#retaining tech talent

[thelawandmore]

How to Hire and Retain Tech Talent for Your Law Firm 

How to Hire and Retain Tech Talent for Your Law Firm

If you are a law firm leader, you know how important it is to have a strong and reliable IT team. Technology is essential for your firm’s efficiency, productivity, innovation and competitiveness. However, finding and keeping tech talent is not easy. The demand for IT skills is high across all industries, and the legal sector is no exception. According to a recent survey by Briefing/HSBC, talent…

[sprintrecruiting]

What are the longterm impacts of the layoffs in tech?

Introduction: In recent years, tech layoffs have become an unfortunately common sight across many industries with some companies predicting more job losses as soon as 2023. This has left many tech firms wondering what this means for their talent and how they should move forward. In this blog, we will be unpacking the impact that tech layoffs have had on the industry, exploring predictions of…

[attollogame]

hi! i went to look for physical descriptions of the ROs but the link isn’t working. is there an alternative link?

No but I can help you here!

Pariah

Pariah is 5’5” with an athletic build to their body, mostly honed from all of the physical exertion their night job requires. Most often they wear riding gear (leather jacket, cargo pants, biker boots; basically attire appropriate for someone who rides high-speeds on a motorcycle) with a black motorcycle helmet that has red lights within it. The helmet is modified to allow Pariah to discern things at night, and also to withstand Pariah’s own powered abilities. Pariah also carries two sickles strapped at their waist. Their powered ability is shadow manipulation.

Without the helmet, they have short cut curly brown hair, tanned skin, brown eyes, and a scar on their chin. Here’s an excellent visual of them drawn by the talented @phanosis !

Vasilisa

Vasilisa stands at about 5’11” with another athletic build to her body, again honed by her career as a detective for the C.A.P.D. She usually wears a white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, black jeans, timberland boots (closest I can describe them) and on occasion will have a black blazer on. Very often seen with a coffee in hand because her sleep schedule is as atrocious as anyone’s in Attollo. Her powered ability is emotion manipulation. 

Vasilisa has blonde hair she keeps tied back, pale skin, and blue eyes. She has a beauty spot under her one eye. Here’s an excellent visual of her drawn by the talented @exotic-inquiry !

Suha

Suha stands at 5��8” with a softer build. Her employment as a judge for the Crowes Court and her role in her own fashion business often keeps her quite preoccupied and on the go. Suha is a Muslim, and therefore wears a hijab. Her role in fashion means she dresses incredibly well, often preferring higher-brand clothes lines that are both comfortable and befitting of her personality. She prefers lighter colored clothes, as it contrasts the gloom of Attollo, even though her personality itself is quite serious. Suha’s powered ability is botakinesis, or plant manipulation. 

Suha wears cat-eyed glasses and has dark skin and brown eyes. Here’s a stunning drawing of her done by the talented @artsyaprilmr !

Operator

Operator stands at 5’7” and has a very lean build coming from his amazing ability to forget to eat half the time. He’s rarely seen without his black face mask and blue tech glasses, which enable him to see the ongoing of the city even when mobile. He usually wears a black turtleneck and black jeans, as well as sneakers that should really be changed in at some point. He does wear gloves as well when outside of his dwelling in the Under City. Operator’s powered ability is tech manipulation… among other things.

He has auburn curly hair and blue eyes beneath the glasses, as well as pale skin. @exotic-inquiry also did some lovely art of him (he is a little guy) !

Sysba

Because Sysba is gender selectable, their appearance does tend to change depending on which you select, although not by much. Overall, though, Sysba is a very flamboyant being that dresses in a way they feel expresses themself best. They stand at 6’ all forms, with a toned form they somehow managed to retain despite their disastrous eating habits. They prefer colours like red, black, or white for what they wear, and they prefer fabrics like satin, velvet, or silk. Sysba often wears heels for the benefit of standing an extra few inches above everyone else. They also indulge with a lot of jewellery, including necklaces, earrings, nose rings, etc. Because they are an entity, their powers extend far beyond what most do; shape shifting, manipulation, and power absorption are a few of their abilities. If they could get out of Attollo, they would be travelling quite swiftly too. 

In all forms, their hair is black, their eyes are black, and their skin is a very sickly pale color. In male form, Sysba has short cut hair, in female form it comes in the form of a bob cut, and in the non binary form it’s short cut as well. The very talented @retconomics has art of them here, @phanosis was generous enough to draw them in their more ‘natural’ form, and @redjack even kindly made a 3d model!

DW

Standing at 6’4” with a more built tone, one could say, due to his line of work (you don’t run a criminal organization without some intimidation on the side). Dreamwalker dresses very business-like in all aspects of his arrival, including in the dreams (although he did play dress up for those because it was fun for him). He prefers dark dress shirts, dress pants, and well-polished dress shoes. He wears a signet ring on his right hand. His powered ability includes dream manipulation and an ability to directly harm a sleeping individual through their dream, as seen with MC. He usually warps his features in dreams to make him indiscernible. On occasion, he wears a red scarf when not wearing a high collared shirt. 

Dreamwalker has dark brown, almost black hair with a slight curl to it. His eyes are a glowing gold with no discernible pupil unless you’re very close, in which case you will see it as a darker yellow color. He has a notable scar on his neck from a knife wound, and dark skin. The talented @bleruh drew art of him here (check out their operator as well!), as did @retconomics here and @/kill-a13 here among many others :)

[sunshinesmebdy]

Asteroid Wage Enters Gemini: Tips for Thriving in the Whirlwind

Brace yourselves for a celestial shift that’s set to shake up the market: asteroid Wage is setting foot in the nimble, ever-curious sign of Gemini. Buckle up, because the next year promises volatility, adaptability, and yes, even potential financial gains for those who navigate this transit wisely.

What is Asteroid Wage in Gemini?

Think of Wage as the cosmic paymaster, highlighting areas of earning potential and value exchange. In Gemini, the realm of communication, information, and versatility, Wage gets supercharged. Expect dynamic shifts in labor markets, evolving payment models, and a renewed focus on skills and flexibility over tenure.

Impacts for Businesses:

Embrace the gig economy: The Gemini Wage favors agile operations and independent contractors. Consider outsourcing tasks and diversifying your workforce to adapt to changing demands.

Ditch the nine-to-five and hello, dynamic duo! Gemini Wage thrives on adaptability and short-burst projects, so tap into the gig economy to fuel your flexibility. Outsource tasks, embrace a diverse team of independent contractors, and watch your business pirouette through changing demands with the grace of a celestial ballerina. This isn’t just cost-effective, it’s a cosmic recipe for agility and growth.

Invest in communication: Clear communication is key to attracting and retaining talent. Streamline internal processes, refine your marketing message, and invest in technology that facilitates collaboration.

Make your message a megaphone under Gemini Wage! Crystal-clear communication is your golden key to talent, both attracting new stars and keeping your current team in orbit. Polish your internal processes to gleaming, hone your marketing message to a razor-sharp point, and invest in tech that fosters collaboration like a cosmic chatroom. Remember, in this whirlwind transit, the loudest, clearest voices soar highest.

Upskill your team: Be prepared for rapid changes in technology and market trends. Encourage continuous learning and invest in retraining programs to keep your employees relevant.

Equip your team for the cosmic roller coaster! Gemini Wage craves adaptability, so prioritize continuous learning and upskilling programs. Encourage tech-savvy side hustles, invest in retraining that flexes with market trends, and watch your employees morph from cogs in the machine to versatile, innovative problem-solvers. Remember, in this whirlwind, the sharpest minds reap the richest rewards.

Rethink traditional compensation: Bonus structures, profit-sharing models, and performance-based incentives become more attractive under Gemini Wage. Consider adopting alternative salary structures to motivate and retain talent.

