Ellana's Cultural Studies on Humanity Chapter 37:- On Human Government Palaces Pt7 Rashtrapati Bhavan

[rufusluciusivan]

Then to round off Ellana's latest globetrotting trip, a little visit to South Korea and even more hot girls.

Isn't it a bit ironic Ellana ended up mugging a typical Swedish woman in India? And will probably mug more Swedish women in India?

South Korea sounds promising. Lots of cute girls. And really outrageaous outfits. (I'm thinking of K-pop singers and dancers. I could picture the MiB having to put on their flashy garish outfits - their exact antithesis. Their nemesis even.)

You have the right of it, rufus on both counts. As India can be an hotbed of social unrest i thought it appropriate to set a protest as a backdrop for the story. I also drew inspiration from our recently ousted ( and not particularly lamented) PM Rishi Sunak, who suspiciously left rather early when L & M made their gaffe.

The UK elections are finished?! I heard it from time to time for months, completely slipped my mind it was now! Though from what I heard, there was no real suspense. Labour's victory was more or less a given. The only question was how much they would win... Well, from the the sound of your remark, I deduce Sunak's departure is a good thing in your eyes, hopefully a turn in a better direction... In my country, I dread we'll face the opposite this Sunday.

I wanted the stolen outfits to represent a modern India, where not many of their younger generation bother with the traditions of their ancestors.

I see. The needs of realism outweigh the needs of exoticism.

That's fine Rufus. The last thing I want to be is confrontational, since I enjoy sharing my stories with the board and its a pleasure when members such as yourself take an interest. Its much appreciated.

The mere fact your arrival revitalized the Story section of the Board caught my interest, and is much appreciated. I made no secret a good chunk of your tropes (nudity, lethality...) are not to my liking, but I see it as a good thing. Stories can become repetitive (consanguineous dare I say) when the same 2-3 writers always use the same tropes.

I'm having a surge of activity right now, I think the hectic pace at which I've been commenting, replying, and writing for a few days is a clear proof, but it's mostly because July - August are months off. Not dwelling on my family life or professional life, but I'm having less and less time as years pass by. 2023-2024 have been very busy. So I have to prioritize what little time I have for the Board, and I don't read or comment all the stories. I'm wholeheartedly hoping nothing in "real" life will disturb this "state of grace"...

Confrontation doesn't come naturally to me either. I do find our discussions on historical references and the easy humour we have fun. So in an effort to ease any tension; Would you believe that I gave nothing left to post, images wise? It's like I said I can't seem to find a picture of a cute Indian riot cop, to save my live.

I just wanted to add that I appreciate the fact we can discuss the matter in a calm, fair, and balanced way. Restraint has sadly become a rarity on the Internet... I keep this Board as my only social media for a reason. Had I had the habit of exchanging PMs with you, I'd have sent this part in a PM. But since this would have been the first PM I would've sent... I didn't want to look like I was trying to launch a direct attack...

Seriously though, this won't happen often. I will post any uniforms that serve as inspiration for the stories but It will be staggered as to be respectful and open minded to my fellow board writers. I hope that serves as a compromise and we can move forward as friends.

It's settled then. I trust your word on it. My word is my bond, I think the saying goes.

(But not that Bond...)



I think this would be for the best. I know first-end that I wasn't the only author who was bothered by that latest pattern, and who was trying to find a way to broach the topic. We're all fans writing, sharing, and discussing stories on our free time. So I suppose everyone is uncomfortable about this kind of things. Nobody wants to restrain anyone's creativity, and nobody wants to get in arguments with anybody. And more importantly, nobody wants to harass anybody or to make them quit writing. But at the same time there's this frustration (or should I say depressing feeling) when a story that literally took weeks or months to finish is uploaded, and disappears five minutes afterwards from the home page - and not because of an other story or an answer to a comment (because those are fair game, I'm the first to answer a comment or post a finished story as soon as I can), but by a link which could have been uploaded at the same time as the story it expands. It's psychological, but personally it ended up making me question my drive to write for the board. If not, I'd never have mentioned the topic.

Important last-minute PS: Just throwing my two cents here. Instead of staggered uploads... Why not simply add all the links inside the chapter itself to begin with? Or at the end or during the epilogue? That would remove any ambiguity, any possibility of misinterpretation (because I think everyone has a different interpreation of "staggered" - to some, it'll mean one hour, to others one day). And therefore it would nip any potential conflict in the bud. Personally, I think this is the ideal solution.

