#Long-term hiring strategy | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

historyslittlebish · 9 months ago

Note

Hello. I would like to ask for your permission before I submit a full request.

Do you by any chance accept King Baldwin x Male!Reader request? It might involve NSFW scenario as well.

King Baldwin IV x Male!Guard!Reader One shot NSFW: (Completed!)

a/n: Hi anon and I know I declined but I'll still do it because I feel bad for rejecting, Idk how to write NSFW so it's gonna be bad but i'll do it. I also don't know if this is a scenario you wanted but if you wanna request a different one please do! Also I apologize because I have never watched the movie and I'm not sure how accurate this is.

==========================================

Warning: fluff, handjob, occ for our king I think

It was often unheard of, two men in a romantic or sexual relationship. Many thought it was sin, it wasn't something god accepted but they can never really know the answer can they? Why would god let them feel the feelings, why would god allow it to be an option? That is something many people never ponder enough.

Something that a knight named Y/N never pondered until he met with the great king of Jerusalem, Baldwin the IV.

Y/N had been hired as a knight since Baldwin was 12 and Y/N was 15 and a freshly knighted boy. As years past, Y/N was named best soldier in the brackets of the armies. He was agile, quick, resilient, strong, and most of all, loyal.

He was the kings personal guard which he didn't mind at all. He had grown close to the king, enough to get the king to show him his sore ridden face, his scars, his 'ugliness' but to Y/N, he was anything but ugly.

Y/N saw a kind hearted boy and man growing up, intelligent, brave, and strong willed, those were the words Y/N thinks when describing the king, everyone does.

Growing up, he saw Baldwin's determination to become a great king and to overcome his deadly illness. Only one could be truly possible but Baldwin was content, despite being numb to the bone, skin lesions, and more.

Today was like any other. Baldwin had a few things to get done but after that, he could have his peace.

Y/N stood slightly behind the throne Baldwin sat on, staring at the arguing lords and counsel members. Each fighting on whose strategies are better, who's morally righteous, whatever that is available to bicker about.

Y/N heard Baldwin sigh as he raised his hand and made a sound.

Suddenly everyone looked over and quieted down.

"I will meet with Saladin, we shall negotiate peace." Baldwin shifted slightly before hearing one of the older counsel members try to inerject.

"How do we know we can trust that Muslim r-" Baldwin raised his hand once more, immediately silencing the man "He may be Muslim, but we will respect him and treat him with nobility and equality.".

Y/N's heart thumped in his chest at the kings word. The kings kindness and true compassion was incredibly admirable but also making him lust for the king.

The people of the counsel glanced between each other but bowed at the kings words before swiftly making their exit, allowing the two men to be alone and at ease.

Baldwin slowly stood from his throne and looked at Y/N.

Y/N could see the exhaustion in his eyes, his beautiful sky blue eyes. Y/N snapped himself out of his thoughts and kept up a stoic expression.

"What now, my king?" Y/N asked as Baldwin stepped towards him. The king cautiously touched the mans arm and looked deep into his eyes. "I think I require a way to relax before I retire for tonight." As he said this, Baldwin's hand tools Y/N's and slowly led it down to his pelvis area where a little tent formed under his white and gold robes.

"My king.." Y/N breathed as his hand ghosted the man's bulge.

"Make me a happy man, Y/N, I long for your touch." Baldwin's raspy voice murmured as his being was consumed with lust. Y/N doesn't know how a man of God to dare go against him in terms of lust for another male but Y/N can't say he doesn't thoroughly enjoy it.

It doesn't take too long before Y/N helps the king to his quarters and settling on the soft and silky bed.

Y/N helps the king reveal his bulge.

His cock bobbed as soon as it was released from its confines. "Y/N.." Baldwin groans as his hips slightly buck. This is one of those moments when Baldwin thanks the heavens that the feeling in his crotch is not numb or too sore ridden.

Despite the sores, Y/N didn't mind at all. his hungry eyes took in all the kings cock as he played with the tip soaked in pre-cum.

Baldwin groaned as he sat half laying down as the man continued to fiddle with his manhood. Y/N loved the sweet sounds the king was making as he felt himself nearing his peak.

The man let out a loud moan as his semen spilled into the mans hand. As the king came down his high he stared at Y/N in awe, despite him being hired and a guard, he could still love a man like him.

Slowly, Baldwin sat upright and gently grasped Y/N hand, silently hoping that he would not get infected either. Baldwin leaned over and pressed a his to the mans temples.

Y/N softly smiled as he held his beloveds hand, enjoying each others presence. Love radiating off the two.

This is a sin but it is an amazing feeling.

A/N: Hopefully this is to your liking anon! Sorry if its bad :/

144 notes · View notes

carriesthewind · 11 months ago

Text

"Although hired as a consultant by Washington County in this case, Baird had a long-standing independent agenda: helping foster parents across Colorado succeed in intervening and permanently claiming the children they care for. Often working hand in hand with Tim Eirich, she has been called as an expert in, by her count, hundreds of child-welfare cases, and she sometimes evaluates visits between birth families and children without having met them. Baird would not say how many foster-parent intervenor cases she has participated in, but she can recall only a single instance in which she concluded that the intervenors should not keep the child. Thinking that particular couple would be weak adoptive parents, she told me, she simply filed no report."

"With the supply of adoptable babies dropping, foster children were becoming a “hot commodity,” he said, and he and his colleagues (among them Tim Eirich’s law partner Seth Grob) realized that attachment experts could be called into court to argue that foster children needed to remain with their foster parents in order to avoid a severed bond."