Toss out the dusty old salary spreadsheets and embrace the dynamic dance of Gemini Wage! This transit demands agility, and that extends to how you compensate your team. Think beyond the rigid monthly wage. Bonus structures that reward quick wins and innovative ideas become gold under this celestial influence. Consider profit-sharing models, where your team’s success directly translates to their pockets, fostering a culture of ownership and shared goals. Performance-based incentives, tailored to individual strengths and contributions, light a fire under even the most seasoned employee. Remember, in the whirlwind of Gemini Wage, a little creative compensation can go a long way in attracting and retaining top talent. So, ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and get ready to tango with a compensation system that’s as adaptable and exciting as the cosmic twins themselves!

Investing and Finance:

Focus on agility and diversification: Gemini favors short-term, high-growth investments and sectors like tech, media, and communication. Don’t be afraid to experiment and spread your bets.

Ditch the tortoise, embrace the hummingbird! Under Gemini Wage, agility reigns supreme. Invest in short-term, high-growth ventures, particularly in the tech, media, and communication galaxies. Spread your bets like cosmic confetti, experimenting with diverse projects and sectors. Don’t be afraid to pivot and adapt, for in this whirlwind market, nimbleness is your golden ticket to stratospheric returns. Remember, diversification is the secret sauce, so keep your portfolio a constellation of possibilities, ready to catch the next supernova of opportunity.

Stay informed and adaptable: Be nimble enough to react to sudden market shifts. Embrace news apps, financial forecasts, and astrological timing (yes, even!) to make informed decisions.

Become a cosmic chameleon under Gemini Wage! Stay nimbler than a celestial ninja, ready to dodge and weave through sudden market shifts. Embrace financial forecasts and news apps like your personal oracle, but don’t underestimate the whispers of the stars. Align your investments with astrological timing, tuning into energy shifts for informed decisions. Remember, under this whirlwind transit, knowledge is power, and a sprinkle of celestial awareness can be the secret weapon that sets you apart from the herd. So, keep your ear to the ground, your eyes on the charts, and your mind open to the whispers of the cosmos — it’s the recipe for navigating the financial galaxy with grace and prosperity.

Look for the hidden value: Gemini’s sharp eye can uncover undervalued assets and innovative opportunities. Think outside the box and explore emerging markets and disruptive technologies.

This transit sharpens your eye to spot undervalued assets lurking in plain sight, like diamonds in the rough. Think beyond the obvious, explore emerging markets where innovation ripples like a sonic boom, and embrace disruptive technologies that could rewrite the financial rulebook. Remember, under Gemini’s curious gaze, the unconventional can become your goldmine. So, ditch the herd mentality, channel your inner maverick, and unearth the treasures waiting just beyond the edge of the financial map. The rewards for the adventurous investor are written in the stars!

Tips for Thriving with Gemini Wage:

Sharpen your communication skills: The more effectively you communicate your value, the more opportunities you attract. Honing your negotiation and presentation skills will pay off.

Network like a pro: Gemini thrives on connections. Build relationships with potential partners, clients, and collaborators. Your network is your net worth under this transit.

Embrace change and flexibility: Don’t get stuck in outdated models. Be open to new ideas, explore diverse perspectives, and adapt quickly to market shifts.

Focus on learning and adaptability: Invest in personal and professional development. Hone your skills, upgrade your knowledge, and stay ahead of the curve in your field.

So, entrepreneurs and financiers, are you ready to dance with the whirlwind? Let’s see what fortunes await under the sign of the twins!

[arizonaconservativegal]

As you work in government, and think the government should be dramatically reduced, I was wondering where you think such cuts ought to start and how would you get enough people to agree with you? From where I stand, as someone who gained political consciousness in 2018(?) and has been leaning right libertarian ever since, it seems no one can agree even though we all see the same issue.

Well if I were dictator for a day, I'd eliminate the federal Department of Education because they pretty much do nothing of value.

But the real answer is that I wouldn't start by cutting any programs at all.

Sure I'm a libertarian who has a philosophical problem with pretty much every government program, and if I were building the system from the ground up, I wouldn't ever include most of what we ended up with, but since it's already there, that's not an option.

Besides, even as bloated as they are, most government offices/agencies/departments do have a handful of very necessary positions and good employees in them. They just also have an awful lot of jobs that no one would ever miss and a lot of employees who do nothing but take up space. You need to go through all of them with a fine tooth comb to figure out which ones should be kept, what can be consolidated, and what can be eliminated with no impact on services. And then you'd need to hang around long enough to figure out which individual people to keep (either in their existing roles or reassign them to more useful positions) and which ones are just dedicated to being useless.

The problem is that doing that properly takes a tremendous amount of time and you really can't leave it up to the bureaucrats within the departments. If you tell them to just cut staffing levels by a certain percentage, half of them will just go by last hired, first fired and the other half will deliberately cut critical and public facing positions to create political demand for their funding to be restored.

If I were really going to go through all that, I'd start by identifying the positions to cut and then let attrition do its thing. Useless positions do not need to be replaced when vacated. Not actually firing anyone gets you around civil service protections and if you do your targeting well, the only people who will really squawk will be union bosses upset about dwindling membership numbers. The two tricks here are a) you still have to replace the positions that are necessary and start consolidating responsibilities so you can't skip that first step of figuring out what those are and b) you cannot let politics determine which positions are cut. All services levels must be maintained, even in programs that we disagree with politically.

The next thing I would do - which would be much harder - is reform those civil service and union protections. We need to be able to fire people who do not do their jobs adequately or who are no longer needed. Right now that's pretty much impossible so instead of firing them, we shuffle them off to another position - and usually that comes with a promotion and raise so they can't claim they're being treated unfairly. Or we just hire a second person to do the job the first one won't or can't do but instead of replacing the first person with the second person, we just pay two people to do one job at the same time.

The trade I would make is to eliminate or drastically increase pay caps for high performing employees and for positions that we have trouble hiring/retaining qualified employees. Too often we lose highly effective employees because the only thing we can do to reward them is to promote them out of their area of skill. And we simply cannot hire a talented lawyer or tech worker for $75k when they could be making two or three or ten times that in the private sector. Sorry, I know no one wants to pay government employees more but when we have a team of ten shitty employees getting paid $50k each, that's a lot more expensive than getting one good one who will actually do the job for $200k.

(If I could, I'd also put new employees on a 401k style retirement plan - I'd even offer a very generous match - and never put them in the pension system. It would save us a ton of money and frankly, those employees would be better off in the long run for having control of their retirement funds. But that's a separate issue and possibly a bigger hurdle than cutting jobs.)

Only when all that was done, and after several years had gone by so the public would see that the reductions in workforce really didn't hamper the service they received, that's when I'd think about starting to cut actual programs.

And then I would start with the Department of Education.

[fearfulachilles]

9. wunderkind.

chapter nine to buop (nanami kento x reader jjk medical au.) .

full contents here.

summary: working with dr. geto proves to be more difficult than you thought, but you have an enjoyable lunch break.

tw: american healthcare.

Satoru Gojo was a wunderkind. He graduated high school early, finished pre-med in half as much of time than normal, and aced his way through med school at an incredibly young age. He was a medicine prodigy. He was sought out by many hospitals for his neurosurgery fellowship, but decided to accept a fellowship at Jujutsu Metropolitan Hospital.

During his fellowship, he created and developed a new technique that is still used by nearly all neurosurgeons across the country, even years later. Up until a year ago, it had been known as the Gojo technique.

During and after Satoru's fellowship, he quickly noticed that he hated how the hospital was managing things. The owners of the hospital were old men who didn't work with patients anymore, instead they worked closely with insurance companies to milk money out of patients looking for care.

