on board the train, nearly stumbling with her heavy bag. For a moment, V considered the probability that she had snuck some of her "work" with her on the train. But then again, he was certain that everyone had snuck weapons on board as well, so it was a good thing that they didn't have to go through a metal detector or baggage check before boarding. All those demonic swords and specialized guns would have been rather difficult to explain away. In an ideal world, they wouldn't need them. But in the world they lived in, no one was foolish enough to think that asking Vergil to leave Yamato at home was a good idea or that it would end in anything but a swift stabbing.

"I see that your boarding last."

V turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to face the all too familiar voice that had just spoken to him. It was Vergil. His brain raced to pinpoint the exact moment that the eldest Son of Sparda had broken away from his twin brother and stayed behind to confront him, but it jammed like a cheap lock. Regardless, he was here. And he couldn't pinpoint why that made him so supremely uncomfortable. Perhaps it had something to do with what had happened the last time they had been alone with one another at a train station. His fight or flight instinct screamed at him, imploring him not to repeat the same mistakes that had landed him in the Redgrave incident in the first place. After all, if he hadn't taken that walk and walked face first into Vergil…

No, that hadn't been his fault. 

He needed to stop doing that to himself. 

That was in the past now.

The young summoner nodded, his vocal cords failing him. While he was aware that he needed to speak with him at some point on this trip, this would not be the moment that that happened. And the sudden realization that whatever awkwardness there was between them would transfer to their three hour train ride was almost enough to make him bolt across the parking lot and catch the ferry home. But that would accomplish nothing. And Nico had the keys, so the van wasn't going anywhere anyway.

Vergil let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, clearly expecting some sort of response akin to the one he received from his oldest son. And yet there was something else in his demeanor that betrayed his silent hope that that wouldn't be the case. Perhaps it was something in his eyes that V caught a glimpse of that told him that his lack of diction… saddened Vergil? Was the eldest Son of Sparda capable of that? V liked to believe so. Perhaps "liked" wasn't that proper word for it.

As V considered this, the train whistle blew. They would be departing in a minute. Vergil glanced over at the train casually, clearly not concerned about the concept of being left behind. He'd teleported to further away things in the past, and they'd been moving considerably faster than a train. He foresaw no challenge, at least for himself. While he assumed that V might share a similar ability, he had now way of knowing how proficient he was. But there would be no need to find out if they boarded the train.

"Come then," Vergil said as he approached the train, passing V in the process. He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder to double check that he had complied with his request and found that he had. He then extended his arm to stop him, handing him one of the two slips of paper in his hand. It was a train ticket. V looked it over for a moment, giving Vergil an appreciative nod in the process. Much to his dismay, functionality had yet to return to the auditory cortex of his brain.

"I don't believe I saw you get yours from that middleman Dante is acquainted with, so I took the liberty of doing so on your behalf." He said casually as he stepped past him, swiping V's bag in the process. It was beyond Vergil to simply ask for it. He already knew what his son's response would be, if any at all.

V reached towards the confiscated luggage bag, his response too delayed to accomplish anything noteworthy. The young white haired summoner opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him yet again and he let his arm fall limply to his side. He sighed softly and cracked a small but appreciative smile before following after him. He'd stolen a glance at their respective seat numbers when Vergil had handed him the ticket earlier. 

It seemed that they would be sitting together…

(-~-)

And just like that, the beach arc has begun! What's that? You thought it was going to be one or two chapters? HA! Try like five or six! There is character development that needs to happen here, people! Thanks for reading, take care, and I'll see you again on Friday! Bye bye! Also, I have a discord server. The links to it and my user id on there are in my A03 bio and listed below! I'd love to chat if you're ever in the neighborhood lol!

Server: https://discord.gg/Uyp75N6

SkvaderArts#2729

[nessie-rp]

PHOENIX.

The phoenix, in its many forms and with its many names, is a spirit creature of which very little is known to the common person, even in supernatural spheres. Conflicting stories of their origins abound — that they are born when a falling star passes over the birth of only the purest of souls, that they existed before the earth was separated from the sea and will exist long after one reclaims the other, that the dragons breathed life into ash and from those ashes rose the first phoenix, and so on. None but the oldest phoenixes themselves know the truth of their origins, and even then it is rare that a phoenix will experience the memories of their first lives — rarer still for them to share such an intimate reminiscence.

Mythological touch points include: the Greek phoenix, Egyptian benu, East Asian fenghuang/hō-ō, Chinese Vermilion bird, Slavic firebird, Iranian huma and simurgh, Turkic konrul, Arabian anqa, the figure/iconography of Garuda in South/Southeast Asia, Chilean alicanto, Mayan Vucub-Caquix

HISTORY.

Mentions of a winged spiritual being with some mastery over life and death stretch back to 3000 BCE (see: Herodotus’ writings on Heliopolis, the then-capital of prehistoric Egypt). The ancient Egyptians even believed that the gods Atum and Re would occasionally take the form of a benu, a type of phoenix-creature.

This was not the last time a phoenix may have been worshipped as a god. Taking on an aspect of divinity allows for more influence over the moral leadership of a society, which is a phoenix’s ultimate goal.

It is said that phoenixes show themselves to mankind at important moments in history, but their reclusiveness in recent centuries has made such sightings scarce.

IN LYONESSE.

The phoenixes have no official position on the Hallowed Council, preferring to keep to themselves and work outside of politics. Their presence has been felt in Lyonesse for at least five hundred years, though it's likely they've been in and out of the city since shortly after its founding.

FACTS.

A common symbol of life, death, and rebirth, phoenixes are linked inextricably to this cycle. only under strict and often fatal conditions do they break it. They are among the most powerful, ancient, and secretive species of the supernatural world.

All phoenixes typically find a moral purpose to serve in their early lives, some kind of mission, and attempt to serve that purpose in all their subsequent lives. It is unknown whether phoenixes are compelled to choose a cause due to their nature or if their attempts to shepherd the mortal world come from a dictate of the first community of phoenixes. Many simply continue the cycle both because it has been so as long as the world can remember and as a way of coping with endless resurrection.

General characteristics of phoenixes include:

Reincarnation and pseudo-immortality.

While they are essentially the same being in each of their lives, the "mortal" lives that phoenixes live before awakenings affect their personalities, interpretations of the world, memories, and sense of purpose so they remain highly mutable beings. Phoenixes may not always take the same form in each of their incarnations. It’s common to find a phoenix that strongly resembles or evokes one of their past forms, but much more difficult for them to preserve their physical appearance exactly from life to life.

Phoenix births are extremely rare, as they can only be born from the union of two phoenixes.

Phoenixes age at a normal rate in each of their lives until the point at which their past lives reassert themselves, at which time aging slows or stops completely. They then then experience extended lifetimes of between 90 and 200 years, but remain mortal.

When phoenixes "die," their last breath is one of fire. Their mortal shells are consumed and their immortal soul, the firebird, seeks a suitable host to birth their next incarnation through a process of metempsychosis.

Absolutely adore sunlight.

Skeptical of reptilian creatures, including dragons.

Quite fond of greenery, very good at caring for plant life.

AWAKENING & AVIAN FORM.

Phoenixes reach a point in each life where their memories of their past lives resurface violently — this is the point at which phoenixes are the most vulnerable, as they experience breaks between reality and their memoryscapes and their other powers slowly reawaken. After their awakening, they have access to their avian form. These feathered creatures seem to be made of flame and plasma, though they are solid and interact as a normal living being would with the world. The fire of this form will only burn if that is the intention of the phoenix. Seeing a phoenix in their avian form can sometimes be interpreted as an omen of death.

When in this form, a phoenix leaves its human, corporeal, and mortal body behind, leaving itself vulnerable to attack as the absence of the spirit in the body would prevent them from acting to defend themselves. The bird rises from the body and can move without a tether; should the body die the avian form will not also be extinguished. This form is incredibly fast and strong, and has some control over natural energies, including heat, magic, and electricity.

ABILITIES.

ENERGY MANIPULATION. Even in their human forms, phoenixes have the power to control energy in various states, mainly through pyrokinesis, thermokinesis, and electrokinesis. Though phoenixes are not prone to using these abilities offensively, they can prove extremely powerful in a confrontation and are not to be underestimated. This ability is innate, but does not manifest until after the awakening in each life.

HEALING. Their tears have immense healing properties and are extremely sought after by magical healers. They also have innate touch-healing magicks, but the most potent healing ability comes from their tears. These healing abilities do not apply to their own injuries/ailments.

MEMORIES. Occasionally, when a phoenix encounters the same situations in different lifetimes, they'll get a very strong deja vu type feeling that may trigger flashes of that situation happening in the past and, occasionally, in the future. It is the only known instance of phoenix clairvoyance.

IMMUNITIES. Phoenixes are completely fireproof and impervious to mind-reading and glamours. They are also much more resistant to human diseases.

WEAKNESSES.

MORTALITY. A phoenix can be brought to a true death by another phoenix or if they die while submerged in water. The killing of a phoenix marks the murderer for the rest of their lives and beyond. Other deaths can come about by any means, but they will always trigger the rebirth as long as the fatal injury/sickness/etc. is persistent enough to overcome their healing abilities. Magical practitioners have tried to interfere with the life cycles of the phoenix before to catastrophic consequence.

MAGIC. They are highly susceptible to witchcraft in their humanoid forms. Phoenixes who are cursed in one life may carry the curse to their next life, depending on the strength and conditions of the curse (i.e. if the witch was trying to kill the phoenix, the curse would not continue past that first death). They have no way of knowing that they are cursed until their memories reassert themselves with the awakening.

CONTAINMENT. Their avian forms can be caged or held prisoner if confined within/with metal forged in either phoenix or dragon fire. The latter is much more common than the former, though still uncommon. If the avian form is kept away from the mortal body for too long, the mortal body will die but the creature will continue to exist, in a limbo of sorts within their reincarnation cycle until they are freed from the cage and able to seek out a new host.

DARK PHOENIXES.

Those phoenixes who fail to find a purpose, who do not make a positive change in the world, or who are more self-centered than selfless are said to have gone “dark.” Committing an act of true evil will also sully a phoenix, i.e. killing another phoenix, sexual assault, murder of an innocent, etc.

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS.

Burning contaminated firewood will result in atypical flame colors; similarly, the impurities in a dark phoenix's soul will be displayed in their avian forms as their coats will be striped with uncommon colors such as green, blue, and white.

Dark phoenixes undergo much harsher awakenings than their purer counterparts. Their memories are often much more intense and violent, therefore much more difficult to manage reliving. They are considerably weakened by their first few transitions into the avian form and may even be unable to access this form for a considerable amount of time after regaining their memories.

Dark phoenixes are volatile and very powerful, burning hotter than their counterparts in their avian forms. However, this means that they tend to have shorter lifespans because they “burn themselves out,” so to speak.

ORGANIZATION & SOCIETY.

Phoenixes do not tend to congregate or have any kind of species-wide organization. Due to their rarity, natural secrecy, and the unpredictable nature of their awakening, they are usually solitary.

Though they do not have a typical family structure but, on occasion, they can be mated to a member of another species and absorbed into their own group structure. If this is the case, they tend to gain more sociability and become less guarded because they have the added protection of a mate.

They strictly forbid writing down direct accounts of their lives, though there is no organization charged with enforcing this. Many suspect certain phoenixes have made this their moral duty, so as to preserve the balance, but no records of such a person/group exist, perhaps because they do their work efficiently.

INTERSPECIES RELATIONS.

Many phoenixes keep their identities secret from the world, masquerading as humans or witches. Reclusive by nature, the only species they generally mistrust are dragonkind.

Their feathers retain magical energies if removed, but it is considered bad luck to trade in phoenix feathers, no matter how powerful they can be for witches. Some groups consider them sacred. Phoenixes shed feathers naturally when in their avian form for long stretches.

To vampires, their blood tastes like ash and they smell faintly of burning carbon. However, it is a little-known fact that drinking the blood of a phoenix allows vampires to walk in the sun for a short period of time without facing any of its ill-effects.

MYTHS.

These things do not apply:

They have only an avian form. Through magic, they can access this bestial form, but they are born with human forms and the magical ability to flit between forms.

They rise from ashes. Would be cool.

Bathing in the blood of a phoenix can reverse the aging process. As yet uncomfired but likely untrue.

[fallintosanity]

you knew this was coming. it’s a good thing this isn’t the kind of time travel that has paradoxes

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8

No one had anything to say to that, and the suite fell into a grim silence. Ignis dropped onto the couch with a sigh, folding his hands and resting his chin against his knuckles. Prompto sat on the floor in front of the window, but instead of basking like he had before, he was hunched and drawn. Gladio went back to pacing, the kind of restless energy Noctis recognized all too well from the days immediately after the Altissia disaster: Gladio was frustrated and furious. At least Noctis finally understood that regardless of which direction he lashed out, all that anger was directed inward at Gladio himself, for his own helplessness and inability to fix what was wrong.

Noctis stayed in the armchair. He hadn’t meant to sour the mood, but it wasn’t like the Starscourge and the gods’ plan to fix it were his fault. Last night’s traitorous wish whispered across his mind: I don’t want to die. But it didn’t matter what he wanted. He was the one the gods had chosen for their sacrifice. If he resisted, if he chose not to fight Ardyn when they returned to their own time, all he’d manage to do would be to buy himself a few more years on a dying world, until all of humanity was consumed by the Scourge.

Lost in thought as he was, he actually jumped when Ignis said suddenly, “Noct. Could I speak with you for a moment?”

Prompto glanced up from the window, then away again, his expression guilty. Gladio kept pacing, barely bothering to look at them. Noctis sighed. “Sure.” He stood and followed Ignis into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind them.

He was expecting to get a verbal dressing-down from Ignis about his reaction to what Gladio had said about Regis, so it surprised him when Ignis said quietly, “We’re being watched.”

Noct frowned. “What?”

“It’s subtle, but for the last several minutes I’ve heard movement behind the walls.”

“Great,” Noctis muttered. It wasn’t common knowledge, but back when the Citadel had first been built, it had included a series of servants’ passages spiderwebbed throughout the walls of the structure to allow servants to attend the resident nobility without committing the hideous offense of being seen. The passages hadn’t been used in over a century and a half, after some political brouhaha had made it gauche to use “lesser” servants rather than fully paid staff, but they’d never been sealed off in case they needed to be used to evacuate the royal family in secret. Or, like now, in case someone needed to be watched in secret through the peepholes meant to allow servants to check that they weren’t interrupting. “Not only is my dad refusing to talk to us, he’s spying on us.”

“I’m not sure it’s the Crownsguard,” Ignis said. “A ‘Guard wouldn’t be so noisy.”

“I haven’t heard anything,” Noctis pointed out. “They probably don’t realize how well you can hear.”

Ignis pressed his lips together in the way that meant he wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but didn’t have a better one.

“Who else would it be?” Noctis asked. “It’s not like Ardyn would skulk around in the walls, and hardly anyone even knows we’re here.”

“True,” Ignis admitted reluctantly. “I suppose only the Crownsguard know about the old servants’ passages anymore, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it, though. Might even be why my dad hasn’t talked to us yet - he’s hoping whoever’s watching us will see something to confirm our story.”

“Or refute it,” Ignis said, and sighed. “In that case, we’ve little choice but to tolerate it.”

“We should tell Gladio and Prompto,” Noctis said.

“I already signaled them,” Ignis said. As if he could see Noctis’s raised eyebrows, he added, “The hunters have quite an elaborate set of hand signals to use in the field. We’ve all learned enough to get by.”

“Oh.” Noctis felt like by now he ought to be used to how his friends had so many things shared among them which didn’t include him, but every new thing he learned about was like a fresh kick to the gut. He knew it was selfish and stupid, knew he should be glad they’d found ways to bond in his absence despite otherwise drifting apart, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Distracted by that thought, it wasn’t until he’d followed Ignis back out into the main room that he remembered the Crownsguard weren’t the only ones who knew about the old servants’ passages anymore. Ignis was right - a ‘Guard on spy duty wouldn’t be heard, even by someone with Ignis’s hearing. But the others who knew… they were young and mostly untrained still, and inclined to whisper to each other thinking they were safe behind the wall.

