欧宝娱乐

“... cynicism is the only tool that can scrape away the tint off rose-coloured glasses.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, Sprout of Disruption

“Death. Life. They are in the air, the water, the earth, and the fire that surround us. They co-mingle like a dance of weeping and rejoicing. The joy and pain become one. We are of a dualistic nature." ---Jennifer Mills”
― Dianne Bright, Soul Reader

“I tell you, Professor, growing up is a full contact sport. Somewhere in our brains, foolishness and na茂vet茅 join forces with a false sense of invincibility. Together, they score own-goals against their host鈥檚 interests. All this happens while that referee known as 鈥榬eason鈥� is collapsed in a drunken stupor, unable to stop the madness. When he finally wakes up, all he can do is grant the useless penalty known as 鈥榟indsight鈥�. But the outcome remains unchanged. The game is lost 鈥�”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, Sprout of Disruption

“Change is only the beginning...”
― D. Antoinette, The First Book of Carrie

“Vaida planted her shoulders into the back of her chair and slid her lower body towards the edge of the seat. The fabric of her retracting skirt increased the protrusion of her legs. When she was in position, Vaida made a fine adjustment to achieve the desired view.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Being a hangman requires you to take someone else鈥檚 life based on someone else鈥檚 judgment, and carry it out on someone else鈥檚 schedule. The job does not provide the same satisfaction that an ordinary murderer gets from smashing a skull. It robs them of the fulfillment of plunging a knife into someone鈥檚 throat. In the world of capital punishment, the prisoner鈥檚 crimes have been sanitized by years of sitting on death row. By then, the execution is a cold and impersonal affair. There is prayer, a noose, and a few last words. The prisoner then experiences a sudden rush of blood to the head. At the end of it all, you have a broken neck and a dead body swinging from the end of a rope. That is it. You don鈥檛 get to manhandle them with your own hands. That鈥檚 why the brutes you mention will never be hired. So you see, Vaida, this is not a job for a murderer. It is a job for a humanitarian.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Poetic words are usually more stimulating than accurate. Taking them too seriously is a mistake.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Every successful mission requires a clear plan. Tonight, Mrs. Sibanda鈥檚 mission was to enjoy some gratification. She would not be denied. Her plan was as clear as oxygen. It involved an expensive perfume, a bottle of wine, and audacious underwear. Yes, for such battles, lingerie was always a critical component of the offensive strategy.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“I will not mince words. There鈥檚 been enough mincing for one day. Therefore, I shall ask my question bluntly: How does a man know that his body has been turned inside out? 鈥� His eyes can see the back of his skull with an alarming clarity. I am told it hurts like hell. Especially when he refuses to explain why he has been investigating the hangman鈥檚 replacement”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“MUSHAKABVU, I may be in a tough spot, but I am more worried about you. I have never experienced anything close to a sense of kinship with any of my clients, let alone those I have never met. However, the world you sent me to investigate has inspired a selfless concern that is uncommon between strangers. I hope you are just a curious, distant observer in the affairs I have been probing ... But something tells me this hope was frustrated long before our acquaintance.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“One candidate who considered applying for the position explained his change of heart: 鈥淭hat job is like unprotected sex. It feels amazing at the time, but there is a good chance you will pay for it later. None of the benefits are worth the pleasure.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“... the successful recruit must be empathetic. This condition rules out the sadistic, the vengeful, and the enthusiastic. Therefore, many of the garden-variety killers who applied so far have had no chance of success, especially those who are already behind bars.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“When a group of people are forced to navigate a minefield together, everyone feels a grudging sense of comfort when someone else gets blown up. Though there may be other unseen landmines left in the ground, each death creates a safe spot. A landmine cannot explode twice in the same place. Sure, the explosion robs the survivors of a comrade. Still, each death makes everyone鈥檚 next step marginally safer. So everyone keeps walking with grief on their faces, and relief in their hearts. Their own deaths are further postponed by the end of another life.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“As they say: A baking man will grasp at a hangman. Whoever gets the job will be dragged into the heat, forced to wear a massive pair of iron shoes, and frogmarched across the minefield at gunpoint.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“... the only difference between carnivores and plants is that the latter eat meat through 鈥榯ranslator鈥� organisms. Maggots and bacteria 鈥榩re-chew鈥� dead animal matter, which plants then absorb as nutrients. So if eating pre-chewed food does not change the fact that a baby is human, why should a plant be any less of a carnivore because it out-sources the digestion of animal protein to organisms of decay?”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“The girl had a special way of saying 鈥渁nything鈥�. The gods had blessed her voice with a special monopoly. It delivered an acoustic chocolate that was laced with all flavours of euphoria. The substance led to surges in testosterone in all types of men, including the average botanist. 鈥淎nything.鈥� The way she handled the word endowed it with so many possibilities. Professor Khupe decided to investigate how many of these Ketiwe would let him explore. To his delight the parameters of the word had proven to be quite elastic.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, Sprout of Disruption

“Mr. Gweta and his daughter were the cosmetics camouflaging an infected blackhead. The rest of the ugliness ran deep into a world where plants ate people and botanists lay at the bottom of the food chain.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, Sprout of Disruption