Satoru had to constantly turn away sick patients in need of surgery, and even the ones who needed simpler treatments such as medication and routine examinations, all because the patients couldn't afford to pay for it, and pro-bono services were forbidden. Patients waited months for post-operative visits and some had to hold off on returning after surgery completely, all due to money. He saw how the staff around him, nurses and scrub techs, were always shorthanded and overworked because the higher ups refused to hire more people, just to save themselves money.

Eventually, it all came crumbling down on the members of the hospital board. Patients were seeking care elsewhere, strung out employees were quitting, and the Jujutsu Hospital reputation was going to shit. Money doesn't last forever, but they were in need of it. That's when an anonymous buyer came in with a generous offer, in exchange for the board to be changed immediately, of course.

It didn't take long for senior hospital board member, Dr. Yoshinobu Gakuganji, to trace the money back to the one and only, medicine prodigy, Satoru Gojo. He wished he never did find out where the buy-out offer came from, because he had no choice but to take the offer. So, now he stood in an office room located in one of the higher floors of the hospital building with the young white haired physician.

“I'll accept the buy-out under one exception,” Gakuganji started, wrinkling fingers tapping against one another.

Satoru only scoffed, his arms crossed on his chest. His voice is smug, laced with his usual know-it-all attitude, “you have no room to bargain, you're out of options. No one wants you bail you out of your shitty hospital but me.”

“For this, it's worth the risk. No surgery for four years.”

How evil. Brain surgery was Satoru's passion. He worked hard, studied long nights, developed his own technique for his surgeries. His eyes widened and he bared his teeth, slamming his hand down on the old man's desk.

“Fuck no, you can't do that!” Satoru had always been out of line as a subordinate, but he was well aware that his brain and talent were too prestigious to reprimand or hold accountable so he got away with a lot, much to Gakuganji's disliking. It explained why Gakuganji was always looking for reasons to get rid of him.

“I can have the hospital’s lawyer on retainer add it into the contract. You want to turn this hospital around? Time to make some sacrifices, Gojo.”

Satoru grunts, chewing on the inside of his cheek, his fingertips digging into the palm of his hand in a shaking fist. Gakuganji can't be serious.

“One more thing...”

“You’ve asked for enough.” Satoru rolls his eyes.

“The Gojo technique, it's brilliant. Forfeit your name to it.”

Gakuganji was going for the jugular. The Gojo technique was pretty much flawless and it had never failed to save a life in surgery. It was Satoru's creation, his baby. He had traveled the country to teach this technique to other neurosurgeons, articles were published about it, it was his.

“To what, your name? The Gakuganji technique is a mouth full and an eye sore.” Satoru spat. Though surgery was his life, he was willing to step down for a short amount of time, if it was for his vision of this hospital he had, then four years wasn't too long.

“Preferably, but as long as it's out of your name, I'll be satisfied. Make a public announcement about forfeiting the ownership of your technique, and we can move forward this deal.” Gakuganji said, stroking his thin-haired beard, it always creeped Satoru out.

Satoru glared daggers at the old man. He was wrinkly, fragilely thin, shaking like a leaf in the cold air conditioning of the the office. He could croak at any time and Satoru wished it'd happen now more than ever.

“You're acting like a man with nothing to lose.” Satoru’s eyes sized up the shrinking old man.

“I don't anymore.”

The deal closed the day after Satoru made a public announcement, giving titleship and credit to Dr. Geto for his the technique.

He walked into work like nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just become the owner of Jujutsu Hospital, as if he hadn't just agreed to sacrifice the next four years. He struck a deal with Dr. Geto to take over his surgical cases from now because he'll be “too busy with paperwork” for a while.

He hires back the old chief of surgery, Dr. Masamichi Yaga, who had been forced to retire by the old hospital board members, despite them hitting critical ages themselves. He confides in his old mentor that he has no clue what he's doing with this hospital he had just bought, but he may know where to start.

“I'm sick and tired of insurances denying everything. I'm the doctor, I know what my patients needs, not them.” Satoru complains, resting his cheek on his palm.

“It is a pain dealing with them.” Dr. Yaga agreed.

They sat in Satoru's new office, a place he was told to get used to; he'll be spending most of his time in there, rather than the operating room.

The young physician had a vision for the future of medicine: no red tape from insurance companies, no gouged up prices for medicine that patients need, fair wages and generous personal time off for employees.

Satoru sighed, blowing the air out of pursed lips. His eyes fall on to a pile of rejected proposals by the last hospital head. He finds an old one he had proposed—the free clinic. He had brought this idea up during his fellowship, the idea of offering free medical care for post-op patients, and once established, expand to offer free care for all patients.

His long fingers flip through his old proposal, a smile creeping on his lips as he comes to realization that he can approve this with a simple sign of his signature.

“I've got four years of free time, anyways.” Satoru tells himself.

More than half the employees who quit due to an unfair working environment had been rehired the first month of Satoru taking over, and new employees were hired to share the workload. He opened the hospital for med school students to come there for their clinical rotations and for residents to come work for their residency, and he found room in the budget for medical scribes to be hired.

_________

Your first day working with Dr. Geto couldn't have gone worse.

Dr. Geto requested to start work in the clinic two hours earlier than when it usually opens, so you have to show up two hours earlier than normal.

You wake up with exactly 10 minutes left before you have to leave. You rush through brushing your hair and tying it back, brushing your teeth, and you change into a pair of scrubs. Then you spill your homemade coffee on yourself by accident. Changing again makes you five minutes late to the clinic, and your gas tank is nearly on empty, so you'll have to pump more after work.

Dr. Geto is already standing and waiting at the nurse station when you walk in. You run to grab a scribing laptop from the supply closet at the back of the clinic, frantically opening it and logging into the electronic health system the clinic and hospital use.

You finally catch your breath as you wait near Dr. Geto for the first patient to be ready for him. You lose your breath again when Dr. Geto addresses you directly.

“Satoru told me you're interested in neurosurgery.” His voice is silk smooth, almost hypnotizing. He's prettier than the images you saw of him when you Googled the surgeon. His hair is so dark and shiny, it's long enough to go down his back, and he has half of it tied up. He takes care of it, you can tell.

You can't seem to find your voice, so you just nod. You're not necessarily interested in neurosurgery solely, but you're really open to it. You're not going to tell that to Dr. Geto, a neurosurgeon, though.

Dr. Geto works differently than Satoru or Kento. He likes to move quickly, even wasting less time than Kento does. He moves so swiftly, almost like he's gliding across the floor. You're barely able to keep up with his pace, once he's done with one patient, he moves on to the next room. He doesn't look back, he doesn't ask if you have any questions, he doesn't check your notes, you have no idea how he prefers them. You try stopping him, but it does no good.

“Dr. Geto, if I can just ask—” Your words don't reach him, he's already stepped into the next available exam room and began exanimating his patient.

You take your lunch break earlier than everyone else, since Dr. Geto had you start work earlier today.

“Goddamn it,” you curse to yourself as you realize you've gotten lost on the way to the hospital cafeteria again. You don't think you'll ever learn where it is. The hallways are so identical, other than different variations of some CPR posters pinned up in certain hallways.

“Need help?” You hear in a very familiar deep tone.

You turn your head to the direction of the voice and see Kento walking towards you. He looks handsome in the scrub cap he's wearing. He still lacks the white doctor coat so his muscular forearms are out for all to see, like usual. You can't help but stare at them, tracing each vein you see with your eyes. You remember how he held you with those arms as he fucked you four times.

Your gurgling stomach brings your focus back to him. “Uh, yeah, I always get lost on my way to the cafeteria.”

Kento chuckles, he thinks that's cute. “I was just heading there myself. I can show you.”

He really tries to continue a conversation with you, but it's awkward at first. You feel nervous, like you want to throw up, but despite not feeling any bile come up, the fluttering sensation stays in your stomach.