Keeping his expression carefully neutral, Noctis bypassed his chair and went instead to lean on the interior wall, the one he knew held the servants’ passage. “Actually, Ignis,” he said lightly, “I think you were right. It’s been a crazy few days, and I’m not thinking clearly.”

Ignis tilted his head; he, too, kept his expression blank but Noctis knew him well enough to tell that he wasn’t yet sure where Noctis was going with this. Gladio stopped pacing, eyeing Noctis warily, and Prompto sat up straighter, one leg curling under him like a coeurl about to pounce. Noctis flicked a glance at each of them, pointing carefully at the wall with his thumb, then making a flicking movement like a door opening. From this angle, their watchers wouldn’t be able to see the movement through the peephole, but he still didn’t want to risk giving anything away.

Gladio stared at him a moment longer, then grunted and turned away. “Vesperpool in ‘sixty-one all over again,” he said.

It must have been some kind of code for Ignis, who couldn’t see hand signs, because Ignis nodded and sat down primly on the couch. “So it is.”

As they spoke, Noctis slid his hand up the wall, tracing his fingers over the decorative moulding that ran around the room at waist height. If he remembered correctly, the hidden latch to open the passage would be right along…

There. He flipped the latch, and a section of the wall a couple feet to his left slid soundlessly aside, revealing a narrow dark passage - and three wide-eyed boys huddled together in its center.

For a couple of seconds, all Noctis could do was stare. He’d forgotten how young he’d looked at eighteen, all skin and bones and long gangly limbs during his last growth spurt. His hair was shorter, neater, not the shaggy, spiky style he’d started wearing the summer after graduation. He’d begun spiking it after overhearing some kids teasing Prompto about his own unruly cowlicks, and had inadvertently started a spike-haired fashion trend among the young adults of Insomnia.

But this younger version of Noctis still wore his hair short, which meant the younger Ignis who accompanied him likewise had neat downswept bangs. Below the bangs, Ignis's eyes were intact, sharp and green and Stars, but Noctis hadn’t realized how much he’d missed those eyes. At twenty, this Ignis’s cheekbones were still soft with the last remnants of baby fat, and his shoulders hadn’t yet filled out. The younger Gladio, too, was much smaller than his adult counterpart, the bulge of muscles only just visible under his hoodie instead of straining the fabric. He was a month shy of twenty-one, with a Crownsguard crew cut and no scars, and his face was open and innocent in a way it hadn’t been since a drunkard with a knife had given him his first real test as Noct’s Shield.

All three of them stared in shocked silence. Noctis was dimly aware that he and his friends were gaping just as openly - except Ignis, who had both eyes open and turned toward their younger counterparts, but looked as unruffled as though meeting his past self was an everyday occurance. “You might as well come in,” he said calmly.

The three boys jumped at the sound of his voice. Young Noctis said, in a tone of wonder, “Stars, you really are—I mean, it’s really…”

“No way!” Young Gladio protested. His voice was startlingly light, nothing like the gravelly rumble of Noct’s thirty-three-year-old Shield. “This ain’t possible!”

“Clearly it is,” Ignis said. “Though we were as surprised by it as you are. Please, come in and sit down.” He rose to his feet and gestured to the couch, offering it to them.

Young Noctis and Young Gladio both looked at Young Ignis; he sighed and nodded. “I suppose we might as well,” he said, then blinked and frowned, as though realizing he’d inadvertently echoed what Ignis had said a minute ago. Young Gladio stepped forward first, putting himself pointedly between Young Noctis and the adults in the room. The other two followed, Young Noctis staring with uneasy fascination at Prompto and Gladio in their Kingsglaive uniforms, at Noctis in his royal finery. Young Ignis, though, kept his gaze on Ignis, those sharp green eyes narrowed as he studied his older self’s face.

“How’d you find out about us?” Gladio asked as they settled themselves on the couch. He’d moved to stand beside the armchair Noctis had been sitting in, with Prompto on its other side, so Noctis took the hint and crossed the room to sit between them. Ignis stayed where he was beside the couch, just far enough away to not loom over the boys seated there, but close enough to hear their movements.

Young Noctis shrugged, slouching into the couch in what Noctis recognized as an attempt to look casual. Seen from the outside, with two additional years of maturity and twelve years of life under his belt, it was painfully obvious how faked it was. Young Noctis said, “Everyone’s been acting weird all day. I was supposed to see Dad after school and he never cancels that, but he canceled, and then Cor told me I could skip training today and stay home.”

Both Gladios snorted in unison; the adult version said, “Of course that’s what tipped you off.”

“My dad tried to get me to stay home today, too,” Young Gladio said. “Ignis, too.”

“Once we realized they didn’t want the three of us specifically at the Citadel, we knew something was up,” Young Noctis said. “So we snuck inside. It took a while, but we figured out the Crownsguard had this wing closed off, so we came up to take a look. Are you guys really... us?”

Noctis nodded. “From about twelve and a half years in the future.”

Young Noctis looked over at Prompto. “Prompto? You made Kingsglaive?”

Prompto nodded. His grim expression and lack of his former trademark excitement seemed to throw Young Noctis; the prince glanced uneasily at Young Ignis, then back at Noctis. “So… what happened? How are you here from the future?”

“Some kind of magical mishap,” Ignis said.

“Whoa,” Young Noctis said. “You got your magic working?”

Noctis had to stop and think about that one; he’d forgotten how badly he’d once struggled with even the simplest of Lucis Caelum magic. It hadn't been until after he’d graduated and spent dedicated training time that he’d really started making progress. “Yeah, basically.”

“Awesome!” Young Noctis’s eyes lit up.

Noctis had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling no, not ‘awesome’ - that magic is what’s going to kill me as soon as I go back! But the teenage child in front of him didn’t - couldn’t - know what awaited him. He made himself take a deep breath. “You know you shouldn’t be here, right?”

“You guys are us from the future,” Young Noctis said. “If anyone should be here, it’s us.” He sat up straighter. “And Prompto. I’m gonna call him—”

“No,” Prompto interjected, sharp and cold enough that Young Noctis froze with his hand halfway to the pocket where he kept his cell phone. Noctis shot Prompto a look out of the corner of his eye, and Prompto managed to moderate his tone to something more reasonable as he added, “You aren’t going to be able to get him into the Citadel right now. You’ll just freak him out.” He rubbed his right wrist under the sleeve of his jacket, his eyes distant and cold.

“He’s right,” Young Ignis said. He was watching them with narrow green eyes, a familiar expression: he knew the adults were hiding something. He crossed his legs and folded his hands over his knee. “We can involve Prompto later. For now, I think we ought to take advantage of this opportunity to speak with our, ah, future selves before we’re discovered by the Crownsguard.”

“We’re not going to be discovered by the Crownsguard,” Young Noctis said, his tone suggesting it wasn’t the first time he’d said that. “But yeah, we should talk.” He hesitated, his eyes dropping to Noctis’s hand where it rested on the arm of his chair. “You’re… wearing the Ring.”

Huh. Apparently eighteen-year-old him had actually been kind of perceptive. Noctis sighed, his fingers closing into a fist around the Ring. “Yeah. It’s a long story.”

“One which is not for you to know,” Ignis cut in.

“Why the hell not?!” Young Noctis demanded. “It’s my future!”

Ignis shook his head. “That may be, but it’s not our place to reveal its secrets.”

“You’re revealing secrets just by being here,” Young Gladio pointed out. “Like that—that Noctis gets the Ring sometime in the next twelve years.”

Young Noctis flinched at the words; despite the euphamism, they all knew he meant Regis dies in the next twelve years. Ignis opened his mouth to respond, but Young Ignis cut him off, his voice tight and sharp as he faced his older self. “There’s also the rather important matter of your eyes. You’re doing an admirable job of hiding it, but I’m afraid it’s not enough.” His voice wavered, his chest hitching as he took a deep breath. “You’re blind. Aren’t you.”

Young Noctis gasped audibly and Young Gladio spun to stare at Ignis. For his part, Ignis kept his expression blank, but lifted a hand to his face and removed his visor. Without the tinted glass, the eerie silver film over his eyes was clearly visible, the scar around his left eye standing in stark relief. Young Ignis stared in horrified silence, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, his own eyes wide.

Ignis said levelly, “There is a reason King Regis did not want you to encounter us.”

“I don’t care!” Young Noctis burst out. “If this what our future is like, shouldn’t we get to know?!”

The raw fear in his voice hit Noctis in the gut. For a second he was twenty years old again, standing in the Tomb of the Wise and fighting not to break down sobbing as he yelled, why didn’t he tell me that? Why did he stand there smiling as I left? Why—Why did he lie to me?

He didn’t realize he was speaking until the words were already out: “They should know.”

“Noct—” Prompto said, then snapped his mouth closed so hard his teeth audibly clicked.

Ignis frowned. “I don’t think that would be wise.”

“He’s right,” Noctis said. “It’s his future. I know my dad was trying to protect me by not telling me anything, but all it did was leave me totally unprepared.”

“He wanted you to have a chance to live your life before your destiny took over,” Ignis said gently.

“I know, and I appreciate it,” Noctis said. It was even true; if his father hadn’t let him have a mostly normal life, he never would’ve met Prompto - and he wouldn’t trade Prompto for anything. “But he’s eighteen,” Noct continued, with a wave of his hand at his younger self. “If he’s going to be ready when Ardyn comes knocking, he needs to start preparing now.”

For a moment Ignis just stood there with his head tilted, his new equivalent of the piercing green stare his younger counterpart was even now giving Noctis. Noct waited, saying nothing; one of his hard-learned lessons of the months before he’d been drawn into the Crystal was that he was the king, and while he should listen to his friends’ advice, in the end it was his choice that mattered.

Finally Ignis sighed. “As you will, then,” he said, and stepped away from the couch, one hand out to feel for the second armchair.

As he sat, Noctis glanced up at Gladio, but all Gladio said was, “You sure?”

Noctis nodded. Gladio looked over at Young Noctis, and repeated pointedly, “You sure?”

To his credit, Young Noctis hesitated for a moment, his eyes dropping to his lap. But then his fists clenched on his knees, and he said, “It’s… pretty obvious I’m not going to like what you’re going to say. But that makes it even more important that I hear it. Doesn’t it?”

For just a second, the boy sitting on the couch didn’t look like a kid - he looked a prince, terrified and unprepared but determined to do the right thing. Noct hadn’t been proud of who he’d been at eighteen, self-centered and immature and lashing out in fear of the responsibilities looming over him, but his younger self was displaying a backbone Noctis hadn’t thought he had. Prompto’s words from yesterday echoed in his mind: we can change things.

They deserved to know. Noctis met his younger self’s eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “It starts in the winter of seven fifty-six…”

[thewhiterabbit42]

Three’s Company: Part 3

Key 

Chapter Pairing: Gabriel x reader

Series Pairing:  Loki x Nymph!Reader x Gabriel

Summary:  Gabriel shows up and does what he does best.  

Word Count: 2483

Chapter Tags/Warnings: pre-relationship, a little UST

Series Tags/Warnings: Nymph!reader, slow burn, indebted!reader, smut, poly-relationship (more to come)

Author’s note: Please check the warnings / tags with each update, as this series is only loosely planned and ever evolving.  

Series Masterlist - coming soon!

<< Part 2

You wonder if Gabriel knows you can sense him.  Not so much his energy.  He keeps that off the grid so well even your most concerted efforts can’t uncover it, and you’ve come to realize there must be some element of magic involved to help hide him.  

Still, there’s something about his presence that registers.  It alters the atmosphere in ways you don’t understand.  It’s not a physical change. You can’t detect it with your eyes, but your other senses wake up when he’s near, as if shaking off a long sleep, and everything feels brighter.   

He doesn’t announce himself, and you don’t acknowledge him.  You’re in the middle of reorganizing Loki’s office, something you’ve meant to get to for weeks.  More importantly,  you’re not done moping yet, and you know the moment the archangel realizes you’re in a sour mood, he’ll not only try to drag you out of it, but succeed.  

He gives you space, allowing you to work in silence while he lingers.  The absence of him even when he’s there is just as distracting as Loki’s overbearing presence.  Part of you wishes Gabriel would leave, while another doesn’t want to be alone.  

The dissonance only inflames your irritability, and you shove a text onto the shelf so hard the entire bookcase jostles.

It’s the opportunity he’s been waiting for, his body suddenly rounding the side of the desk as he saunters up beside you.  “What did..,” he pauses, reading the label along the spine.  “The death records of the Athenian temple for Aphrodite ever do to you?”  

The words are barely out of his mouth before he’s pulling it back off the shelf to verify that’s what it actually is.

“Why do we even have this?” He asks, slamming the book shut before waving it in front of you.

“What exactly do you do around here, again?”  You snatch it back from his hand, and your barb earns you a pointed look.  

To be fair, if he doesn’t want you asking questions you know the answer to, then neither should he.  

“Bother beauties like yourself and look good doing it?”  The smile he gives you is devastating, and you’re already responding.  Your mood and lips lift around the edges as he leans closer, brows waggling.  

Without thinking, you place your palm over his face, smothering his charm as you playfully give him a push.  “Put that away.”

He bats your hand to the side, amusement dancing across his features.  “I saw that smile.  Don’t try to hide it.  I see all.”  

Clearly not, but you imagine he could if he opened his eyes a little more.  Your thoughts stray to recent lore you just happened to be perusing on archangels.  Special ordered.  In no way related to your current company.  Just like your current hotel has nothing to do with it being close enough to a library to make a reasonable request (with a reasonable tip) for staff to make a pickup for you.

He tilts his head, leaning against the bookshelf, and his stare shifts to something more appraising.  “What’s that look for?”  

With Loki you tend to pause before answering, mindful of the words you choose, but with Gabriel the need to censor yourself doesn’t exist.  He may look like your boss, but he holds no key to your bonds.  

Besides, there’s nothing you can say that’s any worse than what you’ve heard come out of his mouth.  

“I was just wondering what your true form was like.”  

His brows raise in tandem, and for a moment he looks on the verge of a serious answer.  Any hope is dashed the moment a familiar twinkle enters his gaze.  

“If you’re really interested, how about a trade: I’ll show you yours, you show me mine?”  

You’re not even sure what that means, but instead of trying to make sense of it, you simply roll your eyes.  You don’t need to play his game to notice what lies beneath the innuendo; a slow simmering curiosity that builds the longer you know him.  

You imagine he’s seen just about everything in his long life, but you’re certain he’s never received a full blown whammy from something like you.  Some can harness it.  Some lose their mind.  Most simply muddle through it or succumb.  

You have no idea how he’d react.  You’ve never tried unleashing your magic on the divine.  Archangels, in particular, are a wild card.  Their grace is powerful, completely unknown to you and many others.  Heaven’s children tended to keep to themselves over the ages, and into their corresponding worshippers’ territories.  Gabriel is a rarity on so many levels.  

Which includes the fact that bad pickup lines actually sound good coming from him.  Not that you’ll ever let him know that.

You snort.  “Does that actually work?”  

He lowers himself onto the edge of the desk, his facade dropping and revealing the casual veneer you’re accustomed to.  “You can’t tell me you’ve never used a cheesy line before.”

You’ve dropped many over the ages, back when Loki used to take you into civilization.  He used to allow you to mingle among humans under his distant but watchful eye, so long as it was far, far away from other supernatural beings.  

The irritation from earlier bubbles up inside you, and you fix the archangel with a direct stare.  

He winces before you even snap at him.  

“And when do you suppose I’d have the chance to do that?”

Part of you wants to be furious at the ever closing collar around your neck.  Part of you realizes you’ve long since lost the taste for meaningless encounters, so there’s little point in being let out.  At least not among society.  

