#all marketing should be done with puppets

[monstrousdesirestudy]

IM BRINGING OUT THE BIG GUNS FOR MARKETING

The big guns in question:

Yes I made my lil drunk puppet into a waving gif. I love my son

[itsslowsonic]

The Top 10 Things I Like About Kamala Harris (Part I)

10 - I like her special laugh. There are so many types of laughing, such as cute laughing, etiquette laughing, sarcastic laughing, fake laughing, etc. If you observe when she laughs, you will find out that her laugh is different from ordinary people's. Her laugh is nervous and lascivious laugh. You will find this laughter in a person who is either embarrassed or confused. It comes out as a reaction to the audience’s expression. A nervous laugh is usually rendered by a conscious effort in order to escape from a situation quickly. This laugh is a result of anxiety and tension. Instead of relaxing a person, nervous laughter tightens them more. And, it also makes you uncomfortable. What about the lascivious part? She laughs because she's happy about it. "I made that far just because I slept with the right person at the right time!" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Dr3tRna3t0U

9 - I like her attitude to Generation Z. What word is she using to describe Generation Z? If you are a Generation Z and still vote for her after watching the YouTube short. Well done! It will prove that she was right. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bPCK2w51NCs

8 - I like her sudden popularity to become the Democratic Party's new nominee. She wouldn't commit to policy positions. She couldn't defend her past actions. The image of her as slippery—all ambition, no ideology—may contribute to her unpopularity among American voters. It's almost certainly more of a liability than the once-common critique that she was an overzealous cop and drug warrior. But all of a sudden, her popularity went skyrocketing. Why? Because the big bosses threw the old puppet and they need a new one now. Do they care about all other Democratic Party members? Of course not. Read these: https://reason.com/2024/07/21/its-been-easy-to-forget-how-bad-kamala-harris-is/ https://theconversation.com/democratic-partys-choice-of-harris-was-undemocratic-and-the-latest-evidence-of-party-leaders-distrusting-party-voters-236002

7 - I like her knowledge and common sense. We all know what AI is, right? Just watch this YouTube short, I don't need to explain more. Her common sense? I can hear her nervous and lascivious laugh right now. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SbAIEMxYAAg

6 - I like her economic policies. She wants Soviet Price Controls in every neighborhood grocery store. Fidel Castro had price controls, and people starved! Mao had price controls, and people starved! Stalin had price controls, and people starved! Now she is pushing the exact same policy. Why did the Soviet Price Controls never work? If it works, why do we need the market? Price controls will cause a goods shortage. You should know this common sense in middle school, right? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DRZzbfjODs4

[that-left-turn]

Who ‘created’ Daryl’s arc for TBOC?

During the promo circuit, the showrunner and especially the actors will say a lot of things that aren’t necessarily true about the creative process. I’ve mentioned before that actors will always exaggerate their involvement and depending on the specific circumstances of the show and the authority the actor/character has vis-à-vis the audience, this is a marketing strategy that’s employed by the studio/network. Take whatever’s said about the BTS process with a grain of salt during an active promo campaign because chances are, it’s not exactly accurate.

(Critical thinking is everybody’s best friend 🙃)

I’ve mostly avoided talking about Norman on here. For a couple of reasons. One being that I don’t say everything I think, especially not in public and another is that I know how far the powers of a non-writing executive producer extends vs a studio executive. That’s not me absolving Norman of any wrongdoing. (He’s done plenty of that 🙄) It’s me pointing out that the puppet master isn’t the guy in front of the camera.

Real talk, though. Norman should obviously not have any creative influence over the story. Plotting requires attention to detail; you have all these bits and pieces, from all the characters’ arcs, which have to fit together and service the story engine. Individually, they might look like something completely different from what the final, big picture, version will be. Screenwriting has a different process from long-form fiction—it's not something you wing and you don't write sequentially. Norman doesn’t have the attention span or the vision for any of that.

When an actor says they came up with an arc—unless it’s all hyperbole, because that happens too—what it usually means is that the actor chatted with the showrunner and told them what they’d like for their character. It could be anything from a cool new weapon, a hairstyle or a big thematic arc. These are requests. The showrunner will do whatever they want in the end. If it fits the story and they can please their lead, great. If not 🤷‍♀️ C’est la vie.

[yowyowyaoi]

Kisame’s Daily Texts from the Akatsuki

From Deidara

Me and Tobi found a big muddy hole full of earthworms, let’s go fishing! 😁

We finished it last night, sorry 

I was just teasing him!

Exploding or boring?

Not a tea person but thanks anyway 

LMAOOO he probably pissed himself 🤣

Pls tell Itachi I’m not gonna hurt her I just want to pet her for a while!

Leader said he’ll kill us if we do it again so no probably not 😓

You gotta use the conditioner too or else it won’t be effective 

I’ll ask him but he don’t really like places like that. Says they’re too happy 🙄

From Hidan

If you have two does that mean one sleeps while the other fucks or ?

No offense but it’s literally so boring I can’t sit still that long 

I would say he’s giving you blue balls but.

Can’t imagine giving a shit but 🤷‍♂️

Tried that once. Got the mask halfway off and suddenly felt like I was drowning. Never again.

Old bastard said no 😑

You need to watch him he takes like two bites and pushes the plate away 

How? Half of us are gay half are insane and some are both 🤣

One dick, two dicks, your dicks, BLUE dicks! Lol get it??

From Sasori

Thanks but water erodes my “skin”.

I’m done reading it, you can borrow if you like.

Please make sure he puts on sunscreen he’s too stubborn to listen to me.

Don’t really remember all that well but I believe it was ice cream.

He has to *want* treatment and so far he’s turned down every offer Kakuzu or myself has made.

They make for more appealing puppets if they have some unique physical characteristic while they’re still living.

I’ll probably marry him some day but first he has to work on not blowing himself to bits.

Oh of course. You know you don’t need to ask.

From Kakuzu

Hey I almost beat you and I’m 60+ years your senior.

Just this once … no charge. Worth it to see him freak out like that.

I’m not very well-versed in animal anatomy but I can take a look and try my best.

EVERYBODY pays. Itachi too.

Fits nice. My thanks.

This place is falling apart, if it’s not one thing it’s another.

It’s annoying but I don’t see any serious long-term effects.

From Konan

That’s so sweet, thank you ☺️ 

Write down the exact kind for me, I’ll pick it up the next time I go to the market.

He’s a sweetheart isn’t he? 🥰

I’ll take your word for it, but ducks are so cute I don’t think I could eat one.