Kento opens each door at the end of the hallways for you like it's natural instinct. You tried opening one for him, but he gently replaced your hand on the steel doorknob with his own. His hands are so much bigger than yours, he can almost engulf your hand in just his palm alone.

He asks you how your day is going, and you respond by automatically pouting and dropping your head down. He laughs briefly as he watches your sulking. He opens one of the double doors that finally belongs to the cafeteria entrance, placing his large hand on the small of your back and guiding you inside as you continue pouting with your head down.

You pick up your head, and whine. “It's going horrible! I can't keep up with Dr. Geto, he's impossible to stop once he's started, it's like he can't hear me, I have no idea how he likes his notes, it's like he expects to know how he wants it—”

Kento nods, he's aware of how... difficult Suguru can be to work with. He expects everyone to be on his level from the get-go; he wants his scrub techs to know what instruments he's going to ask for during surgery before he needs to ask for it, he likes his nurses to write their supervision notes in a particular format so he can learn the most information without needing to ask the patient more questions himself. He has high expectations from everyone he works with, with little remorse or thought to new employees around him.

“—I like working with you way more.” You say quietly, finishing your rant.

The corners of Kento's lips turn up slightly, a small smile appearing at your confession. He notes how your cheeks turn pink, so he decides to not respond to it. You're thankful, thinking he hadn't heard you.

The hospital cafeteria is almost nearly empty, a few family members of patients eat, but there weren't many staff members there, most likely because you're taking an earlier lunch than normal. You and Kento grab food and he pays for your portion without exchanging words and without a second thought. You want to hate how he does that because you can take care of yourself, but you can't.

“About my parking ticket—” you begin, both of you moving to an empty table in a private corner of the cafeteria. He carries his food, a chicken sandwich with wheat bread, in one hand and pulls out a chair for you with his other.

“Already paid.” Kento replies, quickly shutting you down on it. He's smiling, smugly if you squint hard enough to see.

“You didn't have to do that.” You insisted. You take a seat in the chair he's pulled out for you, and he sits beside you.

“I know.” His voice is kind, traced with unwavering certainty. How odd. You're not used to that: someone doing something like that for you because they wanted to. It sends a chill down your spine, ringing an alarm in your head. Kento causes it, but he also helps dull out the noise of it.

You didn't think you'd really talk to Kento again after having dirty, hot sex at his home—other than having to talk to him during work. But you're not working with him today and you're here talking to him. It feels like it did in the bar, now that you've gotten over the one-sided awkwardness you were feeling.

Kento had your full attention and you had his. Your legs brush against one another's underneath the table and it makes you aware of how close he was. You remember how you brushed shoulders at the bar and how your bodies felt pressed together in his bed. You have to bring yourself back to reality.

Your lunch break breezes by a lot faster than you'd like it to. You have to return to Dr. Geto's service and the thought of it makes you dread it. Kento chuckles to himself as you pout and drag yourself up from the table you both shared and then joins you in doing so. He has a couple more surgeries to do before he's done for the day, some routine procedures that won't take long.

Kento had enjoyed spending his break with you. He didn't want to return to wondering when he'd be able to talk to you again or wait until his days in the clinic to see you. As you both walk out of the cafeteria with brushing shoulders, he finds it in himself to ask you for your numbers.

“I was wondering if I could have your phone number,” Kento's cringing at himself, he sounds old and out of sync with this hook-up dating culture that people your age are doing. “So it'd be easier to...”

To what? Bootycall you? He almost wants to say never mind, and go back to bland coffee and tasteless foods. No, he knows that's not enough for him anymore. He wants more of your touch, your body, you.

Thankfully, you don't make him say it. “Sure, yeah.” You sound cool, nearly aloof, but you're anything but that. Kento hands you his phone for you to input your number. Just as you finish saving the contact, you realize the time at the top of his screen—you're gonna be late at returning from your lunch break.

“Shit, I gotta go.” You push his phone back to him and quickly leave, fast on your feet as you walk away.

“Talk to you later.” Kento says, though you're gone already. He stares at his phone screen.

_________

The second portion of the day goes by a lot slower than you would have preferred. You feel like you can finally catch your breath after keeping up with Dr. Geto the whole day. You close your work laptop slowly, sighing out tiredly.

“Good job today.” You hear Dr. Geto's smooth voice day to you. You perk up and look at him. If you were a dog, your tail would be wagging.

“Oh—thank you!” You reply brightly. “I really enjoyed working with you.”

That's a lie. Dr. Geto didn't slow down for a second after lunch, if anything, he had started working faster. He also didn't take time to go the extra mile to talk or teach you about neurosurgery, like Satoru and Kento had. He wasn't required to, but it would have been appreciated on your part. Still, there's no denying Dr. Geto was a genius at what he does for a living. He had a lot more complex post-operative patients today, so you still had the opportunity to learn about his surgical cases and their treatment plans by being in the room and listening as you scribed.

Dr. Geto isn't much of a talker if he doesn't need to be, so he nods at your words in acknowledgement before leaving for the day.

You take a look around as you come from down that people-pleasing high you just experienced and see Yuji grimly working with Dr. Ieiri, the surgical oncologist, in one part of the clinic. You spot Nobara's eye twitching with near annoyance as she works with Dr. Haibara, the OBGYN, in the other part of the clinic. They would be better suited if they switched physicians.

Your roommates still have some time left in their workday, while you were able to go home now since you had started earlier today. You wave at them, Yuji brightly smiles at you and waves back, Nobara scrunches her nose in friendly envy that you're able to leave now, but waves back too.

You make it home after leaving work and stopping at a gas station for your car. Your phone had been more silent the entire time despite turning on your ringer for the first time in a long time—you always preferred your phone on vibrate. Not a peep from an unknown number you were hoping to hear from.

What's gotten into you? Looking forward to Kento hitting you up? Get a grip.

You shower when you get home and change into some loungewear. You finally feel your body relaxing as you lay in bed freshly showered and in clean clothes. You try to scroll mindlessly on your phone, but you feel your eyes getting heavier and tired until you finally give into the sinking feeling. You've sunk too deep into a quiet nap when your phone finally does ring.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

This is Kento. I hope your day improved.

sticky note:

i didn't want to specify where this au takes place or what specific ages the characters are because i wanted to give readers free reign on that, if that makes sense. though, since i am from america then most of my writing may be american-based (like the insurance part of this fic lol), but i'm am trying to stay unspecific in those areas. but even tho an age gap is intentional, i may never specify what ages everyone is because that way anyone reading can imagine an age gap they're comfortable with, if that makes sense too.

ps. when i worked as a scribe i saw an insurance company deny cancer treatment for a patient with prostate cancer bc the insurance company believed “it was not necessary” :O 

[aruanimess]

Hello! Do you have any random headcanons for Annie, Armin or other AOT characters that you like? Have a lovely day!

Hello, anon! (Sorry for taking my time with answering, I had a lot of thoughts)

Such a lovely question! I do indeed have many headcanons about AruAni and other characters I enjoy. I've shared some modern hcs about Armin and Annie specifically here too, if you wanna check them out.

Since you're giving me the opportunity to share some more though, let's do post-canon hcs instead. I think it'd be a nice change.

Armin cooks, Annie eats.

I know Armin is a busy man, but I'm positive he likes to take a break from his packed schedule to make a treat for his girl. Sure, he's not the best cook ever, but he tries and every dish is created with care and love poured into it. Annie enjoys the attention (and the cooking) quite a lot, too, so it's not like she's planning to stop him any time soon.

Armin's curiosity reaches unprecedented highs.