"The judge ruled in favor of Eirich’s clients, a social worker and a real-estate agent. “Court found [Baird’s] testimony credible. She has significant experience,” the judge said, adding approvingly that Baird’s analysis had “focused on primacy of attachment over cultural considerations.”"

"Was Baird’s method for evaluating these foster and birth families empirically tested? No, Baird answered: Her method is unpublished and unstandardized, and has remained “pretty much unchanged” since the 1980s. It doesn’t have those “standard validity and reliability things,” she admitted. “It’s not a scientific instrument.”

...

Had she considered or was she even aware of the cultural background of the birth family and child whom she was recommending permanently separating? (The case involved a baby girl of multiracial heritage.) Baird answered that babies have “never possessed” a cultural identity, and therefore are “not losing anything,” at their age, by being adopted. Although when such children grow up, she acknowledged, they might say to their now-adoptive parents, “Oh, I didn’t know we were related to the, you know, Pima tribe in northern California, or whatever the circumstances are.”

The Pima tribe is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area."

"We found that — leaving aside the question of whether attachment theory should even be used as an argument in these cases — Baird’s assessments of foster children’s relationships aren’t just unscientific. They barely touch the surface of a child’s life.

“I don’t know these children,” she testified in one 2017 case, adding, “I have not met anybody.” Still, she said, she “strongly” recommended that those children’s birth parents’ rights be permanently terminated and that the kids be adopted."

"She also regularly uses terms like “mirror neurons,” “neurotoxins,” “synapses,” “hormones,” and “encoded trauma in the central nervous system” to justify her conclusions about children’s family relationships. (Baird is not a neuroscientist.)"

______________________

The New Yorker article focuses on possible legislative solutions, but I think these articles point to something more pernicious and more difficult to address. Judges - in all kinds of cases - routinely give credence to professionals and "experts" who are biased, bigoted, and testify far outside their expertise (if they have any expertise at all). These professionals have credentials (like being a police officer or social worker) that are validated by institutional hierarchies. Their frequent systematized interaction with the legal system is mistaken as experience that makes their subjective beliefs more credible, when in truth they lack any objective expertise. They are considered credible and unbiased because they conform to, and validate, systems of hierarchical oppression, while the people they hurt - often poor, marginalized, and most frequently, not white - are viewed with inherent distrust.

The ProPublica article focuses primarily on Baird. I'm more concerned with the judges who believed her, who used her to justify funneling children away from their (safe and loving, but poorer and frequently browner) birth families. She was only able to do so much harm because of the the power given to her by courts, and the judges inside them.

The ProPublic article ends with the line, "This past fall, with Baird’s help, the foster parents were granted full custody of the baby girl through her 18th birthday." It names Baird as a force that led to the theft of this child. The passive voice hides the judge who made the ultimate decision.

203 notes · View notes

sourpatchys · 1 year ago

Text

My personal Shigaraki Tomura Headcannons that I will defend with my life

—

He’s actually pretty shy. He keeps to himself, he’s not going to tell you about his interests unless he trusts you with his life, he won’t even so much as share his favorite foods with you if he doesn’t know you well enough. Not because he’s afraid you’ll make fun of him for it— he just genuinely finds opening up to be embarrassing and prefers not too if he can help it.

He never lost his love for video games and he still thinks about strategies with a lot of the terms in mind. Being the leader of the league of villains and losing the original hide out made him pull the break on his hobby’s.

He likes to draw. He figured out at an early age that art doesn’t take all five fingers. It started as something silly he did when he didn’t feel like paying attention to kurogiri, and steadily over the years it’s become something he relies on to help with stress

He wears all black because he’s too lazy to figure out what looks good. He does care about his appearance, but not badly enough to go through multiple outfits.

He’s actually really self conscious of the scars on his face. He thinks they make him look weak, unkept and disgusting. If he could change anything about himself he’d get rid of them in an instant.

Due to his self conscious nature regarding his looks— he’s super on top of everything else. As a kid he was so worried about looking the way he does and smelling, that he actually had to be temporarily banned from using cologne and body spray because of how overwhelming it got for everyone around him.

He has insanely good handwriting. It’s actually really alarming to see for the first time.

His internal dictionary is also pretty well established. Shigaraki is not afraid to use big words, and he tends to use extremely well put together sentences, both verbally and otherwise.

AFO made sure shigaraki had a proper education, even going as far as to hire private tutors, which is why his vocabulary is so top of the line.

(Sometimes while speaking the league will stop him midway through and ask him to use ‘normal people’ words)

He does have manners— some might even say he has an annoying amount of manners. And he will get pissed off if people don’t follow his footsteps, especially if the situation calls for it.

That being said he has never— and will never— sit in a chair properly. His legs are all over the fucking place and that’s how he likes it.

Growing up he wore mittens to bed to stop from absolutely disintegrating his mattress because he’s a stomach sleeper.

He sleeps with his mouth open, he drools AND he snores.

Contrary to what you may think, he’s not going to be an angry spiteful boyfriend.

He takes everything to heart because he hates everything, that’s who he is and that’s what he does! But he doesn’t hate you. So he will learn to take things with a grain of salt when it comes to you.

He’s not going to be a confrontational type of guy with you, he knows it wouldn’t solve anything if he came in with guns blazing. He doesn’t want you to ever see him that angry as long as he can help it.

He’s not going to apologize if things go wrong on his end though— at least not vocally. Honestly he doesn’t even know how to apologize, so you’ll just get a gift or some tighter cuddles that night compared to usual.