“He looked up to the gods but never accepted their eternal superiority. For better or worse, plotting their overthrow was the only aspiration that stoked the fires of destiny. Such an exalted ambition was worthy of a man who had long accomplished the chore of dominating human minds. A man so terrified of finding himself alone in a stratosphere where no one could understand just how exceptional he was. In that place, the presumed existence of gods was a great comfort, especially in a profession in which his rivals were mere mortals.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“... eloquence is merely the product of intelligence. History is not shaped by men of genius. It is shaped by men of unwavering will. Men who focus whatever brains they have on the savvy application of power. In the end, brawn will always do the heavy lifting. Brawn will always win the war.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Professor Khupe rubbed his hand along the sand dunes of her windswept form. The static charge made her skin feel like the surface of a cactus. He recoiled. How he wished he had gone into the priesthood when he had had the chance. Embracing celibacy was far easier than battling the consequences of shunning it.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“As he was about to press the button to shut the doors, a young woman stepped in. She had that sort of beauty that deserved to be prosecuted for appearing without notice. Professor Khupe was confident that an appropriate law existed for such a purpose. However, no prosecutor could remain undistracted for long enough to find the said law in the criminal code. The young lady would enjoy a life of impunity.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, Sprout of Disruption

“Professor Khupe felt his chest swell with pride. It was doing so without his encouragement. If an electrical fault had stopped the elevator from rising, his inflating ego would have powered the remainder of their journey to the twenty-second floor.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Mr. Gweta looked ten years younger than Professor Khupe had expected. His jet-black hair was trimmed so neatly that it would make a manicured golf course look scruffy. His face was exceptionally smooth, giving the impression that he had been born without skin pores and transitioned through puberty devoid of any facial hair to pockmark his countenance. Mr. Gweta鈥檚 face was perfectly symmetrical. An ant walking from one side to the other would experience a serious case of d茅j脿 vu.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Despite his elegant appearance, Mr. Gweta鈥檚 most striking asset was his alluring personality. Professor Khupe had met few such men in his life. Their warmth made everyone feel like they were their best friend. They were good men. However, they tended to be morally ambidextrous. If a stranger confessed to having been involved in a horrible crime, they would reserve judgment until they found out whether the confessor was the victim or victimizer. Once they knew, they would immediately lend their sympathies to the confessor鈥檚 position. Their worldview was simple. They supported the first person to confide in them. Such men made good lawyers.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“The key trait of a Sperm Pirate is that she is not driven by desperation. Escaping poverty or hardship is not her motive. She usually has a good education and access to the same opportunities as the man she tries to trap. However, she understands that it is more efficient to enjoy a lavish lifestyle through the sweat of another鈥檚 labour. But the Sperm Pirate is acutely aware that the infatuation of a hormonal man has a brief shelf life. This poor collateral must be cashed in before it expires. A pregnancy is the best way to convert this volatile resource into a stable asset. Babies are reliable insurance policies. They create legal obligations for financial support, even when the sweet milk of passion turns sour.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Not all diseases come from bacteria and viruses, Professor. The worst often come from things you cannot see under a microscope. This plant is infested with an aggressive strain of such invisible germs.”
― Taona Dumisani Chiveneko, The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption

“Oooo wee! You see that chump go flying? Look鈥檈ah, nothing like charred demon to make a brotha feel right. - Calvin Freeman (Sineaters鈥�:Devotion Book One)”
― Kai Leakes, Sin Eaters

“Sit down,鈥� she ordered, nodding toward her bed.
He cast it an uncertain look. 鈥淚 can鈥檛. I鈥檒l stain the covers.鈥�
She stared at him. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e kidding, right?鈥� He sported deep wounds that bled profusely and he was concerned about staining her bedding?
鈥淧erhaps if I cleaned up a wee bit鈥斺€�
鈥淪it your ass down,鈥� she ordered, pointing at the queen-sized bed.
Eyebrows flying up, he sat so swiftly she almost laughed.”
― Dianne Duvall, Blade of Darkness

“No one knew that the weighing of the heart remained alive, considering it was the belief in Ancient Egypt. Even though their faith diminished, it remains. Who knew my family had kept this part of the ritual alive when they first told me.”
― Simi Sunny, The Weight of Our Souls

“The story energies that one day; he had on ring out and she came to the door to see a man holding her up by her underwear saying take her she is going to be euthanized. That is what they do this day just look at the train rushing by, there is no love, just death. Just think in a few years鈥� cars should be flying in the air, look at the buildings now, so modern and space-ie.

She was only ten years old at the time. Why did we all think she was slow, it was for she didn鈥檛 say much at all, back in middle school鈥� she looked up at her and said- help me, and that is what she did. Mss. Gibson was nasty to everyone, but she is caring for her girl he named Maggie, so for that, it was too far, in that she would not let her go on her own and do the thing, and like any teen, she rebelled and lost her car over it, and she said okay smart ass, know you can walk to school, I said you couldn鈥檛 drive. She bought the car herself and started going out to agent her mother鈥檚 wishes.”
― Marcel Ray Duriez, Nevaeh A Void She Cannot Feel