Come to my room I have some eye drops that’ll help him.

If I let that happen no work would ever be done and they’d likely kill each other.

So many miles, with these heels it’s hard on my feet.

If you want it that rare then there’s really no point to me cooking it at all 😒

At this point the yelling has become background music.

Me on one shoulder and Itachi on the other. You big show-off 😁

From Tobi/Obito

You only beat me because Deidara distracted me!

Forty cookies isn’t even that many. Plus Itachi ate two more.

Kakuzu said to earn the money myself so I stole one of his bounties 🤷🏻‍♂️

Itches. A LOT.

Can’t stand tea but if you have any hot chocolate, yeah.

You should hang out with Zetsu more often then. Like one never-ending picnic.

He really wants to go but I don’t have a pole. You have a spare?

Yeah but he might let us get a fish-tank if YOU said you needed it, like for health or something 

Sushi? Isn’t that cannibalism?!

Fuck him AND his perfect ass. Literally and figuratively.

Don’t give me that “kid” shit, we’re like the same age!

From Zetsu

You want to split that guy’s leg with me? He was very fat, lots of good meat 😋

He’s a good man but doesn’t his dubious emotional state concern you?

It’s a lot like hearing two voices at once. Constantly. 

It’s no fun if they don’t scream a bit first. You know this.

I did the scouting; that lake about five miles up the road is both deep and fairly clean.

Let’s hide under his bed and scare him. I bet money we can get him to soil himself while crying for that damn Jashin 🤣

From Nagato

I thank you for the tea. It helped me to sleep.

Well, keep an eye on him.

The pain is worse when I stand but Sasori is working on prosthetics for me that may solve the problem.

As long as you return in time for your next mission.

Get that looked at as soon as possible. We can’t afford to have you out of commission.

I do, but she deserves so much better than myself.

I’ll speak to Kakuzu about getting you a new one.

If you two are going to do that, please keep it away from our hideouts. It disturbs Konan to hear the screaming.

From Itachi

I ate this morning. Promise.

That wasn’t Hidan’s fault, I’d forgotten to take my pill so my reflexes were slow.

Just consider it. Uchiha Kisame. Say it out loud. It’s beautiful 😌

Can you check if I left that shirt in your room?

Dei and I went there last night. The manager banned us for life because Dei set off a C3 in the men’s room. 😑

Fine. You buy the skirt I’ll “model” it for you.

Sad. Come stay with me please.

You worry too much.

That picture is for YOUR EYES ONLY. 

Aww what do you mean? Kitty loves you she’s not trying to eat you!

It’s one that Konan gave me. It’s really good you’d probably like it too.

Tea?

I didn’t *fall* in, he *pushed* me. Big difference.

Mom taught me when I was younger. I can teach you too if you want.

You’re mine too. Always ❤️

[armandssilkshirt]

Wip wednesday, for a fic I’m tentatively titling: such sweet sorrow

I haven’t written fic for a big fandom like this in years atp and I don’t know how to navigate fandom space anymore! Anyway!

-

The plane ticket arrives in a sleek, cream envelope, inscribed with his name and nothing else, written out in neat, precise block capitals. Daniel takes note of several things immediately, of varying levels of importance and with varying degrees of incredulity:

The Vampire Armand knows his address, and either hand delivered the ticket himself, or puppeteered one of his neighbors or delivery guys into doing so on his behalf. By extension, either he was close by, or has been in near enough vicinity to get someone else to do his bidding, just waiting to ruin Daniel’s perfectly good Tuesday afternoon. It occurs to Daniel, too, that the plane ticket is Armand purposefully tipping his hand. The likelihood that he’s still around, watching him receive his spontaneous gift right now through a goddamn crack in the wall or some other gross invasion of privacy, is significantly greater than zero. He always did like to see a plan through to the end, after all. This is unlikely to be the exception.

The timing of the ticket itself is also more than disquieting, and not likely to be a coincidence. Daniel signed off an all his last approvals two days ago, and is now waiting on his publisher and agent to get back to him with details about the proposed marketing campaign and book tour, as well as hear back from the designer’s mock up for the cover, which he can comment on, but not, apparently veto. In publishing, Daniel has long learned you need to pick your battles and let the book speak for itself. Everyone’s going to think he’s clinically insane anyway, who cares if the art department intern who gets shoved this job gets a little carried away with it. Anyway—Daniel’s work is mostly done, and from here till the promotional calendar, it’s pretty much dead time. Armand has been listening. As far as ‘Congrats on completing your book!’ presents go, Daniel’s had better but he’s also had worse, too—his ex-wife served him divorce papers after his last one—so Daniel will take the plane ticket, actually. And Armand knows that if he’s going to take a vacation, now would be the time to do it. He wonders if his emails are accessible, or if Armand’s just been playing it old-school, standing on his balcony listening to him bitch out his editor, instead. He supposes he should be grateful that he’s been allowed the short lull beforehand, and that the ticket is booked a week in advance, enough notice to tie up any loose ends in New York that he might need to attend to. Considerate, really, Daniel has to admit.

All of which is to say, of course, that any illusions Daniel had been laboring under about the safety of his own home—the ignorance is bliss attitude he’d adopted since he’d stumbled through his front door two months ago, still shaking the Dubai wall dust off his shirt—are shattered. He’s attracted an undead stalker, and you can’t exactly take a restraining order out on those guys. It’s a bitch, because Daniel really did like this apartment, too. Even if Armand isn’t here to kill him—the plane ticket seems to suggest he at least has a different location in mind—that isn’t to say some other vampire won’t try to beat him to the job, and decide to turn his living room into a morgue as some sort of warning if/when he happens to not be at home. Maybe he should drape a sheet over his couch. He’s spilled enough red wine over it to know it stains like hell.

Charles De Gaulle airport is unexpected, but in a split second retrospect, he guesses it shouldn’t be. Obviously, Armand wants to rehash the story, spin his own series of events, even if he was too late to try to edit the first book, and he’s dramatic enough to want to walk the streets he spilled with blood while he does it. Daniel hasn’t been to Europe in a while. He remembers Paris in October as being beautiful; the turning of the leaves running crimson and orange through the city, cool and crisp but not yet so bitter as to be unpleasant. He could have picked worse places to stage his temper tantrum. Daniel can also understand him wanting to get out of the metropolitan maze of Dubai, and the penthouse that might as well have been a prison tower, though for whom, Daniel’s now not sure.

