#vet assistant kevin day

[fuzzballsheltiepants]

Name Games

Inspired by this amazing post by @andrews-nothing.  Neil’s cat is sick, so he brings her to the vet.  A meet-sort-of-cute ensues.  Read on AO3 if you prefer. 

The waiting room was a cacophony of nonverbal vocalization, barks and plaintive meows and the insistent screaming of some sort of parrot.  Neil sat in the corner where he could see the whole room, working to keep his hands still in his lap.  People in scrubs bustled in and out, sometimes taking a pet, sometimes delivering one, or guiding a human-and-animal through the door that led to the exam rooms.  He had long given up on concentrating on his phone with all the noise and movement.

Only one other person was as still as he was, a short blond man with a blank face and sharp eyes that watched everything.  There was something about his body language that had shoved him immediately into the threat category, though Neil had not heard him say a word.  He didn’t even know why he was there; he had been there when Neil had appeared a half hour ago and handed King off in her carrier to one of the technicians along with answers to a long list of questions.  As far as he could tell, the man hadn’t moved once aside from an occasional blink and the slow rise and fall of his chest.

There was a brief burst of excitement in the form of the parrot in its cage being carried toward the treatment screaming “Help!  Help!  I’m innocent!” while its mortified family followed.  The blond man’s face didn’t change as he stared after them.

A bouncing golden retriever on a flexi-lead zoomed over to the blond man and dropped his bedraggled stuffed toy into his lap then waited, wagging excitedly.  The dog’s family began apologizing profusely and reeled the struggling dog in, scolding him.  As soon as they turned their backs the dog bounded back to his toy.  Neil watched through his eyelashes as the man glanced around, then handed the toy back with a quick ear rub before going back to his impassive facade.  The dog sighed and rested his drooly chin on the man’s knee, and Neil bit back his grin.

The door swung open and a dozen pairs of eyes looked towards it in unison as an irritated tall man in scrubs entered.  “Will the owner of, um,” he looked down at his empty hands as if he expected the information to be there, then back up at the expectant room, “the cat with the stupid name please come with me?  Your cat just mauled the doctor.”

Neil sighed and got to his feet.  King was usually a sweetheart, but she hated having her feet touched.  He probably should have warned them but he hadn’t thought about it.  It was with some surprise he realized the blond man had joined him in front of the vet assistant.  The assistant, Kevin according to his name tag, looked between them.  “Okay, come with me.”  

They were shown into an exam room and then Kevin the surly assistant left.  There was only one chair and the blond guy took it, which was fine.

“What’s your cat’s name?” Neil asked after several minutes of silence.

He didn’t expect to get an answer, not with the look of disdain he received, but after a long pause an unexpectedly pleasant voice answered, “Sir Fat Cat McCatterson.”

Neil laughed.  “Okay, I know why you think it’s your cat, then.”  He waited but got no response.  “Mine is King Fluffkins,” he offered.  It only seemed fair to share.

“I don’t care.”

“She was peeing blood in my sink.”  Nothing.  “I’ve only had her for a month.”  Still nothing.  Neil didn’t usually talk much to strangers; he didn’t know why he felt the urge to keep talking.  Maybe it was the secret kindness this man had shown the dog out in the waiting room.  Or maybe it was the way the hazel eyes stayed locked on his face, but not on his scars.  “My friend gave her to me, he said I shouldn’t be alone so much.  He named her, too.”  He smiled a little at the memory of Nicky appearing at his door with a screaming cat in a carrier and a mountain of supplies.

“I’ve lived with people for years and not learned this much about them.”

Neil’s retort was cut off by the entrance of a large snarling gray-and-white ball of fury being held by a heavy-glove-wearing Kevin.  The cat was deposited unceremoniously on the examining table and whirled, lightning quick, to swat out, claws snagging in Kevin’s gloves for a second before Kevin yanked free.  The cat hissed and Kevin drew himself up, looming over the table.  The two glared at each other, unblinking, until the door opened again.

A woman with short dark curly hair and fresh bandages on her arms entered, a strained smile on her face.  “Mr. Minyard?” she asked, looking between the two of them.  The blond man stood up and she held her hand out towards him, carefully out of reach of the enormous cat who had crouched down on the table and was emitting ominous growls.  “I’m Dr. Wilds.”  The man didn’t shake her hand but nodded again.  “Well, we got the piece of bone out of his mouth, he should be much more comfortable now.”  Another nod.  “He was fine while I removed the bone, but attacked me afterwards.  I guess he took exception to me touching his tail.  Is he current on his rabies vaccine?”

The man—Minyard—just said, “Yes,” with no apology or hint of guilt.  The assistant bristled at him but Dr. Wilds just went on.

“And he needs to go on a diet, he’s at risk for diabetes right now.  I’ve written down a feeding program for him to help.”

Minyard took the paper she was holding out and barely glanced at it.  The doctor continued to review some things that Minyard gave no indication he was listening to, and concluded with a small laugh, “and don’t feed him bones.”

Minyard gave another slight nod.  The vet gave a small, involuntary shrug and turned towards the door.  “Wait,” Neil said, “do you have an update on my cat?”

Confusion flickered across her face.  “You’re not with Mr. Minyard?”  Neil shook his head.  “Then why are you in here?”

“Your assistant said the cat with the stupid name,” Neil shrugged.  “Mine qualified.”

Dr. Wilds glared at Kevin who didn’t seem to care.  “What is your cat’s name?”

“King Fluffkins.”  

Kevin rolled his eyes and muttered, “Idiots” under his breath, earning himself another glare.

“Oh, yes, what a sweetheart.  I’m running a urine test on her right now, I should have the results soon.”  

The vet left with her assistant, and Sir Fat Cat McCatterson stopped growling like a switch had been shut off.   He gave Neil a suspicious glare but appeared to decide he wasn’t a threat, turning to face Minyard and rising up on his hind legs to bop his human on the chin with his head.  “You worthless piece of shit,” Minyard murmured, but his hand came up to stroke the cat’s cheeks gently, eliciting a frenzy of purring nearly as loud as the growling had been previously.

“He attacked the wrong person,” Neil said with a grin.  “He should’ve gone after the assistant instead of the vet.”

There was a glimmer in the man’s hazel eyes that might have been amusement.  He shifted to rubbing under the cat’s chin, and Sir Fat Cat closed his eyes in bliss.

Neil wasn’t sure why Minyard was still there, since his cat had been returned.  “What do we do now?”

“We wait.”  Neil’s confusion must have been evident, because Minyard gave a long-suffering sigh.  “I am not taking him out of here without his carrier, and presumably you want to learn why your cat is peeing in your sink.”

“Right.”  Neil started looking at the various posters that were on the walls about assorted different diseases.  The one behind his head was a Body Condition Chart, with silhouettes of cats ranging from a skeleton with skin at 1 to one that looked like a bowling ball with ears at 9.  Neil glanced back at Sir Fat Cat.  “I think he’s about an eight.”

Minyard glared at him.  “He used to be a nine.  I’ve had him on a diet since I got him.”

Dr. Wilds entered again.  Her forehead furrowed as she looked at Minyard.  “Is there something you need?”

“My carrier would be nice.”

“True.”  She stuck her head through the door and said something to someone in the hall, then turned to Neil.  “Well, Mr. Josten, it looks like King Fluffkins has a urinary tract infection.  I’m going to dispense ten days of antibiotics, she’ll need to take one pill a day, and I want you to put her on an all canned diet if she’ll eat it.  A high moisture diet makes them less likely to have bladder problems.”

“Oh.  Okay.”

“And we need to see her back in two weeks to check another urine sample, we need to make sure she clears the infection.”  She talked for a moment more, until a thumping sound against the door made her pause.  Kevin entered with two carriers and Dr. Wilds excused herself.  

King’s carrier was shoved into Neil’s arms and he turned it so she faced him.  “I’m sorry, baby,” he cooed at her, sticking his fingers through the door so she could rub on them.  “We’re going to make you better.”  

He looked up and saw the other two men staring at him.  “What?”

Kevin shook his head while Minyard plopped the carrier in front of his cat and opened the door.  Sir Fat Cat looked into the opening, then back at Minyard.  “You want to stay here with these assholes or go home and watch TV?”  Lashing his tail, Sir Fat Cat marched into the carrier and Minyard shut the door behind him.

Neil thanked Kevin, who responded with, “Why did you name her King?  She’s a tortoiseshell, she’s obviously female, she should be Queen Fluffkins.”

“Why do you think the cat subscribes to human gender constructs?” Neil asked, setting the carrier down and crossing his arms.

Kevin rolled his eyes.  “Whatever.”

“It’s a valid question,” Minyard said, a razor’s edge to his voice.  “Why should they conform to your notions of gender?”

“We don’t even know if King identifies as female,” Neil said.  “We may be insulting King by using the wrong pronoun and not even know it.”

“Not to mention, ‘queen’ is the generic term for a female cat.  Perhaps they would resent the idea of being named the cat equivalent of ‘bitch’.”  There was a small twitch at the corner of Minyard’s mouth as he finished that Neil would have sworn was a smile.

“Oh my god, forget I ever said anything,” Kevin said, gesturing the two of them out into the hall.  “Follow me, I’ll check you out.”  He tapped a few things into the computer and then frowned at the screen.  He looked up at them, then back at the screen and clicked the mouse.  “Uh…Okay.  Mr. Minyard.”  He read out his total and accepted the card he was handed.  After Minyard had signed, he picked up his carrier and turned to Neil with a sarcastic two-finger salute before disappearing through the door.

Kevin turned to Neil and gave him his total, still looking baffled.  “What?” Neil asked as he handed him his card.  

“You guys have separate accounts.”

“No shit,” Neil said; evidently it was his turn to be confused.  

Kevin took in his expression and shook his head.  “Never mind.”  

Neil signed and took his card back, snagged one of the business cards sitting next to the checkout and jotted something down on it, then gathered up his paperwork and his carrier and shoved his way outside.  The parking lot was full of cars but devoid of people, except for Minyard, who was standing next to Neil’s car smoking.  He stepped aside so Neil could put King in the passenger seat.  When Neil turned to go around to the driver’s side, he found himself blocked by Minyard’s back.  “Why are you still here?”

“I’m not going to expose the cat to second hand smoke he can’t get away from,” Minyard said over his shoulder, as if it was obvious.  Neil was sort of trapped, and he leaned against his car and waited.

“That was kind of fun,” he said after a minute.

Minyard ground out his cigarette and turned to face him.  “You need help if that’s your definition of fun.”

Neil shrugged.  “I don’t know, I kind of enjoyed ragging on that assistant.”

“Like I said.”

“Is that some sort of invitation?” Neil challenged.