He’s afraid of spiders. He thanks the universe every single day that there isn’t some weird ass mutated spider hero that he has to deal with.

His “rebellion phase” was just him trying to overcome his murderous thoughts. (It didn’t work)

This man loves loitering. It’s the stupidest crime there is and he genuinely cannot get enough of it.

It took him an embarrassingly long time to understand that not everyone had endless amounts of money. Growing up he could order or buy whatever he wanted, so he just assumed that’s how the world worked for everyone until his early teens

If he were to start developing feelings for you, he wouldn’t know what the hell was going on. “Love” and “attraction” are not emotions he’s familiar with.

He will absolutely test out his theory by building a life with you in the sims.

Shockingly enough he’s not opposed to having kids. It’s just not something he’d ever think about unless you were to bring it up.

He has a My Chemical Romance hoodie tucked into the very back of his closet.

He collects vinyl records

He doesn’t like animals but if he had to choose between a dog or a cat he’d choose a cat.

Yes— he does own a pair of pink fuzzy bunny slippers, your suspicions are correct. (They’re so comfortable but he’d never been caught dead wearing them)

As a kid he collected bottle caps, he still has one he carry’s around with him as a good luck charm

He constantly forgets to tell you where he’s going and how long he’ll be gone— and he’s never on his phone so don’t expect him to answer your texts or calls if you’re worried.

A Domesticated shigaraki is just like having an old man as a pet. He complains— is a little too good at playing chess— is always wearing some kind of pajamas and smells like aftershave

Has the largest sweet tooth you’ve ever encountered. This guy could eat an entire cake in a single sitting and not get nauseous.

He either won’t eat at all and then gets pissed because he’s hungry or he’ll eat too much and get pissed that he’s full

He keeps a small sketch book on him at all times and 80% of the pages are of you

He’ll eat anything once, including shit he finds on the floor

One of his front teeth is fake, the adult tooth literally just never grew in

He hates hero’s but sometimes in order to get ideas he reads old marvel comics

He’s a green goblin stan

He has a “shoot first ask questions later” mentality that no one can take away from him. He simply does not gaf what your reasons are

He’ll kill anyone regardless, but he goes a lot harder on people with outdated opinions

#shigaraki x you #tomura shigiraki x reader #shigaraki headcanons #shigaraki imagine #mha shigaraki #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki tomura #tomura shiragaki #mha #my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia

311 notes · View notes

rallamajoop · 11 months ago

Text

Mia Winters and the Connections

There are a lot of bad takes on Mia Winters out there, a lot of really irritating shallow misconceptions. But for now, I’m just going to tackle one of the big ones that annoys me the most.

Mia Winters is not a scientist, and it's debatable whether she had any long-term association with the project that created Eveline. She may not have even met Eveline before being assigned to transport her to South America.

Mia’s not any kind of researcher. Her job when she worked at the Connections is laid out clearly in the first document you find within moments of starting the flashback ("Orders"): she’s a member of the Special Operations Division in the English version, or a 'special agent' in the Japanese (特殊工作員, tokushu kousaku-in). The English version also gives Mia the role of 'caretaker', implicitly of Eveline, but there's not much to suggest this is a role extending beyond the bounds of this particular mission (for comparison, the Japanese doesn't mention caretaking at all).

Mia's job is exactly what we see her doing in the game: transporting important assets under cover identities, and running around doing damage control with a machine gun if things go south. She echoes the same in her letter to the Bakers, stating she 'was assigned to transport some important cargo.' Even the 'imprinting protocol' she refers to seems to be mostly part of a transport protocol (going by the very little we ever learn about it), and may not even have been implemented until shortly before they left.

Even in the one photo of her standing with the research team, you might note that Mia and her partner Alan are the only people present not wearing lab coats (and believe me, with how much other photoshopping there is in this photo, Mia would have been wearing a lab coat if they'd wanted her in one). The photo itself is far more of an easter egg than a real plot point anyway, and probably isn't worth reading too much into ‒ I mean, Alan is apparently the director of the Special Operations division, so it makes no sense to assume he's part of this one science team. But if you really want a 'canonical' explanation for this photo, considering Mia and Alan are wearing the same clothes as in the ship flashback, you could reasonably assume it was taken right before Eveline was shipped off to America ‒ a kind of "Let's get one last snapshot of the team together with the transport crew before Eveline goes to South America" deal. It's completely plausible Mia may not even have met Eveline until the same day this was taken.

So where does this 'scientist' nonsense come from? The only source which does call Mia a 'researcher' is a timeline entry in this one RE7 strategy guide which has never been published in English – and it's a good example of why sources like this are usually better treated as pseudo-canon at best. You can find various translations of it online – but you can also buy the whole ebook (which I did), so here's the page where it originally comes up.

And yes, inasmuch as I’m qualified to translate, the line does state that Mia joined the company as a ‘researcher’ (研究員, kenkyuu-in) in 2010. But the same guidebook also refers to her as an operative (工作員) just a couple of pages later, so even the guidebook is hardly consistent.

Charitably, perhaps we could read that Mia was initially hired as some kind of generic, low-level research assistant before being transferred to the special operations division after showing aptitude in that area. But it's more likely that Mia was simply going to be a researcher at some point in the game’s development history, before Capcom changed their minds, and the timeline that made it into the guidebook is just very out of date ‒ it happens. Either way, one line in an inconsistent guide book hardly trumps what actually made it into the games.

