#building a reputation

[oli123654]

Branding is a crucial part of any business strategy, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to make their mark in a competitive market like Singapore. In 2024, branding is not just about having a logo or a catchy slogan; it's about creating a memorable experience for your customers, fostering trust, and building a reputation that stands out in both local and global markets.

[redbean-nom]

headcanon boba has decided din is his New Baby Brother, except he has zero frame of reference for appropriate behavior of people with a number of siblings between none and three million. din comes back from vacation and discovers that boba has been committing Casual Identity Theft via completing bounties in din's name

[briskchips]

You think SMC is ever gonna get a redemption ? I am saying this because the game seem to heavily hint at that. Unlike mystic flour and burning spice (the previous beast we got) SMC is the only beast so far to actively seek companionship with his counterpart rather than to destroy him.

This is purely speculation but based on the info we currently have, the beasts don’t really seem to….LIKE each other very much. Sure they work together and are on the same side BUT it’s only because they have the same goal. It’s out of OBLIGATION rather than genuine SOLIDARITY. SMC calls them “friends” but the same cannot be said for the others (that we have so far). If SMC truly see the beasts as his friends then WHY does he feel so lonely ? Shouldn’t he feel overjoyed that he has companions at his side ? UNLESS he is lying to himself. He is trying to convince himself that they care about him because they are the ONLY ones he has left.

but there come PV, the first person to ever want to be friend with SMC out of GENUINE KINDNESS instead of OBLIGATION. Once he realize this fact, I think SMC might go on a journey of self reflection and perhaps even betray the other beasts and dark enchantress.

sorry about this rambling, these cookies have consumed my every thought 😭

YES do not apologize for rambling I love to read it

I sure hope they're going for a SMC redemption!

SMC repeatedly insisted that he and PV were the only ones who understood each other all throughout beast yeast 8, and while I do think that could still be SMC lying to gain PV's favour (we really have to take every word outta his mouth with a grain of salt), the way he fell SO easily for PV's lie really shows that he craves some kind of equal. The master of deceit would always know better than to accept anyone's words at face value, but he IMMEDIATELY joined up with PV and allowed him control of the realm just at the offer of partnership. If he was aware of any risk, he didn't care in that moment. I mean think about the wording! PV offers both himself and the soul jam at the same time, but the thing SMC chooses to focus in on is PV!

It might've been about the soul jam initially, and I'm sure he still cares about it a lot, but the possibility of having an actual, genuine friend has to have surpassed it by now. That cookie is LONELY and its so obvious, but I think he's gonna get in his own way. He seems way too stubborn to EVER accept PV's proposal unless he's desperate. Not to mention how betrayed he feels now.

I also don't think that PV would be willing to let SMC go just yet. He felt that same connection too, and after struggling with his own relationship with truth all his life, I can't imagine he'd just give up on the only person who's truly understood him. And with his awakened form now being the light of compassion, I think he'd have a bit of a saviour mentality toward SMC. He experienced the same breakdown SMC did, and he made it out to other side. Of COURSE he wants him to experience the same! If anyone can guide him toward a better life, PV wants it to be him (though I'm sure he doubts his own abilities in that).

I think I could see it beginning as a unition against a common enemy. Same as you said; the beasts don't seem to like each other very much (I know it isn't technically canon but the new SMC tier list video actually alludes to their relationship a little bit), but are willing to work together to further their own goals. Once the main heroes learn that DE always intended to steal the beasts' power for herself, and they somehow find a way to communicate that to SMC (god knows where the trio of deceit have wandered off to) I think SMC could be convinced into joining them. But I'm sure he's gonna insist that he be in charge, and I cannot wait to see everybody's heads clash

[mollysunder]

Looks like Singed is under Noxian custody (top left), which implies that the raid we saw in the teaser and the trailer lead to the widespread capture of multiple Zaunite citizens from multiple factions, including civilians.

And Jinx really is breaking these people out of jail. Jinx probably came for Singed first, but things happen and suddenly she's freeing everybody.

The irony shouldn't be lost on anyone that the most significant thing Jayce and Vi did in Zaun last season was lead a raid where not only were multiple unarmed workers physically assaulted by enforcers and a child was killed, but the civilian workers were still arrested in the end, including the child workers!

Jinx really gets a mural because she's THAT girl!