Minyard stepped closer.  “No.”  He waited just a breath too long then got into his fancy car and started it.  Neil grinned at him, returning his two-fingered salute as he backed out of the space.  

Neil’s phone dinged as he pulled into his parking spot.  how tf did u get that card in my pocket

I’ve got skills

ur an idiot

what’s your name

andrew

Neil

thats what the card said

There were three dots indicated another text was coming.  Neil got out of his car and fished a mournful King out.  He had just reached the stairs when the next text came through.  wanna get a drink

I don’t really drink

a coffee then

Sure

A time and the address of a coffee shop followed; it was only a couple of blocks away.  Neil gave King her first pill with only a moderate amount of difficulty, then petted her until she was purring and kneading on his lap.  He smiled a little as he looked down at her, then around the apartment, sparse except for the cat tower, scratching posts, beds, and toys.  Maybe Nicky was right about the benefits of cat ownership after all.

[ao3feed-thefoxholecourt]

[Podfic] Name Games

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/pFvbfi9

by Aliteralgarbageheap

Author's summary;

The credit for this fic belongs to @andrews-nothing on Tumblr for their post: Andriel AU where Andrew owns Sir Fat Cat McCatterson and Neil owns King Fluffkins and they meet because they’re both at the vet at the same time. The assistant, an aggravated and annoyed Kevin, announces to the lobby, “will the owner of the cat with the stupid name come back here? Your cat is trying to kill the vet.” And Neil and Andrew both stand up.

Words: 31, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten, Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Kevin Day, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson, King Fluffkins

Additional Tags: meet sort of cute, veterinarian!Dan, vet assistant!Kevin, i'm a vet okay, do cats care about gender identity, who knows - Freeform, Podfic, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/pFvbfi9

[mediawhorefics]

do you have any lgbt+ book recs (with happy ending of course)? 👀

hum! so many !!!!! (i’ve def. recced these before sorry not sorry)

red white & royal blue (casey mcquiston): na | romance | mlm | enemies to friends to lovers | famous/famous | pretend friendship | diverse cast | bisexual protag | tw mc gets Outed | son of us president falls for a British prince

the watchmaker of filigree street (natasha pulley): historical fantasy | late victorian | mystery | steampunk/clockwork punk | sherlock holmes vibes | slow burn | mlm | FAV FAV FAV FAV | mc investigates the clockmaker who made the watch whose alarm saved his life in a terrorist attack on scotland yard 

loki: where mischief lies (mackenzi lee): ya | marvel | historical fantasy | a lil bit queer | mystery | just our fav trickster in 19th c earth 

the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue (mackenzi lee): ya | historical | best friends to lovers | mlm | european adventure | bisexual protag | 

the lady’s guide to petticoats and piracy (mackenzi lee): ya | historical | adventure | ace protag | diverse cast of ladies | super fun & feminist | mc goes on a wild adventure across Europe to get a doctor to accept her as his assistant in a time when women couldn’t study medicine

i wish you all the best (mason deaver): ya | own voices | nb protag | coming out | side romance | tw difficult coming out leading to the mc being kicked out of their house | coming of age | tough content at times but the mc’s relationship with their sister is lovely and the side romance is super sweet 

salt magic skin magic (lee welch): historical fantasy | lgbt | mlm | curse breaking | mythology | mystery | mc is trapped on his father’s estate by a strange curse and when a guest magician shows up they team up to investigate it

the disasters (mk england): ya | sci fi | star trek vibes | band of misfits | diverse cast | found family | a band of space academy rejects are the only witness to a terrible crime/galaxy-wide conspiracy & are the only ones who can save the day 

pulp (robin talley): ya | contemporary & historical | dual pov | lgbt | wlw | lavender scare | the love of books | mc decides to research pulp lesbian fiction for a school project and becomes obsessed with the fate of a specific author 

witchmark (cl polk): historical fantasy | mystery | lgbt | mlm | magic | sequel (stormsong) focusing on a wlw couple | in an Edwardian inspired fantasy world, aristocrats with magic control the world while the poor with the same gifts are demonized and institutionalised. mc is a doctor and a war vet running away from his family and hiding his gifts but a murdered patient threaten to expose the truth about his magic so he sets to solve the murder with a handsome stranger. | i don’t remember the ending very specifically so it might be more bittersweet than happy :/

autoboyography (christina lauren): ya | lgbt | mlm | bisexual protag | mormons\religious themes | the love of books & writing | bisexual mc goes back in closet when his family moves to a Mormon town. things get complicated when he falls for the Mormon progedy who is TA to his novel-writing class | tw re: religion & coming out talks 

timekeeper series (Tara Sim): ya | historical fantasy | mystery | clockwork punk | lgbt | mlm | clock spirits | time magic | victorian inspired | in a world where clocks actually control time, a clock mechanic forms a connection with a clock spirit while trying to save a town where time Stopped

captive prince series (cs pacat): fantasy | romance | enemies to lovers | mlm | bisexual protag | slow burn | allied princes | political intrigues | sword fights | when mc’s brother unlawfully takes over his throne and sends him as a slave to the prince of a neighbouring kingdom, he must navigate the foreign court without letting it out he’s actually the prince who killed the heir to their throne. esp. not to his new owner, the departed’s younger brother and new heir. | tw slavery, paedophilia, noncon

bloom (kevin panetta): comics | ya | romance | lgbt | mlm | mc falls in love with his parents’ bakery new employe | very soft 

rat queens (kurtis j wiebe): comics | fantasy | fab ladies adventuring | lgbt | wlw | lotr on crack | its like the fellowship of the ring but they’re women and they can say fuck | very d&d inspired 

check please (ngozi ukazu): comics | na | romance | friends to lovers | famous/non-famous | baking & hockey | quebec rep (yayyyy!) | anxiety rep | southern cutie joins college hockey team, falls for his captain who is the son of a very famous hockey player and bakes a lot

cemetery boys (aiden thomas): fantasy | ya | lgbt | mlm | trans rep | latinx rep | mc wants to prove himself as a ‘brujo’ and accidentally summons the spirits of a classmate who was murdered and whose body still hasn’t been found. together they try to solve the crime. | very very sweet ! not as serious as it sounds! tho there is talk of transphobia/family not fully understanding as well as talks of dead parents which can be triggering | happy ending 

the will darling adventures (kj charles): adventure | mystery | romance | 1920s | mlm | spies | third one isn’t out yet so idk re: the happy ending but the drama is On Point | mc is a wwi vet who inherits his uncle’s bookshop and realises he was mixed up in something weird when gangsters & the government start coming around asking questions 

only mostly devasted (sophie gonzales): ya | coming of age | mlm | grease but make it queer | summer romance abruptly cut short gets a new wind when mc transfers school and moves to his vacation spot. only prob. his summer boyfriend is def. not out | tw: coming out/fear of coming out/talks of diseases & grief 

call down the hawk (maggie stiefvater): ya | fantasy | mystery | sequel to the raven cycle which focuses on ronan aka the best character

hope that helps <333 

[chikaraspecial]

Matt Lee and Jeff Parker were Ever-Rise at WWE and just debuted as 2.0 at AEW. The Canadian wrestling vets detail their journey from the Montreal indie scene to WWE and beyond. They talk about their backyard wrestling days that started in grade school, the two tryouts and multiple extra appearances that eventually led to their WWE signing, and why their recent release was such a shock! They’ve got stories about working with Evil Uno and Stu Grayson on the indies, traveling with Sami Zayn, their friendship with Kevin Owens, and the assistance he gave them to better their WWE chances. They have tales about Terry Taylor, a great story about their first face-to-face with Vince McMahon, and explain how they were able to continually cross the border into the States without visas! You’ll hear the origin of the 2.0 name, what inspired Ever-Rise, and the beginnings and evolution of their YouTube show, “The ShowRULES!”

[neil-jortson]

It’s only a matter of time

This is a hc about what I think would happen to the foxes in quarantine. I made this as a part of the gift exchange from @aftgexchange for the Tumblr user @wishbonetea . It was an awesome experience to do this exchange and I hope to do it again! 

Summary: a collection of ideas about how the foxes lives would have to adapt during quarantine 

word count: 2k 

The foxes in quarantine: a bullet point fic 

The year is 2020. Matt, Kevin, Andrew, and Neil are all professional exy players. Neil and Andrew fought hard and finally got put on the same team that past season.

Dan is an assistant coach for a college team in the same city that Matt plays in. Nicky lives in Germany with Erik and Aaron is just finishing up his residency in medical school. Allison is a major fashion designer who donates more money than she keeps. Renee works with the peace corp and is currently out of the country. Everything is good. 

Dan and Matt are expecting their first child in less than two months and are trying to clean up the spare room to begin making a nursery for the baby. 

On the tv in another room plays a news reporter talking about a virus on the horizon in China. They don’t think much of it and continue about their days.

Andrew and Neil lived a fairly domestic life, one they never thought they would live, with two cats and a nice set of kitchen knives. (They were a house warming present from Aaron: “it’s ironic” he would say when asked why he purchased the set.) 

When Andrew and Neil heard about the novel virus, they simply changed their in-depth arguments about a zombie outbreak to arguments on what to do in the event the virus becomes a big deal. Little did they know some of their “predictions” would turn out to be correct. 

Everyone went about their normal lives just keeping an eye on the news before things seemed to change at the drop of a hat. The country was shutting its borders and not allowing flights in from other countries. There was even talk of cities going into lockdown. 

Renee was trying to catch a flight home with the rest of her crew. When she made it back into the states, she found she had nowhere to go. Allison invited her to stay at her apartment in NYC. She was not aware of how long they were going to be stuck there (not that Allison was against sharing an apartment with a beautiful girl like Renee). 

It became more real to the rest of them as the Exy season was postponed until further notice. 

Kevin didn’t know what to do with himself and Neil. Was. Devastated.

It was only a matter of days before they began to get antsy about not going to the court daily. Neil and Kevin had shared anxious words as they hadn’t heard what the Moriyamas would think about them not receiving the normal amount of money this season. Andrew tried to put their minds at ease, but with no words of communication from the crime syndicate, they were getting worried. 

Dan and Matt were probably the most stressed of the bunch. The information they had gathered was that most of the Foxes were in good shape to handle the virus even if they were to get sick, but there wasn’t any data on how the virus would affect pregnant women. Dan feared for the health of the baby because of this uncertainty. She and Matt decided that they would follow the government regulations for quarantine and that when groceries needed to be picked up, Matt would be the one to go out and get them. 