I do realise that asking people to pay attention to what's actually in the games over what's repeated in some wiki somewhere (or a gazillion different fanfic) is a big ask for any fandom, but Mia was clearly never a scientist in the game we all played. She still knowingly worked for some really evil people – she doesn’t get to claim innocence here – but the idea she's personally responsible for every bad thing ever done to Eveline is absurd.

FWIW, other details from the guidebook also back up the idea that transporting assets was a major part of Mia’s job. Her bio (above) mentions that she was away from home a lot, something that strained the Winters’ marriage, and that she told people she worked for a ‘trading company’ – a solid cover for a job focused on travel and logistics.

A very little is said about Mia’s relationship with Eveline. The guidebook does mention that the reason Eveline’s so attached to Mia is because Eveline had known her since she was ‘confined to the “mysterious organisation” that created her’, which could be taken to imply she knew Mia well before their trip began, but it's not much to go on. Mia's own feelings on Eveline are described briefly in a caption: “Although Mia found Eveline creepy, she also felt compassion for her lonely situation,” which tracks with how Mia interacts with her in-game. It doesn't track so well with the idea Mia had any real authority over how Eveline was raised or treated, however, and would be perfectly consistent with the idea Mia might not have known her long at all.

The guidebook timeline also tells us that the E-series project begain in 2000, and that Eveline herself was created in "the early 2000s." This doesn't make a whole lot of sense for reasons I've talked about already, but does put Eveline's creation well before 2010, the year the same timeline gives us for when Mia started working at the Connections. Since the guidebook also tells us Mia was 32 in 2017, back in 2000, she would have been all of 15 years old. Whatever Mia's involvement, the project long predates her joining the company.

But the real issue with trying to given Mia any major responsibility for the E-series project is that the lab that created Eveline was located in Europe. Mia, meanwhile, has a driver's license telling us she's from Texas.

The European location for the lab is another detail that gets barely mentioned in the games, though it's mentioned repeatedly in the guidebook, and the Baker Incident Report even puts it specifically in Munich, Germany. Given all we learn in RE8, that location does make a lot of sense, when the mould was found in Eastern Europe, and that Miranda herself was part of the research team (she gets multiple photos and a lab coat, you may note). And even if the lab wasn’t right on Miranda’s doorstep, Munich is a heckuva commute from Texas, or anywhere else in the US. Even if Mia was often away from Ethan for long periods, as her bio implies, how involved could she realistically have been?

I don't want to overstress the idea that it "doesn't make sense" for a special agent from Texas to have been intimately involved in a European research project ‒ making sense has never held back RE lore before. But the idea that Mia was brought in only as a handler for Eveline when she was being moved to America still makes a lot more sense than to suggest the Connections were fine with their star asset’s primary handler going home to the US every other weekend.

There are possibilities between the two extremes, of course: Mia may have had sporadic contact with Eveline before the trip, either regularly or just once or twice. It's easy to assume the 'imprinting protocol' must mean that Mia's been Eveline's primary handler for some time, but heck, maybe it's better read as the opposite ‒ something that can be quickly applied to a new handler or caretaker in a hurry, to explain how Eveline got so attached to someone she'd only just met.

Given everything we actually see of her, you could even speculate that Mia was chosen as Eveline's 'caretaker' specifically because she was someone nice and motherly enough for Eveline to bond with. Eveline was pretty clearly fucked up long before Mia ever got involved, and not actually wanting to adopt a walking bioweapon whose idea of a happy family involves mould-powered mind control really does not reflect badly on Mia's character.

Whether Mia was already working for the Connections before she met Ethan also isn't clear. The guidebook tells us she began working for them in 2010, and married Ethan in May of 2011 (later confirmed by the date on Mia's ring in RE8) – though it doesn't specify when she and Ethan met. Even by Texas standards, marrying someone you’d known less than a year would be pretty unusual, so it’s likely Ethan knew her before she took the job. But even that 2010 statement comes along with the bit about Mia being hired as ‘a researcher’, so you can always take it with a grain of salt if you'd prefer.

And that's pretty much it for what the complete RE canon ever tells us about Mia and her former employers.

So here’s where I’m left with Mia’s role at the Connections. Even if she wasn’t aware of exactly what she was signing up for when she joined the company, and even if she considered all that lying to her husband about it to be a simple matter of confidentiality around sensitive research, she’s fully aware by the disaster in 2014, and plainly has a guilty conscience when she admits to lying to Ethan in her video message. However responsible she may or may not have been, she's still complicit. Her hands are hardly clean.

But they’re still a whole lot cleaner than, say, Luis’, considering that he was a key member of the science teams at both Umbrella Europe and in Saddler’s cult, and I don’t see him getting a fraction of the same hate as Mia. They both regret what they’ve done, and they’re both willing to give their own lives to make up for it. No, Luis never lied to a spouse about it (that we know of), but he's every bit as shifty and secretive. And frankly, most of the other shit that gets dumped on Mia’s doorstep is just as much bullshit (like, people do realise the “Mia” we see having “marital problems” with Ethan at the start of RE8 isn’t Mia, right?) But that’s material for other posts.

We don’t know how Mia got involved with the Connections, or how she felt about working for them, because the games never give us this information, and that’s a real shame. But in the capitalist hellscape we’re all living in, she’d hardly be the first to find herself stuck working for truly terrible people, one way or another.