But I'll leave it at here. And I hope I'll never have to tackle this topic ever again, because it really makes me feel uncomfortable...

[Stormtrooper1990]

Then to round off Ellana's latest globetrotting trip, a little visit to South Korea and even more hot girls.

Isn't it a bit ironic Ellana ended up mugging a typical Swedish woman in India? And will probably mug more Swedish women in India?

South Korea sounds promising. Lots of cute girls. And really outrageaous outfits. (I'm thinking of K-pop singers and dancers. I could picture the MiB having to put on their flashy garish outfits - their exact antithesis. Their nemesis even.)

You have the right of it, rufus on both counts. As India can be an hotbed of social unrest i thought it appropriate to set a protest as a backdrop for the story. I also drew inspiration from our recently ousted ( and not particularly lamented) PM Rishi Sunak, who suspiciously left rather early when L & M made their gaffe.

The UK elections are finished?! I heard it from time to time for months, completely slipped my mind it was now! Though from what I heard, there was no real suspense. Labour's victory was more or less a given. The only question was how much they would win... Well, from the the sound of your remark, I deduce Sunak's departure is a good thing in your eyes, hopefully a turn in a better direction... In my country, I dread we'll face the opposite this Sunday.

I wanted the stolen outfits to represent a modern India, where not many of their younger generation bother with the traditions of their ancestors.

I see. The needs of realism outweigh the needs of exoticism.

That's fine Rufus. The last thing I want to be is confrontational, since I enjoy sharing my stories with the board and its a pleasure when members such as yourself take an interest. Its much appreciated.

The mere fact your arrival revitalized the Story section of the Board caught my interest, and is much appreciated. I made no secret a good chunk of your tropes (nudity, lethality...) are not to my liking, but I see it as a good thing. Stories can become repetitive (consanguineous dare I say) when the same 2-3 writers always use the same tropes.

I'm having a surge of activity right now, I think the hectic pace at which I've been commenting, replying, and writing for a few days is a clear proof, but it's mostly because July - August are months off. Not dwelling on my family life or professional life, but I'm having less and less time as years pass by. 2023-2024 have been very busy. So I have to prioritize what little time I have for the Board, and I don't read or comment all the stories. I'm wholeheartedly hoping nothing in "real" life will disturb this "state of grace"...

Confrontation doesn't come naturally to me either. I do find our discussions on historical references and the easy humour we have fun. So in an effort to ease any tension; Would you believe that I gave nothing left to post, images wise? It's like I said I can't seem to find a picture of a cute Indian riot cop, to save my live.

I just wanted to add that I appreciate the fact we can discuss the matter in a calm, fair, and balanced way. Restraint has sadly become a rarity on the Internet... I keep this Board as my only social media for a reason. Had I had the habit of exchanging PMs with you, I'd have sent this part in a PM. But since this would have been the first PM I would've sent... I didn't want to look like I was trying to launch a direct attack...

Seriously though, this won't happen often. I will post any uniforms that serve as inspiration for the stories but It will be staggered as to be respectful and open minded to my fellow board writers. I hope that serves as a compromise and we can move forward as friends.

It's settled then. I trust your word on it. My word is my bond, I think the saying goes.

(But not that Bond...)



I think this would be for the best. I know first-end that I wasn't the only author who was bothered by that latest pattern, and who was trying to find a way to broach the topic. We're all fans writing, sharing, and discussing stories on our free time. So I suppose everyone is uncomfortable about this kind of things. Nobody wants to restrain anyone's creativity, and nobody wants to get in arguments with anybody. And more importantly, nobody wants to harass anybody or to make them quit writing. But at the same time there's this frustration (or should I say depressing feeling) when a story that literally took weeks or months to finish is uploaded, and disappears five minutes afterwards from the home page - and not because of an other story or an answer to a comment (because those are fair game, I'm the first to answer a comment or post a finished story as soon as I can), but by a link which could have been uploaded at the same time as the story it expands. It's psychological, but personally it ended up making me question my drive to write for the board. If not, I'd never have mentioned the topic.