Wymack’s thoughts were focused on his foxes and how they would be affected by the pandemic. He thought of Matt and Dan bringing a baby into the world at an unlikely time. He thought of Andrew and Neil who never could commit to quitting smoking (even if Neil just liked the smell). He worried about Aaron working in a hospital. For Nicky's mental health while being stuck at home and away from people. He worried that Kevin would start drinking again without the regime of Exy to keep him on track. He was concerned about Renee and Allison living in one of the worst cities to be stuck in when a pandemic hits. He thought about every person he had had as a fox before them and after them. He spent most of his time checking up on the foxes and the other portion of his time reaching out to organizations to see what they needed. He volunteered when he could and spread the word when he couldn’t. 

As the foxes settled into their lives stuck at home and thousands of miles apart from one another, things settled into a new normal. 

Andrew and Neil lived in quiet harmony when the quarantine first began. Neil went running every morning in a park that was not very crowded and when he would come home he would head straight to the shower. Eventually, Andrew convinced him to buy a treadmill because he was worried about Neil getting sick. Although, the way that he phrased it, it would seem he didn’t care either way. (Neil saw right through him)

Life for them was simple but draining. 

The longer the quarantine went on, the worse off Neil and Andrew became. 

Andrew found himself talking more and more with Betsy as being stuck at home was leaving him alone with his thoughts more than he would like. He felt old emotions creeping to the forefront of his mind as he was stuck in a two-bedroom apartment with two cats and a man he “hated.”  

Being stuck at home for Neil was his own personal hell. He paced around the apartment often and felt no true release from running on the treadmill. Neil felt the same way he did when his mom and he were snowed in at a safe house in the mountains. He walked to the corners of each room and took stock of the items in the home. He felt himself get more and more on edge as the days went by. 

Dan and Matt were better off when it came to mental health. It also helped that they tried not to take out their worries on one another, they were a team. They enjoyed each other's company and would try to hang out on opposite sides of the house as much as possible. They knew when they started to push each other's buttons and would back off when they started going too far. 

Matt knew that Dan felt bad about not being able to leave the house so he got a kiddy pool for her to sit in outside. It wasn’t much, but Dan enjoyed the fact that Matt was thinking of her when he went out shopping. They spent many afternoons sitting in the tiny pool that barely fit them and laughing at the different antics of their crazy neighbors that day. 

Nicky got a hold of everyone's schedule and decided that they should do group facetime calls every week. It was really hard to find a good time because everyone lived in different time zones and Aaron had a rotating doctor’s schedule, but Nicky was able to find 45 minutes a week when everyone was awake and not at work. 

Dan and Matt had finally found proper places to put all of the items that had been in the nursery and were just beginning to start the vacuum cleaner when they heard an alarm go off on Dan’s phone. 

It was time for them to talk with their old team. 

Everyone slowly joined the call and Nicky was just as enthusiastic in welcoming every person who joined. 

Nicky was especially delighted when Kevin answered the call and the foxes came to find out his hair had grown out longer than he ever let it before. (He claimed it wasn’t professional to have longer hair but he looked better than ever with the length.)

When Allison joined the call, some of the foxes were surprised to see Renee sitting right beside her. Renne’s hair had grown out and Dan noticed that there was a distinct line from where she had been bleaching her hair

Dan asked, “Hey Renee, what are you going to do with your hair?”

Renee responded with “I’m really not sure yet, but I think I want to grow it out with my natural color”

Allison whispered something in Renee's ear and she blushed. 

All of the foxes took notice of this and decided that maybe it was time to settle one of the few remaining bets from college. 

Neil and Andrew were the last to join the call and they seemed pissed off. Right before they noticed they were a part of the call, they seemed to be arguing in Russian. They quickly noticed they were on camera and stopped arguing but they wouldn’t really look at one another. 

Nicky asked them how they were doing which Neil responded with “We’re fine” and Andrew scoffed at the word. 

Nicky knew better than to dig around in their personal business so he let it drop and began to ask Aaron and Katelynn how their dog was, was it still cute, can they show it on the camera? 

They responded by turning the camera to let everyone see the sleeping puppy at the edge of their bed. This answered two of the questions because as everyone could see, the dog was still very cute. They told them about a run into the vet they had to make because “the little fiend” has a knack for eating things he’s not supposed to. 

Dan and Matt told everyone how the pregnancy was going and told them the tale of woe trying to find the perfect crib for the baby’s room. 

“When it arrived, we opened up the package and it was bright green! Who in their right mind is going to put their baby in a bright green crib? It’s ridiculous is what it is” complained Matt when Dan had finished telling them how long the package had taken to arrive. 

While everyone was talking Andrew and Neil had seemed to calm down and Neil had placed his head on Andrew’s shoulder. Things weren’t always sunshine and daisies but they weren’t really mad at each other when they fought. 

After everyone had caught up there was a lull in the conversation that Neil began to fill. He told them about the time they had to rescue King Fluffkins. They had gotten King recently just a few months prior to the quarantine coming into effect. This was the first time that the team had heard Neil say the words “King Fluffkins” out loud. It is needless to say that they laughed for a long while hearing Neil say the ridiculous name the team had given to their cat. When they calmed down they listened to Neil explain how King had gotten out of the window they kept partially open for smoking. Andrew had to hold on to Neil’s waist as Neil propelled himself out the window to get a hold of the cat at the edge of the window sill. King had dug her claws in and Neil almost fell out of the window. They got her inside but put a lock on the window to ensure she didn’t make her way out there again. 

That story pushed their time to when they needed to say goodbye. Aaron’s shift started in under an hour and he needed to get to work. They all said their goodbyes and set up a time for the following week. 

It helped everyone to talk amongst themselves and to hear what had been going on while they were at home. They were all worried about what was going on, but it seemed as though they were becoming more connected, even across the vast distance. 

It was only a matter of time before this came to pass and Neil and Andrew would get to see Dan and Matt’s baby. 

It was only a matter of time before the exy season started up once more and the Moriyamas demanded a larger cut from Neil’s salaries for the break he was on during the pandemic. 

It was only a matter of time before Nicky could come and visit the twins for Christmas. 

It was only a matter of time before all of the foxes felt their lives returning to a slightly new normal. 

It was only a matter of time.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection Day 27: Spy, Secret Agent, Hitman, Assassin AUs

Gun in your pocket | @wingsandimpalas

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3285 Main Tags/Warnings: Cold War AU, Crack Treated Seriously, Porn With Plot, Russian Castiel, Spy Castiel, Interrogator Dean Enemies to Lovers, Prisoner Castiel, Espionage, Mildly Dubious Consent, Topping from the Bottom, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Size Queen Dean, Minor Violence Summary: ""Condoms?"" He asks Kevin again because he has to be sure. ""They want me to use a condom as a tactic."" ""A re-rewrapped XL Condom,"" Kevin admits glumly. He's the best assistant Deans had in years, and he's smarter than half the guys upstairs, it's in moments like this when it really shows. ""Our superiors know that you use as little restraints as possible when it comes to your interviewees. They figured if you drop a medium-sized pack on a guy and he opens it to see how large it is he'll be more likely to defect.”

I Know Your Name | @ellis-park

Rating: Mature Word Count: 4972 Main Tags/Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, past rape, arranged marriage, spies Summary: After spending fifteen years married to a virtual stranger, one botched mission teaches Dean and Cas how to truly trust each other.

I Don't Know Why | @saltnhalo

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 16500 Main Tags/Warnings: Assassin Castiel (Supernatural), Spy Dean, No Strings Attached, Top Castiel, Bottom Dean, Wall Sex, Friends With Benefits, Dom/sub Undertones, Dom Castiel, Sub Dean, Injury, Hospitals, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Dean Winchester, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Confessions, Strangers to Lovers Summary: Dean gets home from a long job to find a note on his front step. He knows exactly who it's from and what it means; it promises fun and danger and a fucking good time, and there's no way he can turn down this invitation. He can never say no to the Angel.

You Should See Me In A Crown | @cr-noble-writes

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 23175 Main Tags/Warnings: multiple minor character deaths, mention of child death, assassin!Dean, russian!cas, assassin au, mafia au, kidnapping, major character injury, dom/sub undertones, top!cas, bottom!dean Summary: Dean Winchester: native of Chelsea, MA, ex-Navy Seal sniper, freelance assassin. Known as The Hunter, he works with a small group of other freelance criminals in the Network, where they can share resources, vet clients, and choose targets with confidence. He never takes a job if the target doesn’t deserve their fate and he draws hard lines at assassinating people in front of their families. And he’s got a massive bone to pick with Alistair Sorokin. Castiel may be an important figure within the Russian mafia, running their gambling and prostitution rackets, but he dislikes the way the Pahkan, the boss, runs the family. Alistair is far too violent and Castiel believes it's bad for business. Though he detests unnecessary bloodshed, it's an easy decision for him to hire The Hunter to help him dispose of Alistair and take over the ruling seat to restore order and eliminate the unnecessary tensions and violence between the Russians, the Irish, and the Italians. Neither man is prepared for the feelings developing between them as they work through the long list of targets.

Not Dark Enough for the DC Universe | zaphodsgirl (AO3)

Rating: Mature Word Count: 28047 Main Tags/Warnings: Friends to Lovers, Secret Identity, Case Fic Summary: By day, Dean Winchester seems just like an average guy cliche: he works with cars, wears flannel shirts, and lives alone in a barely furnished apartment. Only the people close to him know that his life is just a mask to hide the fact that he wears a literal mask every night, that of the superpowered crimefighter Daredemon. This life isn't all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you can't tell your crush why you bailed on your date, and you might also be harboring an inconvenient attraction to another super you can't reveal your identity to.

A Crash Course in Computer Safety | @debatchery

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 85269 Main Tags/Warnings: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Slow Burn, CIA!Cas, nerd!Dean Summary: On the day of his 29th birthday, Dean receives an email from his old nemesis: Michael Milton, the guy who got him kicked out of college and stole his girlfriend. The email contains encoded images with top secret CIA/NSA intelligence – and now their only copy is in Dean’s brain. Both agencies send their best operatives – Castiel Novak and Victor Henriksen respectively – to handle their accidental asset and protect the invaluable data in his head. To justify their sudden appearance in Dean’s life, they adopt covers: Victor as Dean’s new co-worker and neighbor, Cas as his new boyfriend. Needless to say, Dean’s brother and his girlfriend are thrilled to see him in a relationship they believe to be real. Clearly, there’s no way this could go wrong. (NBC’s Chuck AU).

Hope is the Thing (WIP) | @funnywings

Rating: Mature Word Count: 183915 Main Tags/Warnings: dystopian AU, soldier!Cas, double!agent Cas Summary: The year is 110 in the Age of Light, brought on by the first Lightbringer. Castiel is a disgraced soldier of the state who abandoned his position after a traumatic event that made him question whether or not he could fulfill his duties to the state. After two months running from state authorities however, he has been caught in the city of Superbia and brought to Naomi who offers him a second chance to prove his loyalties and be returned to his garrison. All he has to do is infiltrate and spy on resistance forces. Castiel just wishes he was still completely sure his loyalties were only to the state.