Meanwhile, everything we see her doing during the outbreak on the tanker speaks to a basically good person, desperately trying to run damage control in a fucked-up situation. She tells Alan she’s not going to let him die, even though what’s going down is his fault. She tries so hard to talk Eveline down. After she’s rescued by the Bakers in the Daughter's DLC, she insists on staying in the trailer, meaning to leave at her first opportunity – pretty significant, considering she knows she’s infected already. She also leaves them a message warning them to stay away from Eveline, even sharing information on how to make a serum if they are infected. If you pick her over Zoe on the dock, the first thing she does is try to convince Zoe to come with them anyway. Even under Eveline's mind control, you'll catch her ranting about needing to contain the outbreak, blaming herself, and telling Ethan she loves him with her last breath.

And after being infected herself, the first thing on her mind is to try and protect Ethan, recording that message admitting she’s lied to him, and warning him to stay away (Ethan never gets that message, but you can’t say Mia didn’t try). Mia loves Ethan enough to die to save him – and she will, if you choose the Zoe path, and she’ll do it without a second thought.

Mia is fascinating to me as a character because she’s so full of contradictions: a woman who leaves syrupy video messages sending ‘tons of kisses’ to her husband, but who is completely comfortable running around with a machine gun killing mould-monsters, and who shrugs off an Eveline jump-scare with 'fucking hallucinations!' Someone who’s done bad things and knows it, and is trying so hard to make up for it, but whose background and motivations are left frustratingly undeveloped. But if you haven’t caught that Ethan and Rose mean more to her than anything, you really haven’t been paying attention.

Whatever you assume about Mia’s full story, she’s complicated in a way that makes her so much more interesting to me than most of the franchise’s more popular playable characters. I am very serious in saying I want RE9 to be just the full Mia-Winters-story, because to me that’s the only remotely satisfying justification for keeping her such a mystery for so long. I know that's not at all likely, but fuck it, I can dream.

Mia’s made her share of mistakes, but holding her responsible for everything the Connections has ever done is no kind of fair.

#Mia Winters #Resident Evil Village #Resident Evil 7 #Mia Winters week #The Connections #RE lore #Mia is THE BEST character I WILL FIGHT YOU ALL

132 notes · View notes

accirax · 6 months ago

Text

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 19

Emily has really been going full villain mode these past couple of episodes, huh? while I'm overall not a huge fan of how many women have been portrayed as rude/unreasonable as compared to their male counterparts, i do love an evil queen. i support women's wrongs.

oh, Gabby. how many people wish that were true. (very cute gabellie content as usual)

i wonder if this is a soft confirmation that we'll never see Gabby or Ellie compete again.

this is so important. also, Hunter, the heart is on Ally's pajamas, not her casual look with the jacket. unless he just drew that there because he loves Ally so much :D

glad that Tom can finally admit that he is a terrible liar. truly, the person Tom and Jake should blame is the hiring manager who hired Tom in the first place.

if you loved him this whole time then why did you lie to him about having another boyfriend, Tom? ,':/ (/lh) (i know that he was explaining in this scene that it's because he was afraid, i'm just saying that the extent of his fears is something that shouldn't be swept under the rug, and that i feel it wasn't properly set up enough in s1 or DCAS as a replacement. yes it was showcased in DCAS but we never got an explanation as to Tom's thought process between seasons that would change his mind to make him more fearful.)

*several people are typing*

we NEED to see jaiden teaching Miriam a tiktok dance.

this is your daily reminder to not take anything that's said in a greeting too seriously.

c'mon, Fiore, a true gen Alpha-er would know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell without having to look it up. unless, oh god, is that too much of a gen-Z reference for gen Alpha to understand...?

HE'S SUCH A DAD I LOVE THEM

this was probably my favorite line of the episode.

this was a really cute detail! even though they were both the archetypal "old person" of their season, Connor is still, like, 20 years younger than Miriam. it totally make sense that she'd still call him kiddo! just, not grandkiddo.

literally even Ellie is rooting for them to finish this plotline already. or maybe she's just feeling guilty for separating them in the first place, and she's lowkey hoping that the damage wasn't that severe.

that's... that's a crime? you can't just burn people, even if they're terrible??? i guess that, given Riya attempting to kill Aiden and directly breaking Connor's leg further, the definition of what counts as a crime is pretty lax in this universe. unless it's about destroying the environment. thanks, Tom! (/j)

also, why is Yul's scar so damn low res?

MCDONALD'S ELLIE ISN'T CANON??? D:

i wonder if this season is going to end with Grett giving Ellie a job/helping Ellie get a job. i could see fitness influencer and fashion designer working together well, as long as Ellie is okay designing athleticwear.

on one hand, i don't like that we don't get to have the finalists pick the people that they're closest with help them in the finale. this feels rather random, and in terms of real-world fairness, having a finalist get stuck with terrible help isn't very fair (i cite Top Chef season 4 as my example). however, i do appreciate how Disventure Camp always mixes the endgame up. it's not very fair in a real-world perspective, but given that it isn't a real game i appreciate the variety.

i also think that this is a nice fix to really incentivize whoever is helping the finalist after (in-universe) we had two really unpopular finalists, Fiore and James, who struggled to get any help. it feels like a reasonable decision that the in-universe showrunners would make.

don't distract him during the finale, you fool!

the Romber strategy!!! wow, and it's even in the first All Stars season, too :D

THE YUL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS BACK ON?!?!?!?!

FIORE FINALE CONTENT! FIORE FINALE CONTENT!

ain't no way she's actually winning and of that $100K though, lol.

y'know, this might as well happen.