Which brings him to the shock of the ticket itself, and Armand’s unwelcome but now obvious presence in his life. When Daniel picked up his few belongings and high-tailed it out of the penthouse before any more rubble could fall on his head, literally or figuratively, Armand had been hunched in on himself, tucked against the baseboard, plaster hanging like teardrops onto the black of his eyelashes. Even with the baleful look in his eyes, he’d seemed, to Daniel, like a boy—suddenly forced to stop playing dress up and close the costume-box lid. Smaller, younger, both fearful and indignant at his newfound nakedness. Ready to lash out, of course, but also on the precipice of caving in. An unstable death star. Perhaps it would have been too easy, but he’d wondered if Armand might, as one last act of self-sacrificing spite, find himself a fire to throw himself into, hoping to haunt Louis as Lestat did. He’d even been half-expecting it. That he didn’t is almost more concerning. It suggests that Armand has unfinished business. If it’s with Daniel, for ruining his shambolic supernatural marriage, then Daniel supposes Paris is as nice a place to die as any. Hopefully Armand will dispose of his body efficiently. He’d hate for his daughters to have to pay for posthumous repatriation. That would be a terrible reason to go into credit card debt.

Lastly, with an almost amused observation, he notes that the handwriting on the envelope is not the same as the writing in the margins of the script he flung down like a hand grenade on that table weeks ago. Armand’s writing there had sprawled across the page, the loops of his cursive proving to be his noose. That he’s decided to adopt a new style is unsurprising. As a professional chameleon and an evidenced control freak, it makes sense that Armand would pay attention to details enough to change this aspect too. This is Armand reinventing himself; a signifier of the new start he’s trying to establish and the distance he’s trying to put between himself and his past crimes. In comparison to the writing on the script, this new style is careful, takes up little space, and is officiously self-aware. Deceptively nondescript. It almost makes Daniel laugh. Armand’s relying on him knowing who the envelope is from anyway, so the change in signature is nothing but set-dressing.

Well, not quite—the very last thing he observes, with some belated horror and disappointment aimed squarely at himself—is that immediately, Daniel knows he’s going to take the ticket. It’s barely a conscious decision. There’s precedent, of course—he’s already jumped on a plane in an ongoing pandemic to go on an ill-advised research trip. Armand could be reasonably sure he’d roll the dice and go for another. He tries to argue with the part of himself that screams it’s the height of stupidity to take another risk in exactly the same way, that, actually, staying would only be shoving his head in the sand. He’s made himself a target, or he’s about to when publication rolls around, and Armand might turn out to be the least of his problems, in the long run. Why not see what he wants in the meantime? And besides—isn’t it better the Devil you know? 

[bvannn]

Weekly Update September 6, 2024

Man I’m so bummed. I was doing great at the start of this week then got sick again. Ah well I did do a good amount of stuff.

Biggest things were music video progress and Epithet TTRPG. Music video was the lesser of the two so I’ll discuss that first: the OEB rig has all the solid assets finished and exported, just needs to get reimported and the liquid assets need to be finished (which shouldn’t take long). The WOTW video is getting some things chipped away at too, that one will use less animation but I think I might do some specific shots in CSP instead of Adobe, which will theoretically look better but also be more work intensive. Probably not time intensive though, I’d think both methods would be equally so for this particular shot. Also did math to figure out the framerate so using CSP shouldn’t desynch the animation from the music.

Epithet TTRPG is the project I made probably the most progress on this week: a couple more character tokens, a couple more statblocks, and one and a half maps! I’m not the best at backgrounds, and my usual sketchy style isn’t a good fit for epithet erased, so I tried my best to copy the style from the show’s backgrounds, and didn’t do the worst. It’s not show quality, for sure, but it looks okay and I can make revisions as I go and get better.

Comic also got a good chunk of progress this week, I finished the page I was working on, and I plan to chip away at the next one more between other drawings. I’ve been crazy tired and that’s why I haven’t gotten much done, but I’ll try to keep going at it once I’m rested.

I tried to leave music alone for the most part this week other than intermediate vocaloid tuning, now that I have the mobile app. I did start another cover, but I don’t plan to progress on that much for a while. Eventually I’ll post samples off all the WIPs I have and do a poll to see what I should progress on but I want to prioritize animation and visual arts for a while again.

I could be switching to a 4-10 job instead of a 5-8, which will give me more free time, but also might tire me out more. Might, not even sure. I’ll need to wait to hear back about a couple other jobs I applied to. Apparently I’m on the consideration list for an entry-level version of my dream job, and in a city I really like to boot, but also it’s the job market in the biggest city in my state so I imagine it’s pretty competitive. I did go to school out of state so I’d like to imagine I have an edge, but again it’s a competitive position and they might just cut funding altogether since they’re known to do that. Whatever point is there’s a good chance I’ll have more free time and if I do I’ll try to catch up on rest and get back to visual arts. This weekend I’m going to try to put effort into animation assets and linework for the comic so that during the week I can string together that puppet rig, color comic panels, and animate what I can in Adobe.

[tmarshconnors]

Who Else is Sick of the Puppet Show?

In today's world, it seems like every turn we take, we’re greeted by the grand theatre of politics. It's a show filled with dramatic entrances, scandalous plots, and character arcs that could rival any soap opera. But as captivating as it might seem from a distance, the reality is much more disheartening. Politics has become nothing more than a sick game, and many of us are fed up with the puppet show.

The Illusion of Choice

One of the most frustrating aspects of modern politics is the illusion of choice. We're often presented with two or more candidates who, on the surface, appear to have different agendas and solutions. However, scratch beneath the surface, and you'll find that many of these politicians are backed by the same corporate interests and influenced by similar lobbying groups. It's a rigged game where the players might change, but the puppeteers remain the same.

The Cycle of Scandal and Distraction

Political scandals are now so frequent that they barely make headlines. What should be shocking and unacceptable behaviour has become the norm. Politicians from all sides are involved in corruption, deceit, and hypocrisy. Instead of addressing these issues, the media and political strategists often use them as distractions, keeping the public focused on the sensational rather than the substantial.

Empty Promises and Hollow Victories

Every election cycle, we are bombarded with grand promises of change, prosperity, and progress. But once the elections are over and the dust has settled, these promises often fade into obscurity. Politicians prioritise maintaining their power and catering to their financial backers over delivering on their commitments to the electorate. The cycle continues, leaving the public disillusioned and distrustful.