Important last-minute PS: Just throwing my two cents here. Instead of staggered uploads... Why not simply add all the links inside the chapter itself to begin with? Or at the end or during the epilogue? That would remove any ambiguity, any possibility of misinterpretation (because I think everyone has a different interpreation of "staggered" - to some, it'll mean one hour, to others one day). And therefore it would nip any potential conflict in the bud. Personally, I think this is the ideal solution.

But I'll leave it at here. And I hope I'll never have to tackle this topic ever again, because it really makes me feel uncomfortable...

You're right there. Between Japanese girls, Korean girls or Chinese girls I think the far east does have the monopoly on cute girls. I won't spoil the surprise but the Korea story will feature more military uniforms then the garish outfits worn by K-Pop ( although I wouldn't rule it out in a later SoKor story). Including a rare South Korean Officers uniform that I found trawling the Internet.


Yeah, thanks to Sunaks recent bumbling the result of a Labour landslide was all but inevitable. Its true I never really was a fan of his ( nor of any of our other unelected leaders for that matter.) and politics don't really interest me( unless women are losing their clothes to other women, that's different.) but I'am optimistic for the future. The only downside being Nigel Farage is an MP now (dun, dun, dun). I have kept track a little with France's elections and it does look like Le Pen will gain a huge majority. I don't really know if this will be good or bad for UK/France relations, I hope not.


Yeah, I tend to prefer more realistic uniforms/clothes compared to exotic ones. I think it's a British thing, we aren't the most colourful of people.


Thank you rufus, much appreciated. I always believe that variety in stories is a good thing and helps to keep the board alive. I know I have said once I veer towards lethal, but since writing Ellana I would say now that I like a little bit of both. I feel its good to have an appreciation of both camps as it helps expand my creativity. And the nudity, well that's just my own personal preference but then again i have an appreciation for underwear clad victims. I don't like to limit myself. Variety is the spice of life as the saying goes.


Well I'am glad to hear that your having this surge of creativity from one writer to another. For myself, the opposite is true. I have recently started a new seasonal job as a steward at football matches. True the season here as died down but when autumn comes, I expect I might have less time for the board. So I'am making the most of the time available to get as much of Ellana's story out as possible. So I might have to limit myself to oneshots, ( which I have many including more historical works, and Video game inspired concepts) until next summer. We'll see.


Me too, it wouldn't have served anyone had we fought about this through PMs. I'am not really a fan of toxic social media either and the board represents the same for you as it does for me. A truly wonderful place were we discuss, share and write stories about fem/fem uniform stealing, something that unites us all and brings everyone from around the world together.

As a fellow bond fan I appreciate the joke and my word is my bond too. But God help me! Why is Lazenby up there? He only did one movie and it was dreadful( having Kojak as Blofeld certainly didn't help.

I think it's good that we aired this out and reached a compromise. After all none of us want conflict. We are all united by our love of the trope even though we are all different in saying what USB means to each of us. I know what you mean and I confess I feel that frustration you feel sometimes, but I just take it in my stride. And I like to reply to my fans as soon as possible, since I welcome any discussion about my stories.


PS:- So say, I post a full complete list of links to the pictures after my epilogue in one reply? Something of that sort? Because that I can most definitely do. I agree it's the best solution and removes any misunderstandings that may occur as a result.


Here, here. Let's draw a line under this and move forward.

[meditions142]

I think were you to ask Ellana herself which of her takeout methods she prefers, it would be the pinch. So quick and effective.


That scene with L & M was perhaps the one I most enjoyed writing. I'am really glad how it came together. Here our poor guards are just as dumb as those Nazis( not even cuffing our agents, guards today...), and despite their being armed were overpowered quite painfully but effectively by our agents. Their lack of diligence cost them their uniforms. And the report reflected just how easy it was and how matter of fact L is about the event.

Definitely see why Ellana would prefer the pinch. It is almost elegant. It really is perfect. All she needs to do is put her fingers on the right spots on opposite sides of a woman's neck and squeeze. The victim is instantly and easily put to sleep. The woman will feel a bit of pain but it will be over quickly.

I do have to agree with you that the scene was great. Amazing the way that L was able to flip Deepa over stunning her enough that she could never defend herself again the punch that knocked her out. The M backhands Jaya to stun her followed by a punch to knock her out as well.

Also love the idea of them grabbing them by the ankles and dragging the women's unconscious bodies out of sight.