[danielnelsen]

Hey guys. My cat is very seriously ill and my financial situation is terrible right now. I’ve set up a gofundme but you can also donate directly to my paypal (paypal.me/ashtonlove).

Today’s tests alone will cost a minimum of $2000 AUD, but the cost will get a lot larger as he needs further tests and treatment over the coming days and months. As I get more information about his condition, I’ll update the information on the gofundme page.

I am unemployed due to disability and my only working family members are now unemployed due to COVID-19. In the last few months a family member has become seriously ill and another of my cats has needed expensive tests ($1500), so any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Even if you’re unable to donate, I’d appreciate if you could share this to help me out. I love my baby Kevin dearly and want to be able to do anything to help him, he’s only 3.

[phroyd]

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. prepared on Sunday to start building his administration, even as Republican leaders and scores of party lawmakers refrained from acknowledging his victory out of apparent deference to President Trump, who continued to refuse to concede.

With Mr. Biden out of the public eye as he received congratulations from leaders around the world, his team turned its attention to a transition that will swing into action on Monday, with the launch of a coronavirus task force and swift moves to begin assembling his team.

But more than 24 hours after his election had been declared, the vast majority of Republicans declined to offer the customary statements of good will for the victor that have been standard after American presidential contests, as Mr. Trump defied the results and vowed to forge ahead with long-shot lawsuits to try to overturn them.

While some prominent Republican figures, including the party’s only living former president, George W. Bush, called Mr. Biden to wish him well, most elected officials stayed silent in the face of Mr. Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him.

Mr. Biden did not respond to Mr. Trump’s attacks on the result, but he also was not waiting for a concession. On Sunday, he unveiled his official transition website as he prepared a series of executive actions for his first day in the Oval Office — including rejoining the Paris climate accord, moving aggressively to confront the coronavirus pandemic and restoring labor organizing rights for government workers — aimed at unwinding Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda and repairing the United States’ image in the world.

But Republicans’ silence suggested that even in defeat, Mr. Trump maintained a powerful grip on his party and its elected leaders, who have spent four years tightly embracing him or quietly working to avoid offending him or his loyal base. For many prominent Republicans, the president’s reluctance to accept the election results created a dilemma, making even the most cursory expression of support for Mr. Biden seem like a conspicuous break with Mr. Trump.

Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri was the most senior Republican to suggest that Mr. Trump had most likely lost and cast doubt on his allegations of a stolen election, but he stopped short of referring to Mr. Biden as the president-elect in an exceedingly careful television interview.

“It’s time for the president’s lawyers to present the facts, and it’s time for those facts to speak for themselves,” Mr. Blunt, the chairman of the Rules Committee, said on ABC’s “This Week.” “It seems unlikely that any changes could be big enough to make a difference, but this is a close election, and we need to acknowledge that.”

“I look forward,” Mr. Blunt added, “to the president dealing with this however he needs to deal with it.”

At the White House, there was little indication that Mr. Trump was dealing with it at all. As he played a second consecutive day of golf at his private club outside Washington, the president recirculated a groundless claim by Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House, who told Fox News, “I think that it is a corrupt, stolen election.”

Privately, the president’s advisers, several of whom have quietly been candid with Mr. Trump that the chances of success in any challenge to the election outcome were not high, had concluded they had little option other than to allow the president to keep fighting until he was ready to bow to the reality of his loss.

On Friday, a large group of them met with the president in the Oval Office to discuss the way forward, giving him a brutally honest assessment of his likelihood of prevailing. After another meeting at Mr. Trump’s campaign headquarters on Saturday, where political aides again laid out the small chances of changing the outcome of the race, Jared Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, asked the group to go to the White House to outline it for Mr. Trump, according to people briefed on the meeting.

Campaign officials continued to discuss their legal strategy for challenging the election results on Sunday and named Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, who lost his bid for a Senate seat on Tuesday, to lead their recount effort in the state.

On his first full day as president-elect, Mr. Biden kept a low profile, emerging publicly only to attend Mass, as he does most Sundays. Afterward, he visited the cemetery where his son Beau; his first wife, Neilia; and their daughter, Naomi, are buried. In a sign of one specific stylistic change coming to the White House, he also stayed quiet in another way: Aside from circulating a video posted by his presidential transition, he had not sent a single tweet by Sunday evening.

Leaders around the world sent their congratulations to Mr. Biden, underscoring the international community’s acceptance of the results, even by those who had cultivated close personal ties with Mr. Trump, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Boris Johnson of Britain. A few refrained, including the leaders of Russia and China, Vladimir V. Putin and Xi Jinping.

There were signs that Mr. Trump would come under increasing pressure to accept the election results. The nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition, a nonprofit that assists in transfers of power between administrations, called on his team to “immediately begin the postelection transition process.”

“While there will be legal disputes requiring adjudication, the outcome is sufficiently clear that the transition process must now begin,” members of the group’s advisory board — including Mike Leavitt, the former Republican governor of Utah, and Josh Bolten, the White House chief of staff under Mr. Bush — wrote in a letter reported earlier by Politico.

“This was a hard-fought campaign, but history is replete with examples of presidents who emerged from such campaigns to graciously assist their successors,” they wrote.

Mr. Bush extended his congratulations to Mr. Biden in a statement issued after the two men spoke on Sunday.

“Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country,” Mr. Bush said in a statement.

And a former member of Mr. Trump’s cabinet, Gary Cohn, also acknowledged Mr. Biden’s victory, tweeting his “congrats” to “President-elect @joebiden and Vice President-elect @kamalaharris.”

“With over 145M votes cast,” he continued, “both campaigns should be applauded for getting an unprecedented number of citizens engaged in the democratic process.”

The silence from most other leading Republicans cut both ways for the president. While it allowed Mr. Trump to continue the fiction that he had not lost, it also left him to battle against the election results without the full, vocal support of his party behind him.

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has declined to say anything since Friday, before the election results were known, when he released a generic statement encouraging officials to “count all the votes.” No member of his leadership team has either, apart from Mr. Blunt’s carefully worded statements on Sunday.

In a brief interview later Sunday, Mr. Blunt said a public vetting of the Trump campaign’s claims of fraud could help reassure voters on both sides of the election’s legitimacy.

“I think it is best for both the president and Biden to have as much information out as is possible,” he said.

At the same time, just two Republican senators — Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — and a handful of House members had acknowledged Mr. Biden’s win by Sunday evening, while others were trying to cast doubt on the results.

“Every legal challenge should be heard,” said Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader. “Then and only then will America decide who won the race.”

Speaking on Fox News, Mr. McCarthy questioned why news media outlets had called the presidential race for Mr. Biden, who was leading by tens of thousands of votes in key battleground states, before learning the final results of contests in competitive House districts — many of those in deep-blue California and New York — where thousands of mail-in ballots remain uncounted.

“Why would you call the presidential race first?” he asked.

News outlets call races after analyzing returns and concluding the outcome is certain, and the results in the congressional races in which ballots are still being tabulated — all but a handful of them in states that Mr. Biden easily won — have no bearing on the presidential race.

Still, some Republicans were grasping for evidence of wrongdoing. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged Mr. Trump to refuse to concede and fight on. He acknowledged, though, that a claim he circulated over the weekend that a postal worker was said to have overheard talk of what he believed was corruption taking place at a facility in Erie, Pa., remained unverified.

“Do not accept the media’s declaration of Biden,” Mr. Graham, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on Fox News on Sunday morning. He called the election “contested” and urged: “Do not concede, Mr. President. Fight hard.”

Those comments reflected the advice of some of Mr. Trump’s top advisers, chiefly Rudolph W. Giuliani, his personal lawyer, who were urging him on Sunday to continue to fight the results.

A remarkably small number of Republicans called for the country to move on and acknowledged Mr. Biden’s victory. Among them were three governors of blue states — Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland and Phil Scott of Vermont — and fewer than a dozen House Republicans.

They included the centrist Representatives Tom Reed of New York and Fred Upton of Michigan; Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump; and four lawmakers who will not be returning to Congress next year: Representatives Paul Mitchell of Michigan, Will Hurd of Texas and Francis Rooney of Florida, who are retiring, and Representative Denver Riggleman of Virginia, who lost his primary this year.

Representative Don Young of Alaska, whose race remains undecided after a re-election bid that was more difficult than expected, said he wished “the president-elect well in what will no doubt be the most challenging chapter of his political career.”

“It is time to put the election behind us, and come together to work for a better tomorrow for our nation,” Mr. Young said in a statement.

On “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. Romney provided a contrast to many of his Republican colleagues. He said that he believed it was “appropriate” for Mr. Trump to pursue recounts and legal challenges in certain battleground states, but cautioned against widespread condemnations of the American system of elections.

“It’s important for the cause of democracy and freedom that we don’t allege fraud and theft and so forth, unless there’s very clear evidence of that,” Mr. Romney said. “To date, that evidence has not been produced.”

Mr. Romney noted that he had had a legal team ready to challenge the results of the 2012 election when he was the Republican nominee, but decided not to go forward once he saw such efforts would be futile.

“At some point, truth, freedom and democracy have to ascend,” he said, “and you step aside.”

Phroyd

[aftgficlibrary]

There this fic where Neil and Andrew are apartment neighbors. Neil’s cat is constantly leaving Neil’s apartment for Andrews. One day the cat eats Neil’s plants and Andrew has to take care of them. Neil is like an assistant couch and then Kevin offers him to play again cuz he injured his shoulder. They sit on Andrews apartment floor and eat pizza? I love this fic and couldn’t get to book mark it. No idea the title or author. Thanks so much.

Anonymous asked: Do you know the fic where they’re neighbors in an apartment and Neil’s cat is always sneaking into Andrews and they have such a lovely world building? Bonding on balconies sitting on kitchen floors eating pizza taking your neighbors cat to the vet cuz the cat came into your apartment to puke plants they’d eaten. Lots of dialogue and just one of the cozy fics you love rereading?

here it is-maz

we might be hollow (but we’re brave) by stttmsbwa (M | 40,681 | 4/4)

Andrew is looking to live his life in peaceful nothingness, but his new neighbor’s cat won’t stop sneaking onto his balcony. As much as he tries to not make it into something, Andrew finds himself drawn to the mysterious and tempting man next door.

Neil is just trying to find a reason to not leave Palmetto after everyone else has moved on. But he never thought he would want to run toward something in favor of running away.

(In a slightly different world, two people find themselves meeting in a softer setting and in just as much need of each other. A story about dealing with pasts, sharing secrets and a cat who is an asshole yet manages to charm everyone around it.)

[quitblow5-blog]

‘For artists, work ethic and intelligence are just as important as talent.’