Polarization and Division

Another sickening aspect of the political game is the deliberate polarisation and division of society. Politicians and their allies use divisive rhetoric to pit one group against another, creating an environment of hostility and mistrust. This strategy ensures that the public remains divided and distracted, making it easier for those in power to push their agendas without facing unified opposition.

The Puppeteers Behind the Curtain

At the heart of this political theatre are the real puppeteers – the wealthy elites and powerful corporations who pull the strings. These entities have the resources to influence policies, manipulate markets, and shape public opinion to serve their interests. While the public is entertained by the puppet show on stage, these shadowy figures continue to amass wealth and power, often at the expense of the common good.

So, what can be done to break free from this sick game? It starts with awareness and education. The public must be informed about the true nature of the political system and the forces at play. From there, it’s about demanding transparency, accountability, and genuine representation. Grassroots movements, community organising, and active participation in the political process can help reclaim power for the people.

We must also seek to bridge the divisions that have been deliberately sown among us. By finding common ground and working together, we can challenge the status quo and push for meaningful change. It’s time to move beyond the puppet show and create a political system that truly serves the people, not the powerful few.

The current state of politics is indeed a sick game, one that many of us are tired of watching. The puppet show has gone on for far too long, and it’s time for a change. By recognising the illusion, rejecting divisive tactics, and demanding accountability, we can start to dismantle the puppet theatre and build a political system that is just, transparent, and truly representative of the people’s will. Who else is sick of the puppet show? It’s time to rise up, reclaim our power, and create the change we desperately need. 

Remember THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Completely agreed. Having no writing credits doesn't mean you have to throw your artistry out of the window. Taemin is a good example. Even if a song was not written by you, you can still make it your song. Taemin mastered that. Jungkook is just singing the songs but they're clearly not his. That's the difference. I know his album will be successful, Scooter will make sure of it. But I wonder if Jungkook will one day stop and think if the success was really worth all that. Jungkook became exactly what he wanted to be. Justin Bieber 2.0. There's nothing special about him or the songs anymore. Don't get me wrong, it's his choice and he should do what he wants to do. But I personally cannot support any of that. Scooter made Jungkook a puppet and Jungkook let him. Are you ready for the 236363 versions of Standing Next To You?

Careful anon, don't use the word puppet cause stans will come after you, lol.

No, but on a more serious note, I wouldn't call him that because it implies he had no power of making decisions, which I doubt. He signed off on this, he agreed, he liked the idea and that's it. Who am I to know what power of convicing Bang Si-Hyuk has over him or Scooter? But it's not even necessary for me to go down that road in order to talk about this.

Looking at the 2 singles already released, how the next ones sound like and the overall project, I think Jungkook could have just released an album full of covers and be done with it. A live session of his karaoke nights. What would be the difference when it comes to his contribution and input? The songs are basic. You have to be deep into stan mentality to not see that but it will at least look succesful cause of the marketing strategy.

Also, about that. Each time something new is happening, like other artists fanpages all of a sudden supporting the future album, CDs getting stocked, the 28348448 remix getting dropped and so much more, I get asks in my inbox. And I get that, but what I don't understand is why some of you are still surprised. You shouldn't. Everything is in line with the partnership of Hybe and Hybe America collaborating on the JK project and trying to see if they can skyrocket a Korean idol into the actual American mainstream. In order to do that, they use various methods. That's it. It's as simple as that. I don't know if they see it as an experiment or something long term. Hard to think it's the latter cause the guy is getting shipped to do his military service soon so where is the continuous presence in the American music landscape? It all sounds so ridiculous.

[bfilm]

after watching muppet tv series episodes basically at random for a bit, i finally finished all of the jim henson hour!!

some thoughts below, but overall i really enjoyed it, even though the shifts between tones in some episodes was kinda jarring at first lol. i feel like more people should know about this show, especially after seeing all the technology they used in the secrets of the muppets episode.

digit is still a character created specifically to my interests and i am still so so sad he isn't in anything else :( literally just a socially awkward semi-robotic latex puppet who loves synth music. he is perfect and they threw him in the closet never to be seen again.

all the other new characters were very nice, but i especially enjoyed the "bean bunny is there to be cute so no one else has to" bit. while i also appreciate him as "guy to throw around" it's a fun added layer to his character!

i think sci-fi -> ocean transition was the most jarring to me, after the sci-fi episode ended with turning louie anderson into a non-marketable plushie i was expecting ocean to be more silliness, and it was up until clifford tells the story of how ted danson ruined the ocean and kermit solemnly says goodnight. and then i still had to watch lighthouse island after this!

i did have to get used to the jim henson hour -> storyteller/other segments transitions but i am very glad i did not skip them or the non muppetelevision specials. my favorites were probably the true bride, the soldier and death, dog city (MUPPET DOGS ARE PERFECT!!!!) and the song of the cloud forest (as a dedicated member of dave goelz nation). i also got unexpectedly invested in living with dinosaurs even though i'm not sure much was explained or resolved that well, the human cast was really good and dog is such a good muppet (why is there no official plush of him!!)

i knew gorilla television wasn't in it much but i didn't expect them to only be in 2 episodes, one of them being in the batch that didn't in the original run. they could've done so much more......i liked their concept as being "above" muppets despite their segments not being that much more cool or complex lol

favorite episode was probably videotape? i might have to rewatch to define it but also like. the music just keeps on rolling along. all night party. the true bride. banger after banger

also jim himself is funny too. the concept of the thought lion for him to bounce off of is so good because in the true bride he's a mystical giftgiver and to jim he is just his really weird cat. awesome dynamic

i really wish more people had watched this show cause it has a lot of fun bits!!! it's so weird to me that so much muppet stuff is lost media or could have been lost media if it wasn't recorded, and this is one of them!! my ideal blu-ray now is a blu-ray of all the episodes of this restored/hd plus a selection of other movies/works by jim (i gotta watch some of his pre muppet show work, including his weird experimental films) but it will probably never happen cause of copyright stuff </3.

[kiigan]

kissing prompts @osteus requested: a possessive kiss that is meant to stake a claim.

ㅤIt was done deliberately. Entirely on purpose, and also shamelessly so. Because he could, and that ought to be reason good enough; because there were few sights as enticing [as arousing] as the fire that shimmered along his lover's emerald-green irises whenever overwhelmed by a sense of pure possessiveness. Uchihas were born to play with fire, after all; to flirt with flames whilst ever-ready to accept/welcome/indulge burns in the process. The heart wanted what it wanted and, sometimes, it wanted to provoke and to test patience till well-deserved punishment was to ensue.

