#client not company

[nipuni]

Casanova sketches!

[noyzinerd]

Sterek Rival Lawyers AU

It's A (Court) Date

Imagine, high-class, Ivy League, hot-shot, attorney Derek comes back from New York to the family firm to take over as partners with his sister after his parents decide to step down. He may not be on the level of his mother yet, but he's cut his teeth against Wall Street wolves and ruthless white-collar sharks. Derek's more than proved himself, so he just can't fathom these small criminal court cases his family is making him take "before he's truly ready" to be a part of the family business.

Enter in his first case. Right out the gate, the state assigned defense is, not only late to court, but also arrives in a flurry of limbs and papers, tripping all over himself, and profusely apologizing to the room as a whole. "Sorry! Sorry! Car trouble!"

The guy is out of breath, tie crooked and hair a mess. It makes Derek wrinkle his nose at the unprofessionalism and the blatant disrespect to everyone's valuable time.

The presiding judge, the Honorable Ms. Lydia Martin, only sighs a heavy sigh, as if this sight is nothing new, and says "Mr. Stilinski, I suggest you don't let it happen again."

Derek is honestly getting annoyed by how easy this is going to be. He could've been doing literally anything else right about now rather than being here going against a common rent-a-lawyer with some Podunk community-college degree. The opening statement for the defense is laughably inept. Full of nervous stuttering, backtracking, running tangents, and babbling. He's still apologizing, trying to assure the jury that he's just having an off-day today.

It's embarrassing to watch.

Nonetheless, Derek goes through the motions, practiced and poised. Examines all the evidence, presenting times and dates, prior arrest records, the works.

During this time, Mr. Stilinski is frantically (and VERY LOUDLY) flitting through a cartoonishly large stack of papers and whispering to his client. Derek has to fight to grit his teeth through his presentation.

Finally, it's time for Mr. Stilinski to cross-examine Derek's client and, unbeknownst to him, the beginning of Derek's long, long spiral of madness for the rest of his career.

"Judge Martin, I would like to move to have this case thrown out."

"Oh?" asks Judge Martin. For some reason, there's an amused smirk, almost fond, tugging at her lips "On what grounds?"

A giddy, almost manic, grin takes over the defense attorney's face just then. "On the grounds that the prosecution's client is full of bullshit."

The judge rolls her eyes and an exasperated "Stiles," slips from her lips, seemingly against her will. (Derek's not really surprised by the familiarity between the two of them. With how often state-assigned lawyers are called to the courtroom on small cases, it wouldn't be too big of a leap to suggest they might be chummy.)

"Respectfully, of course." Mr. Stilinski--er Stiles?--winks back at her.

"Objection. Your honor, this is ridiculous."

"Overruled. Make your point, Stilinski."

"Mr. Davis says he saw my client at 12:30 P.M., on August 4th, attempting to take his back-right hubcap outside his apartment. Mr. Davis' apartment complex at that time, on that particular day, would have cast a huge shadow over the back lot as evidenced by the gaudy sundial-art-installation outside the courthouse. Meanwhile, my client's picture, when taken in for questioning, has a sunburn on the entire right side of his face. This would corroborate Mr. Lyle's story of walking home alone, down the upper, unshaded side of Elmore Street, during one of the hottest days of the year, for an hour straight. Also, the fact that Mr. Davis has no realistic idea how long it would actually take a person to steal a hubcap should be evidence enough."

"Uh-huh. And this wouldn't happen to be something you've ever had any expertise in, would it, counsel?"

"I plead the 5th."

And just like that, Derek's case is thrown out so quick, he's still reeling about it all the way home.

For the next two years, this becomes Derek's life. This man, this Stiles Stilinski, keeps showing up like a whirlwind and absolutely puts him in his paces.