Scroll through the blue-ticked Instagram accounts of most major-league US music executives, and you’ll tend to find the same old schtick: images of their artists playing career-boosting stages; flattering snaps of their newly decked-out office; a smattering of vacation/weekend shots accidentally-on-purpose showcasing that sleek second home in the Hills.

Mike Caren’s Insta feed, however, offers a little something more – a little something indicative of the inquisitive mind of the man himself. A swift perusal of Caren’s page throws up graphs, charts and textual provocations covering themes like ‘10 trends that will reshape the music industry’, how fast TV watching is declining amongst Millennials, the average ages of social media use in 2019, and the ‘share of ear’ that radio claims amongst US consumers over 13.

This all fits because Caren, as well as being obsessive about the A&R process, is also obsessive about media trends, and how consumption of everything from HBO to Fortnite and Instagram are munching into the daily music habits of today’s teenagers.

Such compulsive attention to detail is serving Caren’s businesses well. The Beverly Hills-raised exec founded Artist Publishing Group back in 2006, followed by the launch of Artist Partner Group in 2013. Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records, with whom Caren has worked for more than 20 years, injected a multi- million dollar investment into APG three years ago.

Since then, APG, which now employs more than 40 staff, has developed and broken stars including Bazzi, Charlie Puth, Kehlani, Kevin Gates and NBA Youngboy, as well as an electric array of songwriters such as Hitmaka, Yung Berg, Amy Allen and Madison Love.

Most recently, Los Angeles-based APG unleashed Ava Max, who hit No.1 in many territories this year including the UK, Sweden, and Germany with international smash “Sweet But Psycho”.

Caren began his career aged 17 with Atlantic Records, and later served as Co-President – alongside John Janick – of the relaunched Elektra Records (Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Cee Lo Green) between 2009 and 2012.

MBUSA recently sat down with Caren within APG’s Fairfax studio complex to ask him all about his A&R philosophy, and where he sees the future of multimedia going in the next few years…

Tell us a truism about the music industry.

So much of what moves the needle in this business is just about listening – really listening. When a label or publishing exec has a 60 minute meeting with a producer or songwriter, once you’ve caught up with each other, you’re already 30 minutes into it, and only then do you start listening to music.

That leaves you 25 minutes to listen, and consider eight to 10 ideas. Then the meeting is over – and you haven’t even cracked the surface. If you’d allowed for 90 minutes of music, you would probably have found something really special.

So for that last 20 minutes, I might ask you to [hand over] everything you haven’t played me – whether you think I might or might not like it. Then I’m actually going to listen to it all and hear the stuff that other people don’t get to.

You employ more than 40 people at APG, and you’re expanding. Can you actively keep the roster here capped at certain size?

Yes. We started in the publishing world, where I felt that one A&R executive couldn’t really have a high impact on every one of their writers unless they were limited to approximately 10 writers.

I noticed that at most of the major publishing companies, when I talked to executives, their personal roster would be over 50 writers. I found it hard to believe that they would be able to deliver something significant for every writer with that roster size. Records is about a smaller amount of artists, but it’s also about building teams.

People with different perspectives, different skill sets all working together, learning from each other and bringing different things to the table. I work with people that have so much passion and intelligence and determination. This company is a sum of those parts. There’s 40 people here that have the impact of 150.

What would you say is the defining A&R philosophy of APG?

We believe that work ethic and intelligence are just as important as talent. A smart and hardworking creative will keep improving whereas someone without that work ethic or vision might creatively just tread water, or even decline in their quality.

“We work with [talent] for days, weeks or even months before we sign a deal.”

The biggest thing is getting to know writers and artists personally. We work with them for days, weeks or even months before we sign a deal. We will often lose a deal because somebody – after working with APG – is rushed elsewhere in the industry by a bidding war or whatever. And if that happens, it’s okay. It wasn’t meant to be.

Why is getting to know artists properly so important to you?

Ideally, you want to enter a relationship that’s a decade or decades- long. You can marry the first person you kiss, but I think it’s better to go on more dates and ask a lot of questions to see if your vision of the future is aligned. When you have tough conversations upfront, it leads to better conversations for years to come.

Give us an example of a tough conversation with an artist.

Those conversations revolve around expectations, timeline, patience, vision. I love artists that have huge goals and who know several moves they want to make to get there – who aren’t expecting to make it all in one single play. I love songwriters turning into artists too, because they’ve had this passenger seat in other artists’ careers to which they’ve contributed. The writer-turned-artist has seen other artists making tough decisions, and what the results were, which helps them avoid their own mistakes and pitfalls.

“If you just try to protect artists from making those mistakes, it doesn’t help, because when they become very successful, they will ultimately take all the big decisions; your job is to prepare them to make great ones.”

APG is the best at amplifying, investing in and turbo-charging artists who have a lot of ideas. And the best ideas always come from artists. It’s always better to let an artist make a mistake, because when a smart artist makes a mistake, they learn from it. If you just try to protect artists from making those mistakes, it doesn’t help, because when they become very successful, they will ultimately take all the big decisions; your job is to prepare them to make great ones. You can’t shelter talent early on, then expect people to act like an experienced artists when they’re successful.

How do you feel about the number of songwriters behind the majority of hits today?

The other day somebody sent me a video with Bob Marley, One Love and said, ‘What an incredible song and songwriter.’ I said, ‘Yeah, Curtis Mayfield was a fricking genius.’ They said, ‘Are you kidding? That song was written by Bob Marley!’ It’s a co-write. Curtis Mayfield and Bob Marley. And if Bob Marley can co-write, anyone can co-write.

One defining modern A&R trend is that of collaboration. Two people from largely different genres cross-pollinating fan bases. What do you make of that trend, and does it ever concern you?

I saw an exhibit of Picasso and Matisse years ago. They were friends and they did interpretive pieces of each other’s work. Their artistry was so clear when they did so. Anything that allows someone to demonstrate creativity and originality is an amazing vehicle – but the song [has to be] organic and creative.

Why did you started APG in the first place?

First, I had been working as an A&R person at Atlantic for 10 years. Having been in one company for so long, I wanted a different experience and I wanted an entrepreneurial experience.

I built a lot of trust at Atlantic, so they allowed me to create a partnership venture with them. But I operated it independently, and I love to experiment. Every session is an experiment; every marketing idea is an experiment; every day here is about experimentation.

“I had this philosophy, this is 15 years ago, that songwriters and producers are artists in their own right.”

And second, I had this philosophy, this is 15 years ago, that songwriters and producers are artists in their own right – and that a publisher could publish their songs and get them paid, but could also treat them as an artist and A&R them in that way, providing the introductions, the insights, and the resources that labels provide to artists.

It was a learning process because I didn’t know about publishing, and I didn’t have the budget to chase hits, so we had to be bold.

Why is so much A&R focused entirely on the new – the thrill of ‘breaking’ something?

Out of anything in this business, I get the most satisfaction from seeing other people with their first big successes: their first hit song; their first platinum record; their first sold out tour; their first song on the radio.

Every time a new artist, a new writer has an experience like that, it’s contagious. To me, that’s more powerful than congratulating someone on their fifth of sixth platinum album. It’s an honor to make music – it’s exciting and it’s an adventure.

I’m really proud of the artists and writers that have been successful, but I’m just as proud of the executives. That goes for the team here, but also people that have previously worked or interned here and moved on. I root for their success.

“Every time a new artist, a new writer has an experience like that, it’s contagious.”

Right now, I’m in awe of A&R moves from Miles Beard (pictured), Jeff Vaughn, Tizita Makuria, Eli Picarretta, Edgar Machuca, Matt MacFarlane, Lisa Mottahedeh, David Phung, and Dan Snyder, all of whom landed their first A&R roles here – several starting as interns or assistants – and all of whom have signed Gold or Platinum artists or writers, or had hits this year.

But I’m also thrilled to see fast career growth and broadening responsibility from vets that joined us such as Elyse Rogers, Angie Pagano, Mike Mathewson, Olly Sheppard, Jessica Kelm, and the list can go on. Fifteen years in, I look around and see our team members thriving, and people who’ve cut their teeth with us at pretty much every label, from A&R Executive to Chairman.

APG takes a white label approach with its artists – your brand is kept on the sidelines. Why?

We’re too broad to create a single, forward-facing brand. The great labels that I love had, and continue to have today, sonic consistency. They had a cultural voice and a specific niche, with a sound or a through line.

I lean in to creative people; we’re not going to not sign an artist just because they don’t fit in with other artists on our roster, or not work with an executive because they’re a certain type. There are no rules and no limitations to who APG works with. We just want to work with people for whom we can deliver more than anyone else out there.

Also, I love our entrepreneurial artists and I don’t want to take away from their opportunity to build their brand – both their artist brand and their company brand. I love it when an artist’s dreams include everything from festivals to clothing to charitable organizations. If I can help build an artist’s brand, it’s one more resource that we’re providing that I don’t think many others offer.

What makes a good artist manager?

One, they have to have enough experience to know that everything changes every year. Two, they have to listen to their artist but also speak the truth to them. And, of course, work ethic and intelligence are so important – especially the work ethic, because managers have to provide an example for their artist. Great managers are also great communicators; people who bring people together.

“there’s this ‘Napster Gap’, as I call it, 2002 to 2014, where only a few people invested into the business, and only a few people got hired – so there was not as much opportunity for mentorship for a lot of people versus what had come before.”

It’s a weird time for the music business because there’s so much opportunity now. But there’s also this ‘Napster Gap’, as I call it, 2002 to 2014, where only a few people invested into the business, and only a few people got hired – so there was not as much opportunity for mentorship for a lot of people versus what had come before. There are some incredible managers out there who are just so smart, and had to learn the game on their own.

The head of Netflix, Reed Hastings, said earlier this year that Fortnite was a bigger competitor to his company than traditional rivals like HBO. What do you make of the idea that other media is stealing attention from artists and music?

It’s something I think about a lot. I heard about something recently that said that Americans have over 11 hours a day of media consumption because of how much multitasking they do – like how they will play video games while listening to music. Their consumption is literally doubling.

I see incredible opportunity there, because if you work in the music business and you’ve never played Fortnite, you’re going to fall a few steps behind.

“If you work in the music business and you’ve never played Fortnite, you’re going to fall a few steps behind.”

How Fortnite makes its money is worth thinking about: the short windows of items being for sale; the opening for other platforms [as the game can be played across different devices]; the live events; how [Epic Games] updates and changes the game’s dynamic to keep things so exciting. There are so many amazing things to learn from it.

As far as competing in media, there’s going to be huge L.A. production competition. You have Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu, Spotify and a bunch of other companies with endless amounts of money going to go into content production. It’s going to mean a whole new competition for creative talent, and it will be interesting. It could be incredible for talent – and it will definitely fortify L.A. as the creative capital of the world.