With the whole world at his disposal (well, what's left of it), Armin is finally free to go wild. He wants to learn it all and learn it all NOW! At first he turns to Annie for trivia regarding the outside world, and it's a sweet moment of bonding for them, sharing information about the world as they get to know more and more of each other as well. Soon, however, Annie is no longer enough. She's a surprisingly patient teacher, but she simply can't keep up with the level of detail Armin wants to go into, and frankly she doesn't care enough. So she urges him to find another tutor.

And Armin doesn't find one. He finds fifty.

Turns out, no one is an expert in everything, and Armin wants to know E V E R Y T H I N G. From exotic animals to foreign policy, to current tech, to theology, he's curious about it all!

Of course, a sane person cannot retain this much information, so what ends up happening is Armin going from one hyper specific interest to the next at an alarming rate. Jean and Connie worry about him initially (surely their friend is finally losing it), but when they eventually confront him about it, he confirms that he just enjoys the ride more so than the actual knowledge. "Most people have learnt bits and pieces while they were growing up," he says, "I have a lot to catch up to, but I'm not beating myself up about remembering it all." Jean and Connie are appeased. As long as he takes care of himself and he's happy, there's nothing else to fret over.

Annie takes up a sport.

Listen, martial arts are well and good, but there's only so much effort you can put in them when you're not in active danger. Annie maintains her training regimen for a while, but without a purpose it turns stale and repetitive. Still, she enjoys the physical activity and the challenge, so she's pretty bummed about it, until someone (probably Pieck) suggests she start playing a sport.

I'm not sure what exactly would fit her best. A solitary sport is more in line with her personality, but perhaps a team sport would help her build relationships and come out of her shell a little. I kinda want to say badminton, but I might be thinking that because I'm partial to it myself.

Mikasa is living her best cottagecore life.

After her return to Paradis, Mikasa would be in mourning, so I think that in order to heal mentally she'd choose to live somewhere relatively secluded. In my opinion, a cottage much like the one she shared with Eren in the paths and the one she lived in with her parents would be preferable to her than living in a city, where everyone would demand her attention.

During her time living alone, she takes up every hands-on hobby imaginable: fishing, hunting, crocheting, knitting, foraging, cooking, making preserves, making yarn (and yes she has sheep in this scenario), chopping wood, whittling etc. She goes to the town every week to sell her creations and buy what she can't make and everyone is in awe of her talent and dedication. It's a great way to keep her mind from drifting to a dark place and, as an added benefit, it's quite the conversation starter, so she ends up forming bonds with her neighbors as well.

[applythaivisa]

Thailand Long-term Resident Visa

The Thailand Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa, launched in 2022, is an initiative designed to attract high-net-worth individuals, retirees, skilled professionals, and remote workers. It offers a 10-year renewable visa with unique privileges aimed at fostering economic growth and retaining global talent.

1. Purpose of the LTR Visa

Economic Stimulation:

Encourage investment in Thai businesses and infrastructure.

Global Talent Attraction:

Draw highly skilled professionals and entrepreneurs to critical industries.

Demographic Support:

Facilitate an aging population with affluent retirees.

Tourism and Remote Work:

Establish Thailand as a hub for digital nomads and global travelers.

2. Eligibility Criteria

2.1 Wealthy Global Citizens

Assets: Minimum USD 1 million in global assets.

Income: At least USD 80,000/year over two years.

Investment: A minimum of USD 500,000 in Thai government bonds, real estate, or direct investments.

2.2 Wealthy Pensioners

Age: 50 or older.

Income: At least USD 80,000/year or USD 40,000/year with an additional investment of USD 250,000 in Thai assets.

2.3 Highly Skilled Professionals

Employment: Expertise in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and renewable energy.

Income: Minimum USD 80,000/year or USD 40,000/year with advanced qualifications.

2.4 Work-from-Thailand Professionals (Digital Nomads)

Income: Minimum USD 80,000/year or USD 40,000/year for tech professionals.

Employer: Work for an established overseas company generating at least USD 150 million annually.

3. Application Process

Document Preparation:

Passport, income proofs, investment records, and employment letters as per eligibility.

Submission to BOI:

Apply through the Board of Investment (BOI) for pre-qualification.

Approval Process:

BOI forwards successful applications to the immigration department for visa issuance.

Final Issuance:

Visa obtained from Thai embassies, consulates, or local immigration offices.

4. Benefits of the LTR Visa

Extended Stay:

10-year visa with multiple entries.

Work Permit Inclusion:

Allows employment in Thailand without separate work permits.

Simplified Reporting:

Annual reporting instead of the standard 90-day check-ins.

Tax Incentives:

Reduced personal income tax rates for skilled professionals.

Family Privileges:

Dependents, including spouses and children, qualify for similar residency benefits.

5. Regulatory Compliance

Investment Monitoring:

Financial thresholds must be maintained during the visa tenure.

Taxation:

Income earned within Thailand must adhere to Thai tax regulations.

Visa Renewal:

Subject to review to ensure continued eligibility.

6. Challenges and Considerations

Financial Thresholds:

High income and asset requirements limit access for certain groups.

Sector-Specific Professions:

Skilled professionals must align with industries targeted by Thailand’s economic strategy.

Compliance Costs:

Continuous documentation and reporting obligations may require professional assistance.

Conclusion

The Thailand LTR Visa is a forward-thinking program offering a gateway to long-term residency for affluent individuals, skilled professionals, and retirees. By fostering foreign investment and innovation, it aligns with Thailand’s vision of sustainable economic growth. However, applicants must navigate rigorous financial and professional requirements to access its benefits. Legal and financial advisors are recommended for seamless application and compliance management.

[bjrcrecruiting]

Toronto Accounting Recruiters Are Seeing High Demand for This Surprising Finance Role

Toronto’s finance and accounting sector is no stranger to evolving trends. From advancements in financial technology to shifting regulatory requirements, businesses are constantly adapting to stay competitive. Amid these changes, Toronto accounting recruiters have noticed a surprising surge in demand for a specialized role: the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Manager.

Once considered a behind-the-scenes position, the FP&A Manager has emerged as a strategic partner within organizations, driving decision-making and long-term growth. This shift highlights the growing need for professionals who can bridge the gap between data analysis and business strategy.

If your organization is searching for top FP&A talent, here’s why this role is in high demand and how accounting recruitment services in Toronto can help you secure the right candidate.

Why the FP&A Manager Role Is Gaining Momentum

The role of the FP&A Manager has expanded significantly in recent years. Traditionally responsible for budgeting and forecasting, FP&A professionals are now instrumental in providing strategic insights that shape business direction.

Several factors are driving this demand:

Data-driven decision-making: Organizations are increasingly relying on data to inform strategic initiatives. FP&A Managers play a crucial role in analyzing financial performance and forecasting future trends.

Economic uncertainty: In uncertain markets, businesses need professionals who can provide actionable insights to navigate challenges. FP&A Managers excel at scenario planning and financial modelling.

Technology integration: As organizations adopt advanced analytics tools and software, FP&A Managers who are tech-savvy and adaptable are in high demand.

The combination of technical expertise and strategic thinking makes the FP&A Manager a critical addition to any finance team.

Skills Toronto Companies Are Seeking in FP&A Professionals

Recruiters specializing in accounting recruitment services in Toronto are finding that the most sought-after FP&A candidates possess a unique blend of skills:

Analytical proficiency: Strong analytical skills are non-negotiable, as FP&A Managers must interpret complex financial data and provide actionable insights.

Communication skills: These professionals need to effectively convey financial information to non-financial stakeholders, making clear communication essential.

Strategic vision: FP&A Managers are expected to contribute to long-term planning and guide organizational strategy.

Technical expertise: Proficiency with tools like Excel, Power BI, and financial modelling software is a must.

By identifying candidates with these competencies, accounting recruiters in Toronto help organizations build finance teams that can tackle today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities.

The Benefits of Partnering with Accounting Recruiters

With the demand for FP&A Managers rising, competition for top talent is fierce. Partnering with the best recruitment agency in Toronto can give your organization a significant advantage in securing skilled professionals.