Stiles, as he insists Derek call him, is a powerhouse. Relentless and unstoppable. That mouth can filibuster for literal hours (which, for those unfamiliar, is when someone legally cannot be forced to give up their time on the floor as long as they can keep talking), that brain quick as a whip, with a hunger for research, a mastery of the English language svelte enough to trip up even the most well-rehearsed lie, and an attention to detail like nothing Derek has ever witnessed before. It's like he knows every law inside and out. Lives it. Breathes it. It's like he had been raised on the law his whole life. Not only that, it's like Stiles enjoys it. Every case is a new game to get excited about.

All of it makes Derek's blood boil.

However, it's not always about losing to Stiles all the time, because, honestly, that might be less humiliating.

In truth, when faced against Stiles, Derek's bound to win about 60% of the time. Out of that 60%, only 5% of those wins actually feel earned. As for the other 55%?

He knows Stiles is letting him win.

Derek can't prove it, but he knows the asshole is holding back on purpose nearly half the time. Knowing that Stiles could have beaten him if he wanted to, but didn't, is somehow more frustrating than just losing.

He hates Stiles.

He hates that the guy is so chipper and playful all the damn time. He hates that Stiles could probably work at any firm he wanted, could make enough money to get a decent car that doesn't shit out all the time, could buy a proper-fitting suit, but instead CHOOSES to stay here "watching out for the little guy", as he so put it.

He hates that facing Stiles in court is the most challenged, the most motivated he's ever felt in his entire life. He hates that Stiles brings out in him the spark of passion and drive Derek had long thought had died. He hates that Stiles always tries to banter with him during recess or whenever they have to exchange evidence.

He hates finding out that Stiles only loses cases on purpose when his endless amounts of research points to the defendant actually being guilty of horrendous crimes, because Stiles is a good fucking person.

He hates Stiles' constant teasing and he hates that Stiles is somehow able to bring Derek down to his childish level to tease back. He hates how much he looks forward to court-dates with Stiles now. He hates being invited out by Stiles over and over to grab a bite together after a long day, as if Stiles hasn't been wiping the floor with him on this case for the last month. He hates it even more that he always accepts and that now they have their own designated booth at the diner across the street. Derek's so unbelievably frustrated, it makes him want to bite Stiles at the neck just to hear that smartass mouth squeal.

"Hey, I ever tell you I was thinking of quitting before you arrived?" Stiles asks one night as they're walking to their cars.

Derek's head immediately snaps to him at that. "What?"

Stiles smiles distantly at the thought. "Oh, yeah. Things had started feeling like being trapped in a cubicle, y'know? There wasn't any challenge in it anymore."

"What made you stay?"

"Well...you did. You were the first, serious competition I'd faced in a while. It wasn't a matter of winning just to win, anymore. Going against you always reminded me of the reason why it was important for me to win. It gave me stakes, because now there was an actual chance I could lose and an innocent person could go to jail. You, I don't know, kinda reignited my passion for fighting the good fight, I guess."

Derek can feel his heart thumping hard in his chest. He wants to say 'You did the same for me!' He wants to tell Stiles that he didn't think his life could ever be this fun or happy or messy or chaotic or exhilarating or challenging or fulfilling before coming to Beacon Hills.

But just as Derek goes to open his mouth to sing Stiles' praises, he instead finds himself roughly shoving him up against the Camaro and biting hungrily at that mouth and tongue that's been the bane of his existence. There's a surprised little squeak that Derek quickly swallows up, but it isn't long before they're both tearing at each others' clothes and fucking each other dirty in the backseat of Derek's car.

What's crazy is, after they get together, nothing in their careers really changes. The only difference is now they get to fuck each others' brains out after an intense battle in court (and the sound Stiles makes when Derek bites him is exactly what he always imagined it would sound like). They still face against each other on opposite sides in court. They still give it everything they got, no conceding even if they are dating now. Not to mention, Derek wouldn't dream of tempting Stiles over to his firm. Not when he knows Stiles is at his best staying where he's at.

The day Derek's family finally decides it's time for him to take over the firm with Laura is the best day of his and Stiles' lives.