“Is that why you’re not yourself lately?”

He’s noticed.  You’re not sure why this revelation stuns you, but it does.  Loki’s usually the one keeping close tabs on you.  Too close these days, you guess, which is why he can’t see the forest for the trees, or your increasing need for either of them.  

Gabriel has been the one hovering, however.  While his counterpart often equates him to the annoying fly buzzing about one’s head, you find him amusing, increasingly endearing, and distracting in ways that have your heart rate climbing and your stomach fluttering whenever you make eye contact.

That, combined with your surprise, has you fumbling with what to say.  He picks up on this as well, but this time is different.  Everything about him goes eerily still.

“Just because I act shallow, doesn’t mean I always am.”  

Merciful Zeus, he’s offended.  You’ve seen him angry, bitter, but rarely like you’ve plucked a feather straight out of his wings.  

The darks of his eyes grow wider, slowly eating away at the edges of gold, and you realize what the problem is.   

“Gabriel, you should keep your distance.”  You shrink away from him, allowing time for the quiet assertion to sink in as you turn and pretend to wipe lingering dust off some of the books.  

His brow furrows before spiking again.  “He hasn’t let you out at all, has he?”  There’s no time to answer as he runs a hand through his hair.  “That sonofa --”

You’ve only heard Enochian a handful of times.  Loki forbids it from being spoken, but there are times, like now, the archangel slips.  You have no idea what he’s saying, other than it can’t be very flattering.

He’s still muttering when he jumps off the desk, grabbing you without warning.  “C’mon.”  

There’s a jolt before his hand even closes around your wrist, energy sparking against your skin and sending a shockwave of effervescence through your system.  A dizzying rush follows, the room whirling as the sharp, pristine contrast of black and white melts into muddied, earthen tones.  

You can smell it before you see it; know on an instinctual level where you are before foliage springs up around you.  You’re far from the city, but not completely off the map.  You can feel the lingering imprints of human energy, but it’s background noise against the vast symphony of flora and fauna that greet every one of your senses like a long lost friend.  

You let out a breath, watching the way it crystallizes on the air, before wide eyes take in your surroundings.  You’ve missed the vibrant colors of autumn, arriving just in time to catch the last vestiges of life echoing in faded, ruddy, and dull tones.  What remains is still breathtaking in its own way; a quiet contrast to the neutral browns and smatterings of green that still remain.

The natural beauty of this place becomes lost, however, against your panic.  

“You need to bring me back,” you insist.  “I don’t have permission to be here.”

You don’t have permission to be anywhere save Loki’s suite, and he’s already issued his judgment on this matter not two hours ago.  He’ll be livid if he finds out you left, but it’s what remains when his pride retreats and the flames of his fury have burned out that worries you.

“Please.”  

Gabriel’s taken aback by your words, and you realize you’ve never seen what disappointment looks like with him.  

Anxiety overlays your misgivings, creating new ones, sending conflict careening against the constant reminder that everything you’ve craved is close enough to touch.  You forget yourself, eyes closing as you breathe deep, letting it all sink beneath your skin, if only for a moment.  

Gabriel whistles, low and long.  “That right there, kid?  Exactly why we’re staying.”

You’re head’s not above enough water to realize he’s called you a name he reserves for moments of condescension or great sympathy.  All you’re aware of is need, crashing heavily over you, sweeping away your resolve with the tide and leaving a flurry of what ifs in their wake.  

There’s a slow, creeping euphoria as the fibers in your being extend, reaching out to reconnect their fraying ends to organic, sturdy threads.  Your arm extends, fingertips seeking out a solid source closest to you.  Your feet are already moving, guided by a sense that exists only for your kind, until your hand connects with chill kissed bark and everything suddenly stills.  

There is peace.  It’s in the slumber radiating beneath your palm and the small pearl of life tucked away from the cold.  It resonates, with the rays of summer that have kept its leaves well fed, with the rain that’s kept its innermost layers nourished.

You lean forward, your dress snagging at intervals along its rough body.  You rest your cheek against it, drinking in its silent conversation with everything you have.  It calms and energizes you in a way you nothing else has and you imagine never will.

The moment morphs into something different as another presence shifts closer to you, one that is unmistakably vibrant and demands to be acknowledged.  

“By all means, get whatever you need to out of your system,” he tells you. “But I gotta say, if you start humping that tree, I am outta here.”  

You open your eyes, pupils large and owlish, and you let out a small laugh that borders on manic.  

Gabriel peers around the side of the tree, his own stare dilating in response.  “Holy shit, you look about as high as the first time we took you out.”

Out.  You’re out without permission.  The reminder collars your innate drives, putting them back into check so you can think again.

“We should go.”  Resignation has you deflating against the sturdy maple.

“Like hell we are,” he insists, hands on his hips.  It’s the most serious you’ve seen him since you offered yourself as a distraction to get him (and Loki by association) out of hot water in Beijing ages ago.  

He didn’t listened to you then, either.  

“Just who do you think he leaves in charge when he’s away, hmmm?”  He questioned.   “And as temporary head honcho, I am ordering you to be here.”

Power is shared.  Equal?  No, not quite.  Not in all matters, but hope catches in your throat nonetheless.  

You try to recall the exceptions.  He never deals with her.  He rarely deals with you.  Not in official capacity.  Not often.  Not without orders.   

It’s clear the trickster in front of you is not used to being the leash holder, and he begins to shift beneath the weight of your silence.  “...if you want to, that is.”  

You continue to stare at him, and it’s as if you’re seeing him for the first time.  

Gabriel, beneath the hijinks and human vessel, is as unfathomable as his true form; an infinite being, so vastly powerful, and yet he is the softness to the hardened edges that is his shared identity.  He has the power to take your freedom as much as to let you taste it, and yet, his offer is based on what you want and need instead of what serves him most.  

The gesture has you on the verge of tears or kissing him.   You ride the impulse halfway, releasing your wooden anchor to slip your arms around him.

He goes stiff, your enthusiasm knocking him back a step as you leap at him.  A part of you knows - shouldn’t touch - but he always has a way of making you forget yourself.

“Yeesh, you must be really desperate if you’re this grateful for fresh air.”  He eases his awkward reaction with a good-natured tease and a small pat on your back before extricating himself from your grip.  

“Go on,” he gestures toward the forest.  “Enjoy, before the clock strikes midnight and we both turn into pumpkins.”  

Midnight.  

His eyes narrow intently.  “What?”

You have no idea what’s showing on your features, only that it’s confusing the hell out of him by the look on his.  

“Can we really stay out until then?”  Your voice is uncharacteristically timid, a fail-safe chiding with a distant too much the moment the words have left your mouth.    

You immediately regret it.  You shouldn’t ask for more, not when he’s being so generous already.  A brief but intense debate sparks, the outcome muting the brightness in your eyes.  

“Never mind.”  You shake your head, ashamed to have even thought of pushing, let alone saying anything.  

A brief touch along the side of your face brings you back again, though you hold off on looking up.  You don’t want him to see your disappointment, to mistake it for being thankless.    

“Sweetheart, we can stay out as long your heart desires.”  

His answer sweeps you completely out to sea, gratitude restoring the brightness to your gaze.  This time you do kiss him, lips catching the corner of his in thoughtless haste.  You dance away just as quickly, twirling through the leaves, your excitement blinding you to the way every molecule in his being grinds to a halt and how he deliberately keeps his distance for the next few hours.  

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[gogopoweraus]

What Are The Benefits Of Industrial Diesel Generators For Your Purposes?

Industrial diesel generators are versatile and robust equipment, recommended for various industries, but also other demanding applications like the health, the communication/information, and therefore the agriculture sectors, among others. A power failure in any of those sectors can cause dramatic situations, because it can mean critical damage, like production losses, loss of knowledge and knowledge, or maybe serious accidents. For this reason, Commercial generators are designed and produced consistent with strict legal norms and production parameters, so that, when operating as an endless or emergency power source, they will guarantee the operation of varied devices and heavy machinery and ensure an efficient response, within the absence of mains power. There are Lots of benefits of having diesel generators for many purposes.

Benefits of Industrial Diesel Generators:

Fuel Type & Output Efficiency- Diesel fuel is understood for its stability (less flammable than gas), energy density to volume ratio, and efficient consumption rates. generally, diesel generators burn but half the quantity of fuel in comparison to their gas counterparts, while capable of an equivalent amount of labour output.

Safe storage- Diesel oil is far safer to store than other sorts of fuel, like gasoline, which is extremely explosive and would ignite easily if it were to spill. While still flammable, diesel carries a way lower risk for igniting. It also features a longer period than gasoline, so you'll get a far better quality fuel from your stored supply.

Longer Runtime- Commercial generators are built to supply significant amounts of power for an extended time. due to their efficient engine design and fuel consumption, the motors can run far longer than a typical internal combustion engine. this is often one among many reasons why a transportable generator is a superb choice for an uninterrupted power supply albeit the local power system has gone out. You won’t be in the dark for long!

Versatility- As stated earlier, diesel generators aren't only extremely durable, but also highly versatile. These commercial grade generators are often used across many various industries and used for various applications that allow a diesel generator to become a primary source of power whether installed on-site or used as a transportable unit to power off-grid projects. this enables diesel generators to supply power in most places that are off the most powerful system, but a primary power source is required to power key tools and equipment.

Power output- Diesel generators are capable of handling larger power loads and can run longer durations than other sorts of generators available. This makes them an ideal choice for remote sites where the facility grid could be unreliable.

It can Be Used During an Emergency!

Having commercial generators for emergencies is a superb choice for business owners and homeowners alike. Why not make a good more sensible choice and buy Industrial diesel generators? The increased efficiency and performance are going to be well worthwhile.

[rainsonata]

Change

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; DBrDoM (Doom Bringer x Dominator) Rating: K+ Word Count: 1,865

Summary: It’s not easy going through yet another job advancement when it means getting bloodied knuckles and having your counterpart judge you. Doom Bringer’s first impression of Dominator leaves a lot of questions for the brawler and few answers to satisfy him.

Doom Bringer’s job change fic: [LINK] Mad Paradox’s job change fic: [LINK]

His skin stung, an icy sensation burned through his pores when Bringer dabbed with a cotton swab to soak in the blood. Mastermind was back in the apartment he shared with his counterparts, propped on a chair in the living room and his drenched clothes in the washing machine. The warm mahogany floor contrasted against the pale white carpet at his feet when he stretched.    

The familiar stinging smell of rubbing alcohol filled his nostrils and had Mastermind pinch his nose. Stripped down to his shirt and shorts, he wrapped his arms around his stomach in feeling exposed. He could feel his counterpart’s eyes leering at the cuts and bruises decorating his bare skin. They’ve known each other for years, but the weight inside his chest never went away when the brawler gave him that look, an expression that spoke for itself.

“I can’t believe you’re stupid enough to go face that...thing. By yourself.”

Days in Elrianode couldn’t tell them enough on the true nature of those beings occupying the foreign dimension. They held a nasod like appearance with inhuman features, mutations taken from twisting the properties of its original form. All of this would have been fascinating for research material, if not for time pressuring them to take care of them before the El threatened to split itself again.

“I wasn’t alone,” Mastermind’s eyes averted to the cat bandages on his knees.

Where did Esper buy these? The scientist frowned when he realized he hasn’t seen the time traveler for weeks. His disappearances were sporadic, but his absence was apparent when he has been spending more time with him and Bringer as of late. Not even random visits to drop the occasional ‘souvenirs’ he was so kind to call them.   

He fought those Elrianode monsters before, sometimes with Bringer, so why was his counterpart making a fuss about it? The scientist threw a half-lidded gaze, annoyance at the brawler for treating him like a child. Bringer was worried on his wellbeing, a natural reaction because of grown attachment from being together, but it hurt his high-strung pride like he couldn’t take care of himself. Yes, he didn’t go alone this time. He wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.

Bringer scowled. “With fire Elbrat, the dark mage, and pineapple.”    

“He and his sister offered help,” Mastermind said.

And the Void Princess insisted on coming along - not because she was worried about the redhead or anything! The Blazing Heart’s all-knowing smirk and wag of her eyebrows had the scientist snort at the flimsy excuse. The dark mage’s infatuation for the Rune Slayer was as clear as day.

Mastermind was never one for small talk or the bantering between his teammates, but seeing the Rune’s look of bewilderment when his sister teased him for growing out his hair made the scientist chuckle. The people he once saw as hindrance to his journey became something more of a team, maybe more than that.

“You could have asked me to come along.”

Guilt panged when he recognized the hurt tone in Bringer’s voice. It wasn’t just concern the brawler had for him, but sadness in forgetting about him. Mastermind tugged on his bangs in frustration at the miscommunication.

“You don’t need to be with me all the time,” Mastermind said. “Both of us are adults. We don’t need to hold hands all the time.”  

“No, but I would appreciate it if you told me when you were coming and going at least,” he shook his head. “Those monsters are stronger than those sad excuse of nasods in Elysion. They can grate you like cheese.”

His lips were closed, but Mastermind could tell the other was restraining himself showing his canines in a clenched grit from losing his temper or crying. Probably both. Bringer had the face of a thug, but his heart was the same, always worrying for others, even if he was reluctant to show it. He pulled Bringer into a hug, wrapping his arms around the waist and resting his head on the brawler’s shoulder.

“You were gone for days,” Bringer’s voice was hollow with no depth, as if he had given up on his emotions and only had enough energy to speak. “It wasn’t until I talked to the priest did I learn you left with them.”

He talked to Richter? The asshole with toothpaste for hair? Well, it looked more like a waterfall if it swallowed the El and glowed in the dark, but that wasn’t the point.     

Mastermind held on to his counterpart and closed his eyes, unsure on how to feel. The lilac cushion he was resting on wasn’t doing him service on keeping him comfortable when Bringer chided him for his foolhardiness. Bringer must be upset if he went up to the priest to learn on his whereabouts. The brawler hated him.  

“I didn’t want to trouble you,” Mastermind admitted. “You and your friends already finished your business with those monsters. I didn’t want to make you go through that again and…”

His voice grew soft, almost inaudible if he wasn’t leaning close for Bringer to hear. The scientist’s face glowed with warmth from the blood traveling to his cheeks. Pride be damned, Mastermind could never get used to being honest about himself. There was no point in feeling shame for something that was true, but it still made his hands shake.  

His voice dropped to a murmur, “I didn’t want to see you get hurt either.”

It was irrational to hold fear on a brawler getting hurt when that was the kind of lifestyle Bringer upheld. Even so, the thought of his counterpart’s blood smeared on the white pristine marble of Elrianode formed a knot in his stomach in the worst way possible.   

Mastermind forced himself to look up to see Bringer’s eyes getting damp, blinking them away, but the scientist saw them. The other’s lips quivered, biting them down to hide the shock, but the wide eyes gave it away.   

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Bringer wiped the stray blood off Mastermind’s arm as he pulled away from the embrace. “But you don’t need to hide stuff from me if you rather do it with someone else.”  

He tucked in the end of the bandage wrap in and scanned the rest of his body for any further wounds he may have missed. His eyes were careful not to meet the scientist, but Mastermind didn’t miss the stares when Bringer thought he wasn’t looking. The brawler picked out a chunk of dry blood from his bangs and pulled it out with a tissue.

“Your hair,” Bringer uttered. “What happened to it?”

There it was, Mastermind closed his eyes. He was surprised it wasn’t brought up earlier, but with blood spill, there was no time for Bringer to notice the change until now.

“Do you like it?” Mastermind was absent minded and pulled his hair behind his ear, before remembering his side bangs were gone.   

Mastermind ran his fingers through his hair, long curls gone and now went down to his ear rather than to his back. His bangs split in the middle, covering the eye with the scar imprinted by Dynamo. The awkward silence between them when Bringer found him injured carried weight from shock, but he had a feeling it wasn’t only because of his state.   

“It’s...different.” Bringer stated the obvious, but paused, “When did you get it cut?”