Here’s how:

Market expertise: Toronto accounting recruiters have deep knowledge of the local job market and understand the nuances of finding candidates with specialized skills.

Extensive networks: Recruiting agencies maintain robust networks of qualified professionals, streamlining the hiring process.

Tailored solutions: Whether you need a full-time hire or a project-based consultant, accounting recruitment services can customize their approach to meet your needs.

BJRC Recruiting, for example, excels at connecting businesses with finance and accounting talent, helping organizations secure professionals who align with their goals and culture.

How to Stand Out to FP&A Candidates

The demand for FP&A Managers means candidates have more options than ever. To attract and retain top talent, organizations should focus on these areas:

Competitive compensation: Offering market-aligned salaries and benefits is essential in a competitive hiring landscape.

Professional development opportunities: FP&A professionals value opportunities for growth, such as certifications or leadership training.

Work-life balance: Flexible work arrangements and a supportive company culture are major draws for candidates in this role.

By addressing these factors, your organization can position itself as an employer of choice for top FP&A talent.

As businesses face increased complexity in financial planning and strategy, the demand for FP&A Managers continues to grow. These professionals are no longer just number crunchers; they are strategic partners who drive business success.

If your organization is looking to fill this pivotal role, BJRC Recruiting can help. With expertise in accounting recruitment services in Toronto, we connect businesses with top FP&A talent who are ready to make an impact.

Contact BJRC Recruiting today to find your next FP&A Manager and stay ahead in Toronto’s competitive finance landscape.

Know more https://bjrcrecruiting.com/2024/12/20/high-demand-finance-role-toronto-accounting-recruiters/

[xevymediauk]

 Web Design Companies in Scotland: Choosing the Right Partner for Your Business

 Web Design Companies in Scotland: Choosing the Right Partner for Your Business

In today’s digital age, having a well-designed website is essential for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small local shop or a large corporation, your website serves as the digital face of your brand, often making the first impression on potential customers. For businesses in Scotland, finding the right web design company is crucial to creating a professional and effective online presence.

Why Choose a Scottish Web Design Company?

Scotland is home to a vibrant tech scene, with numerous web design companies offering a range of services tailored to different industries. By partnering with a local web design company in Scotland, you benefit from:

Local Expertise: Scottish web designers understand the unique market trends and customer preferences in the region.

Face-to-Face Interaction: Working with a local team allows for in-person meetings, fostering better communication and collaboration.

Quick Support: Proximity means faster response times when you need updates or troubleshooting.

Services Offered by Web Design Companies in Scotland

Most web design companies in Scotland provide a comprehensive suite of services to meet diverse client needs. These typically include:

Custom Website Design: Tailored designs that align with your brand identity and business goals.

Responsive Design: Ensuring your website looks and functions seamlessly across all devices, from desktops to smartphones.

E-Commerce Solutions: Building secure and user-friendly online stores to drive sales.

SEO Optimization: Implementing strategies to help your website rank higher on search engines, driving more organic traffic.

Content Management Systems (CMS): Platforms like WordPress or Drupal for easy website management.

Branding and Graphic Design: Creating cohesive visual elements, such as logos and banners, to enhance your brand’s identity.

The Importance of a Strong Online Presence

A professionally designed website can make a significant difference in attracting and retaining customers. It serves as a platform to showcase your products or services, build trust, and engage with your audience. With the help of a skilled web design company in Scotland, you can create a website that not only meets but exceeds your business objectives.

Final Thoughts

Scotland boasts a diverse range of talented web design companies capable of transforming your online presence. By choosing the right partner, you’ll ensure your website becomes a valuable asset, driving growth and success for your business. Whether you need a sleek portfolio site, an e-commerce platform, or a fully customized digital solution, there’s a Scottish web design company ready to bring your vision to life.

QUICK LINKS 

Digital Marketing Agency Northern Ireland | Digital Marketing Experts

Belfast Digital Marketing Agency | Seo Agency Companies

Digital Marketing Agency In Scotland | Digital Marketing

Web Design Companies Scotland | Website Development Scotland

Web Design Company Glasgow | Web Development Agency Glasgow

Digital Marketing Agency Aberdeen | Seo Company Aberdeen

Website Design Services In Ireland | UK Website Design Services

[dreamsclock]

the mechanic timeline, where 'keep inventory' was toggled on at the very start.

in the style of spiderverse multiverse, send me iterations of the dream smp!

YES. YEEEESSSS. for some reason this immediately put me in mind of like a steampunk-esque timeline?? let me brainrot further on this:

dream didn’t actually make this server — he found it! whereas admins usually make servers brand-new, this one was the site of some kind of war. but it’s peaceful, weary, and so is dream from manhunts. the dream team settle down here, and here begins the birth of the smp.

there’s loads of left over scraps from whatever happened before dream arrived, and so technology is easier!! bombs and airplanes and the like become ingrained in the foundation of the smp, and it means war / advancement is a lot more dangerous.

keep inventory makes the disk war interesting: both sides have to resort to sneakier methods to get the disks from the other. as a result, the server grows distrustful and wary of each other VERY early on.

tubbo is a successful president, and is wilbur’s vice because of his talent in building. it’s why he’s sought after by schlatt in the election / manberg arc. he actually retains presidency of new l’manberg after doomsday!! they rebuild a metal city in the sky protected by nukes and constantly terrified by the rest of the server.

tommy’s exile was on a nuclear wasteland. he got sick a lot. so did dream. neither fully recovered.

their chats appear in the form of sentient robots !! armour was steampunk-y and tech-y and meant that ghosts - wilbur, schlatt, Etc — weren’t ghosts, but instead suits with a lingering memory of their owners (think the suits in that one doctor who episode, silence in the library)

the prison is terrifying. it’s a fully daedalus-esque maze of horrific robots roaming halls and gleaming reinforced obsidian. when dream is thrown inside, he’s stripped of his steampunk armour for the first time in months.

he’d attached loads of terrifying advancements / attachments to it, so seeing him stripped from it is… weird. he’s smaller. less scary. tommy doesn’t kill him twice in the mountain bunker. dream bargains with him before then.

i like to imagine this is one of the universes tommy visits after realising pandora is fucking insane — maybe this dream is still alive and helps him :] i’m attached to this dream already LMAO

[mariacallous]

Facing an increasingly suspicious research climate, a growing number of Chinese scientists are leaving the United States for positions abroad, the latest indicator of how worsening U.S.-China relations are complicating academic collaboration and could hamstring Washington’s tech ambitions. 

Chinese scientists living in the United States have for decades contributed to research efforts driving developments in advanced technology and science. But a growing number of them may now be looking elsewhere for work, as deteriorating geopolitical relations fuel extra scrutiny of Chinese researchers and Beijing ramps up efforts to recruit and retain talent. Between 2010 and 2021, the number of Chinese scientists leaving the United States has steadily increased, according to new research published last month. If the trend continues, experts warn that the brain drain could deal a major blow to U.S. research efforts in the long run. 

“It’s absolutely devastating,” said David Bier, the associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. “So many of the researchers that the United States depends on in [the] advanced technology field are from China, or are foreign students, and this phenomenon is certainly going to negatively impact U.S. firms and U.S. research going forward.”

From semiconductor chips to artificial intelligence, technology has been at the forefront of U.S.-China competition, with both Washington and Beijing maneuvering to strangle each other’s sectors. Cooperation, even in key sectors like combating climate change, has been rare.

From 2010 to 2021, the number of scientists of Chinese descent who left the United States for another country has surged from 900 to 2,621, with scientists leaving at an expedited rate between 2018 and 2021, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Nearly half of this group moved to China and Hong Kong in 2010, the study said, and a growing percentage of Chinese scientists have relocated to China over the years. 