[Stormtrooper1990]

I think were you to ask Ellana herself which of her takeout methods she prefers, it would be the pinch. So quick and effective.


That scene with L & M was perhaps the one I most enjoyed writing. I'am really glad how it came together. Here our poor guards are just as dumb as those Nazis( not even cuffing our agents, guards today...), and despite their being armed were overpowered quite painfully but effectively by our agents. Their lack of diligence cost them their uniforms. And the report reflected just how easy it was and how matter of fact L is about the event.

Definitely see why Ellana would prefer the pinch. It is almost elegant. It really is perfect. All she needs to do is put her fingers on the right spots on opposite sides of a woman's neck and squeeze. The victim is instantly and easily put to sleep. The woman will feel a bit of pain but it will be over quickly.

I do have to agree with you that the scene was great. Amazing the way that L was able to flip Deepa over stunning her enough that she could never defend herself again the punch that knocked her out. The M backhands Jaya to stun her followed by a punch to knock her out as well.

Also love the idea of them grabbing them by the ankles and dragging the women's unconscious bodies out of sight.

I agree, the pinch is the perfect stealth option for Ellana that is useful for any situation and plus its adaptable depending on the situation. Its simplicity masks the skill that required to pinch the woman just so to knock her out with the least amount of pain possible. And there is a certain elegance in the act itself. Which why it remains my favourite of Ellana's skills. Sure the neckchop is great for overt takedowns but for those covert takedowns, you really can't beat the pinch.


Thanks, i'am glad you agree. It's testament to L's marine training that she was able use her superior upper body strength to throw Deepa over her shoulder, her landing on her back was enough to stun her. Then the follow up punch to send her to sleepyland. With M's takedown she may have broke poor Jaya's nose with the back hand strike before giving her a fierce right rook to settle the fight. It goes to show that the agents are not afraid to use their physicality to their advantage and they had the clear advantage with our poor security guards being petite.


For me, nothing beats a good ankle dragging out of sight. I mean i like shoulder dragging and wrist dragging too but for me ankle dragging a victim is just super sexy.

[meditions142]

I agree, the pinch is the perfect stealth option for Ellana that is useful for any situation and plus its adaptable depending on the situation. Its simplicity masks the skill that required to pinch the woman just so to knock her out with the least amount of pain possible. And there is a certain elegance in the act itself. Which why it remains my favourite of Ellana's skills. Sure the neckchop is great for overt takedowns but for those covert takedowns, you really can't beat the pinch.


Thanks, i'am glad you agree. It's testament to L's marine training that she was able use her superior upper body strength to throw Deepa over her shoulder, her landing on her back was enough to stun her. Then the follow up punch to send her to sleepyland. With M's takedown she may have broke poor Jaya's nose with the back hand strike before giving her a fierce right rook to settle the fight. It goes to show that the agents are not afraid to use their physicality to their advantage and they had the clear advantage with our poor security guards being petite.


For me, nothing beats a good ankle dragging out of sight. I mean i like shoulder dragging and wrist dragging too but for me ankle dragging a victim is just super sexy.

Hi hope poor Jaya doesn't have a broken nose. I am sure she'll be sore (as will Deepa) but would hate her nose being broken.

That is so true regarding the pinch "Its simplicity masks the skill that required to pinch the woman just so to knock her out with the least amount of pain possible." For something that seems so simple it does so much. It short circuits the woman's CNS and powerfully shuts down her consciousness.

And as for the dragging, I think I agree. Watching an unconscious woman dragged off by her ankles it very sexy.

[Stormtrooper1990]

I agree, the pinch is the perfect stealth option for Ellana that is useful for any situation and plus its adaptable depending on the situation. Its simplicity masks the skill that required to pinch the woman just so to knock her out with the least amount of pain possible. And there is a certain elegance in the act itself. Which why it remains my favourite of Ellana's skills. Sure the neckchop is great for overt takedowns but for those covert takedowns, you really can't beat the pinch.


Thanks, i'am glad you agree. It's testament to L's marine training that she was able use her superior upper body strength to throw Deepa over her shoulder, her landing on her back was enough to stun her. Then the follow up punch to send her to sleepyland. With M's takedown she may have broke poor Jaya's nose with the back hand strike before giving her a fierce right rook to settle the fight. It goes to show that the agents are not afraid to use their physicality to their advantage and they had the clear advantage with our poor security guards being petite.