[elftwink]

to preface this post i am anti-advertising i think we should explode the entire industry but it's sooo funny when you people make posts like "and they don't even work!!" like. sorry to be the bearer of bad news but yes they do. that's why we have to put up with so many despite everyone hating them and thinking its annoying. because they actually work really well and make a shit load of money

[starry-bi-sky]

pouring one out for luo binghe in my disciple SQQ fic, poor guy has taken a backseat here. we're nearly 30k words deep and he hasn't even shown his face once. it'll be much longer before he even actually talks to Shen Qingqiu.

(i say im pouring one out but in reality im sitting in my director's chair chewing on a cigar and wearing a beret as he tearily and unsuccessfully pleads with me for more scenes with Shen Qingqiu)

[rogdona]

I love devil duck. I wanna protect devil duck. Why would anyone be mean to such a cute bird.

sadly the constant stress of being incompetent at its job and being mocked for it makes it very snappy and even if someone tries to be nice people who want to help tend to change their tune v quickly when the person theyre helping isnt as appreciative as they expect😔😔😔

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

If there’s one thing the Empire State Building is going to do, it’s tease Reputation (Taylor’s Version) without any actual information 😂

[raziiyah]

i liked how this scene explicitly acknowledged how tiny randall really is

[backpackingspace]

Headcanon that most demon royalty goes to some fancy private/finishing school. But that Stolas was homeschooled with a private tutor. It was one of the very very few requests his dad granted him and for years it was a tressure memory, one of the few times he /got to choose/ one of the few times his dad /listened/ to him. Only to realize when he enters society that it was another isolation tactic. That everybody had already spent years forming social alliances and building their reputations and social credit. And that there was no room for him to break into those circles, that he /did not know/ the proper unspoken social rules. That his wife has spent years building her clout and that he is once again. Alone.

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Starlo's personality

I'm still confused about this man's 'true self,' gotta admit. How much of 'himself' IS there in 'North Star'?

What we know about real Star:

He's a nerd/geek obsessed with westerns; that's where he got the inspiration to build WE

He looks different than with the hat on and used to wear braces

Was shy in his teenage years around Ceroba (no idea how he acted normally) + couldn't confess to her

His mom (after killing him) says how he's never been the one to follow rules. I wonder what she meant by that. Rules, like, you're supposed to hate humans like everyone else or rules, like, no sneaking off to practice your shooting and lasso skills? Both?

Ed describes the 'old him' as a fearless leader and as a monster who could 'make his own fun in the little things' (you mean he used to be more humble but at the same time remained an ambitious risk-taker?)

Is insecure about where he comes from and what he looks like

We don't have enough info to know what he was like as a kid. I'm curious if absolutely everything about North Star is the opposite of Starlo (I don't think it is); both are kind and protective. Still, I can't help but wonder if the Starlo after Showdown, in both routes, is the real him or not. Maybe 50% yes and 50% no

Just from the end credits, the only thing I got about him was that he's kind and friendly and optimistic and charming (North Star is this way too, but more exaggerated). Nothing new

So maybe Starlo IS North Star, but more modest (aka not as exaggerated)

I'm curious about your thoughts guys.

Also I forgot to mention how he wanted to plan a PARTY for Kanako, in neutral says that the PARTY in the saloon was great (and the letter he sent was pretty charming), wants to accompany Ceroba in the Steamworks, is open about how he feels (immediately openly confronts Ceroba and calls her out; he's assertive), not afraid to get physical if it means protecting Clover & Martlet, can be pretty loud (like when he spotted Clover after sparing him in neutral, he was like "DEPUTY!!!"

I'm left wondering if all this is the real him or not. I think it is. Just maybe toned down a bit :) It's the only explanation for the fact he's been doing all this for a really long time and never showing signs of wanting to stop/that it exhausted him

[sun-marie]

one thing i like about rook's role as a "hero" in the DA universe is that while the other protagonists could get a discount at a shop or a favor from someone in a community by way of "don't you know who this is? they're the hero of ferelden/champion of kirkwall/inquisitor and herald of andraste, savior of the world!!", rook could get a discount at a shop or a favor from someone in a community by way of "don't you know who this is? they helped oscar with his cart yesterday and found emilia's missing daughter, 'least we could do is return the favor!"