“When you were busy getting new tattoos,” Mastermind said dryly.  

He knew Bringer liked his hair and used to play with it when he did his research, but it was a hassle to maintain. It curled on rainy days and took time to straighten when interacting with Bringer’s inventions or when the brawler messed with him by static shocking his hair ‘for fun’. Asshole.

Rena offered to cut his hair when he expressed the idea, before he left to join the rest of his teammates to the excursion of Elrianode. He enjoyed talking to the Grand Archer because she kept the conversation direct, but she didn’t probe into why he wanted a sudden change. With shorter hair, his head felt lighter and morning routines were going to become easier, but he was certainly going to miss having something to tug on when he needed to ponder over his research.

“Are those the new Dynamo model?” Bringer picked up one of the deactivated weapons from the coffee table, perplexed by its simple design. There were purple cubes, each split into four squares on each surface, pink lines running across with buttons at the center. “They look like Apocalypse!”

“They were based off it,” Mastermind said with pride.

Not as destructive as Apocalypse of course, but they held more battery power than before and could inflict more damage with precise timing. Every update was meant to be an improvement from the last, sometimes counterproductive with glitches that worked against his favor, but he could say with confidence that this model was the best.

“No cat ears?” Bringer teased. “Didn’t your old coat have them too?”  

Heat reached his face again with Mastermind blushing, “What’s the point in giving them ears?” H-he may have considered giving them ears in the early stages of designing them, but that would have made certain tasks uncomfortable, like standing or sitting on them.  

“That didn’t stop you from giving them to Apochan~”

This guy… Mastermind grabbed the cube from Bringer to check for any cracks sustained from the excursion. Not a single crack to be seen. At least that confirmed the experiment on how much damage it could withstand.    

Bringer sighed, “I’m glad your teammates have enough sense to come with you. It’s already bad enough having Esper run off again.”

“He’ll come back like he always does,” Mastermind said, but didn’t voice his opinion that Esper’s stay away was longer than the usual. Was he able to talk about people running off when he just did it himself?

Despite the protests from Bringer, he helped the other clean the living room. He was injured, not paralyzed from the waist down. He wiped the coffee table clean and threw the dirty bandages into the trash bin when there was a loud crack. It came from upstairs, a sound he hasn’t heard in weeks that it shook him up when he heard it.

Esper?

Omake

“If you have new powers,” Bringer thought out loud. “That means you’re like me, right? Did you come up with a title for yourself yet?”

After getting his new title poked at (Hey, Doom Bringer is a cool name!), the brawler was curious to see what kind of name his counterpart had in mind. Their old titles were determined by reputation, what they were remembered for by locals at the time they made their presence known. Knowing Mastermind, the scientist probably had been thinking about this for some time.

“I have,” a sly smile formed on his lips. Oh no… it was that all knowing smirk, like he found something amusing in his question. Mastermind covered his mouth and chuckled, “You can call me Dominator.”

Bringer’s face was as red as Rune’s hair.

“...Get away from me, you kinky bastard!”

Author Notes: Am I too late for the hype train? I’m still getting used to Dominator’s design, but I can at least start writing him to get a grasp of his personality. Since I wrote a fic for Doom Bringer and Dominator, I guess I’ll write one for Esper too when his third job is out.

[spookyspaghettisundae]

Dark Shadow

Doris entered the dark room with the heavy half-drawn curtains, her long dress leaving traces in the dust on the floor. She sat down at the piano, opened its snow-white lid, closed her eyes, and waited with her fingers on the well-known keys. She had been drawn to it, hearing the familiar melody calling her in her thoughts. She tuned in with the melody being played on the other piano, which was the counterpart of her own instrument. She focused all her energy to sync up her movement with the other woman’s as her fingers glided over the keyboard. Following the youngest of the Willows’ women – Phoebe was her name – was harder than it was with Joy or had been with Lucy.

The challenge with Lucy had not only been her warm and lively improvisations but also the fact that Dory’s own skills hadn’t been as developed back then as they were nowadays. But you needed more than just skill to recreate the embellished tune Phoebe was playing now, you needed heart, and somewhere deep down inside, Doris knew she was lacking just that.

Her heart had died with her husband all those years ago, all she had left now was her beauty. Not the youthful beauty of the eighteenth year old unblemished girl Heinrich had fallen in love with, but the established beauty of a radiant woman in her early forties. Who would have believed that she was actually one hundred and four years old? Nobody. Sometimes, even Dory couldn’t believe it herself when she looked in the mirror.

But it was the truth, and it had all started on a rainy evening in nineteen thirty-three when Heinrich opened the entrance door to their small but beautiful country house, shouting orders to two men in overalls Dory had never seen before. They busied themselves, re-arranging the furniture in the dining room, leaving muddied boot prints all over the carpet. Dory stood there bewildered, but she knew when to ask questions and when to wait. This was clearly the latter situation.

After the men had left her house, Dory sat down at the dining room table, looking at the boot prints on the floor, saying, “I am not happy about having to clean this tomorrow, my dear.”

Heinrich smiled and answered, “Do not worry your pretty little head about it, my darling Doris.”

“What is this about, anyway? While this looks like a very beautiful piano indeed, I do not see why you couldn’t wait until the storm has passed to bring it here. It does not seem worth all the mud on the carpet.”

“Oh, but it is, my darling, it is. This is not just a piano, it is a fountain of youth.”

“A fountain of youth?”

“Yes. You see, whoever plays it does not age.”

“You are pulling my leg.”

“I swear, I am not. Try it yourself if you don’t believe me. You know how to play the piano.”

“It has been quite a while since I last played, but this is rather intriguing. I think I will play whatever I can still remember from my lessons.”

“Please do.”

Dory looked at the piano, feeling strangely drawn to it. She walked over to it almost as if walking on air and sat down to play a little tune. Then just like now, she felt a vibrant energy spreading from her fingertips, almost as if something was entering her body. After she had finished the short song, she looked up at Heinrich with a smile, but as their eyes met, it seemed to her that he looked worried.

For a moment there, Heinrich thought he saw Doris engulfed in a strange aura, not really a light at all but the absence of light instead was radiating from the piano, surrounding his lovely Doris. But then it was gone, and Heinrich just saw his smiling, beautiful wife sitting at the white piano. It must have been an illusion, he thought, probably from all the stress he had been under lately.

When she turned around again and started playing another tune, it swept him away in an almost magical way, so that he felt rather relaxed after she had stopped playing the simple yet beautiful melody that would come to her frequently over many decades to come. With his mind finally at ease, he told her what had transpired in the last year and what led him to obtain the piano for themselves rather than handing it over to his superiors. He had been dreading this conversation, but now the whole story just came pouring out.

While Dory was playing her white piano in her dark room in sync with Phoebe who was playing her family’s black piano in their bright room, Dory remembered that fateful night that had forever changed the course of her life. It all started with Heinrich finally telling her the truth about his work.

He had been a historian working for the government ever since she had known him, schoolbooks had been his speciality, or so she had thought. But as he now revealed to her, he was actually a connoisseur of the occult or the mystical, working for a government branch dedicated to finding powerful artefacts to further the cause. That such things even existed was somewhat hard to believe, but knowing her husband and seeing the seriousness displayed on his face was enough to convince Doris.

As he told her, he had found this piano about a year ago. It was part of the collection of a rich and heirless aristocrat who had recently died under dubious circumstances. The nobleman had left detailed notes on all the artefacts he had collected throughout his life, and they served as a basis for many experiments conducted by the department with Heinrich as its head researcher. Many of the aristocrat’s claims turned out to be false, but just as many turned out to be true, or at least the evidence strongly suggested so.

With a huge find like that, it didn’t take long until his superiors took note of Heinrich’s recent accomplishments, and he soon had to report to them in person. On one of those occasions, Heinrich overheard a disturbing conversation. He wouldn’t repeat what he had heard, all he said to Doris was, “I had no idea they had plans like this. It is atrocious. Manipulating the public like that, spreading hatred, rounding up and deporting everyone that doesn’t fit their ideals. They even joke about killing whole groups of people if they won’t leave voluntarily, but it doesn’t quite sound like a joke, it sounds like an aspiration. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. No, I think I already knew on some level, but I turned a blind eye. Not any more. I’m done pretending.”

His voice had got rather loud and upset, so that Doris softly squeezed his hand. He smiled at her sadly and continued, “After hearing their plans, I made some plans of my own. It took me a while, but I made it look like most of the artefacts were a dead end, especially the piano. Some might argue that there are more destructive artefacts in this collection, but I find nothing more dreadful than giving potentially eternal life to these fiends. So in order to keep them from ever getting their hands on the piano, I not only made it look like it was another dead end, but decided to make it disappear.”

“Why didn’t you destroy it?”

“That might have drawn too much attention. No, that’s a lie. To be honest, I feel strangely drawn to it.”

Doris could understand that since she already felt the instrument’s subtle pull after only such a short time, which made her wonder how much more intense must it be after a whole year.

Heinrich continued, “But I do worry about having drawn too much of their attention already. You see, I didn’t just falsify my reports, I also I sent them on wild goose chases, so they wouldn’t find any real objects with power. I am sure they are on to me. They have summoned me quite often lately, telling me that they are worried because my research doesn’t produce any results any more. They have started pressuring me, threatening me, and now I think they have realised that I have been falsifying my reports. We have to leave, my darling.”

“Leave? What do you mean by that?”

“Leave Germany. Go to Great Britain.”

“Defect?”

“If you want to call it that, sure. But I would rather flee from these monsters than aid them any further. I have arranged for us to leave the country in three days from now. My contacts have even agreed to transport the piano, although I told them it was nothing but a family heirloom. I will not share this power with anyone except you. They could be liars, too. Who knows? But you, you are my beautiful flower, you deserve to live forever. We can do so together. Just the two of us. After things return to normal, we will buy one of those British county estates and live there hidden away from the world. What do you say, my darling?”

“I will follow you to the ends of the world, and if you say we are to flee this country, then I agree. Will you help the British stop this madness though?”

“I have certain informations about our government’s plans from when I was still in my superiors’ good graces. I will share my knowledge with the British, and in return, they have agreed to let us enter their country immediately and live there freely. I might even be able to work as a historian again.”

So off to England they went. Towards a better life and a brighter future. Or so they thought, but their life turned out to be just as tough as it had been in Germany. There was no more moral ambiguity, no more working for a hate-filled regime, which was an enormous relief, but instead there was all this distrust. Being a German defector in Britain even before the war had officially broken out was like wearing a target.

The problem was that their accents made it quite clear that they were from Germany, and that made them social pariahs at best. They were not to be trusted since they could be spies. And after he had told them all he knew, Heinrich was given a useless desk job in an unimportant department where he felt like he was monitored more than asked to contribute. The isolation and distrust gnawed at him, so that he soon became terribly ill, with his health deteriorating rapidly.

Ever since their arrival in London, Dory had been playing the piano as often as she could, feeling invigorated by it every day, and so became convinced of its powers. That is why she begged Heinrich to play it himself, so he would quickly recuperate, but he refused. He saw his illness as divine punishment and decided not to fight it. Doris on the other hand started playing the piano even more vigorously every day, and every night, she held him tightly in his sleep, hoping the additional energy she felt in herself would be transferred to him and heal him. But it didn’t work, and after only a few months, he passed on, leaving her devastated, lonely, and half-mad with grief.

Her heart was as broken as can be, and from then on, she only played the piano to commemorate her beloved husband, and as her heart darkened, her body shone.

It didn’t take long until the most influential and powerful men in the country took notice of her beauty, many of them offering her a life in luxury as their wife. Having no means to support herself but being appalled by their superficial interest in her, she decided to respond in kind.

She eventually accepted the proposal of the oldest and wealthiest of them all. After the wedding, she mostly spent her days playing her piano and her nights warding off her new husband’s advances as best as she could. His touch made her feel sick and only intensified her longing for Heinrich as she struggled more and more to hide her disgust. She had almost reached her breaking point when her struggle suddenly came to an end. Her new husband suffered a near-fatal heart attack after which his doctors advised him not to engage in any straining physical activity, listing love-making as one of the things to avoid.

When he told her about these new rules, Dory felt incredibly relieved, thinking to herself that there had never been any love involved in their more intimate moments anyway, for he only lusted after her body while she had only ever loved her Heinrich. On the outside she smiled and said that their bond was built on more than just physical aspects, and he answered by assuring her how grateful he was for her affection.

About a year after his first heart attack, Dory’s husband died. He had never had any children and no close relatives or relations, which meant that all his possessions went to her. With a vast fortune like that, Dory did what Heinrich had planned for them years ago, back when they were about to flee Germany: she hid from the world in her country estate. But instead of living in loving bliss with her Heinrich, she did so alone, her heart getting sadder and darker with every passing year.

Wealthy as she was, Dory had little trouble assuming a new identity every other decade to stay in charge of her assets. She either slowly transferred her money to her new alias and had her old one die soon after, or she appointed her new self as the sole heir of her old self, and one time, she even adopted herself. It became almost amusing to think up new ways to continue her charade, but then again, nothing truly amused her any more. It was, after all, a necessity because it usually took approximately two decades until she couldn’t explain her agelessness with a healthy lifestyle any more and subsequently moved to a new estate under a new alias, starting a new life the old way, which was as a recluse.

She spent her time hiding from the world while trying to find a way to get Heinrich back from the dead. Finally being with him again was her only focus. To that end, she learned all she could about death, how to cheat it, and how to reverse it, but so far, nothing had the desired outcome. More than once, she came close, but her studies and experiments always turned out to be unsatisfactory in the end.

Dory became at least as much of an expert of the occult as Heinrich had been when he was still with her. With her growing knowledge of the mystical, she became aware that there had to be another object connected to her white piano and that she was most likely stealing the life force from an unsuspecting individual. Through spells as well as private investigators, she eventually even found the artefact linked to hers: a beautiful black piano that was currently owned by a family of pianists by the name of Willows.

While part of her felt that stealing their energy was wrong, she paid no heed to her conscience. Even when she learned that Lucy had only lived to her mid-sixties, which meant that Dory had most likely stolen about twenty years from her, Dory felt that her actions were justified.

The evidence of the two pianos’ sinister connection got even stronger when she learned about the last owners untimely demise, the one that had come before the Willow family, whatever his name had been. None of their lives mattered anyway. Besides, Joy Willows still had almost two decades left and Phoebe three more after that. They had enough time to fully live their lives: to fall in love, to get married, to have children. Children that would then learn how to play the piano and so feed Dory’s everlasting need for energy.

Those people had more time with their loved ones than Doris herself had ever had with her Heinrich, and they even had the pleasure of raising a family. Doris had never had that pleasure because her beloved died before they even had the chance to try. It was a fair enough exchange in her opinion: they could experience the obvious happiness and light the other piano produced, and she received some of their life force to find a way to bring her life’s only light back. The spark that would kindle her heart’s flame anew, her one true love. Heinrich was all that mattered, only being with him again was important.

Sometimes, she could still faintly hear his voice, feel his presence, and that gave her all the motivation she needed to go on. No matter how dark the road, she would eventually reach the light at the end of it. She believed – no, she knew – Heinrich was still there, and if his soul was with her, then she could sooner or later find a way to re-create his body. She would bind him to this earth again.

Never did it cross her mind that he did not want to join her, but instead, he longed for her to join him. Even in the grey mist of his present existence, he could hear her play that wretched piano, that stealer of life. And when he heard it, he let its sound lead him to her. Engulfed in darkness, she sat there, playing, her heart calling his name. And he came to her, loving her still, even in her despair and her darkest moments. Heinrich embraced his Doris tightly and whispered in her ears. He kept repeating his last words to her, “Choose the light, not the darkness, my darling Doris.”