For me, nothing beats a good ankle dragging out of sight. I mean i like shoulder dragging and wrist dragging too but for me ankle dragging a victim is just super sexy.

Hi hope poor Jaya doesn't have a broken nose. I am sure she'll be sore (as will Deepa) but would hate her nose being broken.

That is so true regarding the pinch "Its simplicity masks the skill that required to pinch the woman just so to knock her out with the least amount of pain possible." For something that seems so simple it does so much. It short circuits the woman's CNS and powerfully shuts down her consciousness.

And as for the dragging, I think I agree. Watching an unconscious woman dragged off by her ankles it very sexy.

Don't worry, Jaya didn't suffer a broken nose but she like her partner Deepa will definitely be sore when they wake up.



Kremm himself put it quite well when he said "a finger deep puts them to sleep". With Ellana's she grasps the throat then applies the gentle finger thumb pinch either side at the nerve clusters, the woman takes about 10 seconds to fall unconscious. As the old saying goes it's the little things that matter.


Indeed, especially if they've already been stripped and the infiltrator just needs to find that handy little hiding spot. I can't imagine anything more sexier.

[rufusluciusivan]

Yeah, thanks to Sunaks recent bumbling the result of a Labour landslide was all but inevitable. Its true I never really was a fan of his ( nor of any of our other unelected leaders for that matter.) and politics don't really interest me( unless women are losing their clothes to other women, that's different.) but I'am optimistic for the future. The only downside being Nigel Farage is an MP now (dun, dun, dun). I have kept track a little with France's elections and it does look like Le Pen will gain a huge majority. I don't really know if this will be good or bad for UK/France relations, I hope not.

Though it's most likely her party won't have absolute majority. But honestly the more years pass, the more disillusioned I grow with politics. I'll leave it at that however. Politics don't need to enter this board. Except if it's a pretty politician getting her outfit stolen, of course. (Or an aide, or a secretary... you get the point.)

Well I'am glad to hear that your having this surge of creativity from one writer to another. For myself, the opposite is true. I have recently started a new seasonal job as a steward at football matches. True the season here as died down but when autumn comes, I expect I might have less time for the board. So I'am making the most of the time available to get as much of Ellana's story out as possible. So I might have to limit myself to oneshots, ( which I have many including more historical works, and Video game inspired concepts) until next summer. We'll see.

Video game inspired concepts sounds intriguing.

As a fellow bond fan I appreciate the joke and my word is my bond too. But God help me! Why is Lazenby up there? He only did one movie and it was dreadful( having Kojak as Blofeld certainly didn't help.

Blame Google Image! They're the one who proposed this photomontage! That Company's a monster...

I think it's good that we aired this out and reached a compromise. After all none of us want conflict. We are all united by our love of the trope even though we are all different in saying what USB means to each of us. I know what you mean and I confess I feel that frustration you feel sometimes, but I just take it in my stride. And I like to reply to my fans as soon as possible, since I welcome any discussion about my stories.

Compromise is the key. Now, if only politicians could take a cue... Sorry! Sorry! I said no more politics jokes.

PS:- So say, I post a full complete list of links to the pictures after my epilogue in one reply? Something of that sort? Because that I can most definitely do. I agree it's the best solution and removes any misunderstandings that may occur as a result.


Here, here. Let's draw a line under this and move forward.

I'd say yes, a complete list after the epilogue in one reply (or even as part of the epilogue). That seems the easiest / less time-consuming solution.

[Stormtrooper1990]

Yeah, thanks to Sunaks recent bumbling the result of a Labour landslide was all but inevitable. Its true I never really was a fan of his ( nor of any of our other unelected leaders for that matter.) and politics don't really interest me( unless women are losing their clothes to other women, that's different.) but I'am optimistic for the future. The only downside being Nigel Farage is an MP now (dun, dun, dun). I have kept track a little with France's elections and it does look like Le Pen will gain a huge majority. I don't really know if this will be good or bad for UK/France relations, I hope not.

Though it's most likely her party won't have absolute majority. But honestly the more years pass, the more disillusioned I grow with politics. I'll leave it at that however. Politics don't need to enter this board. Except if it's a pretty politician getting her outfit stolen, of course. (Or an aide, or a secretary... you get the point.)