Riya and Yul really are perfect for each other (platonic) because every time that either of them gets a chance to either repent and be a good person or double down and keep relentlessly chasing their goals, they both always choose the latter. they're gonna get punished in the finale big time for sure... to the extent that Yul hasn't already been punished by getting that scar(?) to the face. like, seriously, that could be even more damage to his career.

once again, i missed the real Hunter so much :,)

while i love the roast here, does Fiore actually have anyone's respect...?

that's a wrap, folks! the most important character arc of the season is over!

#disventure camp #dcas #disventure camp spoilers #dcas initial thoughts

28 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 4 days ago

Text

Elon Musk is only one week into his role in President Donald Trump’s new administration, but the US federal government is already rolling out the Twitter playbook to manage its spending and personnel. Just like Musk did when he took over the social media platform, Trump’s team is attempting to drastically reduce the number of government staffers and ensure those who remain are loyal to the president’s agenda.

On Tuesday, federal employees received an email that mirrors the “Fork in the Road” missive sent to Twitter (now X) staff shortly after Musk bought the company in 2022. The email asks federal workers to resign by February 6 if they do not wish to return to the office five days a week and commit to a culture of excellence. Those who choose to resign will continue to get pay and benefits until September, according to the memo.

“The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work,” reads the email, which was later published on the US Office of Personnel Management website. “Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”

The news comes as Musk’s minions take over the US Office of Personnel Management, which acts as a human resources department for the federal workforce. Elon Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED. The Office of Personnel Management also did not respond to a request for comment.

Musk and his advisors, including Trump’s newly appointed AI and crypto czar David Sacks, used a remarkably similar strategy at Twitter. About a week after the acquisition was complete, Musk laid off half the workforce. Sacks helped advise him on which teams and people would be cut.

About two weeks later, remaining employees received an email with the subject line “A Fork in the Road.” Musk said that they would need to be “extremely hardcore” in order to realize his vision for Twitter 2.0. This meant “working long hours at high intensity.” He noted that "only exceptional performance” would receive “a passing grade." Employees were asked to opt into this vision via a web form. Anyone who failed to do so by the following day would receive three months severance, Musk said. Thousands of Twitter employees would later sue, arguing that they were not paid their full severance. Musk ultimately was able to get the suit dismissed.

“We are all shaking our heads in disbelief at how familiar this all feels,” says Yao Yue, a former principal engineer at Twitter. “Except, the federal government and its employees have specific laws in terms of spending, hiring, and firing.”

In this case, federal employees are being asked to send an email with the word “Resign” in the subject line in the next 10 days. “Purging the federal government of dedicated career civil servants will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, said in a statement. “This offer should not be viewed as voluntary. Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration's goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.”

In the wake of Musk’s ultimatum at Twitter, hundreds of employees resigned—many more than Musk had expected, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The move caused widespread chaos inside the company as Musk’s lieutenants scrambled to figure out who simply hadn’t filled out the form yet and who was actually leaving the company. In some cases, Twitter employees who had quit were later called and asked to reconsider staying.

One former Twitter employee noted that the OPM letter appears slightly more buttoned up than the version they received years ago. “Clearly this was more thought out and went through lawyers unlike what they did with Twitter employees,” says a former engineering manager who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they do not want to incur Musk’s wrath. “I’m sickened to even be part of the connection honestly.”

The latest email from the Office of Personnel Management stresses that federal employees must return to the office five days a week, though some may be asked to move to new locations due to “meaningful consolidation and divestitures” of existing buildings. Musk has spoken repeatedly about his distaste for working from home—a practice he has called “morally wrong.” At Twitter, he told workers during an all hands meeting shortly after buying the company that if they could physically make it to an office and chose not to show up, their “resignation” would be accepted. Under former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, employees had been told they could work remotely forever.

On Monday, the US Office of Management and Budget (which encompasses Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE) sent a memo abruptly freezing all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government. “Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” the memo read, according to NBC News.

This approach to spending—where a budget starts at zero, and employees have to justify every expense—is called “zero based budgeting,” and it too is a popular Musk tactic.

On Tuesday, a subreddit for federal employees was inundated with comments from people discussing the email. “Don’t trust this email, there is no guarantee they will pay you, and they most likely won’t!” wrote one user. “Look at what happened to Twitter employees.”

12 notes · View notes

mrmrswales · 1 year ago

Text

The Prince and Princess of Wales are creating a new role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to run their household of about 60 staff. The new boss will report directly to them and won’t answer to the private secretaries who have long held power behind the scenes at the palaces. Kensington Palace has already hired a high-powered recruitment firm, Odgers Berndtson, to find the best candidate. It has placed an advertisement online which stresses the unprecedented nature of the position. ‘This is a unique opportunity,’ it says. ‘The CEO is the most senior and accountable leader for the Household, reporting directly to TRHs The Prince and Princess of Wales. They will be responsible for the development and implementation of TRH’s long-term strategy and continuing to strengthen a professional and collaborative Household culture.’ In an apparent admission that there are some strong-willed, difficult characters are the palace, the job description states that the successful candidate must be ‘emotionally intelligent, with “low ego”, and strong self-awareness and understanding of their impact on others’. Anyone wanting the job must be ‘able to operate as a “servant” leader, empowering the senior team’, it says. The CEO will deal directly with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s household, ‘serving as the strategic interface to Buckingham Palace, to align The Royal Highnesses’ priorities with those in support of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen’. No salary is given, but it is understood that the CEO will be paid more than the couple’s private secretaries.

92 notes · View notes

maziijapanese · 7 months ago

Text

Tips for Learning Japanese for Beginners

Learning Japanese can seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach and resources, it can also be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Whether you're interested in Japanese culture, planning a trip to Japan, or looking to expand your language skills, here are some tips to help you get started on your Japanese learning journey.