[originalgenshinscenarios]

Okay I'm done with Natlan and Citlali's quest

My opinion on Citlali improved slightly, but the rest... Ehhh... No. I'm not gonna say that Natlan was bad, cause ngl for me the most boring archon quest was Sumeru. (And I'm saying it because of the fact that the dream loop was ridiculous and I hated it just as much as I hate Nahida which is a ToN)

Spolier rant in tags

[mabaris]

vows and vengeance spoilers (not sure how people are tagging that yet, but be aware)

it feels very obvious that the ritual went as intended, right? this would not be the first time Solas pretended to be trustworthy in order to convince someone to do what he wanted, regardless of collateral. I find it VERY hard to believe that he would track down the Eye and know so much about its history and how it reacts to magic and not be prepared for what would happen

(and also I’m tired of the conceit being that his plans keep getting interrupted or something unexpected happens. it makes him seem incompetent lol)

[thexgrayxlady]

I think I like the idea of Murtagh and Thorn handling side quest type things for a while once they make it out to Mt Angor. As annoyed as Murtagh is that his already abbreviated training keeps getting interrupted, Thorn's the only mature dragon who isn't tied down to one location.

The first time, they're sent up to the north of the spine, near Carvahall. The longer they're up there, the more Murtagh suspects that the villagers did not need the help of a dragon rider to get rid of a particularly vicious cave bear, but he's already here and it's nice to feel useful and wanted and once he gets over himself, he gets to meet Roran. Reuniting with his brother wasn't nearly as horrible as he thought it would be. Adding a cousin to the mix shouldn't be that bad. Once the initial awkwardness is past, they get along like a house on fire. Even so, he tries to leave quietly once the bear's been tracked and dispatched.

Roran's having none of it. He and Thorn are family, even if he is a prickly grouch. They're at least staying for dinner. Thorn will not let him say no. Ismira is delighted by her uncle and his dragon friend. Dinner turns into a few extra days of helping around Carvahall and spending time with his family. By the time he actually leaves, he, Thorn, Katrina, and Roran are plotting to kidnap Eragon and bring him out here for Ismira's birthday.

Then they spend a few weeks in Illeria, trying to help Nasuada negotiate with the mages because the system, as it's currently set up, is a powder keg. They're happy to see Alin settling in nicely and that she's genuinely enjoying the outside world. Murtagh gets to be a fancy boy who knows politics at galas. He's having the time of his life dragging an ambassador for being a bad dancer. The four of them get involved in so many spy thriller shenanigans because Murtagh cannot go five minutes without kicking some kind of hornets nest.

They go north and fight a sea serpent alongside Uvek. Murtagh can only watch with horror while Thorn plunges into the icy abyss to stop it from dragging their boat under. Then lines on their harpoons go slack and come up cut. He's about to dive in after him when Thorn's head breaches the waves.

"She will not trouble your tribes anymore," Thorn says, dragging himself, panting, onto the pack ice, and adds softly, "I could not bear to destroy something with such a beautiful song."

They find more leads on the Draumar, only now they have enough experience to follow them safely.

Of course, half the time they either create or stumble into far more problems than they wanted. Murtagh can escalate taking care of some small time bandits into a narrowly averted major diplomatic incident between the Broddring Empire and Surda in under three minutes. At one point, they go to take care of some minor smuggling and somehow, wind up leading a heist in Ellesmera and both refuse to elaborate on how those two things are connected.

Eragon looses count of the number of times they come back far later than anticipated, and when questioned about it, Murtagh's first answer is just, "Fucking Durza!"

Thorn continues his side quest to get Murtagh laid, only now he's armed with the knowledge of romantic ballads. His arranged meet-cutes with any of the men or women he deems acceptable are met with a resounding lack of success.

Thorn builds his confidence up with bandits and wild animals and more of the little surprises Durza left around the continent. He learns drinking songs and ballads in taverns and from harvest festivals and on the road and eventually starts to share his own work. He watches people change from approaching him with fear, to caution, to acceptance, and eventually to joy.

And slowly, but surely the people of Alagaësia stop feeling dread at the sight of the red dragon and his rider and instead, feel safe.

[mychlapci]

the only way i can remain sane reading this book which is filled with beautiful ageless twinks is by disregarding the illustrations and imagining lan wangji at least early middle aged. if he too was young in my mind i would have had to kill myself last night.