—Submitted by Lone-Eyed

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/1/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 1st February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

REFORM NEEDED – Prime Minister, Mia Mottley says gross under population is one of many major obstacles to the economic development of Barbados and the wider region which was in urgent need of reform. In her assessment of the region’s economy in San Juan, Puerto Rico during Wednesday’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) on the Caribbean Economy on Post-Disaster Recovery, Prime Minister Mottley charged that outdated development models, which need urgent reform, were stifling regional economies. “We need to reverse the investment by industrialization model of the 50s. The development model must change,” said Mottley, who highlighted a number of key areas where the region continues to fall behind. “The hidden secret of the Caribbean is that we are under-populated. When you look at Barbados, we are 430 squared kilometers. Singapore is about 670 and is 15 times our population. Guyana is the size of England, Scotland and Wales combined. They have 65 million people, Guyana has 780,000. Suriname is larger than the Netherlands, which has 17 million people, but Suriname has 580,000. I can go on and on and on. We have not changed the discussion; we have not changed the development model,” she charged. In addition to the need for a significant increase in the population, Prime Minister Mottley argued that Barbados and many of its regional neighbors still lacked a population armed with the skills necessary for development. “We were satisfied to educate 30 or 40 per cent of the population and let the others come along. That cannot be . . . we have a benefit that technology removes the hindrances of size and geography and we literally have to invest in the re-education of as many of our people as possible, such that each one matters.” Mottley also accused regional governments of failing to break away from colonial models of development. “We have not removed ourselves from being able to distinguish ourselves between Elizabeth [Queen of England] and Isabella [Former Queen of Spain]. And therefore that colonization of the region has put us on a development path that has not maximized our economic resources in the way in which it can,” she said, while adding that even after independence, the actions of more powerful countries have stifled development. “Part and parcel of our problem in the region, is that the region has been invited on numerous occasions to pursue paths and then when they get good at it, the developed world says ‘no, stop, change, we’re not allowing you to do that anymore as has happened with financial services. And part of the difficulty is that we continue to be unequally yoked in a global discussion. Leaders don’t talk to each other, so you’re unequally yoked in the conversation and therefore those matters that affect development cannot be pursued.” Mottley further identified a stifling lack of accessible financing from within the region as another hindrance to growth, again chiding local and regional financial institutions for attempting to take advantage of prospective borrowers. “There’s about US$47 billion in savings and right now if those savings are left in the commercial banks, they attract a savings rate of 0.1%, yet businesses are borrowing at seven, eight, nine and ten per cent throughout the region,” said Mottley, who added that in light of climate change, financing remained critical to the development of a thriving renewable energy sector. “We have a moral obligation to unlock renewable energy for the benefit of the Caribbean people and to unlock the investments that are possible, but we’ve got to create the instruments that can then be married with foreign capital to make this a real possibility. In my own country we have set a target of 2030 for a fossil fuel free economy at best or a carbon neutral economy at worst because we don’t have a choice. “We’ve seen our coral reefs die, yet our maritime space is 400 times our land space, but we’ve allowed over the decades our coral reefs to die, with consequential changes in our marine life and coastal erosion and yet tourism is our primary source of business. So we don’t have the luxury of time anymore in the region,” said the PM. (BT)

ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY FOR 2019 – Barbados is essentially “feeling its way in dark” for 2019. This is one leading economist’s take from the Barbados Central Bank’s report 2018 report released on Wednesday. According to Professor Michael Howard, the report essentially showed that the economy went into recession in 2018 and that its chances of recovery were dependent on the moon and stars aligning, in terms of the country’s economic outlook. Howard contended that Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes was hesitant to make predictions due to the absence of any concrete economic indicators. The economist argued that this state of uncertainty in the economy would result in potential investors remaining on the fence, adopting “a wait-and-see approach for any plans to invest in the country. “In terms of the challenges this year, he was uncomfortable and generally non-specific. For instance having cut expenditure, he is a bit uncertain, as I am, if the Government would be able to sustain the fall in current expenditure. To what extent can Government assure that expenditure is not going to increase rather than decrease,” asked Howard. The retired head of economics at the University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, lamented that the report had no serious analysis of the impact of Government’s decision to reduce domestic corporation tax to be compliant with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Dr Howard noted that Governor Haynes needed to elaborate on the cut in the corporate tax, which is not part of the IMF [International Monetary Fund] programme but is there now as a revenue adjustment issue. He is hoping that the corporate sector would invest in the economy but that is just a hope and we can’t say very much about that. Last December, Prime Minister Mia Mottley gave local businesses a bug tax break announcing a massive reduction in corporation tax from 25 per cent to between 1 to 5.5 per cent. At the time of the announcement she made it clear that she wants businesses to share the benefits with Barbadians. The development means that local businesses would benefit from the overhaul of the tax regime, putting them on a level playing field with their international counterparts with businesses in Barbados. However, Howard argued that with revenues below the target last year and a projection of zero growth this year, it was important to get serious analysis of the possible impact of the reduced tax. In addition, Howard contended that another unknown variable was the state of play with regard to negotiations with international creditors and the potential effect on the foreign reserves. “He is simply hoping that these negotiations will not have an impact on the foreign reserves and quite frankly that is my hope as well. He is hoping that these creditors will not go hard on Barbados. He also gave no view on the IMF programme and whether the requirement of a six per cent surplus over this year into next year was even possible.  So the Governor was very good on what happened in 2018 but he, like myself, is very uncertain about what will happen this year. So we are really feeling our way in the dark,” said Howard, who told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians will have to wait until the second half of the year to get the answers to these questions. In his press conference on Wednesday, Haynes revealed that after contracting slightly in the final three months of last year due to a weak performance in the tourism sector for that period, Barbados’ economy is forecast to be flat in 2019. During his review last November, Haynes had said economic activity contracted by 0.5 per cent during the first nine months. However, the Governor said in the last quarter the country’s economy had contracted a further 0.1 per cent. (BT)

IMF PROGRAMME ON TRACK, SAYS BPSA – Head of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) Edward Clarke has given the Mia Mottley-led Government thumbs up for the manner in which the administration has handled the first five months of Barbados’ structural adjustment under the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Noting that the last Government, of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), had attempted home grown austerity, Clarke said that the difference this time around was stronger oversight and political will. “For the last three years we have been preaching this concept of oversight to the last Government, so it is nothing new to us coming into the programme this time around. Under the BSRP [Barbados Sustainable Recovery Plan] there was a sort of oversight committee but it was not very effective and it became too big and cumbersome,” Clarke explained. According to BPSA head, the independent nature of the monitoring committee for the IMF-approved Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, is set up to hold Government to account. “This time around we decided that we wanted to be part of the process. The creditors group decided that they also needed to be part of it. So when we were re-negotiating the debt-restructuring programme with the Government, the creditors insisted that they must be part of the oversight, which became the monitoring committee. We have no member of Government on this committee. Obviously we have some non-disclosure agreements but we are going to be reporting to the public mid-February the latest,” he said. The BERT Monitoring Committee provides an avenue for the Barbados Creditors Group and the members of the Social Partnership to receive and review information from the Government on the progress of implementation and achievement of the targets under the (IMF) Extended Fund Facility of US$290 million and assists in ensuring that such targets were achieved,” the agreement stated. Under the MOU, Government is to provide the BERT Monitoring Committee with information on the progress and performance on its macro-fiscal targets, and to assist in ensuring that those targets are achieved. The committee will also be provided with the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) and will be required to advise the public of progress on the macro-fiscal targets in the programme and this would include relaying concerns to the public where appropriate. Clarke also heaped praise on Prime Minister Mottley, noting that she has demonstrated strong leadership throughout the process thus far. “We have strong leadership in the country at this time and I think that the Prime Minister has been a very good advocate of the programme,” the BPSA head, said, adding that IMF representative, Dr Kevin Greenidge has been very forthcoming with all of the data. “Dr Greenidge is the one who has the oversight to make sure that Government does the things it is supposed to do. He is making sure that data is provided to us on a timely basis so that we have access to the information that is needed,” Clarke added. However Clarke explained that while this is a good start, Government must now move towards the next step bringing back growth to the economy. “We now have to ensure that we get growth because cost reduction does not grow anything,” Clarke stressed. (BT)

UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE RISE – The rate of unemployment for the third quarter (July to September) of 2018 stood at 10.7 per cent, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from the rate of 8.2 per cent recorded for the second quarter of 2018. According to the data produced by the Barbados Statistical Service, statistics derived from the Continuous Household Labour Force Survey indicated that the unemployment rate among males stood at 10.7 per cent and 10.8 per cent among females. In the review period, the number of persons employed totalled 128,800. Of this number, there were 65,300 males and 63,500 females. The total number of unemployed persons stood at 15,500; comprising 7,800 males and 7,700 females. In total, the number of persons in the labour force stood at 144,300.The number of persons not actively looking for work, hence excluded from the labour force, was 75,300 persons. The Labour Force participation rate stood at 65.7 per cent, with participation among males at 69.8 per cent and 62.0 per cent among females. In the third quarter of 2018, the Wholesale & Retail Trade sector generated jobs for the largest number of persons, employing 19,900 persons, while the Accommodation & Food Services sector employed 17,300 persons. The Construction, Mining & Quarrying sector generated employment for 13,100 persons and the Manufacturing Sector generated employment for 9,200 persons. Employment in the Public Administration and Defence sector stood at 8,900 persons, while the category classified as the Other Groups, employed 8,800 persons. The Administrative and Support Service sector employed 7,200 persons. The Transportation and Storage sector employed 6,900 persons. Employment in the Education sector stood at 6,000 persons, while the Finance and Insurance sector employed 5,800 persons. Employment in the Human Health and Social Work sector stood at 5,400 persons, while the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services stood at 4,900 persons. Employment levels in the Other Services sector and Activities of Households as Employers both stood at 4,200 persons, while Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing sector stood at 3,700 persons. In the Electric, Gas, Steam, Water & Air Conditioning Supply sector, 3,200 persons were employed during the third quarter of 2018. Data provided is provisional. Due to rounding, some totals might not agree. (BT)

UNION OFFENDED – President of the Sugar Industries and Staff Association (SISA) Edwin O’Neal has lambasted the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) Limited for the management of its recent retrenchment exercise. In a fiery press conference this morning, O’Neal accused the BAMC of being disrespectful to the union during negotiations. The BAMC recently took a decision to send home 46 workers as part of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. However, O’Neal accused the BAMC’s general manager Leslie Parris of failing to meet with SISA, as well as failing to give the union the necessary information required to allow it to make informed decisions. He charged that SISA had also written to the BAMC on numerous occasions, but had gotten no responses. O’Neal, who is also president of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), furthermore accused the BAMC of failing to follow the last-in first-out rule, and of ignoring the rule which spoke to not sending home two persons of the same household. He said as a result of the BAMC’s approach, SISA had written to the Chief Labour Officer declaring a dispute between the two entities. “It is clear that the BAMC is disrespectful to this union, disrespectful to customs and practice and we would even go to say disrespectful to the Prime Minister. “We are now satisfied that the BAMC has targeted and attempted to decapitate the leadership of this union and that cannot be allowed in Barbados in 2019…” the irate president said. “SISA was left with no option but to declare a dispute between itself and BAMC and invite the Chief Labour Officer to intervene in an attempt at conciliation.” O’Neal charged that even when the Chief Labour Officer intervened and set a January 30 date for the two parties to meet, the BAMC failed to show up. But the SISA president said despite the BAMC’s unacceptable behaviour, the union was still willing to have a sit down. He however, warned that once SISA had exhausted all of its efforts in reaching an amicable solution, further action would then be taken. “Even at this late stage I am not going to be guilty of what I have accused the other side of. I am still going to follow process. “I have alerted the Chief Labour Officer as to how we feel about the matter and I am going to exhaust all legal, lawful, time-honoured and accepted practices, but there comes a time when that process is exhausted,” Oneal stated. “I have to be responsible, not only as the leader of SISA, but also as the president of CTUSAB. It is regrettable that the BAMC in the person of the general manager Parris and his acolytes, do not bring that level of responsibility that ought to attend these levels of discussions and be aware of his status in the nation.” General Secretary of CTUSAB Dennis DePeiza was also on hand to support SISA, and accused the BAMC of “bad faith bargaining”. “As you are well aware CTUSAB has constantly placed in the public’s domain, the continued disrespect and disregard that we have had for the industrial relations process as cited in this case with the BAMC. “What is really of concern is the bad faith bargaining that has been reflected in this instance and whereas SISA has operated above board, have sought to do the correct things, we have found at the end of the day, the BAMC, though they may have started the process, violated the process with impunity,” Depeiza said. (BT)

PEACE RESTORED – Employees of the finance department of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) have complained to their trade union of feeling unduly harassed by the authority’s leadership. This “reasonable” belief prompted the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) General Secretary Toni Moore to request an urgent meeting with BWA’s management. A letter, dated January 18, 2019, and addressed to BWA’s General Manager Keithroy Halliday, called for an urgent meeting to address the “existing disillusionment” felt by the staff in an effort to clear the way for the restoration of the trust and confidence that is [sic] very much needed at this time to assure the achievement of desired levels of efficiency at the authority. “Among the grievances cited, is the fact that the members of the department have been criticized for submitting inadequate information without being advised specifically where there are deficiencies and where the adjustments are therefore required. “Compounding this has been the ‘sledgehammer approach to crack a nut’, which is seemingly preferred by your management. The approach to have the chairman chide and reprimand your staff even before you, through your own efforts as General Manager, seek to determine why instructions from on high were not, or could not be executed, is unfortunate,” a copy of the letter which was acquired by Barbados TODAY read. “Not only is such an approach excessive, oppressive and intimidating, but the involvement of the Board, the minister and consultants of the Government of Barbados under the circumstances is also indicative of a serious management and communication deficiency,” the letter continued. The strongly-worded document also said that failing to properly communicate with staff to get to the bottom of issues but choosing instead to trivialize their illnesses and absences from work, might satisfy “your own misgivings”. “However, perhaps unwittingly, it has created a negative working environment which denies both you and your employees the benefits of a positive work environment, especially at a time where we should be desperate to accelerate recovery from the recent retrenchment exercise,” the letter continued. The letter also outlined that the BWU hoped that the authority’s management would consider the benefits of a meeting with the union to fully develop and address these and other concerns, instead of “your open contemplation to have the staff of this department meet with your Board in circumstances where, understandably, they regard themselves as being under threat”. “It is hoped that such basic labour management relations issues would not have to escalate beyond where already, quite unnecessarily, it has been taken by you,” it said. It was proposed that the meeting be held on Wednesday 23 January 2019, at 9:30 a.m. at BWU’s Solidarity House. When asked if he was aware of the letter which outlined the employees’ concerns, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams told Barbados TODAY that he preferred not to make a comment on the matter. The minister however requested that Barbados TODAY communicate with BWA’s chairman Leodean Worrell, who could not be reached. Efforts to contact the authority’s General Manager Keithroy Halliday, and BWU’s General Secretary also proved futile. However, when reached president of the BWA division of the BWU, Carl Boyce, told Barbados TODAY that the meeting between the union and the authority’s management was indeed held and “all concerns” were resolved. “That meeting took place and everything was settled and everything went in the workers’ favour. Everything is normal. The workers and the union are satisfied that everything is all right now. We had a lengthy two-hour meeting and everything was resolved,” Boyce assured. (BT)

GREEN LIGHTS TO SAVE MILLIONS – Government has partnered with Caribbean LED lighting to replace most of the public street lights in Barbados. Yesterday in the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Country Road, St Michael, Minister Wilfred Abrahams and chief executive officer of Caribbean LED Gerard Borely signed the agreement to replace 28 000 high pressure sodium bulbs with LED bulbs, a move estimated to save more than $3.7 million annually as well as help Barbados achieve its goals of eliminating fossil fuel use by 2030 and becoming the first country to use 100 per cent green energy. The initiative forms the final component one of the public sector smart energy programme, funded jointly by the European Union and Inter-American Development Bank to the tune of almost US $25 million. The other components included an electric vehicle pilot project and ocean energy studies followed by capacity building, institutional strengthening, public education and awareness and project management. (WN)