While this number represents a small fraction of the Chinese scientists in the United States, the uptick reflects researchers’ growing concerns and broader apprehension amid a tense geopolitical climate. After surveying 1,304 Chinese American researchers, the report found that 89 percent of respondents wanted to contribute to U.S. science and technology leadership. Yet 72 percent also reported feeling unsafe as researchers in the United States, while 61 percent had previously considered seeking opportunities outside of the country. 

“Scientists of Chinese descent in the United States now face higher incentives to leave the United States and lower incentives to apply for federal grants,” the report said. There are “general feelings of fear and anxiety that lead them to consider leaving the United States and/or stop applying for federal grants.” 

The incentives to leave are twofold. Beijing has funneled resources into research and development programs and has long attempted to recruit scientists, even its own, from around the world. For one of its initiatives, the Thousand Talents Plan, Beijing harnessed at least 600 recruitment stations worldwide to acquire new talent. “China has been really trying to lure back scientists for a long time,” said Eric Fish, the author of China’s Millennials. 

But this latest outflow of Chinese scientists accelerated in 2018, the same year that then-U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled the China Initiative, a controversial program that was aimed at countering IP theft—and cast a chill over researchers of Chinese descent and collaborations with Chinese institutions. In 2020, he also issued a proclamation denying visas for graduate students and researchers affiliated with Chinese universities associated with the military. 

Although the Biden administration shut down the China Initiative, experts warn that its shadow still looms over Chinese scientists. More than one-third of respondents in the PNAS survey reported feeling unwelcome in the United States, while nearly two-thirds expressed concerns about research collaboration with China. 

“There is this chilling effect that we’re still witnessing now, where there is a stigma attached to collaboration with China,” said Jenny Lee, a professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona. 

The challenges are emblematic of how the breakdown in U.S.-China relations has thrown universities into a geopolitical firestorm, particularly as some states’ lawmakers pressure them to sever ties with Chinese counterparts. On the U.S. side, interest in Mandarin language studies and study abroad has plummeted over the years, largely the result of worsening ties, Beijing’s growing repression, and the coronavirus pandemic. Today, while there are roughly 300,000 Chinese students in America, only 350 Americans studied in China in the most recent academic year. If interest continues to recede, experts warn of spillover effects that could hamper Washington’s understanding of Beijing. 

“We’re losing a generation of people who are knowledgeable about China,” said Daniel Murphy, the former director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University. “I’m concerned that the United States is going about this issue in a way that excessively focuses on risks of the academic relationship, without due consideration for the benefits. And I think we see this in a whole host of arenas, and that it’s bipartisan.”

At the same time as a growing number of Chinese scientists exit the United States, new students appear to be facing higher barriers to entry as student visa denials and backlogs reach record high levels. According to a blog post by the Cato Institute, student visa denials peaked at about 35 percent in 2022—the highest rate recorded in two decades. 

Student visa denial data is not available by nationality, but Bier, the Cato Institute expert who wrote the piece, said that there is a high degree of correlation between denial rates for B-visas, or tourist visas, and student visas. “Having reviewed the B-visa denials in China, it’s pretty clear that the Chinese overall visa denial rate has increased significantly over the last few years and is at a level now where it’s the highest it’s been in decades,” he said. 

Just as some Chinese scientists are looking abroad, these challenges are pushing a growing number of international students to turn elsewhere for academic opportunities. Students are increasingly heading to countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom, all of which are opening their doors to high-skilled workers and researchers. To attract more talent, the United Kingdom has issued “Global Talent” and “High Potential Individual” visas, which allow scholars from top universities to work there for 2-3 years and 1-5 years, respectively.

Universities are being impacted “by geopolitical tensions, by political agendas, and so it’s certainly inhibiting U.S. universities’ ability to attract the best and brightest,” Lee said.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Nancy Gryspeerdt: On my second day earwigging for Michael Gambon, I found myself lying under the bed in which the legend of stage and screen was portraying Winston Churchill. It was 2015, and we were on the set of Churchill’s Secret. Hidden this way, I was out of view for the camera, but not out of earshot, so I could shout out his lines for him to repeat. The idea was we’d cut my bellowing out of the scene afterwards. Earwigging is the process of reading an actor’s lines into a microphone. These are then fed into a tiny earpiece in the actor’s ear. The tech is imperfect and sometimes it fails, as it had that day when I was forced to improvise by hiding under the bed. Certain movie stars are said to opt for an earpiece purely to save the time and effort of learning lines, but I find that hard to believe. Line-by-line feeding is tricky. It can cause random pauses and actors often look distracted as they listen. The frustration Michael felt about the whole process was profound.

Michael had lost the ability to learn lines several years before. He would often recount how he’d been rehearsing Alan Bennett’s play The Habit of Art at the National Theatre in 2010 and suddenly collapsed, in fear. Memory decline was what he was afraid of, a slippery slope he would indeed begin to slide down. He was replaced in The Habit of Art and only returned to theatre once more in a one-man play, Krapp’s Last Tape, that relied upon his recorded voice more than live monologue. Developing a method for memorising and recalling lines is part of every actor’s practice. For all but the most demanding jobs, it’s a basic requirement before the real work begins, not a proof of acting talent. Occasional lapses happen, like an ill-timed cramp might for an athlete. But when an actor loses the ability to learn lines, it’s a career-ending injury. If you don’t have your lines, it is all you can think about.

Becoming an earwig hadn’t been my plan. Before stepping in to cover for Michael’s regular earwig in her absence, I was a director’s assistant and budding script editor. I got the gig because the director saw how much I loved watching actors work. It is a very well-paid role, partly, I think, because everyone involved feels reassured by the extortionate fees, as they might by paying a Harley Street doctor. The plot of Churchill’s Secret centred on the ailing prime minister being brought back from the brink after a stroke by the tough love and care of a young nurse. It’s possible that at the time of my peculiar meet-cute with Michael, the part of the nurse rubbed off on me. It was Michael’s last leading role, and the fact that Churchill’s situation spoke to his own paid off. He was proud of his performance. I continued to work with him until he fully retired in 2018, my work becoming palliative. The jobs ranged from a high-budget period drama (Victoria and Abdul), to indie projects done on a shoestring, to an almost walk-on part in Renée Zellweger’s Judy Garland biopic.

Though it was never properly defined, my job included telling Michael what the script was about and how he fitted into it. Then, we would run his lines over and over, in the back of cars and hotel lobbies, in an attempt to allay his massive anxieties. Despite this exhaustive prep, he was unable to retain much. And when we stepped on the set, we were starting virtually afresh. I would usually take my place in some cupboard within radio range and, watching him on a handheld monitor, I’d cue him, using exaggerated emphasis to suggest where we were in a sentence, while trying to keep my meaning somehow neutral.

Sometimes he’d find my intonation inoffensive; he would have less trouble interpreting the sentence and could make it his own. Sometimes he’d contort my emphasis, resulting in unusable takes for which we’d both feel guilty. He often said he wanted me to read lines “straight, like a machine”, willing me to be less of an encumbrance to his expression. But when we experimented with less signposting, he couldn’t gain sense from my sounds. Ever the precision engineer he had trained to be, he was insistent that if he had the use of his younger brain he could build the contraption he needed to compensate for its gradual decay.

Michael’s desire for autonomy was based on what he’d achieved, an incredible career characterised by versatility and power. Of his TV work, he was best known for The Singing Detective; of his films, for his role as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts in Harry Potter (a film that “changed everything”, not necessarily for the better). But his humane presence enriched movies as various as The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; Gosford Park; Layer Cake; The Wings of the Dove; The Life Aquatic and Quartet. In the 1960s, his work on TV series The Borderers led to him being sized up as a candidate to play James Bond. But he thought of himself as a stage actor first. Over the decades, he’d interspersed Shakespeare with Brecht, Pinter, Ayckbourn and Caryl Churchill, at the Birmingham Rep, then the Royal Shakespeare Company, then everywhere else that mattered.