How do you counter that with the value of labels?

There’s no one-size-fits-all, right? Some people love business. Some people love managing people and administration. Some people love to be creative. Some people can do all of those things together. And there are some people who are just true artists who want to color outside the lines and break rules. They don’t want any of the administrative burden. They don’t want to reconcile tours, or deal with Social Security or 401ks, you know?

Some of that’s to do with different points in your life. You may be young; you may want to have fun and be creative and break the rules and not deal with turnover and all of these things. And later in your life, you may want to be more stationary and operate a company and a business. People just need to know what things entail.

“Staying independent is probably the right thing for a lot of artists and it’s probably the wrong thing for a lot of artists.”

There are an increasing number of artist managers who now say that running an independent operation for an artist isn’t ‘management’ – it’s a business partnership, so it shouldn’t be 15 or 20% commission, it should be 50% across everything, including touring. And that all depends on how much of an artist’s business is just music – whether they need a manager who’s just doing music, or managing several businesses.

Staying independent is probably the right thing for a lot of artists and it’s probably the wrong thing for a lot of artists. It all has to do with individual ambition, and how you actually want your 16 to 20 waking hours to be spent.

In an age awash with A&R data, how do you feel about the reduction in signings based purely on based on gut instinct?

I love data… partly because so much of the major label business is focused on it, which leaves all this open territory for us. But, also, I will say data can definitely show more than just momentum, it can reveal a pool of artists who didn’t wait for anyone to move their career forward, who got out of bed every day and worked hard to move the needle.

Somebody can tell me they’re going to work hard all day long, but an artist that had no resources that went out and built some fans? That’s someone you know wants it. I’ll never discount that, as work ethic is so essential.

Where do you get your work ethic from?

My mom’s creative. My dad’s organized. I love this job – this isn’t work, look how soft my hands are! The worst part of my job is sitting waiting for someone to show up who’s late. That’s it! And nowadays, I can always fill those hours by listening to music anyway.

I’m very sure you could have capably run an established major label group. Contemporaries like John Janick are doing it…

He’s awesome.

Why did you choose to build something from scratch, rather than run a big frontline label during this period of your career?

I don’t think anyone ever offered me a job that had the freedom that I now enjoy as an entrepreneur. As an industry, we need to empower people and trust them. There’s always a lot of oversight and structure in majors – and it’s probably needed. But now, we’re facing an ever-evolving future, we have to experiment and to do R&D.

“Change is inevitable. Change is good. But you have to try things in order to figure out what works with change.”

Change is inevitable. Change is good. But you have to try things in order to figure out what works with change. It’s inevitable that artists are going to change the way they make music and market music – and anyone who clings on to the past will get left behind. I love nostalgia like anyone else; we can still tell great stories of the good old days, but we have to be open to try new things all the time.

Let’s talk about the future, then. What are you excited about?

We are a very de-centralized company; I’m trying my absolute best to build the most entrepreneurial organization possible. I want everyone here to think like entrepreneurs, and to make decisions. I choose to run this company differently from, say, the way the legendary Clive Davis ran Arista. He’s incredible, but I hear he personally approved every piece of art and every mix.

Again, just like the artists here, everyone should be making decisions, seeing the results and learning from them. I want every executive I work with to feel that their career grew twice as fast in this organization than it did anywhere else.

What’s going to change at APG over the next five years?

We’re trying to reorganize the entire approach to being a global company. Many major labels don’t seem like singular global companies; they’re a bunch of companies, around the world, that license to each other. Spotify is a global company; they have editors in different offices, but they are a global company.

That’s something we’re a couple of steps ahead on and I don’t think it will take five years. I think it will happen way before then.

The above interview originally appeared in Music Business USA – MBW’s new annual magazine featuring some of the smartest people, with the best stories, in the Stateside music industry.

Subscribe to MBW’s premium bundle to ensure you never miss one our physical magazines in future. Click through here to find out how.Music Business Worldwide

Source: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/for-artists-work-ethic-and-intelligence-are-just-as-important-as-talent/

[ecofinisher]

The Adventures of Super Nathan 2 - Chap. 11

Chapter 11

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18224606/chapters/45549415

https://www.wattpad.com/743323007-miraculous-the-adventures-of-super-nathan-2-the

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13243294/11/Miraculous-The-Adventures-of-Super-Nathan-2

In the orphanage Super Nathan stood together with the young girl Lisa in front of the poster of the art miraculous holder looking at it.

„Where did you get that poster?“ Questioned the purple-skinned hero looking down at the blonde.

„Kérine brought it from the school library“ Responded Lisa. „They also have magazines for the students to read and there is a box, where the teachers drop the various posters, that come in the magazines.“

„Ah and so she brought you this one?“

„She brought all superhero ones. The newest one is from Lady Red together with Honey Bee and Miss Vixen with the caption girl power“

„Sounds cool“

„It‘s in the other room over Destiny‘s bed“

„Okay, “ Super Nathan said looking back at the poster of himself. „Would you like me to sign it?“ Questioned the superhero making the girl smile, then Super Nathan drew on his tablet a marker, which appeared in real life, making Lisa applaud.

„Awesome!“ Lisa complimented the superhero, that signed afterward on the poster his superhero name, then closed the marker again and gave it to the girl.

„You can keep it as a souvenir…..or I can draw you something else, what do you think?“ Super Nathan asked earning a nod from the girl.

„Can you draw me a backpack for school inspired by you?“ Questioned Lisa earning a nod from the superhero, that sat down on the bed from the girl starting to do his task on the tablet. Into the room entered Lady Red together with a brown-haired girl, then walked to the second bed, where over the bed hung a poster of her swinging her yo-yo.

„And my poster of you is here, “ The young girl said showing it to the Japanese superheroine.

„Rita, do you want Lady Red to sign the poster?“ Asked the blonde showing to the roommate the marker, then the brunette took the marker and gazed up at the heroine.

„I‘d love to, if you want Rita“ Lady Red responded and the brunette pressed the marker on the hand of the heroine the marker, then Lady Red signed the poster for the girl and handed the marker back to the young girl.

„Thank you, “ Rita said, then looked at Super Nathan drawing the backpack Lisa wished, then he stopped as he was done and a white backpack appeared with the logo of Super Nathan and a small Super Nathan figurine attached to the zipper of the smallest bag of the backpack.

„That‘s amazing!“ Lisa cried grabbing the backpack and hugging it hard. „You‘re the best Super Nathan, “ Lisa said giving Super Nathan a hug shrieking him.

„Aww, “ Lady Red said watching the girl hugging her idol. „You made her so happy“

„I could draw them something special, so they remember us“ Super Nathan suggested the blue-haired heroine.

„Like what?“ Questioned Lady Red making Super Nathan shrug his shoulders.

„Have you got any suggestion?“

„We could ask them?“

„You know, what would be really cool?“ Asked Rita. „If we had a dog“

„A dog?“ Asked Lady Red. „But that‘s a lot of responsibility“

„We could make a schedule of who walks when with the dog, who feeds the dog and when we go to the vet with him“

„Well, you need to ask Madame Livre for the authorization.“ The ladybug miraculous holder mentioned to the girl.

„And you need to find a breeder or a kennel to adopt a dog“

„A kennel would be a better solution, most of them are have been abandoned or been taken away from their old owners and they would feel happier to be in a house full of children, that love and take care of it“

„I‘m going to ask Madame, “ Rita said leaving the superheroes back.

„Is Miss Vixen in the other room?“ Questioned Super Nathan earning a nod from the Japanese girl.

„She‘s helping Kevin with his homework“ Responded the partner, then walked out with Super Nathan at the corridor to the room on the other side, where Kevin sat on the bed together with Miss Vixen solving the task.

„Hey what about a desk or two, where the kids could do their homework?“ Suggested Super Nathan.

„I think they use the dinner table to do their homework?“ Responded Lady Red.

„What about better bed slats for the mattress?“ Suggested Super Nathan holding on the metal-made slat.

„They could also have like in Japan futons“

„How do they look like?“ Questioned Super Nathan.

„The slat is usually made off wood and about 10 centimeters high and then you only have the futon over it. It‘s similar to a duvet“

„Okay, but I still need to see a picture, cause I don‘t know the looks of it“

„I could draw it if you want to“ Suggested Lady Red.

„I would let you, but it doesn‘t work, when someone else does it“

„Really?“ Asked Lady Red surprised.

„Yeah come on try it, “ Super Nathan said holding to Lady Red the stylon, which she picked, then she drew a cube, afterward he received an error message on the tab.

„Error: User couldn't be identified“ Read Lady Red out loud. „Now that‘s a strange thing“

„I think that‘s so, that when a villain has access to it, he doesn‘t draw anything dangerous to hurt somebody I would say“

„Well that‘s good“

„I don‘t know if people would actually be able to use my tab“

„If they were as good as you at drawing, it would be possible“

„It still has some complicated things, but if they‘re smart enough they manage to find out how to use it…..or to find the manual, which it actually has“

„Well that‘s useful“

„You know, what would be cool Super Nathan?“ Kevin asked the purple-skinned boy, that looked up at the boy, who had given Miss Vixen his homework to check it.

„No“ Responded Super Nathan. „What?“

„If you made bed slats look like cars“ Responded Kevin. „Well at least for the boys“

„I can ask each of them, what they want and then I‘ll do it“ Offered Super Nathan sitting down on the bed next to Kevin. „What do you think?“

„I think they would like it“

„Then if you want, we can start with yours,“ Super Nathan suggested and Kevin went down from his bed along with Miss Vixen.

„Hey I‘m going to ask the others, how they want their bed to look like, I‘ll be right back“

„Sure“ Super Nathan answered his girlfriend, then sat down with Kevin on the second bed and Super Nathan started to picture something on his tablet. Lady Red followed Miss Vixen to the other room, then watched Miss Vixen pick up the little girl Erin to spin her around, making the ladybug-themed heroine smile at the sight of it.

„Meow, “ A voice said and Lady Red looked back to see Cat Noir stand in the middle of the corridor smiling at her.

„You‘re here," Lady Red said turning around to him, then he approached her and looked together with her into the room, seeing Miss Vixen tickle the little girl as she sat on the floor laughing at the tall fox-themed tingle her on the sides of her belly.„You haven‘t had my sister in your arms yet, right?“ Questioned the blonde superhero making the blue-haired girl shake her head.

„No"

„This evening you really need to hold her. I promise you, that the feeling of holding a newborn in your arms is the most wonderful thing in the world“

„I believe you“ Lady Red answered making the cat hero smile gently at her. „Could you rest a little better, after I called you“

„A little bit“ Responded Cat Noir. „But I didn‘t want to miss this opportunity“

„Cat Noir‘s here!“ Shouted a short raven-haired boy grabbing himself on the legs of the superhero.