ㅤLong story sort, it wasn't Itachi's first time using his genjutsu talents for less orthodox purposes, and certainly it wouldn't be the last. Whether Kimimaro remained blissfully unaware or had figured out the trick but chose to play along for mutual benefit, it was up for debate and didn't truly matter. The poor unfortunate soul chosen for the occasion, whose only sin had been to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, approached and, credit where it was due, did their best to struck up a conversation rich in sultry looks and flirtatious little giggles - ah, if only Itachi was interested.

But there was no need to wait much longer.

ㅤKeeping his pace deliberately slow as he made way through the semi-hectic farmer's market of this modest town, human puppet playing to the role and following him from very close, it was a matter of minutes. Suddenly there was no other person to be found anymore and, just as suddenly, there was a tight grip on the side of his arm directing him to the much less crowded alleyway nearby. That and his back practically thrown against the dirty wall of one of the buildings, with lips clashing against his own with such fury that one might think Kimimaro was trying to suck his soul through the mouth; should he truly wish to, Itachi would have gladly let him. Eventually granted a moment to breathe again, own lips now swollen from the delicious abuse, he brought a hand up to cup his lover's cheek while leaning in to press their foreheads together - words to be spoken next in a tone as husky as it was teasing.

«What's wrong, hummingbird? You seem agitated.»

[re-bee-key]

And another thing! Disney should be promoting Willow more! And like, they should be using all the Harry Potter hate to their advantage! People wanna buy stupid wands? Willow has wands sell those. People like color codes light sabers? Willow magic is color coded. They should be pointing out how special it is that Willow is mostly filmed on location or beautifully intricate sets. The mudmander is a puppet! Not cgi. The costumes look amazing! Better than the trash in Rings of Power.

Disney has the worst marketing department in the world. They finally have a show with a progressive cast and message and doing all the things people beg for. Especially in campy fantasy. Theyve done it all and are putting in the most minimal effort ive ever seen. Its like they want it to fail!

Well, I refuse to let Willow not get the recognition it deserves.

I'm not, like, a big fan of cosumerism, and i hate capitalism. But I am a fan of Willow. I've never liked a show as much as I like this one. It is beyond special to me. And so if I have to buy merch and the future art book and blaze a few tumblr posts so that more people know about the show. Then thats fine. Its worth it, i think

[thecioworldindia]

Embracing the Crucial Fundamentals of Transformative Leadership

Conquests, adventure and exploration are the elements that make the human race admire their thoughts and push themselves to the limits, to achieve greatness. Though few people who like the puppet master like to control everything below them, there are the strings that define their actions. Keeping the metaphorical language aside, such is a leadership style that allows this human race to achieve everything they set their eyes on.

Though the men and women who cross the threshold of greatness are often seen on the top and are considered great leaders, there are different leadership styles adopted by them in the process to pull the right strings to get things done.

To understand these leadership styles, one must first understand what a leader is! So, let me ask you a question,

‘Who is the most influential leader that changed the face of the world we live in today?’

The answer to this question varies, but in the bracket of pure leadership, one cannot agree that Adolf Hitler is one of the greatest leaders and a transformative one, who not only influenced millions on the path of conquering the world and making Germany great again.

However, there is no justification for the actions Hitler chose to accomplish his conquest, but history is the standing witness — The Treaty of Versailles — that somewhere justified the actions that groomed him into a complete transformative leader.

Leaders are the ones who are often in the spotlight, where they fight the wars, making others the KING OF THE HILL. A leader is a person who guides people to achieve a collective common goal.

The Uncovered Discovery of Transformation Leaders

Over the course of centuries, even in the lost pages of history and manipulated tales of heroism, a constructive leadership style that has remained common and unique is the transformative leadership style.

Connecting the dots of all the song of fame and name, Adolf Hitler once said, ‘What luck for rulers that men do not think.’ And believe it or not but this is the hidden trust that every transformative leader discovers and builds his leadership approach on principle.

Agreed, that what Hitler once said is contradictive in many senses, but when decrypted, a leader forces men to think towards a common goal. Discovering this fact is just not enough to make a transformative leader, and of course, some qualities are crucial for a transformative leader, irrespective of the industry.

Fundamentals of Transformative Leadership

A few of the fundaments of a leader are common in transformative leadership, and that has been constant in every leader ever to walk the face of the earth. To list down a few of them are listed below:

Visionary

Well, a leader must be visionary because it is the vision that inspires people to follow that path. It shapes and defines the journey of the leader and the team he carries.

Team-centric

This quality is not as often seen in all leadership styles, but in this modern world where being woke is the call of our day-to-day activities, team-centric leadership is something that a leader should have.

Engaging & Inspiring

A fact that every man agrees is the trigger of the human mind that carves for engagement and inspiration. Give a man these two things and see his take over the world. And that is what exactly a leader does, just in a goal-oriented approach.

Emotionally Intelligent

Believe it or not, human beings, being social animals, are driven by emotions. Being emotionally intelligent is a must for every leader wishing to inspire. Though some leaders naturally inherit this quality, people with experience can develop it.

These are some of the many fundamental qualities that a leader possesses. Moving ahead in the spectrum and narrowing it down to one leadership style demanded by the market, transformative leadership styles also have some distinctive features that define their leadership style.

A Transformative Leadership Quality

Though the leadership qualities of a transformative leader can be listed easily, since the leadership style is all about connecting the dots, this particular leadership deserves a descriptive explanation.

Transformative leadership can be defined as a leadership style that works on inspiration, motivation and passion for the work at hand. This process of taking the whole group forward as a whole requires precession and clear communication.

That is the reason that even the most prominent transformative leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and arguably even Adolf Hitler are proficient and influential speakers. They communicate clearly for a purpose and connect with every listener on a personal level, inspiring and motivating them to do the work.

These leaders also lead by action, setting an example for everyone, which is heavily embedded with reaction and empathy. Keeping this philosophy of leading with empathy and example, many giant companies worldwide showcases a standard of exemplary transformative leadership. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Walmart, IBM, etc., have included this philosophy of leadership style in their company culture.

Read More: https://cioworldindia.com/

[thoughtsbeewild]

How do people get Promotions? Some are well earned and deserved. People never question the corrupted evil ones who they had to knock out in order to get that promotion? That exist in this planet earth, where attention puppets ARE RISING UP!

Why do we throw congratulations to people if we don't really know the truth to the WHY YOU GOT THAT TITLE, that promotion, that whatever it is. Nobody seems to question that, but if you had that once in a lifetime opportunity to work along side that individual you would know the TRUTH that would be a well earned, well deserved, hand of a fucking applause promotion.