Well I'am glad to hear that your having this surge of creativity from one writer to another. For myself, the opposite is true. I have recently started a new seasonal job as a steward at football matches. True the season here as died down but when autumn comes, I expect I might have less time for the board. So I'am making the most of the time available to get as much of Ellana's story out as possible. So I might have to limit myself to oneshots, ( which I have many including more historical works, and Video game inspired concepts) until next summer. We'll see.

Video game inspired concepts sounds intriguing.

As a fellow bond fan I appreciate the joke and my word is my bond too. But God help me! Why is Lazenby up there? He only did one movie and it was dreadful( having Kojak as Blofeld certainly didn't help.

Blame Google Image! They're the one who proposed this photomontage! That Company's a monster...

I think it's good that we aired this out and reached a compromise. After all none of us want conflict. We are all united by our love of the trope even though we are all different in saying what USB means to each of us. I know what you mean and I confess I feel that frustration you feel sometimes, but I just take it in my stride. And I like to reply to my fans as soon as possible, since I welcome any discussion about my stories.

Compromise is the key. Now, if only politicians could take a cue... Sorry! Sorry! I said no more politics jokes.

PS:- So say, I post a full complete list of links to the pictures after my epilogue in one reply? Something of that sort? Because that I can most definitely do. I agree it's the best solution and removes any misunderstandings that may occur as a result.


Here, here. Let's draw a line under this and move forward.

I'd say yes, a complete list after the epilogue in one reply (or even as part of the epilogue). That seems the easiest / less time-consuming solution.

I couldn't have put it better myself, especially if it's Ellana who replaces said pretty aide and leaves her tied up naked for the MiB to discover. But I share your opinion about politics, I haven't even voted during this election (which you needed photo ID to vote anyway) since I became disillusioned a long time ago.


Thanks, as a gamer I draw a lot of inspiration from video games. I already have a couple of MGS 5 five concepts I have worked on with a friend on discord. (Sorry in advance, they will both be lethal and contain nudity.) And I have been playing Cyberpunk 2077, which have lots of pretty cocktail waitresses just begging to be knocked out and stripped. (These two concepts will be non lethal and contain stripped cuties down to their undies.) I also have ideas for Wolfenstein:- New Blood and Saints Row 3. So watch this space.


Ugh! Curse Google Images for including the Milk Tray man alongside real Bonds. They should be done for crimes against decency.



No, no! It's quite alright, politicians exist for us mere mortals to take the mickey out of them. That's why we have the likes of Farage, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Donald Trump among us. But yes, it will be a miracle indeed when these fools learn the art of compromise.


I would go for after the epilogue myself in one whole reply. Since my epilogues are usually newspaper cuttings, MiB reports or extended scenes and posting the images as part of that would spoil the immersion. It's still less time consuming and serves the purpose. Everybody's happy.

[meditions142]

With Ellana's she grasps the throat then applies the gentle finger thumb pinch either side at the nerve clusters, the woman takes about 10 seconds to fall unconscious. As the old saying goes it's the little things that matter.

It is really perfect. While indeed the woman may remain conscious for those 10 seconds, she is not a threat to fight back. Her nervous systems if being so disrupted that she will be temporarily paralyzed and unable to fight back. She will need to suffer the pain of the pinch for those 10 second, and maybe on some level be a bit aroused, but then soon it is off to sleepyland for her.

[Stormtrooper1990]

With Ellana's she grasps the throat then applies the gentle finger thumb pinch either side at the nerve clusters, the woman takes about 10 seconds to fall unconscious. As the old saying goes it's the little things that matter.

It is really perfect. While indeed the woman may remain conscious for those 10 seconds, she is not a threat to fight back. Her nervous systems if being so disrupted that she will be temporarily paralyzed and unable to fight back. She will need to suffer the pain of the pinch for those 10 second, and maybe on some level be a bit aroused, but then soon it is off to sleepyland for her.

I don't think you could ask for a more elegant, perfect takedown method. It really as everything. Ellana removes the woman's ability to cry out for help and her capacity to fight back due to the paralysis. The woman feels the pain of the pinch, and as Ellana will most likely have used her pheromones to calm or subdue her victim, she feels that arousal before slowly losing consciousness and off it is to sleepyland for her. Our agents could learn a thing or two from her.