„Whoa little man, be careful, that‘s real leather, Cat Noir said jokingly making Lady Red hold her mouth to cover her laugh.

„That‘s not real leather Cat Noir, I know this from Zackary Jeremias‘ biography about you and the other heroes“

„There you right boy, it‘s artificial leather or maybe Alcantara“ Explained the blonde superhero.

„Can you sign my Cat Noir poster I have over my bed?“ Asked the boy earning a nod from the blonde.

„Of course, what‘s your name, if I may ask?“

„Christian“

„Nice, now show me, where your bed is, boy“ Cat ordered the boy, who entered the room, where Miss Vixen was to show it to Cat Noir.  

An hour later, after Super Nathan had managed to draw everyone a new bed slat the kids were helping each other in pairs to cover their bed with clean bed sheets and the last two beds Cat Noir assisted Super Nathan placing the mattress back on the new slat, while Miss Vixen and Lady Red helped each other doing it on the second bed.

„Jason‘s fox-inspired bed is the best one, Lisa said looking at the bed, where a tan-skinned South Asian boy sat.

„I‘m glad you all liked it, Super Nathan said a little abashed. „I really gave my best to give you all something, that would not let you all forget this day“

„We can make it last longer if we all sign our names somewhere on the bed if they want“ Suggested the vixen heroine. „What do you all think?“

„Oh, oh, sign mines first!“ Jason announced jumping on his bed, making the others giggle.

„Alright, “ Miss Vixen said walking up to the fox-themed bed with a black marker, then signed her name on the wooden board on the end of his bed.

„Where‘s Damon?“ Questioned Lisa looking around the room to see, that almost everyone from the orphanage was there, beside him.

„Which one is Damon again?“ Questioned Cat Noir the blonde girl.

„He‘s around Erin‘s age“ Explained Rita. „He‘s only here for a month, he lost his parents in an accident“

„Oh that‘s sad, “ Super Nathan said sadly. „Is there a way we could help him?“ Super Nathan asked looking up at Cat Noir and Lady Red.

„You have tried everything Super Nathan. You and your team“ Madame Livre said as she stood by the entrance of the room watching the heroes around the bed of the Korean descendant boy.

„In which accident did the parents die?“ Questioned Cat Noir looking at the woman, then Super Nathan got up from the bed with a shocked face as he realized, what accident she could have mean.

„I‘m so sorry, “ The redhead said sinking his head down at thinking about the night of the airplane crash.

„Hey, hey, come on, I know this was bad, but try to forget this and focus on the future. Focus on the future missions we‘re going to face“ Cat Noir comforted his superhero friend.

„Since Le Paon had been defeated we haven‘t really fought someone really, really bad, “ Told Lady Red handing Cat Noir the black marker for him to sign Jason‘s fox-themed bed slat. „I feel we‘re like patrol officers, most of the times“

„We‘re still doing good things like protecting the citizens, stopping a robbery, grand theft auto, we even help the poor quarter from Paris. At least the real police force can focus on other important cases“ Cat Noir explained his girlfriend.

„And Paris is thankful for you all“ Madame Livre said, then one of the girls, that was inside the room ran at the woman to grab her on the hand.

„You have to see the beds Super Nathan made for us. All the heroes even signed it“

„That sounds amazing, Ruby“

„It was our pleasure“ Super Nathan said changing looks with the other superheroes.

„Thank you for welcoming us, “ Miss Vixen said to the orphanage owner giving her a handshake.

„Are you leaving?“ The adult asked. „Please be our guests for lunch.“

„What‘s for dinner?“ Asked Cat Noir and Super Nathan at the same time making the superheroines laugh.

„Chicken breast with mashed potatoes and peas“ Responded Madame Livre.

„You can count on me, “ Cat Noir said while licking his lips, then he watched his teammates nodding at the woman, which felt pleased about the heroes having accepted her invite.

„That‘s fantastic if you want you can all come down and take a chair. In 5 minutes it will be ready“ Madame Livre mentioned. „And Jason can you do me a favor and call the others for lunch?“

„Yes Madame Livre, “ The Asian descendant boy said getting down from his new bed making his way into the corridor to the other bedroom.

All followed Madame Livre out of the room, besides Super Nathan who stood back distracted, then Miss Vixen who was the last leaving the room noted, that Super Nathan stood back and she walked back to him.

„You‘re alright?“ Asked the vixen-heroine the boy, who shook his head and looked at Miss Vixen standing in front of him.

„Sorry, I was thinking about Damon, that…..just because of our failure he lost his parents“

„It‘s not your fault, it was just bad luck“ Miss Vixen comforted her boyfriend, who couldn‘t get that out of his mind. „You were all doing it right, the plane just had the pitch to get caught on the electric cable“

„Yes….“

„Let‘s go down and eat with the others, I promise you will feel better after that“ The fox miraculous holder promised giving Super Nathan her hand to accompany him out of the room to join the others for lunch.

[newsfact]

Early NBA Rookie of the Year odds: Is Evan Mobley or Scottie Barnes the favorite?

Last week, SN’s Kyle Irving run through the top candidates for the MVP award. As it stands now, Stephen Curry stands atop the mountain in the TSN MVP Ladder.

This week, it’s all about the rookies in our first rookie ladder of the year.

This year’s draft class has provided a handful of studs with high ceilings but who among them has separated themselves from the pack?

Let’s take a look:

Honorable mentions 

Davion Mitchell

If you don’t have NBA league pass, the Kings are as good of a reason why you should have it. De’Aaron Fox is always worth the price of admission, I don’t know what’s gotten into Harrison Barnes but the dude is hoopin’ and Davion Mitchell is making watching a player defend fun.

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)

Mitchell is averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 assists per game this season, but it’s his defense that will have him in and around the conversation for all-rookie first team all year long. 

With Mitchell on the floor, the Kings have a defensive rating of 106.8 this season. When he sits, that rating jumps to 109.9. The Kings have the 26th ranked defense at the time of this writing and they’ll need a couple more Davion Mitchells to help them remedy that issue, but having one is a start. 

Especially when he’s doing things like this:

Jalen Green

It’s going to be a long season in Houston, but you already knew that. Regardless, Jalen Green is worth keeping an eye on this season.

Green is averaging 14.8 points, 3.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds through his first seven games. 

He put up a 30-point game against the Celtics and looked good in his last outing against the Lakers finishing with 24 points, five assists while shooting 9-for-15 from the field. When Green takes good shots he’s been effective this year. He’ll start to find his spots on the floor and become more efficient as the season goes along. This kid is a bucket. 

BETTING ODDS: Current favorites, best bets for Rookie of the Year

Alright onto the ladder.

5. Franz Wagner

Wagner has been a day one starter for the Magic and he’s been one of their most consistent players. He’s averaging 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game this year with shooting splits of .495/.417/.667. He scored in double figured in eight of his first nine games this year given Orlando some much-needed offense.

He’s also been a joy to watch in the open floor. He’ll always be a good option to spot up and take a trail three in transition but he’s also shown the ability to put the ball on the deck and get the rack on his own. 

His effort defensive is already there and with experience he’ll grow into a plus defender for Orlando.

FanDuel odds: +2200

4. Josh Giddey

The Aussie isn’t the most athletic or explosive but he’s uber-crafty and attacks angles like a 10-year vet. 

Giddey’s best attribute was his passing and it’s been on full display in the early part of the season. The Thunder rookie is averaging 6.1 assists per game leading all rookies. His assist percentage of 33.3 according to Basketball-Reference is on par with other great passers and playmakers like Nikola Jokic (34.2) and LaMelo Ball (33.1). 

The issue for Giddey coming into this season, as it is for most rookies, is the defensive end. That’s clearly a work in progress and where his biggest growth area will be. 

FanDuel odds: +1100

3. Chris Duarte

Duarte has been a nice addition to the core group in Indiana. He’s fit in like a glove averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 board and 2.2 assists through his first nine games. 

He’s shown the touch from deep knocking down 42.9 percent from three. There’s a good balance with his 3-point shooting, Duarte is connecting on 43.3 percent of his catch and shoot triples and 40.0 percent of his pull-up long balls. 

If he can continue to develop into a three-level scorer for the Pacers, they may very well have one of the steals of the draft.

FanDuel odds: +1000

2. Evan Mobley

SN’s Micah Adams wrote about how Mobley’s start stacks up against Hall of Famers like Kevin Garnett and current stars like Anthony Davis. 

It’s a small sample size, but Mobley has been that good. The Cavs’ big man is averaging 13.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting an efficient 49.0 percent from the field.

According to Basketball-Reference’s play-by-play data, Mobley has played 46.0 percent of his minutes at small forward this season. 

For a player who’s just a 20-year-old rookie, trying to figure out the game and on top of that may be playing out of position — he’s had an impressive start and may in the near future find himself on the top of this ladder.

FanDuel odds: +380

1. Scottie Barnes

The Raptors got it right. Remember when there was a debate about whether or not the Raptors should draft Barnes or Jalen Suggs with the No. 4 pick? It’s early and I don’t want to write Suggs off, but I think Toronto is happy with their selection. 

Barnes is leading all rookies in scoring averaging 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

If you stack up Barnes’ first seven games next to that of former Raptors like Vince Carter, Chris Bosh and DeMar DeRozan in their rookie years it paints a pretty picture.

Rk Player Season Age MP FG% 3P% TRB AST STL BLK PTS 1 Scottie Barnes 2021-22 20 34.9 55.1 22.2 8.9 2.0 0.7 0.6 18.1 2 Chris Bosh 2003-04 19 33.5 45.9 35.7 7.4 1.0 0.8 1.4 11.5 3 Vince Carter 1998-99 22 35.2 45.0 28.8 5.7 3.0 1.1 1.5 18.3 4 DeMar DeRozan 2009-10 20 21.6 49.8 25.0 2.9 0.7 0.6 0.2 8.6

Barnes will have to sustain the production he’s currently giving Toronto to be in the same class of Carter, but the start is promising.

He’s been the best rookie to this point in the season, and there’s truly no debating it. 

FanDuel odds: +360

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[cassh24sg]

Purdue shows freezing price of veterinary school is possible – News

Dean Willie Reed

Purdue University photo by Kevin Doerr

Purdue University isn’t the only institution holding tuition fees, but it’s the longest with a decade, says Dr. Willie Reed, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine (foreground).

There are two ways schools can use to lessen the crushing student loan debt faced by veterinarians entering the world of work with loans that are double their starting salary, says Dr. Willie Reed, longtime dean of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.

“They are fixing tuition fees or increasing scholarships,” he noted.