[Financial Times]

[jamiesfootball]

Hiiiii i saw your doing the ask game and the Leverage au??? Ooooo I would like to know more please!!!

also I hope you’re having a nice dayyy :)

Hullo!

The leverage au is the thing I'm not writing except that I have, in fact, written a smidgen of already (see 'leverage au' in the tags below for more). The gist of it being that Ted, in an effort to save Henry, did some hinky stuff and fled the States with Beard at his side.

Once in England, they set up shop as a sort of consulting group. The kind that finds the right people and brings them together to fix problems for people who just need a little extra help. From the other side of the law.

Ted and Beard - sort of duo/split the mastermind role between them, with Beard originally doubling as tech support with code scripts he got from less-than-savory contacts

Rebecca - Grifter. Former Mrs. Manion but she assures everyone that once she's on the grift, no one will recognize her (she is correct)

Roy - the hitter. Old. He's been looking for a way out for a while, and since his niece was born he's shifted into mostly doing retrieval work

Keeley - Jewel thief, mostly, but she'll steal anything. She'll nick the wallet from your back pocket, then send you flowers and chocolate at the hospital after she's tased you and stolen your Rembrandt.

Jamie - originally brought in to act as extra muscle, and ended up being trained under Roy - though with strict supervision. Most of the team (except Keeley) were wary about whether or not he was a good fit for the team.

So my idea for the fic is that the story opens with The First Second Job, which is the original team gets together / they kill it job. From there the new talent - Keeley, Rebecca, Roy, and Jamie - make a loose agreement with Ted and Beard that they'd be okay staying on retainer for other jobs he might have lined up.

Unlike the OG Leverage team, there are a few snags along the way:

There is no big score that ends up paying for the whole team. There is a reasonable score on the first job, which lends to decent retainer that Ted can use to keep these four going along with them. Beard cautions him about using the same people every time, but ultimately goes with it.

This also leads to the awkward 'invoicing-of-clients' thing, which becomes more of an issue the longer they work together, as each of them is secretly a bleeding heart.

Jamie and Roy. Having two hitters on the team sounds good in theory, but in practice is a struggle, especially when they come from two different schools of thought. Roy is a threaten first and the last resort is that you hit them fast and you hit them accurately - you don't prolong the fight. Except Roy isn't that fast anymore. Jamie is, but Jamie....has issues. It's clear that wherever he's been practicing his craft, it's been a 'hit fast hit hard and fuck not getting hit back, just mow them down' sort of lesson.

(He learned from his dad. If that wasn't clear.)

The lack of a hacker on this team gradually becomes a bigger and bigger obstacle going forward.

Nate is this universe's Sterling, of a sort, and starts sniffing them out.

Rebecca, it turns out, does have a sort of secret agenda going, mostly involving her ex-husband Rupert.

Ted, it turns out, also has a secret agenda, mostly to do with why he left the States in the first place, and these people are essential to that part of his plan.

Keeley doesn't have a secret agenda, but she's also not really believing that this is all going to last and she's ready to bail at a moment's notice.

Roy can sense that something fishy is going on in the air. He doesn't know what, and his senses can't tell who it's coming from. He's. Really disappointed in these people.

Jamie had no agenda. He is the last to know that everyone else saw this coming : (

Now that is not to say this will be a bummer! There are lots of found family moments and bonding and people caring about each other and general seriousness! But the more I plot this out, the more the tone shifts to a more realistic-feeling world than the one OG Leverage resides in.

Right now the overarching plot would be a sort of extended version of Leverage season one, building towards the reveal that both Ted and Rebecca have conspired to create a scenario in which the team helps them achieve their goals. Then everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

Then they work as a team to get out of trouble. Together.

Even in my head this feels like it's going to be a loooooong plot. I'm already writing another loooooong thing. Which is why I tell people I'm not writing it.

Except for the parts I've written.

[talktomeinclexa]

The Royal Guard

By: TalktomeinClexa

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Mild violence

Status: WIP

Summary: Princess Clarke of Arkadia is kidnapped by mercenaries while on a visit to one of the kingdom's cities. Her abductors treat her well enough, but everything becomes more complicated when their client orders them to execute her. Lexa thought this was just another job. High risk, high pay. But when push comes to shove, will she betray her orders or her heart?

***

Chapter 1: Kidnapping

The rain fell on the windows with lazy regularity, drawing random patterns on the glass. Her Royal Highness Princess Clarke, the oldest daughter of King Jacob and Queen Abigail, stood behind it, face turned toward the outside to admire the old city’s architecture.

Contrary to the capital, a modern and fast-paced urban center peppered with prestigious hotels and tech companies, Reim offered a quieter, more human-sized environment. Several parks invited families and young couples to relax during the warmer months, and cruises on the canal traversing the city from west to east delighted both locals and tourists. However, the Princess’s favorite attraction remained the Art Museum, an imposing neo-Gothic building hosting the largest collection of paintings and sculptures in Arkadia.

Freeing two hours between her speech at a newly opened hospital in the morning and her visit to the orphanage in the afternoon had required some juggling and careful planning. But the “Nature” exhibit alone — soon set to leave for the Louvre — was well worth the trouble. It was merely unfortunate the rain started while she admired the earthy-toned pieces and that the museum’s parking lot was located outside.

“Would you like to remain here longer, Your Highness? The rain might yet abate.”

Clarke turned toward Major Byrne, the head of her bodyguards, and shook her head. “No. We have already postponed the arrival at the orphanage so that I could enjoy this visit. I will not have the children wait any longer because I did not want to get wet. Let’s go.”

The older woman nodded, knowing she had a better chance of altering the weather with her mind than convincing the princess to reconsider. They would have to stride to cross the 50 meters separating them from the two reinforced cars.

Dante Wallace, the curator and an old friend of the royal family, walked them back toward the entrance, chatting amicably with Clarke as they went. He had been kind enough to give her a tour while the museum was closed to the public for the day, a favor she would not soon forget.

For a man well into his sixties, he retained a light gait and a juvenile enthusiasm that made his pale blue eyes twinkle. It was no wonder the princess — a talented artist and art aficionado herself — appreciated his company.

“Thank you for the invitation today, Mr. Wallace,” Clarke said with a smile as they walked through the 20th century exhibit leading to the staircase. “I had a marvelous time and would have been chagrined to miss this exhibit.”

The man bowed low, his pale skin reddening. “The pleasure was all mine, Your Highness. It isn’t every day that I have the chance to discuss those masterpieces in such enjoyable company. I hope you will visit us again soon.”

“Me too, Mr. Wallace. Me too.”

As a member of the royal family and heiress to the throne of a small European country, the young woman’s schedule left little room for personal interests and downtime. Inaugurations, visits to hospitals and other charitable works, local and international trips… Since her 21st birthday, her parents had taken to delegate more obligations to her — officially so she could prepare for the day she would rule. Five years later, she wondered if they didn’t also appreciate the extra help. There was only so much two — or even three — people could do. Clarke looked forward to the day her sister Madison would take on some responsibilities too, which would hopefully free some of her afternoons for museum visits and painting.

Despite her resolve to resume her official program of the day, Clarke couldn’t help but stop before one last painting. A 48″ X 70″ portrait of her paternal grandparents on their wedding day immortalized 60 years before. The artist had managed to capture Queen Rose’s kind and shy nature, the white of her dress making her blond hair look golden. Sitting, she stared at her new husband with the devotion befitting a wife. King Conrad, on the other hand, looked stern in his royal uniform, standing ramrod straight, a sword at his side.

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