Not only does Derek tell them he's declining, he hires Stiles as his attorney to negotiate terms against his entire family of well-seasoned lawyers.

The entire month-long negotiation results in Derek, not saying a single word, but absolutely beaming as he watches his boyfriend run circles around his mother, his father, his uncle, and both of his sisters on contracts. It's so unbelievably hot, they're banging on whatever flat surface they can get their hands on every time they leave the boardroom. There's even one very memorable blowjob in the empty hall outside the boardroom when Stiles somehow manages to get Peter to agree to a (most likely illegal) clause dictating the firm will pay Stiles a finder's fee for any pro-bono case Stiles takes on outside of Beacon Hills that strikes his fancy.

And, no one says it, but they all know Derek definitely, 100%, dragged his own firm through this negotiation just to show off how incredible Stiles is to his family and preen about it.

--

Fast-forward, Derek is going to be in the audience for the first time for one of Stiles' cases.

While waiting in the hall, Derek sees a familiar face from his New York days. The prosecution has hired the eighth best lawyer money can get, Jackson Whittemore. He's sporting a Rolex, sunglasses indoors, and the face of someone who thinks he's above literally every other person in town.

Well, at least until he sees Derek.

For some reason, Jackson seems to think Derek is all the way out in the middle of nowhere to 'watch a master at work' (which...well...is technically true...).

As Derek goes to sit in the audience, Jackson tells him in passing, "This'll be over so fast, probably won't even get a chance to learn the other guy's name."

Derek chuckles and says back, "Ooh, buddy, you have no idea."

Before Jackson can think more on that, a whirlwind of limbs and papers suddenly hurls through the doors.

Derek sits back, gets comfy, and waits eagerly for the show to begin.

My first moodboard. Hope you enjoy. AU based on a discussion with @casually-eat-my-soul (I suggest checking out their version). This was kind of like a divergence from that (the brain juices just started flowing).

[violent138]

Changed my mind, the funniest Gotham outsider POV would be the company lawyer who has to tell a besieged secretary that her boss has been arrested yet again and that meeting needs to get moved. In fact, to be safe, the whole calendar should be thrown out the window, sorry about that.

I'm imagining this lawyer losing his mind on a near daily basis because while he can't be party to crimes, he's got a functioning brain and has spent years giving his bosses subtle advice. That they don't follow. Ever.

[swan2swan]

My one issue with the Broker...

(Spoilers)

...was that she took on far too much of an Executive Role. While Soyona was great, her job is "Broker"--she's supposed to be the go-between for corporate interests.

The issue is that, realistically, you'd have her walking alongside some other suit who owns the labs. Or speaking for someone else. But that would basically just give you another model to move around and another voice actor to hire.

...though it is also possible that the man she worked for was Daniel Kon or similar, and with his demise, she had to assume control of all his holdings while her business partners determined what was up. She was the one managing the assets he'd hidden away and had no access to.

That would make sense, I suppose.

[hackfixation]

Bojack Horseman would sign up for Severance immediately. The minute it's explained that he'll have no memories while working he would be down.

[personinthepalace]

Not Nicole - Odd Squad client turned villain (Shelly Catessan)

Nicole, Jennifer, Rebecca, Christine - what's her real name? Who knows. Mary Ashton played Shelly Catessan in osmu as well so it's fun to think that Not Nicole was an os client who pretended to have sandwich hands and later turned into the villain Shelly Catessan

[sirguyofdykesborn]

sinners for @dirtsnifffer

[rosenecklaces]

Legitimately there's like five and even more things Elain prefers to have her focus and mind into and none of them has the fox redhead involved which I guess that's why some of them can't tolerate her huh...

[un-merle]

The good thing about being a translator by day and a hobbyist artist by night is I get to be angry about genAI 100% of the time.

[kagiura-akira]

I cannot keep barely living through the work week rolling out of bed at like 9 to get to work late at 10 💀

[yolkyweichei]

I truly don't think I've ever felt more insulted by this whole AI crap than I have when my computer's default photo viewer told me the only way my favorite art I've ever created can only be perfected with AI enhancements.