Which Begs the question? Riddle me this? How the Fuck did this single divorced mom director get her TITLE, the power?

Well she didn't work long enough for the company like us TENURE people that's for damn sure, so BITCH DID not get her title her power by working for company for years and years, not decades. Bitch got hired over a whim BY SOCIAL MEDIA selling the SLOGAN HIRE KINDNESS YA FUCKERS!

How it the evil began: lets begin:

Lets call the main hired person The king(who made it happened for her, because in this world of corruption people are SO GREEDY FOR THE MONEY, SPRINKLE THAT TITLE ON THIER WORK PROFILE, Especially thier OUTLOOK MAIL to thier peers, like bitches now a days on INSTAGRAM FEEL THEY GOT POWER OVER YOU BECAUSE YOU LIKE THIER PICTURE LIKE A DAMN Psychotic Postage STAMP LICKER. PEOPLE run to people picture like its a career priority in thier life, like people should raise omg Im so proud of my son and daughter for making this far being the thirsty person online, doing what they can to get the likes and fishing for the awww compliments blah blah blah. Truly sick of this everyday nonsense shit people do online. This is my TUMBLR COMPLAINT BLOG to let it all out and let it go...free therapy~

If your reading this, glad I got some interest or that I am not alone. Back to this evil director, in a game of chess. The king who had the highest title/power in organization hired her as an outside external employee. If you dig a bit deeper, you see on her open search work profile each company she worked for she only been there for a YEAR and some months tops. Why didn't king see this as a RED FLAG to hiring this evilness into the company? Because the king was focused on trying to get a STRICTER leader to help with the company dynamics, company processes, not really focusing on who this person really is or what talent they believed to have brought in. I blame society and people loud opinions marketing HEY HIRE FOR KINDNESS SLOGAN on thy TWITTER. One has to at least once in thier living life find a PERSON WHO LOOKS NICE ON the OUTSIDE Picture WISE, BUT EVIL ON INSIDE< Evil with intentions, sell what you want hear leader I'm here to support you, my door always open, if you need talk im free, but if you ever try to raise a question with this director, your DONE DEAL aka she will FUCK YOU UP WITH TERMINATION(fuck up your whole life career you built for yourself, for your family maybe for your kids with the loved ones), utilizing her friend supervisors/managers/ her employee friends she hired into the company to help build her self image. But its all FAKE AND A LIE, you never really know what a demoncrat leader is in politics until you meet this bitch and her bitch squad friends who was hired out of the ghetto and this is who they call talent to KEEP. Which is why fast forward with time, organization is going to fall I predict at the end of year or beginning 2024 when Reconstructing AND LAYOFFS WILL HAPPEN under this evil leader director they LOVE AND BELIEVE SO MUCH!

Investors /Sales will try to look for money that was promised. But will not be delivered. A lot of things from this director, her supervisor friends, this manager who been begging for so long got promoted by Kissing ass bowing down to this divorced female director. In order for this person to be a manager, she had to pull the strings with this female director to get rid of the original managers in order to get the manager title to where they are it currently . So you can say a lot of these titles given in these organizations/companys or so called promotions were not well deserved or as some would correct me underved titles/promotions wasnt through hard work, determination. PSST kiss ass BOW DOWN DEMONCRAT STYLE.

If we were to touch up on politics, you would agree with ORANGE MAN about living the american dream you have to work hard for it. But in Biden DEMONCRAT AMERICA, the leaders today are more about using race color card, power, title and if you dare disobey one DEMONCrat leader you are FINISHED, HOMELESSNESS< POOR, BEGINING ONLINE for a JOB, JOBLESS. Do you ever notice on social media? DumbFUCKS are rising up. The struggle is real people! It easy for dummies who dont work hard and have easy life, as george floyd brother said," they will flip the script" . The script is flip for the hard working american people.

I predicted so many things about this leader and never believed it until I witnessed it in my own eyes.

If you haven't met any humans like the one I am describing , then your not really Living that BEST LIFE, YOUR NOT GETTING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE, YOUR STAYING COMFORTABLE WHERE YOU CANNOT CHANGE....

Its like the Barbie blondes in this world, they seek thier cheerleaders to compliment them. But you get someone else outside thier normal circle, they wouldn't know how to change or deal/

The mystery will still unfold. Its all a wait time. when this director, her managers and her supervisors and her bestie for resties the director hired also known as her puppet squad will pay the price.

[altosk]

　　　Raven shrugged his shoulders once more at the mention of shame. He had done so many shameful things in his life that he wasn't even sure if he felt that kind of thing anymore so it was pretty easy to admit the truth out loud, no matter how ludicrous. Seemed like Alexei was plenty ready to pick up Raven's slack, should have already been used to that silent puppet at his side.

Alexei's expression was so focused on him as he explained to Raven his own plan and Raven found it so hard to look away from it. He almost missed half of what Alexei said just from how distracted he got thinking about it. Alexei always had an intense gaze that could stop Raven in his tracks though still not quite as extreme as the man's silent anger. At least he was good at listening to the important things - sometimes.

❝ huh. if ya had all that up in yer head why'd ya even ask me if i had a plan? ❞

It all seemed pretty reasonable to Raven. Alexei had solved his 'dunno where to dock the boat' problem he stressed about for hours in mere seconds and when he really thought about it, it would be so, so easy to get Alexei into Dahngrest with any simple disguise.

A lot of the people of Dahngrest would unlikely even know of Alexei's crimes. The lot of 'em hadn't a care what the empire did as long as it didn't interfere with them.

Now the gears in his head were turning as Raven tapped the knuckle of his index finger to his chin. With his connections in the city he'd probably be able to get Alexei settled in a temporary place to stay, even if it was one of the rooms in one of the inns, to recover away from the eyes of others. Then, yeah, it would give him a chance to rendezvous with Karol or Yuri in Dahngrest or worse comes to worse he head straight to the Capital.

❝ yer right, though. dahngrest it probably the safest place at the moment. ❞

With destination in mind, he ought to get the ship running and moving. With it cracking past dawn and the sun rising higher in the sky, Alexei could be very much right about more of the empire ships coming out to see what happened, including finding their m.i.a Commandant. Raven had pretty limited knowledge in navigating a ship, he sure was no captain, but he'd seen little Patty behind the wheel enough he could probably figure it out. Assuming there wasn't too many differences between a ship once used by Fortune's Market and one built to sustain many men for war.