1. Start with Hiragana and Katakana

The Japanese writing system consists of three scripts: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. For beginners, mastering Hiragana and Katakana, the two phonetic alphabets, is essential. These scripts form the foundation of the Japanese language and are used in most basic texts. Practice writing and reading them daily until you become comfortable.

2. Learn Basic Phrases and Greetings

Begin with simple phrases and greetings to build your confidence and start communicating right away. Phrases like "こんにちは" (Konnichiwa - Hello), "ありがとう" (Arigatou - Thank you), and "さようなら" (Sayounara - Goodbye) are great starters. Use these phrases in context to help them stick in your memory.

3. Utilize Flashcards

Flashcards are a great tool for memorizing vocabulary and Kanji. Regularly reviewing flashcards will reinforce your memory and help you retain new words and characters. However, traditional flashcards can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Consider using electronic flashcards or spaced repetition software to make the process more efficient.

4. Immerse Yourself in Japanese Media

Surround yourself with the Japanese language as much as possible to improve your listening and speaking skills. Watch Japanese TV shows, movies, and anime, or listen to Japanese music and podcasts. Try to mimic the pronunciation and intonation of native speakers. Additionally, consider finding a language exchange partner or taking a conversation class to practice speaking.

5. Learn Kanji Gradually

Kanji can be one of the most challenging aspects of learning Japanese, but don't be discouraged. Start with the most common and basic Kanji characters, and learn them gradually. Practice writing and using them in sentences. Associating Kanji with their meanings and sounds can help you remember them more effectively.

6. Delve into Japanese Culture

Understanding Japanese culture can deepen your appreciation and comprehension of the language. Learn about Japanese customs, traditions, and history. Try cooking Japanese dishes, practicing calligraphy, or participating in cultural events. This cultural immersion will make your language learning journey more enjoyable and meaningful.

7. Embrace Patience and Consistency

Learning Japanese is a marathon, not a sprint. With dedication, practice, and the right strategies, you can make steady progress and achieve your language learning goals. Set realistic expectations, celebrate your achievements, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Remember, consistency is key to long-term success.

Additional Tips:

Find a learning method that suits you: There are many different ways to learn Japanese, so find one that fits your learning style and preferences. Consider taking a Japanese language course, using online resources, or hiring a tutor.

Set realistic goals: Set achievable goals for yourself and break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This will help you stay motivated and track your progress.

Make it fun: Learning a new language should be enjoyable. Find ways to make learning Japanese fun for you, such as watching Japanese movies or listening to Japanese music.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes when they're learning a new language. Don't let this discourage you. Instead, view mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.

Immerse yourself in the language: Surround yourself with Japanese as much as possible. This will help you to learn the language more naturally and quickly.

Learning Japanese can be a challenging but rewarding experience. With the right approach and dedication, you can achieve your goals and become fluent in Japanese.

#japanese #learn japanese #language #studyblr #studying #studyspo

17 notes · View notes

trufynd01 · 1 month ago

Text

Discover how TruFynd’s permanent hiring services help organizations secure top talent for long-term success. Learn about our targeted recruitment strategies designed to align with company culture, position requirements, and growth aspirations.

#permanent hiring #recruitment strategies #long-term talent #company culture alignment #targeted hiring solutions #TruFynd permanent hiring #employee recruitment #top talent acquisition #hiring for growth #HR solutions

0 notes

anonymoushouseplantfan · 1 year ago

Note

They hired a coo also. So ceo and coo? Why?

Typically the CEO handles long-term strategy and the COO handles day-to-day operations. Idon’t read minds, so I don’t known exactly what they are thinking, but here is my theory.

They feel they have a problem with long-term strategy because of the issues with the Caribbean tour. They feel they have an issue with day-to-day operations because of the bullying allegations against Meghan. They feel they have to show their government/charity partners they have a plan.

So they are hiring people to address that. They aren’t following the “private secretary” mode because (i) they’ve asked their very competent private secretaries to handle the issues and it hasn’t worked, (ii) they feel it’s a systemic issue and it requires a systemic solution, and (iii) a new private secretary isn’t a strong signal to government/charity partners.

So that’s why I think they are doing it. I doubt it will make much of a difference, but we will see.

59 notes · View notes

mrsbeef · 1 year ago

Text

Canadian union actors have been locked out of commercial work by union-busting agencies for over 500 days.

Because a lot of people don't really understand what is happening here, I'm going to take a moment to talk about what a lockout is.

A lockout is like the opposite of a strike: in a strike, workers withhold their labour until employers agree to their demands for improved conditions, while in a lockout employers essentially starve workers of work-- and by extension, crucially, wages-- to force them into accepting unacceptable conditions.

In the context of a factory, it might look like literally shutting down the factory because the owner can afford to simply eat the short-term loss while they sit and wait for the workers to grow desperate. Or they may bring in what are euphemistically referred to as "replacement workers". You may know them by the more familiar term: scabs. Those who are willing to put up with more for less, and in so doing worsen labour conditions across the whole industry. This is economically advantageous to the employers, and they can just sit there in comfort while they wait for the union and its members to break.

A lockout is a cruel power play in what is already an unequal relationship. It is intentional infliction of desperation and psychological distress.