QEH SUITS OUR NEEDS – A veteran architect believes that the present Queen Elizabeth Hospital once maintained is adequate for the needs of Barbados and there is no need for Government to build another state-owned hospital. According to Andy Voss the idea to build a new facility in Kingsland, Christ Church is not beneficial to the country. Speaking to the media at a ribbon cutting and opening of the Soroptimist Village’s laundry facility in Eden Lodge, St Michael on Thursday the architect and senior partner of Tomlin Voss Associates said, “What are we doing spending our money to build a new hospital up there? Upgrade what you’ve got and knock down some of the buildings around it so you can get a bit more sensible parking,” Voss said. The architect who has been working in Barbados for the past 60 years questioned why Government is so quick to move buildings from Bridgetown and its environs which has UNESCO heritage site status. “Why are we moving away from Bridgetown, just because it is fashionable? This is architecture. Architecture has changed with the fashion and if you think of it, buildings like that were fairly stark and then you went into a ‘pretty’ type of architecture with the cottage and gingerbread architecture,” he said, adding that the QEH needs to be given the tools to make it cutting edge in 21st century Barbados. “What matters is whether QEH serves its function properly. If it needs more money, more maintenance, more staff, more security that is the sort of thing and that needs to be backed with the procedure and equipment as it changes. But it has not done badly,” Voss said. He noted that he has heard the cries about knocking down the QEH but he believed that the structure built by the late Captain Tomlin has been properly maintained. “I would go against that. The hospital is in a good position generally especially now that it is easy to get to Bridgetown and you should leave it there because 60 per cent of it is in good order and up-to-date. The QEH is one area that has been maintained. Look at all the other government buildings, the old NIS building, the new law courts, the maintenance has not been kept up.” In 2012 former Minister of Health Donville Inniss announced that a general hospital would be constructed in Kingsland Christ Church to replace the QEH.  (BT)

CONCORDE TO BE ADDED TO SYMMONDS’ MINISTRY – Minister of Tourism and International Transport  Kerrie Symmonds says his ministry will be responsible for the Barbados Concorde Experience which is to become the star attraction of an aeronautical museum. Speaking to Barbados TODAY from the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay Jamaica, Symmonds said “My ministry is going to take control of the attraction. It was originally under the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc (BTMI) but that is now in the Ministry of Investment. “We are prepared to take it over and have it as a part of the airport’s management structure and the airport will superintend the attraction and also the maintenance of the hanger and the Concorde experience as a whole,” he said, adding that the renovation of the Concorde will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Symmonds noted that there was no plan in place on how to market the aeronautical attraction which Barbados inherited in 2003. “The problem with the Concorde Experience is that I came into office and there was no marketing plan for the attraction and frankly there was no development plan. So I wanted it to be re-thought as an attraction and I wanted it to be something that we can bring up to date,” he said as he also alluded to plans for a museum. “If we are going to have an aeronautical experience that means we have to have things that will support it at the Concorde not just to go there and see the aircraft or to take a tour of the aircraft. So, it may be displays of information technology or more historical stuff. So that is a work in progress. It is a little too early to get a perspective on that,” he said.  (BT)

PREMIUM BIM – With Barbados’ tourism product a little more expensive as a result of recent taxes, Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds is giving the assurance that careful and vigorous work is being undertaken so the destination could offer better value for money. Pointing to some measures that have already been put in place by the eight-month-old Mia Mottley-led administration to reinvigorate the tourism industry, Symmonds told Barbados TODAY he was aware that while tourist arrival numbers have been robust the spend is not where it should be. He said while it was critical that the offerings be refreshed, a holistic approach was needed. “So we are looking at a number of the existing attractions in Barbados, trying to identify areas where they can be strengthened or refreshed and then we are trying to build out green field attractions,” he said on Wednesday while attending the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “It has to be a value-for-money proposition in Barbados. When people are going to pay a premium fare to come to Barbados they want to get a premium experience. You can’t put a five-star stamp on something and then offer them a two or three-star product. “So there are a number of issues we have to get absolutely right in Barbados and those are not necessarily tourism industry issues but they are supportive issues – things like the little spike in crime that we had over the course of the last few weeks and the reluctance of people to ensure they properly dispose of garbage and have an efficient system of collection and so on. Those are the things I think can create a negative impression and hurt the product even more than the prices,” he explained. As part of $1.2 billion austerity package announced last year, Government imposed a number of new taxes on the tourism sector. Chief among them was a US$70 Airline Travel and Development fee for trips to extra-regional destinations and a US$35 fee for travel within the Caribbean. A range of hotel room taxes from US$2.50 to US$10 per night have also been implemented and a ten per cent tax on shared accommodation such as Airbnb. The latest Central Bank report indicated that despite a 2.8 per cent increase in long-stay visitor arrivals, tourism output fell by 1.6 per cent last year, from 2.2 per cent in 2017, due to a decline in the length of stay and less tourist spend. Symmonds’ comments came on Wednesday afternoon just as the Central Bank was giving its economic review for 2018. He said while people were generally prepared to spend premium dollars to come to Barbados because of the reputation it has for safety and friendliness, he insisted that Barbados must give value for money if the country is to earn more from the industry. “My position on the tourism industry is that I have wanted to have it re-thought for a while, and that process is in train,” he said, as he highlighted the establishment of the new National Cruise Development Commission and ongoing upgrades at the Grantley Adams International Airport. Symmonds said he was yet to do a review of the revenue intake from the taxes, which took effect October last year. However, he said his ministry has been observing the reaction from the various markets. The tourism minister said while there was a shockwave initially, with some believing that Barbados was pricing itself out the competition, that response did not match up with the record number of visitors this winter season so far and the future bookings. However, pointing out that it was not a clear-cut situation, Symmonds explained that while some markets including Canada, were performing well generally, there were some areas within the market where there was “increased price sensitivity”. “So that is something that I have sat down with the marketing team and discussed and we are looking at ways in which we can try to counteract that. All in all, I don’t think that we are having an exceptionally difficult time as a result of the tax imposition,” he said. Congratulating CEO of the Elegant Hotels Group Sunil Chatrani and others who received awards during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace this week, Symmonds said his wish was that the Elegant Hotels model would be replicated among the Intimate Hotels group. This group represents about 50 boutique hotel properties across the island. “They are going to be branded as a Barbadian product called Intimate Hotels, and certainly the intention is to have a variety of experiences under one brand in a similar way. Those discussions have begun and I think we are making some useful progress in that regard,” disclosed Symmonds, who was not in a position to give an update on the proposed Hyatt Centric project or Sam Lords Castle development. “Similarly, in so far as the hotel-related attractions are concerned, we are looking at areas for redevelopment and re-imagination of the concept so that entertainment areas like St Lawrence Gap and Second Street, Holetown are areas where I think we are going to be focusing on in 2019, with a view to trying to make them as cutting edge as possible in terms of the experience. So a lot of planning has gone into the latter part of 2018 and I think we are now at the stage where we are about to start the execution of some of those plans,” he said. (BT)

VIOLENCE, A DAMPER ON TOURISM – Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds is deeply disturbed by the number of violent deaths in Barbados during the first month of the year, warning that it had the potential to impact gravely on the island’s bread and butter tourism industry. Calling for an end to the violent crimes, most of which have been gun-related, Symmonds at the same time welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Mia Mottley that a concerted effort would be made to curb the violence. “I am heartened and happy that from the highest level of government – the Prime Minister herself – through to the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, everybody is onboard in this matter because it is simply not to be tolerated. It has to be stomped out as ruthlessly as possible,” Symmonds told Barbados TODAY. Last Friday, Mottley announced that close to 100 soldiers would work alongside the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) and the service of of former commissioner of police Darwin Dottin would be enlisted as Government embarked on a major fight against crime. With Barbados experiencing another bumper tourist winter season, Symmonds expressed shock at the number of violent incidents that were taking place. “Whenever we have a shooting incident we compromise the image of the country and do untold potential damage to what we could be achieving financially. It disturbed me deeply that those things were happening while we had 6, 500 English guests in the island,” said Symmonds. “It is a good thing that you can have that level of occupancy that we had, but the reality is that all of those people were here on the island at the time when that lawlessness was taking place in Barbados,” he said. Describing the crime situation as problematic, Symmonds said: “I want people to be a lot more conscious and aware of the consequences of that kind of activity and that the foolishness they do hurt innocent people who are working hard trying to get this country back on its feet again. We can’t tolerate that.” (BT)

GOVT NOT ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES – The Mia Mottley-led Barbados Labor Party administration is failing miserably on the issue of crime and violence, according to President of the African Heritage Foundation, Paul Rock. In a statement, the foundation scoffed at fresh commitments by soldiers and police to arrest the situation, following a worrying spate of murders in January. Last Friday evening, Prime Minister Mottley assured Barbadians that police officers would be working on off days and soldiers would be placed on the street as part of efforts to arrest the unprecedented crime situation. However, Rock argued that the root causes of the problems were not being addressed. “Police giving up off days and soldiers on the street! What will this accomplish exactly? If you don’t address root causes of anything you are moving on a treadmill of ignorance. Can the Prime Minister tell us the root causes of gun violence in our streets? We really hope she does not say guns. A gun has no power unless fired. We should be looking at what is causing the people to fire!” he charged, before taking aim at the education system and the controversial common entrance exam,” charged Rock, who identified the structure of the country’s school system as a major factor. “To help curb the spread of violent crime we need to violently dismantle this high and low school thing we call an educational system and all that goes with it,” he said in reference to the controversial common entrance exam. “We need a totally revamped education system with a ministry that cares and is equipped physically and mentally to do the job,” he said. Prime Minister Mottley also recently removed the Royal Barbados Police Force from the portfolio of Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson and placed it with Attorney General Dale Marshall. However head of the local pressure group is not convinced that such measures would suffice. Rock also condemned the country’s justice system for operating too slowly, a situation, which he believed, was encouraging citizens “to take matters into their own hand.” He also criticized government for clogging up the court system with unimportant issues like marijuana-related offences. “Legalize the cannabis,” demanded Rock. “Allow greater access to it by all. Cut out the high street prices and the need to rob those who have managed to get through the island’s borders with the plant. Research cannabis in poverty-stricken communities and understand how the plant already aids in the reduction of violent crime, and how its legalization for meditational/recreational use will impact violent crime.” The African Heritage Foundation president also appealed for more empowerment of community organizations, “who actually have plausible tangible solutions for social issues that plague our nation. Have consultations with these groupings and see what you can learn from them,” he urged, adding that politicians alone could not be trusted with the public’s safety. “To seriously tackle violent crime in our society we must also address what is played on our radio stations and public transportation aimed at the youth. How can we expect to be praising criminals on the radio, ‘bigging’ them up and expect the violence to ease up? This too must violently be addressed.”  (BT)

MINISTER: TRANSFER ON HOLD – The transfer of the 14-year-old boy from Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School in St Joseph to Darryl Jordan Secondary School in St Lucy has been put on hold. Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw told the Weekend Nation yesterday that she had ordered an investigation into the matter. Speaking to this newspaper from Miami via telephone, Bradshaw said the decision to suspend the transfer was made following a briefing with the Chief Education Officer and other ministry officials. (WN)

FATHER: I TRIED MY BEST – “I feel like I fail my Ramario.” That was the heart-rending statement of Anthony Wiltshire, father of 18-year-old Ramario Antonio Roach who was charged for two of the nine murders recorded last month and one last December. Roach, of River Bay, St Lucy, yesterday appeared before Magistrate Wanda Blair in the Holetown Magistrates’ Court. He was not required to plead to three counts of murder, that he killed his mother Joann Roach, 38, of the same address, whose partially decomposed body was found in a watercourse in the area on Errol Barrow Day.  (WN)

TEEN CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF MURDER – Triple murder accused, eighteen-year-old Ramario Roach, of River Bay, St Lucy, has been charged with three counts of murder. The victims, one male and two females, were found in various stages of decomposition between December and January. The body of former Free Hill, Black Rock, St Michael resident, 68-year-old Tyrone Austin, was discovered in a bushy area in Wanstead Gardens, St James on December 18 last year. The partially decomposed body of Joann Roach, 38 years, formerly of River Bay, St Lucy, was discovered in a watercourse at River Bay on Monday, January 21. Roach is believed to be the mother of the accused. Just one day later on January 22, the mutilated body Dr. Sarah Sutrina, was discovered nearby in Ocean Estate, Northumberland, St Lucy. The former UWI lecturer of Wanstead Gardens, St James, was also 68 years old. The accused is to appear in the Holetown Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Blair. (WN)

COPS DIGGING DEEPER – Police are probing a major car theft racket which has resulted in hundreds of vehicles disappearing. Initially when the popular brand was being stolen – seemingly without a trace – lawmen were operating on the premise that they were being secretly shipped out of the island. However, deeper probing revealed that many of the approximately 600 vehicles stolen between 2012 and last year were actually still on the island and being driven around as legitimately imported vehicles. (WN)

HEFTY FINE FOR RED LIGHT – Not stopping at a traffic light has cost a driver $1000. That was the fine handed down by Magistrate Graveney Bannister in the Traffic Court to Kenmore Clarke of Dash Road, Bank Hall, St Michael, who pleaded guilty to the offence of May 20, 2018. Clarke said he was going through the amber light, when the lights changed. The magistrate noted that such offences were too prevalent. Failing to pay the forthwith fine, Clarke will spend 100 days in prison. (BT)

CPL’S $US20.8 MILLION BOOST – Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) today announced that the tournament’s economic impact for Barbados last year was US$20,841,961.  The tournament was staged between August 8 and 16 September 16.  Organisers said that figure represented an increase on the 2017 figure of nearly 40 per cent. This figure has been calculated using organiser spend, visitor spend and media value and was collated for Hero CPL by world-renowned researchers, SMG Insight. In addition to that economic impact figure the Hero CPL employed 361 staff in Barbados and filled 4,579 hotel rooms during the 2018 event. The value of media exposure and mentions of Barbados from the coverage was US$10,438,503, almost double that achieved in 2017. This was due in part to the unique sponsorship of the Sky Sports CPL coverage in the United Kingdom by the Visit Barbados campaign. The Hero CPL spent US$2,644,411 in Barbados during the 2018 event with the tournament hosting five matches in the island. Speaking about the report from SMG Insight the Hero CPL Chief Operating Officer, Pete Russell said: “Barbados has been such a large part of CPL since the tournament started in 2013 and we are delighted to be providing tangible benefits to the economy of the country. We have already started our plans for the 2019 tournament, and we are certain we can improve on these figures.” First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. Combining broadcast and digital viewership, over 200 million fans watched the 2018 season to make it one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket. Trinbago Knight Riders are the current Hero CPL champions and the other competing teams are Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St Lucia Stars and Jamaica Tallawahs. (BT)

WINDIES FIRED UP – Another incisive display from West Indies’ seamers once again brutally exposed England’s suspect batting, as the visitors folded cheaply in their first innings to give the hosts command of the opening day of the second Test yesterday. Still brimming with confidence following their dominant first Test victory last weekend in Bridgetown, the Windies hardly put a foot wrong as they bundled England out for 187 before reaching the close on 30 without loss – 157 runs behind heading into today’s second at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Veteran seamer Kemar Roach bowled superbly to claim four for 30 while new-ball partner Shannon Gabriel worked up a fair turn of pace on the two-paced surface to finish with three for 45. (WN)

DOTTIN ON FIRE – Batting star Deandra Dottin narrowly missed out on a record-breaking third Twenty20 International hundred as West Indies launched their historic three-match tour here with a convincing 71-run win Thursday. Choosing to bat first at Southend Club, West Indies piled up 160 for six of their 20 overs, with the right-handed Dottin blasting an unbeaten 90 off 60 deliveries. Chedean Nation struck exactly 50 off 35 balls as West Indies recovered from an uncertain start to reach a competitive total. In reply, fast bowler Shamilia Connell snatched three for 29 while new-ball partner Shakera Selman (2-8) and off-spinner Anisa Mohammed (2-17) picked up two wickets apiece, as Pakistan folded for 80 with two overs left. Captain Bismah Maroof top-scored with 38 but was the only one to offer resistance, leaving Pakistan well short of their target. Playing their first series on Pakistan soil in 15 years, West Indies were propelled as Dottin dominated a 34-run opening stand with Kycia Knight (8). But both Knight and Shemaine Campbelle (4) fell in the space of 17 runs to leave the Windies on 51 for two in the ninth over before Dottin found a stable partner in Nation to repair the innings. All told, Player-of-the-Match Dottin struck eight fours and four sixes as she put on 109 in an unbroken third wicket stand. Nation counted four fours and a brace of sixes, providing the momentum as West Indies gathered 62 runs from the last five overs. Pakistan never quite found their footing, especially after Connell knocked over openers Sidra Ameen (2) and Javeria Khan (19) cheaply to catches at the wicket, leaving the score on 32 for two in the sixth over. Bismah tried to rally the innings, hitting five fours in a patient 37-ball knock but was ninth out as Pakistan lost their last six wickets for just 18 runs. The next T20I is set for Friday.  (BT)

FROM CLASSIC TO PRO –This is going to be a historic year for Barbados in bodybuilding and fitness competitions. That’s because a pro qualifier and a pro contest will be held here for the first time. It is the Darcy Beckles Diamond Cup Barbados onJuly 6 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Conference Centre. This means that some of this country’s top competitors such as Martinus Durrant, Shaquile Lavine, Shakira Doughlin and Hadley Hoyte, can seek pro cards at home. Former national men’s physique champion Ryan Haynes, who is now clear to compete after a two-year suspension ended last October, can launch his comeback at the pro qualifier which will have entrants from Europe, North American and the Caribbean. (WN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 333 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[koiandjelly]

In regards to my long fucking essay on all things I could think of for everything I think people might wonder about Etheri, Etherivium, the Void, and just... so many goddamn things...