Hmm... Well! Raven was great at improvising if nothing. Plus he was getting real sick of Alexei's judgmental looks at him were he to admit yet another shortcoming. He was doing his best, okay?

❝ if yer feelin' okay enough ta move a bit, maybe there's somethin' on the ship ya can change into. i already had ta... ❞ Raven motions to how dressed down Alexei had become from him ditching every removable armor bit he had. ❝ even a cloak from aspio could be good enough if there's any spares on board from th' mages. anyway! i better get startin' in gettin' this ship movin'. ❞

Raven turns swiftly on his heel. Foregoing the previous thought of checking over Alexei's injuries, at least as of right now, maybe a later check-up. While watching Alexei talk and sitting through the 'you're an absolute idiot' looks he could see that color had started to return to his complexion and he was looking less like a ghost laying quietly over the beddings.

Only Alexei could look at someone with such palpable judgment in his eyes despite the fact that his expression hardly budged an inch. More amazingly, it was only someone like Raven who could trigger such a phenomenon in the first place, what with his startling lack of care in situations such as this that quite clearly required the utmost care. “Not really,” he answered all too simply. “Never the plan maker”, he claimed. It took a great amount of effort not to hide his face disappointedly in his palm right then and there.

“The fact that you can admit that without an ounce of shame baffles me.” Alexei commented plainly with brows deeply furrowed. It might just be possible that this response was more demeaning than a simple facepalm would have been, but he’d hardly the time to fret over Raven’s sensitive emotions. Now was a time for direct action, and they had to pick up the pace. There was no telling when more knights would be dispatched to investigate Zaude, and if they were discovered here when they did, it would all be over, then and there.

“Fine. If you’ve no ideas, then I suppose it can’t be helped.” Alexei muttered, gaze trailing across the ceiling before honing in on Raven. “I’d been considering a few possibilities myself. No doubt, it would be best if I hid someplace outside of the Empire’s jurisdiction— thus, I believe Dahngrest may be our best option. It may be a risk, but as things stand, I’d rather take my chances with the Union than fall into the hands of the Empire.” He explained simply.

“I don’t think it’s far off to assume that they would consider my execution for all that I’ve done.” Whether or not Alexei believed he deserved that… was beside the point. Right now, he was making an attempt to help Raven in his goal to keep him alive. He owed him that much.

“We’ll head North— port in the westmost sands of Tolbyccia, and leave the ship to drift so we can’t be tracked. After that, so long as I’m disguised well enough, it shouldn’t be difficult for me to walk right into Dahngrest without question, just as you once did years ago.” Alexei’s eyes were far more intense when he was in the midst of an explanation such as this, his crimson gaze piercing through the other’s.

“You, on the other hand, Raven… should leave. Find your friends and do what you must. At least until I’ve healed, I’ll only be in your way.” He sounded so matter of fact when he spoke��� coming from his lips, just about any plan he gave would sound foolproof… but Alexei had his own worries. “…That’s the best that I can come up with. It certainly won’t be easy, but I believe it may be our best option.”

[chanelfunnell]

Mail

A) anon, Kaner's son Max Domi and so Seth Jones are playful and keen to join any activity with Tazer or Blackhawks. Kaner is home body now. I was surprised that S Jones kicks by his left foot.

B) anon, a lot of dogs are cute and I like a lot of dogs of a lot of nhlers across the franchises. On the photos lol

C) anon,

Auston Matthews with a beard, looking weird with his p..rn stache.. Play offs facial hair is the worst look.

D) anon, there is just a pyckbunny history for Markle and an anon weirdo writing me about nonsense mixing flat caps, Harry, his warmonger friend Langdon and something about Hossa's whirlpool.., Marketa. Id steer away from any bs and dangerous people such as a arm smuggler Mann. Any bs outside ice hockey and unelected ruling class with lazy mean women such as Markle, Middleton or Camilla. Markle should pay for her all wedding costs, dresses and idiotic Mount battens should not allow her to have a big scale wedding in the church.. Old fartvking is smuggling more than 10.000 euros in the bags compared to self made Snoopy Dog with own cash and Marketa as a royal is denied and as self made biz girl bulkier and mocked by lazy gold diggas with it a buck such as Camilla or bulimic Kate. Read her mother's response in the suit how Kate hired as a simple idiot with just interest in clothes and media a media lawyer woman called Prince lol for a nominee trust.

These idiots have no clue that it is not in estate registrar but shluld f.. Ck offg ASAP from her estates like ugky Wisteria sister Pippa no own bucks pushes people for stepping on the lawn just for an inch. Stupid, vapid, no work, no dowry, no class. Not just a puppet Harry as Montecito laughs from him. Market's long term bf lawyer's family reside here, Markle is a stalker gold digga but she keeps quiet. So should drug junkie Harry Goldsmith who was sent to speak by his nasty abuser sister Carol to rant in the tabs. So like old bag Camilla's posing in tabs but none work done.

Check Princess Anne and her typical work as normal, Marketa waiting in the wings and app somd idiots mesee her surname Windsor and denied her election and mocked for self made status. What I know Kate wrote to Christian Ronaldo on Myspace after Marketa's presence at Red carpet of Pirates of Carribeans. All ugky, lazy, mean posing mean girls without money, class, typical with barking druggie uncle. Arm dealer loon like Mann as Harry Hewitt's company is dangerous so the Mountvaten and their gold digging mean chavs's toxicity, greed and unelected status or non royal origin and nothing on their own merit than shagging deluded royal farts.