The Institute of Canadian Agencies' lockout of ACTRA members has been going on for more than 500 days. It has intentionally inflicted more than 500 days of psychological distress and existential threat on thousands of people. And in the midst of this the ICA has done little but employ DARVO strategies (deny, attack, reverse victim and offender), when it has initiated this essentially in protest of not being given the freedom to slash union commercial actors' compensation by 80%. ACTRA has been ready and willing to bargain this whole time, but the ICA insists it's ACTRA holding its own members down.

The ICA's client companies are hugely recognised brands whose CEOs take home untold millions every year in salaries while the average ACTRA commercial actor makes well under 10k a year. Professional actors' work is important and needed-- if it wasn't the agencies wouldn't be bringing in scabs-- and yet they are forced into conditions where they literally cannot live. They cannot afford to put a roof over their heads and food on the table in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

PLEASE share this and let union actors know you stand with them. Boycott these companies who hire union-busting agencies. Write to them and let them know why. This fight has been long and demoralising, and folks are exhausted and sad, and given all the attention that has rightly been on the striking WGA and SAG-AFTRA members (with whom ACTRA has been rallying together in solidarity), their Canadian sibling union needs your solidarity and support too.

#actra #wga strike #sag aftra strike #hot labor summer #union strong #canada #lockouts are fucking nasty #i literally cannot deal with how much this is hurting people #also yes a boycott has been called for

76 notes · View notes

femmefatalevibe · 2 years ago

Note

How to survive having a job that you don't like? (Sadly. It's not the vibe. But quitting is not an option)

Hi love! I empathize with you on this one. Spending your entire day and mental energy on tasks you dread doing (and need to execute well) can be overwhelmingly draining. I'm hoping that this job only takes up 5 days of your week! Here are my best tips:

Keep Your "Why" Top of Mind: Even if a job doesn't align with your interests and passions or is in a bad working environment, you have to focus on the short-term purpose the job provides. Relish in having a steady paycheck to give you food to eat and a roof over your head. While long-term you deserve to find more purpose in your work, having a semblance of financial security will always top having to constantly worry about where your next meal is coming from – even if you hate every moment of being on the clock.

Plan Ahead: Mentally work through the following day ahead of time. Plan the tasks, meetings, and logistics right when you're ending your work day. This framework allows you to overcome the mental blocks and dread before you can go into decompress mode, so you can just wake up and go through the motions the next day. Taking the emotional aspect out of the daily work you hate is the simplest way to avoid burnout (at least in the short term).

Systemize Your Days (When Possible): Creating systems for different tasks or even your entire day can help you be more productive and lighten your mental load. This practice can help you to get your dreaded work done in less time while allowing you to feel less drained at the end of your shift. It's a win-win strategy. Create email templates you save for different types of messages (client-facing, different types of projects, scheduling meetings, presentation notes, etc.), have a folder organizing your different projects, program different Excel formats, and have outlines of decks saved – almost like a pre-made template that's actually useful (and potentially unique).

Focus On Skill Building Over Purpose: Consider the transferable skills you're acquiring while enduring this position – even if they don't pertain to your desired industry or role. Some of these universally-helpful transferable skills include writing a killer email, building a convincing case or admirable deck, learning how to speak to clients or stakeholders with confidence and grace, team-building and collaboration, organization, interpersonal communication, or simply prolonging your attention span. Reflect and dive deep to consider all the life lessons you can leverage later on by holding down this occupation.

Find Ways To Network Outside of Work Hours: Follow & connect with colleagues and influential figures in your industry on social media. Thoughtfully engage with the content they share. Ask about treating them to coffee for an informational interview. Go out to industry-related events, conferences, etc., and make sure to connect with those you met on LinkedIn the next day with a personalized connection message. Connect two of your mutual connections whenever possible. Allow karma to work in your favor.

Lurk, Research, & Study To Optimize Your Job Search: Set aside 20-30 minutes a day to search LinkedIn, job boards, social media (Twitter, Instagram), etc. to see potential next opportunities and evaluate the current market, trends, and most in-demand skillsets within your field/industry. Always tailor your applications and messages to mutual connections or hiring managers when applying to new roles. Be aware of your desired role/industry is evolving. Upskill whenever possible to increase your market value.

Incorporate Simple Pleasures Into Your Days: Make your favorite coffee every morning, have a go-to playlist that improves your mood to listen to before work, incorporate your favorite healthy meals into your week, find a workout you enjoy to add into your day either before or after work, indulge in a favorite book or TV show after work as a "reward" for making it through the day. Practice self-care – do a face mask or specialty hair treatment on a weeknight. Invest in an at-home massage tool or luxurious loungewear to wear in the evenings.

Indulge In A Creative Outlet: Find an opportunity for growth and self-expression outside of a workplace setting. Write, read, paint, draw, cook, bake, take a dance class, learn a new language, how to play a new instrument, or about interior design. Create Pinterest boards, poems, new playlists, and new recipes to celebrate your desire for variety in your otherwise mundane life.

Have Plans To Look Forward To Every Week: Whether it's hanging out with friends, going to a museum, watching a movie, or taking a walk along your favorite local route. Ensure you enjoy how you spend your days off. Don't waste time worrying about a dead-end job when you're off the clock. Spending your leisure time on your own terms. Take this time to do what you love.

Romanticize The Lifestyle It Provides: When motivation or your morale hits a low point, take time for gratitude and focus on the resources this job allows you to integrate into your life – whether that's a roof over your head, the opportunity to eat meals you enjoy, wear outfits you love, or even just provide you some sort of daily routine.

Consider your current job as a chapter in your life and career. Acquire the lessons, skills, relationships, and resources you can as preparation for the next stage in your ever-evolving journey.

Hope this helps xx

106 notes · View notes