That’s the first draft, please keep in mind as you navigate it. And it’s all based on, in simplified words, how a perfect entity embodying all of existence works if it is influenced by a single exception to its rules (Infinity -1 Paradox, in which the Concept of Absence is removed from the would-be Infinite pool of Concepts available to Etheri without breaking its ability to function via its own Law, nor creating any Paradoxes involving Infinity’s status as being truly Infinite. Hence it being dubbed: the Infinity -1 Paradox.) as well as how it behaves in a way that defies all logic as we understand it, despite AND also because of the nature of Paradoxes and Concepts and Counterpart Concepts. I also tried to explain in a semi coherent way how the Void is both a concept of Absence and the Absence of a concept, which makes it a Paradox of sorts, but because it is the Void, and it already is the Absence of Concepts as a defining thing, it doesn’t collapse the Domain, but it does also have equilibrium with Etheri in terms of Purest of all Destruction (i was going to reiterate that it’s the goddamn Void, but I think y’all understand it well enough by now for me to skip further reminders that despite everything it could mean and should do, its definitive trait is that stuff cannot exist in it, ever, at all, without that golden combo of Concepts only Etheri has ever made, and imma cut it short this is getting rambly)

Anyway, the Void’s “Destruction” in the form of only being an infinite expanse of theoretically infinite outward expansion within the Domain’s theoretical limit to keep it from being a canon crossover eater of worlds (Domain being, as a reminder, the term I created to give a name and lore friendly reason for why an Author’s creations can be canonically contained, because I don’t really want a possible future in which a possible fandom meme of “canonically the Void could extend into X fandom’s world and delete everything!!” And then there’s a plague of Thanos Snap type memes about Winnie the Pooh getting eradicated by Void invasion— just. I needed a lore friendly reason to have an ultimate limit to an infinitely expanding Void apocalypse, which ended up being not just lore-friendly, but also potentially useful to prevent other creators from getting upset over it if it’s interpreted as like... rude or something? I don’t know, whatever.)

Aaand since Concepts typically form in Counterpart pairs, the Absence of All Things invokes the presence of the Existence of All Things, which in turn is why I have the Infinity -1 Paradox in place, which theeen connects to the equilibrium of Concepts, Counterpart Concepts (which are actually the Primitive, Specific pieces that individually actually have the opposite effect with the Concept they match, as all together would be the Absence Concept which makes the singular Void, but since they are the specific sub-definition Concept form, rather than overwhelm through a Structural Collapsing Paradox with the supermassive Existence Concept, they work like how pruning a bush’s dead leaves helps it, despite removing its one living limbs which out of context sounds bad. But in context, with each Concept forming a Counterconcept, they find equilibrium that forms the overall Concept of Destruction, which is in turn a part of the Core Concept of Chaos, which most significantly brings about change, as it and the Concept of Order are both Concepts representing within themselves an equivalent presence and absence of all that they mean. This is a definitive part of what identifies the Core Concepts, as they are very broad, layered Concepts that have counterparts, but share equal function in presenting their own set of concepts and applying an abstract concept of absence that, because they are always formed as once Concept that then split perfectly. They are more fundamental in the structure of most of Universes born within Etherivium, because they are stable bundles of everything that the Gods (upon their creation by Etherivium) need to build their Multiverses and then Universes, and then all that goes within them, to form the circumstances of everything Bounding Beyond the Stars will be about. Core Concepts, in short, are equal counterpart pairs of many bundled Concepts that balance each other out through shared roles of give and take occurring between both definitions of those Concepts, as opposed to the majority, singular Concept type which are more specific definitions, thus are many more times numerous than Broad Concepts, which all are different from Core Concepts also due to being pairs of the Presence of a Thing, and the Absence of a Thing, in pairs where that is the easiest path of balance, (I specifically emphasize this because Concepts go down to the smallest scale possible, but Core Concepts are always a culmination of many concepts forming a general definition, in addition to the other described distinctions. This is relevant in terms of them being tools noticed and utilized by Gods for their initial purpose of being sort of like Repair tools for Etherivium’s structural dilemma.)

The only Core Concept pair that lacks the equivalent push and pull split among both Concepts is the Light and Dark pair. Light is a representive, easy to say term for Energy (of all forms), and by extension its presence, whereas Dark is more accurately represented by the literal name, the Absence of Energy.

In their derivative forms, such as the Concept of Kinetic Energy, which invokes the presence of the Concept of Heat, the Concept of Absence of Heat is what specifically is present on the Universe’s most basic level (layers of reality start at conceptual basic level, then move upwards in layers in a sort of specification of complexity, sort of. The plane we live on is one of many forms of interpretable results of concepts all existing in a logical manner, notably in physical form. Interaction with different layers of reality means access to all sorts of manifestations of conceptual structure, at least in a vague sense. It depends on so many factors. Shit’s complicated, but compare it to an ascending structure of sieves that eventually divide into the finest of things at the top, with Core Concepts at the very bottom.) and whatever other factors are present result in the counterpart concepts finding balance, which we interpret as rules and laws we can make sense of. Skin your knee after sliding on the carpet, and you experience pain and heat and— well all those things, behind the scenes, are Concepts all working together to create that.

So... where was I going with all this.

Tldr; The Ashen Dominion and all the stuff I’ve made in it have a very particular system that I’ve spent many fucking hours that I don’t regret but do acknowledge— (deep inhale) I put time building this stuff. I want my High Fantasy world to mesh nicely with Science Fiction so that I can have intergalactic crimelord Goddesses with planet busting guns that exist because of, specifically, Concept based reality weaving, and all sorts of cool shit in which even mortals like Humans who suck at spellcasting magic, but have that power of teamwork and thinking hard, to be able to figure out how to munchkin their way into deciphering Reality themselves! Which, significantly, is something Humans are not meant to do. But I digress: All this long as fucking hell geek-babble (based on a 20 year old girl’s interpretation of frequent googling of universal theories, who I’ll mention, has no college experience or any formal education on the subject, so ya know, it isn’t meant to be anything relevant to the topic of actual irl creation theory, it’s just a grandiose fantasy setting with some broken logic and personal theory mixed in (and most importantly, the presence of magic as a force as omnipresent as gravity and is used as a vital building block in many many parts of the Ashen Domain. Magic is the big fucking thing that will eventually be the topic of many long essays worth of text) and all this is for the main purpose of setting particular rules and limits and explanations so that, when those rules and stuff are broken or altered, y’all who understand the context of their being the way they are will understand it to be the significant thing that it should be.

Gotta have rules before you break any. If Magic Character 1 stops Time with magic, then whatever right that’s cool, but if it is clarified that what happened was a Magic-based interference with the Core Concept of Time in that universe, then it���s a bit of a bigger deal. Context is important stuff, so I very much so want to put effort into providing it.

[leftpress]

JK Revell | July 9th 2019 | Not a Dead Communist

The word "wight", as D&D books are always eager to remind us, originally just meant "person". It was common enough in this sense in medieval English, and into at least the seventeenth century (Shakespeare uses it, for one). After that, it becomes somewhat old-fashioned, and it's unlikely that anyone much has used the word in this sense for over a hundred years, at least outside of poetry. In 1869, however, a translator used the term "barrow-wight" (literally "tomb-person") to describe a form of undead from Norse legends. This term, of course, was later borrowed by Tolkien in Lord of the Rings. Gygax abbreviated it back to "wight" again for D&D, while retaining the "undead" meaning. It's likely Gygax's coinage that influenced George R.R. Martin when he chose the word to describe his own, more zombie-like, beings. However, in his universe, it's the White Walkers that most closely resemble D&D's wights, although there are a number of clear differences, not least in terms of how they are created. Tolkien's barrow-wight, however, was quite closely based on the undead of Norse myth - named draugr in the original language - and the original D&D version is clearly, in turn, based on that. These mythical "wights" were said to be corpses animated by the souls of their original inhabitants, pulled back from the afterlife, usually to guard their tombs, although they were capable of travelling out at night to take revenge on those who had wronged them, and they often had a range of magical abilities.

1E

The wight in the illustration has unkempt hair and long nails, but is basically just an animated corpse, albeit more intact than the typical zombie. Wights are slightly harder to hit, and can sustain more damage, than ghouls but, like them, don't appear to wear any armour or carry weapons. Much of their resistance, therefore, is, like that of ghouls, probably due to the absence of any blood or vital organs, and perhaps the stronger essence of "negative energy" flowing through them. Unlike ghouls, wights retain their full human intelligence and their "lawful evil" descriptor implies a greater degree of cooperation. They seem to exist in small communities of up to a dozen or so individuals, haunting ancient tombs, although no details of how they organise themselves are given. They are said to hate sunlight, so even though it doesn't physically harm them, it seems unlikely that they travel between tombs, or are likely to be encountered elsewhere. This implies that it must be possible to create them spontaneously, but whether this is by an evil spirit possessing a corpse (as in Tolkien's barrow-wights) or an evil departed soul re-animating its original body isn't stated. In fact, the only way that we are told new wights are made is by contagion, with the souls of those they slay becoming weaker wights under the control of their killer. That this generally happens through the use of energy drain, rather than the use of physical weaponry, probably explains why their bodies look so intact. Presumably, dwarven, halfling, etc., wights exist, although the reliance on tombs might rule out less architecturally inclined races such as, say, nomadic orcs. The 2E version is very similar, but with glowing eyes, and actual claws instead of long fingernails. They - perhaps more plausibly - are solitary, aside from any servitor wights they may have created, and even these are rare.

3E

Compared with some other creatures, wights don't really change much in 3E. In terms of appearance, they are back to having nails instead of claws, and their teeth are now needle-like. The one shown is cadaverous, rather than having the muscular build of the 1E version, but presumably, there has to be variation between individuals, so that may not mean much. They are, once again, more likely to live in packs, apparently being driven by a desire to create more of their kind, although these packs are typically smaller than those in 1E.

Changes in the rule system mean that we now know that wights are slightly stronger and faster than living humans, although this is only by a narrow margin, and they are, in fact, less physically potent than the otherwise easier-to-kill ghouls. They are, however, remarkably quiet when they move (perhaps not breathing helps here, or their movements are steadier) and they also have acute senses.

The Liber Mortis indicates that, while most wights are the former victims of other wights, they do also arise spontaneously from humans, orcs, hobgoblins, and, occasionally, dwarves. The details remain unclear, although the implication is that they are animated by their original soul - unlike Tolkien's barrow-wights. The wights of Pathfinder are, unsurprisingly, similar to the 3E version, but far more visibly decayed, and with the glowing eyes of 2E.

5E

The 5E version of the wight has undergone much more drastic changes, to the point that it's hard to imagine scholars within the world would consider them truly the same kind of entity. Having said which, some of the changes are relatively minor. For instance, while prior versions of the wight seem to be physically intact, albeit with an extreme bloodless pallor, the one in the illustration appears to suffer from some slight degree of bodily decay, in that's its nose has apparently rotted off... but it's hardly comparable with a zombie. Wights are also now weakened and near-blinded by sunlight, but then, they always avoided it anyway. Wights in 5E also wear armour and carry weapons, while all previous versions were dressed in funereal clothing and attacked with fists or claws. However, since wights are of fully human intelligence, there was presumably nothing to stop them doing this before, especially if they happened to belong to a culture that buries their dead warriors alongside the tools of their trade, as many real-world peoples have. It's a difference in attitude on the part of the wight, but not a change in their essential nature. In a more significant change from 3E, wights are now physically stronger than ghouls, as well as more intelligent and strong-willed. There's also a trade-off in terms of their physical resilience - an unarmoured wight is no longer any harder to hit than a regular human, but mundane weapons inflict less damage (in 1E, though, they had both innate armour and complete immunity to mundane weapons...) In addition, it's clear now that they can speak, in whatever language they knew in life; this wasn't explicitly stated before in the core rulebooks, although Liber Mortis mentioned it. The most dramatic change, however, is how new wights are created. Previously, most wights were the creation of other wights, who were, in fact, psychologically compelled to make more of their own kind - now, they have lost that ability entirely. Instead, all wights are spontaneously created, differing from ghouls in that they make an active choice to enter the ranks of the undead at the point of their physical death. (We're told this doesn't always work, presumably to stop PCs trying it). This means that they are, as in 2E, more likely to be solitary, but that they explicitly serve evil deities rather than being independent operators. They have switched from lawful to neutral evil, which sort of makes sense for a being selfish enough to choose wight-hood over their deity's afterlife.

As wilful corporeal undead, wights face many of the same biological issues as ghouls. The most significant are the two related questions of how their energy drain ability works and how and why people rise again as wights, as opposed to some other kind of undead. Energy drain is the signature attack of wights, and, in 1E, they are the weakest form of undead to possess this ability. As described in that edition, it is a terrifyingly powerful ability for something with so few hit dice - permanent loss of a level is about the worst thing one can do to a character in D&D without killing them - and it's noteworthy that the effect is progressively tuned down in later editions. It also fades more rapidly, so that, by 5E, the effect, such as it is by that edition, is entirely cured by a good night's sleep. We're told that the energy drain works because of the strong aura of "negative energy" that animates the wight. However, its effect is so tightly bound with the rules mechanics of D&D that it's hard to explain exactly what it's doing, from the perspective of somebody living in that universe. It doesn't induce lethargy or physical weakness, or obviously cloud the mind, but it does render the victim less effective at fighting, and, in earlier editions, at spellcasting, too. Somehow, it affects skill and experience, without also causing loss of the memories that go along with them. In 5E, however, perhaps it can be justified as weakening the bonds between the soul and the body, draining away the victim's "will to live" as the darkness rises inside them. When this ability entirely overwhelms someone, they die (brain death, presumably, with the rest of the body following). In most editions, they then become undead themselves, and some, probably most, wights are created this way. Some versions state that they retain their original soul when this happens, although, given that they always shift alignment to lawful evil, that may not really mean very much. Perhaps it's more like an evil spirit possessing the corpse and being able to access the original's memories. But, even so, some must arise spontaneously, and only 5E provides an explanation as to how this might happen. That version, however, doesn't seem to fit with what we know of wights from earlier editions, leaving the question open; perhaps a combination of events is required.