OK athletes are trashy, posing and in chains but money made by them and with common sense than any common mugger like these women from Markle to Middleton women or Vamilka. Read the Middleton response in suit, to self accomplished workhorse who is a princess. Worse than climbing caste obsessed pushy mother with two Cinderella's ugky sisters camping illegally at the princess kand. We know Markle is a psycho but both of the d just mean, trashing other girls, heading rich men using the bed than own work, actually no dowry or manners, lazy, spiteful, stupid fir b assic PR. Not just Harry who is definitely a cavalry officer's son not a Prince. His father published similar book, all crybabies but trolled M or others keep quiet. These mean women just add them more like cross Che King a super player in NHL while they are a pond hickey hoikers. They ask a brother druggie like Hunter if friends or trashy star to pitch their appraisal to press how perfect and Saint they are. So Markle. Do you think Marketa's ex bf of 8 years lawyer from wealthy US family has no clue what these nasty women in law, a king and Harry are about? Markle present in Russian House yet borrowing other houses for her personality PR. So these crazy useless Mount battens and their penniless climbing gold diggas. Harry has attached dangerous people to his hip, the rest is atrache with their puckbubnued and own stupidity. Do you think they would make if in profi sport and into the bed a wag? Lol not apable or just plain or just ugly looking and too desperate chasers. King Charles was app kicked from Birkhall that is a part of Marketa's Balmoral estate. Well done, they are just greedy liars croks parasites joining forces with similar tuned charlatans and gold diggas. Their ancestor was stupid Alix Tsarina meddling into anything but lacking basic skill like never working media posers Camilla, Catherine.. Also her blind obsession with charlatan Rasputin reminds us old history. No surprise two bimbos Markle and Middleton are fighting about clothes, both looking either unkempt or frumpy after acts of flash, crotch shots or naked selfies luring their idiots into the bed, their only claim to anything such as money, house, standing in society, claim to fame lol. Spare me, so spare tyres... If not less paid, the land lady abused so kicked out. It is the same with no results, no t playing. If you are paid 5 mils bucks you need to deliver on the ice as well as juicy bits in the book and PR. That idiot has anything to sell and run buz bcs hardly able to run a ware tap and so their bimbos

[decks-writing-blog]

Life's Blessing

Summary: Kiera celebrates Life's Blessing with Gwen and Vyla.

~

It was probably pretty safe to assume that a necromancer wouldn’t have much interest in a holiday celebrating the persistence of life even during the dead of winter. Also, Gwen was undead, all the more reason to assume he wouldn’t celebrate it. For that reason, Kiera could let it go, perhaps even should. She was only living in his guest room because of the robot with a soul project they were working on together after all, that didn’t make them close. But she’d grown up celebrating it and had never once not done so.

She could go visit her parents for it, they’d no doubt be glad to see her especially since she hadn’t exactly told them where she was going or why. But they lived so far away – more like she now lived so far away from everything, including them – she couldn’t bear to leave her work for that long. She and Gwen were really starting to get somewhere too, putting that on hold for more than a day or two would be unacceptable. And so she was just going to have to celebrate it with Gwen and Vyla.

For Vyla, she could give the standard offering of food, though she’d have to make sure it’d be something dragons liked. For Gwen though, that wouldn’t work; he no longer needed to eat, instead being fueled entirely by magic. So she’d just get him a gift of some sort. Didn’t have to be anything big or grand, just something that made her feel less homesick for the holiday.

Getting gifts for people was always hard because people were hard, computers were much easier to understand and work with. Wondering around the town’s market seemed more and more futile with each shop she passed by. But then, just when she was about ready to give up and call it quits, she came across a store selling enchanted clothing.

Everyone could use an enchanted piece of clothing, right? She certainly loved the thin blue jacket she was currently wearing that kept her warm but not too warm even despite the biting cold and snow that had taken over the town. So she went in and began browsing.

Everything was organized based off the kind of enchantment, the particulars of which were placed on the individual items’ price tags. The largest section was for magics related to temperature; keeping one warm or cold, the strength of which also varied quite a bit, the stronger, the more expensive of course. The second largest section was for dirt-free clothing; only needing to wash a garment if dirtied by specific things not covered by the enchantment was very convenient and would perhaps make the ideal gift. She almost sorted through to try to pick something out right then and there but then she checked the next section’s enchantment type. It was perfect, the exact kind of thing Gwen needed. … Or maybe not needed but it would do him some good.

***

Gwen returned home from people watching at the park to find that Kiera had put a festive necklace of winter flowers around the neck of the puppet-corpse guard he’d set to protect the basement entrance. Maybe he should be offended, Life’s Blessing was counter to most things related to necromancy after all but really, he didn’t care. It wasn’t a big deal and was likely a joke or prank of some sort. Besides, it’d take almost no time or effort to remove if he so chose. Which he didn’t for now. Instead, with a shrug, he went past, opening the door, and headed downstairs.

Only a few steps down, Vyla, perched on his shoulder, perked up. She smelled food; meat roasted to the point of being a little burned just the way she liked it. Not willing to wait for Gwen to make his slow patient way down, she launched off to fly down in search of its source.

Kiera’s voice came a second or two later. “Yes, yes, this is for you. I made it just the way you like it. Or did my best to anyway.” Ah, that would explain why she’d gone out of her way to hang out in the kitchen a week or so ago when Gwen had been cooking for Vyla, she’d wanted to see how it was done. Though, coupled with the festive decoration, it could only be for one reason.

As predicated, upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she hadn’t set to start working early like she normally did but instead had clearly been waiting for him. “Happy Life’s Blessing!��

“I don’t celebrate.” He had as a small child, so long ago now he barely remembered. “But I suppose happy Life’s Blessing to you anyway.” Sometimes working with people meant tolerating them as people and things that were important to them. He was interested enough in the work they were doing to put up with this as long as she didn’t push too hard on it.

“I know, I know. Or I guess I didn’t know but I strongly suspected you wouldn’t celebrate. And that’s okay, totally okay. I don’t expect anything in return, I will make myself a nice meal later tonight. And maybe I shouldn’t do anything to involve you but you’re basically making my dreams come true and you’re letting me live in your house rent-free. Which I’m super grateful for and I wanted to express. Maybe this isn’t the way but I had the idea and then I went looking for a gift, because obviously I can’t give you food like one normally would so I gotta get you something else. And then I found this and had to get it for you.” She grabbed a small box, not unlike a blank shoe box, with a stick on bow atop it, from off the table and stepped forward to hold out for Gwen to take.

Well, it wasn’t often people got him gifts. So… he accepted it and took off the lid. A dark red scarf.

“It’s enchanted,” Kiera said. “It’ll make you smell like roses.”

Gwen intended to ask why she’d get him such a gift but before he could began to form the words, Vyla look up from the mess she was making of her meal to answer. You smell like death. She didn’t mind of course as long as he was still here in some form. In general smells didn’t offend her but many folk, humans among them, did find certain smells to be offensive, smells associated with death being chief among them.

Somehow Gwen had never considered that. It certainly explained why people tended to give him even more space these days than they used to. Which meant that such a gift was useful. He pulled it out and wrapped it around his neck. “Thanks.”

“You really like it?” She leaned forward, eager.

“Yes. Now let’s get to work unless you want to take the day off to celebrate.” He’d be disappointed if so but wouldn’t object.

“No, no. There’s far too much to do to just take a random day off. Let’s get to work.”