This is a GREAT time to share information about Nightshade, a service that will add - essentially, Layman's terms - a subtle noise filter on your art that will cause AI to see it as nothing but gobblygook and unusable. When AI runs out of a constant stream of art to learn off of, all it has is itself which causes it to go into, basically, a doom loop of slop. Investors are beginning to lose interest and drop out of backing AI because of diminishing returns because (most, normal) people DO NOT WANT THIS.

We can win.

We just have to keep fighting.

Jobs are being lost to AI. New artists are being discouraged and pushed out of art spaces because of AI bros/art. Artists are being bullied for not using AI by these people - meanwhile SOME established and talented artists have been using AI to produce more artwork and are selling these as commissions and even using them to promote how to draw courses and brush packs for digital artists without disclosing their use of AI to their clients, fans, and patrons.

This is disingenuous and harmful to artists and art appreciators alike.

Here are some resources (youtube videos from artists) to the things I have claimed:

Established artists using AI without disclosing it (either at all, or until they were called out) -

source: Kat 'n' Chat [LINK]

source: samdoesarts [LINK]

And two videos that explain how Nightshade works and a video that has really filled me with hope that we can beat this generative AI scourge on our artistic lands -

Source: LavenderTowne [Nightshade] [AI is dying]

Yes I know the little popup I got in my screenshot is 'harmless' and to add some pizazz to like, pet photos and stuff. It doesn't change the fact AI is harmful to artists of all types (fiber artists of all kinda are effected, music and video artists, photographers, even lego creators are seeing a negative impact). It also doesn't change the fact that this pop up on a piece of art I created with my own two hands, using a gd emoji as a reference and inspiration, received a pop up saying it can be better with AI.

Thank you for your time.

[icqmuseum24]

🌐 In an effort to bring instant messaging on the go, ICQ developed a client for PalmOS. This move allowed users to stay connected even while away from their desktops. The PalmOS ICQ client featured the core functionalities that made ICQ popular: sending and receiving messages, changing statuses, and managing contact lists.

📲 PalmOS was known for its simplicity and efficiency, making it a favorite among mobile users. It offered a unique combination of a touch interface and a physical keyboard, which made typing messages quick and easy. Bringing ICQ to PalmOS meant tapping into a growing market of mobile professionals and tech enthusiasts who valued portability without sacrificing functionality.

✨ Key Features of ICQ for PalmOS:

➡️ Messaging on the Go: Stay connected with friends and colleagues by sending and receiving instant messages.

➡️ Status Updates: Let your contacts know if you’re available, busy, or away with easy status updates.

➡️ Contact Management: Easily add, remove, and manage your ICQ contacts.

➡️ Portable Communication:** Enjoy the flexibility of ICQ’s messaging capabilities right from your PalmOS device.

🔒 One of the standout features was the security ICQ provided. Even on PalmOS, ICQ maintained its standards for protecting user data, ensuring that conversations remained private and secure.

💾 ICQ’s expansion to PalmOS was a significant step in the evolution of mobile messaging. It showcased the potential of mobile devices to support full-fledged communication platforms, paving the way for the sophisticated mobile messengers we use today.

[vipermenace]

Have you always wanted a close pal? Someone to call your bestie or even your partner? Well, look no further! Here at Cybercom Tech, you too can purchase your very own companion bot from our newest line!

Disclaimer: We are not responsible if your robot friend turns sentient and goes against their programming!

✨Simply click the link HERE to head on over to the store and select your metallic companion! ✨

40 USD Payment by Stripe

1: claimed

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All Robots now Adopted!!

[spark-circuit]

him asking me this as i'm hungry too and dad is cooking something good for dinner in the other room...............

[ilikedetectives]

The boss' boss asked me what my weekend plan is gonna be and I had to fight for my life to not say "studying for a technical interview next week" 💀💀💀