Because the signature power of ghouls is so tightly bound to the D&D mechanics, there is often no direct counterpart in other systems that use widely variant rules. The basic concept of moderately intelligent, active undead may certainly exist, but without the energy drain, they are arguably closer to D&D ghouls than to wights. With that proviso, the closest examples would be barrow-wights in directly Tolkien inspired games, or anything based on the draugr of Norse myth from which Tolkien drew his own inspiration. For the same reason, trying to more directly simulate an original-style D&D wight in a system that doesn't use levels can be tricky. They are typically somewhat stronger and more combat capable than regular humans, and, in the earlier editions are resilient to damage, probably because they don't bleed or have vital organs. But the energy drain is problematic. Each drain reduces the victim's skills by 5% or the nearest system-equivalent, but the nature of any other penalties may be difficult to carry over meaningfully, and, will, in any case, vary a fair bit depending on how the system works. As a result, it's probably best to avoid trying to stick too closely to the original concept. Fortunately, though, simulating the 5E version of energy drain is not as complicated as that of earlier editions. While it's not what described as happening - that is, not what an observer in the universe would see - game mechanically, a wight's energy drain attack in 5E simply gives the victim a wound that cannot be healed until the effect wears off (which takes a single night, in the standard version). That's easily enough simulated, although, in many systems, it will mean that a wight is significantly more powerful than it's intended to be in 5E, if it normally doesn't take many blows to kill someone...

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BMW’s New i8 Roadster Deserves Some Attention

BMW has made plenty of futuristic electric cars lately.

There’s the Vision iNext SUV, with autonomous driving and interior like a nightclub lounge. The company has also distributed a series of concepts throughout the rest of the group with electric drivetrains, silk couches, and wacky, Tron-like exterior designs.

Ironically, the one that’s been overlooked in the press is the 2019 BMW i8 roadster. The $163,300 drop-top still looks as gorgeous as ever. Its arched sides are sculpted to reveal air vents swooped across the body of the car like it’s perpetually in motion, while its low stance, squished-to-distinction kidney grille, robot-worthy interior, and propensity for two-tone paint jobs made it an immediate Instagram darling.

This version is even more striking than the i8 coupe, which premiered as a concept in 2009 and is, if you ask me, the best-looking production hybrid car ever made.

What’s more, the roadster launched only a few months ago, the first-ever open-air version of the hybrid coupe that BMW put on sale as a 2014-model-year vehicle. On a conference call for last year’s second-quarter earnings report, Chairman Harald Krüger called it “an ace up our sleeve.” We’ve been waiting for this ace since 2015, when BMW announced its impending arrival.

So What Gives?

There are significant reasons why the i8 roadster has been overlooked. For one thing, it’s not offering much new to the existing coupe model, except for a soft-top that drops in less than 20 seconds and improves the overall look of the car. The most prominent reason it remains relatively unheralded is that its performance isn’t as progressive these days as its spaceship body suggests.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it. The BMW i8 roadster is a well-built, thoughtfully designed, fairly priced (among its competition), and even practical high-end hybrid sports car. But this does merit some inspection.

I drove a dark gray 2019 i8 roadster for a week in New York City. Even with its admittedly few direct competitors, it’s not as fast as other electric and hybrid options. For instance, its zero to 60 mph sprint time of 4.4 seconds and top speed of 155 mph fall far behind the much sharper-handling $160,000 Acura NSX hybrid, which records a sprint time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 191 mph.

The latest electric vehicles do even better. The Audi e-tron, although still in conceptual stage, is a working car that goes zero to 60 in less than two seconds and has a fully electric range of 310 miles. The forthcoming plug-in electric Porsche Taycan, which, even though it’s a larger, heavier sedan, lists a zero to 60 time in 3.5 seconds. In pure-electric mode, the i8 musters a max speed of only 75 mph. Tesla’s Model S has an electric-only top speed of 155 mph.

The brakes on the roadster also left something to be desired in my testing. Rather than having the aggressive bite of carbon and ceramic analog-style brakes, they feel computerized, like stopping in virtual reality instead of the real thing. It’s an abrupt transition between regenerative and friction modes, which helps charge the batteries but does nothing to ensure the smooth stop you’d want from a car that looks so smooth to begin with.

The Bright Spots

That said, the 2019 i8 roadster does offer some improvement from previous generations of the model line. Its updated lithium-ion battery includes more-efficient cells than in the coupe, packing 11.6 kilowatt-hours of energy into the same space that originally stored only 7.1kWh.

In practical terms, that meant I could drive roughly 18 miles under electric-only power, which I loved because it was super-stealthily silent navigating Manhattan streets and because it was super-responsive every time I pressed the gas pedal. (Once I switched over to using the conventional engine, there was a slight lag between the time I pushed the accelerator and when the car would lunge forward.)

Better yet, if you drive the i8 roadster in the six-gear “manual” mode, you automatically recharge the battery faster and for longer as you go. A small gauge on the dashboard shows how much energy you gain as you drive; it proved to be a fun game as I drove 90 minutes out on an airport run one evening. I gained back 12 miles of electric-only driving on the 13-mile drive there.

Elsewhere, the lightly weighted, electrically assisted power steering remained as direct and precise as you’d expect from a company that claims the title of “Ultimate Driving Machine,” even in convertible form. (Physics mean convertibles, with their lopped-off tops, are often stiffer and slower to drive aggressively than their coupe counterparts.)

And let’s not forget that the award-winning engine and hybrid system set the standard for what a hybrid sports car should be when they made their debut. The roadster comes with an updated 141-horsepower electric motor that sources energy from the lithium-ion battery to power the front axle; it switches seamlessly back and forth from the 228-horsepower, three-cylinder combustion engine that drives the rear wheels.

Redeeming Values

Other positive notes: The vertically opening doors look cool and are light and easy to lift, though their novel angle and the low ride height of the car mean it takes some expert duck-and-rolling for anyone over 5-foot-10 to get inside. If you have a beer belly, forget about it—I watched helplessly as valets struggled awkwardly to wedge themselves behind the steering wheel at angles usually reserved for backyard barbecue limbo tournaments.

The interior dash is as clean and crisp as BMW is often wont; the heated, leather-wrapped seats, cloth and carbon-fiber trimming, and driver-focused steering wheel and controls combine comfort and sport as well as anything else today. While interior noise with the top up is not as low as you might hope, the soft-top roof unfolds quickly and silently at the touch of a button. The trunk is even large enough to fit two small duffels, or one medium-size hard travel case, and the rear cubby behind the two seats is surprisingly useful in the absence of even a small back seat or rear ledge.

In the Meantime

I’m deliberately not calling the i8 roadster a hybrid supercar here, because it’s not. That would be something closer to the Porsche 918 or McLaren P1, both plug-in hybrids.

In fact, the i8 roadster is not as progressive an apparatus as what you might find in the Jaguar I-Pace SUV or the Audi e-tron quattro, or even in the latest Tesla models. But it is fun to drive and shows off well—it’ll get plenty of positive attention in your neighborhood, especially in the handsome dark slate colorway offered with the roadster version.

It’s also extremely drivable on a daily basis, with an AWD and forgiving suspension system that easily handle the potholes, steep inclines, and abrupt curbs that are sure to cause an ulcer, or at least a few gray hairs, for those who own truly low cars like the McLaren 720S or Lamborghini Aventador.

It’s no accident the i8 is still the best-selling plug-in hybrid sports car on the market today; it premiered in near-perfect form and since then has withstood the test of time. It looks as cool as any supercar but is a whole lot easier to own and more fun to drive. I expect the roadster version to carry on that tradition well.

BMW’s Krüger has said that by 2025 he plans to sell 25 electrified models, 12 of them pure electric. Until we see any other exciting options from BMW hitting the road, the 2019 i8 roadster is more than enough.

The post BMW’s New i8 Roadster Deserves Some Attention appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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'Is really God the incomparable n°1 professional Creator, or just an unprepared poor amateur who seriously lacks vision and foresight?'   wiotm: wrong diagnosis?

  Good question. It would depend on which god you are talking about.There two creation stories and two gods:.

 creation 1

'Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.'    (Genesis 1:26-27 ESV) 

The god in the passage above (Genesis 1:26-27 ESV) is God the incomparable n°1 professional Creator of time, space, matter, energy, life and the universe. He is most likely speaking to His female counterpart. They created mankind from themselves.

 creation 2

'then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.'     (Genesis 2:7-8 ESV)

The god in Genesis 2:7-8 above is not God the incomparable n°1 professional Creator. He is one of the beny elohim ('sons of God') who, through misfortune long before the existence of Adam and Eve, inaptly succeeded to God's position*, taking over God's role in the world; an occupation for which they are more or less unqualified.  From preexisting constituents, the elohim 'god' reconstructed then resurrected man who had been lost in a catastrophe that had rendered the earth  'a wasteland in a state of utter confusion, darkness and desolation (Hebrew: tohû vābohû choshek**)'.

The elohim 'god'  is an amateur who tries to return to the will of God the Creator but lacks the vision, foresight, knowledge, wisdom and character to do so. How do we know he is not God the Original Creator?  The passage below (Genesis 3:22 ) should be our first clue:

'Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil." ' Genesis 3:22 ESV

The god and his associates in the passage 'know' evil

Adam fell because he 'knew' evil

The god and his associates in the passage 'know' evil because they have fallen

__________________

notes

*Generations of the sons of God from ancient mythology

Hypsistus (i.e. Elioun the most high) and his wife named Beruth begat Epigeus, or Autochthon, whom they afterwards called Ouranos (i.e. Heaven)  And he had a sister of the same parents, and she was called Ge (i.e., Earth). The father of these, Hypsistus, [or Elioun], having been killed through an encounter with wild beasts, was consecrated [i.e. deified], and his children offered libations and sacrifices to him. But Ouranos(1*below) succeeded to the kingdom of his father.  Kronus opposed his father Ouranos, and thus overcoming Ouranos in battle, drove him from his kingdom, and succeeded him in the imperial power.

**Hebrew: tohû vābohû, 'a waste and a void'.  The two terms denote kindred ideas, and their combination marks emphasis. Besides the present passage בהוּ  bohû occurs in only two others Isa_34:11; Jer_4:23, and always in conjunction with תהוּ  tohû.  If we may distinguish the two words, בהוּ  bohû refers to the matter, and תהוּ  tohû refers to the form, and therefore the phrase combining the two denotes a state of utter confusion and desolation, an absence of all that can furnish or people the land.

השׁך  choshek, 'darkness, the absence of light.'   

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible: Genesis 1 Verse 2

  Did God originally create the Earth as an uninhabitable chaos?

(Genesis 1:1 RV)  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

(Genesis 1:2 RV)  And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

How could the earth have become so ravaged?

In the original Hebrew, the first words of Gen. 1:2 are (transliterated into the English alphabet):

'erets hayah tohu bohuw ; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters' (Gen. 1:2) 

The meaning of the these Hebrew words, as cross-referenced in the Hebrew/English Dictionary of Strong's Concordance are:

(erets – Earth )

(hayah – was, come to pass, became)

(tohu – formlessness, confusion, chaos)

(bohuw – emptiness, void, waste)

The second Hebrew word in Genesis 1:2 is hayah, which should be translated as 'came to pass', or, for the most accurate word for word translation, 'became'.  (hāyah, 'be' or as a change of state, 'become'. This is applied to what had a previous existence, but undergoes some change in its properties or relations; as מלח גציב ותהי  vatehı̂y netsı̂yb melach, “and she became” a pillar of salt Gen_19:26.   Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible: Genesis 1 Verse 2 )

Therefore, if just these few words from the ancient Hebrew are translated more accurately into English, the resulting translation provides a deeper understanding that solves the puzzle:

Genesis 1:1 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth.'

Genesis 1:2 'And it came to pass that the Earth became a wasteland, empty and chaotic; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters'.

The Hebrew grammar of Genesis 1:2 implies that a gap in the narrative exists between the first two verses of the Bible, a gap representing an undefined span of time. With Genesis 1:2 translated in this manner, the sentence in Genesis 1:1,  can be treated as a statement that stands by itself:     'In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth'.  This allows for an unspecified interval of time to exist between verse I and 2.  How could the earth have become so ravaged unless a gap is to be understood between verses one and two? 

Did God originally create the Earth as an uninhabitable chaos? The words tohu and bohuw always refer to 'emptiness', 'uselessness' or, 'worthlessness', that is to say, a confused, chaotic state, inevitably the result of some cataclysm, and usually one that has been brought on by divine judgment (see Deut. 32:10; 1Sam.12:21; Job 6:18; 12:24; 26:7; Ps.107:40; Is.40:17; 41:29; 44:9; 45:19; 49:4; 59:4)

'The ruined (tohu) city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred.'   Isaiah 24:10 NIV

'And He shall stretch over it the line of desolation (tohu) and the plumb line of emptiness (bohuw).' Isaiah 34:11 NASB

 'I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void (see Gen1:2 note); and the heavens, and they had no light.  (24)  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.  (25)  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.  (26)  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and before his fierce anger.'   Jeremiah 4:23-26 RV 

The prophet sees in vision the desolate condition of Judaea during the Babylonian captivity. The imagery is that of the last day of judgment. To Jeremiah’s vision all was as though the day of the Lord had come, and earth returned to the state in which it was before the first creative word (see 2Pe_3:10). The land has returned to a state of chaos. This last passage is of particular interest because of its description of the divine judgment upon the land of Israel in the exact same terms used of the ruined earth in Genesis 1:2.  Jeremiah must, therefore, have understood the description of Earth in Genesis 1:2 to be a scene of destruction. One of Isaiah's uses of tohu is also particularly pertinent to our discussion here, because it directly contradicts the notion that God's original creation of the earth related at Genesis 1:1 could in any way be described as tohu wa-bohuw:

'For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; he is God; that formed the earth and made it; he established it, he created it not a waste( tohu)., he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.'   (Isaiah 45:18RV)

 The word for 'create' in the verse above is bar'ah, the same verb used in Genesis 1:1 and the word most commonly employed in the Old Testament to describe the Lord's creative acts. According to this passage, God's purpose in originally creating earth was for its useful habitation. It is a confounding of His purpose to assume that He had originally created it as an uninhabitable chaos. But in fact, as we are told here, He did not create Earth tohu. Therefore it is impossible to reconcile Isaiah 45:18 with Genesis 1:1 unless we accept what the Hebrew grammar of Genesis 1:2 implies, namely, that a gap in the narrative exists between the first two verses of the Bible, a gap representing an undefined span of time. Isaiah 45:18 only makes sense when we understand that Genesis 1:2 does not describe the Earth immediately after its creation, but after its devastation (i.e., a ruined world destroyed by some catastrophe). So, instead of Genesis 1 being about how God created the heavens and Earth in seven days, it is about how God recreated (restored) the Earth in seven days. Would those be seven literal 24 hour days or seven figurative days? We can answer that question in whichever way seems to make the most sense. But, considering that, even when operating in the physical world, beings from the spirit dimension are transcendent of time, it may not matter ['... one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day'. (2Pe 3:8KJV)].

(1*) Greek Mythology Traditionally, Uranus was considered an offspring of Gaea, Mother Earth, who – as stated by Hesiod – created him 'equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods'. However, according to later authors, Uranus did have a (rather obscure) father by the name of Akmon, which can explain why he was sometimes called Akmonides, meaning both 'the son of Akmon' and, with a little imagination, 'the tireless one.' At an even later stage, Uranus’  father was identified as Aether, the Upper Air.

Cicero, in De Natura Deorum ('The Nature of the Gods'), claims that Uranus was the offspring of the ancient gods Aether (the 'upper-sky') and Hemera (the day).