Purdue University, under the direction of its notoriously frugal President Mitch Daniels, chose to do both, largely by freezing tuition fees on campus in West Lafayette, Indiana for a decade.

The goal – to keep veterinary studies and fees at around $ 20,000 per year for Indiana residents and $ 44,700 per year for non-residents with occasional fee increases – is to make education more affordable, especially for those who live in the state. At the Veterinary School, half of Purdue’s students are Hoosiers.

Like many in the profession, Reed views educational debt as the profession’s Achilles heel and supports his institution’s commitment to affordability. Across the country, veterinary education is more expensive than ever – between $ 19,616 and $ 72,292 per year in tuition and fees, depending on the student’s program and residency status – which presents most aspiring practitioners with a tough choice: abandon their dream career or risk piling up heavens – heavy debts.

Both are unacceptable to Reed: “Not preventing people from training – that’s so important.”

It is not easy. As Daniels pushes an affordability mission, Reed must balance an annual operating budget of $ 75 million while building a $ 108 million teaching veterinary hospital due to open in March. His efforts are backed by an annual government grant of $ 18 million that goes directly to the program. Revenues from the existing teaching hospital and diagnostic laboratory have increased, and fundraising donations have increased, “so we did it,” Reed said.

Many other veterinary programs aren’t that lucky. Government funding for higher education in general has not fully recovered from the cuts made during the 2008 recession that put pressure on student revenues, according to a report by government higher education funding released earlier this year. That means climbing lessons and more credits to pay for. The total student loan debt in the United States is $ 1.71 trillion among 45 million borrowers with average monthly payments of about $ 300.

“Debt is growing steadily, and it’s not just for veterinary medicine,” Bridgette Bain, associate director of analytics for the American Veterinary Medical Association, said at a recent online symposium. “US Student debt has increased by 100% in all disciplines over the past ten years.

“We certainly don’t see tuition fees being reduced,” she said.

Veterinary borrowers had an average of $ 188,853 in debt after graduation in 2020 – up 43% from 2011. according to AVMA figures. The highest individual debt among fourth-year students who responded to an annual AVMA survey last year was half a million dollars.

vns_bug_176x151_debt_series.20210625172011115.

The average debt for Purdue’s completed veterinary class last year was $ 145,336, Reed said, and 88% of the class received help from the university in the form of scholarships and grants.

“Universities are not rolling back tuition fees,” he said. “Ultimately, for Purdue, I think the best we could hope for has been keeping tuition down. It’s expensive to train veterinary students.”

Going to the Veterinary School at Purdue is cheaper than most of the 33 schools in the US that American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges reported. Looking at 2020 data in the group’s cost comparison tool, four years of government research at Purdue cost $ 80,734, the cheapest option for Indiana residents and the cheapest program in the country when fees and cost of living are factored in. For non-residents, the program was ranked the sixth cheapest option over four years, with tuition fees of $ 180,089; $ 284,492 when cost of living is included.

A Cost of education card from the VIN Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the Veterinary Information Network, the VIN News Service, rates Purdue similarly.

According to data from AAVMC and VIN Foundation, only one US program charges its residents less: four years of veterinary class at North Carolina State University costs $ 78,479. The most expensive program in the country is at Midwestern University. The private four-year program in Glendale, Arizona alone costs nearly $ 260,000 in tuition. Add in cost of living and fees, and the cost to attend Midwestern could exceed $ 420,000.

When asked if Purdue’s shallow teaching piqued the curiosity of Reed’s colleagues in other programs, the dean replied with amusement. “You’d think I’d be inundated with questions from other colleges, but that’s not the case,” laughed Reed. “I don’t think I got a single question about how you do it.

“But that’s fine,” he continued. “We have a lot to be proud of. Our engagement office has secured millions of grants from the NIH [National Institutes of Health]. Our diversity programs are outstanding: In the last classes, 30% were underrepresented minorities. And there is no end date for keeping our tuition fees. I don’t see it going away that quickly. ”

Last month, Purdue University’s curators agreed to keep tuition fees frozen for the 2022-23 academic year.

Easier said than done

Tackling the student debt crisis was cited as a goal of a new veterinary school, the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, in its early stages of development in 2016 The program opened in August last year with 100 students, making it the 31st veterinary school in the country. Rather than following a traditional four-year calendar, the University of Arizona curriculum is condensed into three years, including summer, which ostensibly saves students time and money.

College officials initially aimed for tuition fees to be around $ 28,000 per year. They later found that this wasn’t financially feasible, soThe Arizona Board of Regents set tuition fees significantly higher: $ 45,000 per year for residents and $ 70,000 for nonresidents.

Dr. Julie Funk, who was hired as dean of the program in 2019, says she wishes she could do more keep student costs down, relying on divestments in higher education by state legislatures across the country, including Arizona. With little government funding other than a $ 8 million investment in 2016 to develop the college physically Institutions, the program relies heavily on tuition fees and start-up support from the university.

“The way we have our tuition fees, it’s a model that allows us to get from a startup to a break-even point between seven and ten years,” she said, noting that prices reflect the cost of resources Required for Starting a Business Veterinary College.

“To be honest, we have only just started generating sales,” continued Funk. “It’s like any other company. The university had to raise funds from other initiatives and invest in college, which we appreciate. But we also have to cover the cost of a veterinary college. That includes the cost of the faculty.” , Staff, student resources, facilities and animals. “

Funk came to Arizona from Michigan State University, where she served as Assistant Dean of Professional Academic Programs and Academic Achievement. In that capacity, she had a seat on the ring at the Economics of Veterinary Medical Education Summit, better known as the Fix the Debt Summit, the 180. pulled Attendees on the MSU campus in 2016 Brainstorm ways to reduce Student debt.

A common goal was set at the summit to reduce the debt-to-income ratio from 2 to 1 to 1.4 to 1 through a combination of measures, including obtaining interest waivers on student loans, Curb excessive student debt, increase staff salaries by 10% and reduce academic spending by 10%.

In many schools, however, enthusiasm for the initiative seems to have waned. “Paying off the debt,” said Funk, “is tough and very complex.” Many in academia are focused on government allocations and fundraising, maintaining accreditation, staffing concerns, and running a program amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You just don’t have the bandwidth to fully address the problem, she said.

“I don’t think people care,” said Funk. “I think it’s because there are no quick and easy solutions. I think there are some places where we’ve started initiatives, but other things are much more difficult. Certainly just the cost of veterinary training. ” “

The focus, she said, is on finding ways to cut overheads and invest in students.

“We’re really trying to use existing resources on campus so it’s not all de novo design and development, and the other part really focuses on the results of the first day so students are instantly productive in the field,” said Wireless. “Right now we can do that.”

Tomorrow: How Do Vets Do It Without Debt?

The VIN News Service comments are opinion pieces that present insights, personal experiences, and / or perspectives on current issues from members of the veterinary community. To submit a review for review, email news@vin.com.

source https://www.cassh24sg.com/2021/07/09/purdue-shows-freezing-price-of-veterinary-school-is-possible-news/

[lovelyirony]

Up, Up, and Away

UP AU. This is the thing that I thought about when I was sad. Because what if Steve and Tony were like Carl and Ellie from Up? Could you imagine the good life they led? The tragedy? Anyway, without further ado, here is: Up Au. (Which, by the way, I don’t own Disney. If Disney does try to sue me, please don’t let them.) 

Tony always went to the movies by himself. Mom and dad never really enjoyed all of the adventure movies starring Alexander Pierce as the brave adventurer who showed everyone all sorts of things and wasn’t afraid of any wild animal. Tony had his own set of aviator goggles and an old flight helmet that he may or may not have taken from his dad’s box of old memories that they weren’t allowed to discuss. 

There was an old house on the walk home. It was always boarded up, had lost all of its color, and never seemed to be fixed up or sold. It had a “for-sale” sign in the front yard that you almost couldn’t see now because of the grass. 

“Here we have Pierce, who is overtaking the wild cats!” comes a very distinct yell. Tony’s head shoots up as he takes off the aviator goggles. It seems to be coming from the old house. “Oh no, watch out! Birds are attacking the blimp!” 

Against his gut, Tony decides to go into the old house. It’s worndown and half the wood is rotting out. The door is just barely on its hinges. Tony softly goes to the other room. 

“The plane is almost out of fuel! We just need to make it to South America!” 

There’s a boy around his age in scrappy overalls, one button undone, and a shirt that is obviously too big for his skinny frame. Tony looks around the room; there are multiple documents, maps, and pictures. He smiles a little bit. 

“What are you doing here?” The boy is in his face as Tony steps back. “This is a club for adventurers, so not everyone can just walk in with a hat and goggles. You’re in the club, kid.” Tony’s surprised at the fast pace. “I, uh, I’m sorry I scared you. Your balloon is in the attic. Wanna go get it? By the way, I’m Steve.” 

Tony does not get his balloon, but he does break his arm. He lies and tells his mom that he was running home and fell. Jarvis backs him up with a small smile. Steve manages to sneak in with a blue balloon, a toothy grin, and a book about how he plans to be an adventurer. They’re going to a place that’s called South America. “It’s America, but more south,” Steve offers. He gives Tony a bottlecap pin. (Tony wears it everyday, even if mom and dad don’t know that he does.) 

Tony and Steve end up being each other’s best friend. They talk about saving up for South America, living there in their house (it was always theirs, ever since the first day), and making their own films about being adventurers. 

Throughout high school, they remain in touch. Steve gets really into art, painting their adventures for his projects and winning all kinds of awards. But he really does like their zoo. Tony likes drawing things to build, and even plans on improving the house a bit. 

He and Steve still go in there, laughing about their childhood days and worrying about college and jobs and life in general. But it’s okay. As long as they both have each other, the unofficial-but-totally-official Adventurers’ Club, then they’ll be fine. 

They realize that they’ll always be together when Tony looks at Steve excitedly repainting some scene on his portfolio and Tony realizes that this? This is life. So he proposes in the most unromantic way, but Steve still accepts it and laughs. 

They get married in the small church. Steve’s side is boisterously loud and excited for this wedding, while Tony’s side is moderately approving and polite. 

Steve and Tony, right after the wedding, work on fixing up the house. Steve doesn’t even change out of his suit to work on the house and ends up ripping it. Tony laughs so hard he cries. They paint the rooms and set up their chairs. Tony’s is wide but short, so he can tuck his legs if need be. Steve’s has a floral print and a high back. so he doesn’t fall asleep and can read perfectly fine. They hold hands while reading adventure books. 

Tony and Steve work at the zoo. They need a zookeeper for the South America exhibit, and Steve steps right up. Sure, he has to fudge a little on his experience (he never went to vet school, but he and Tony watched so many documentaries and medical shows and read medical papers that between the two of them, the animals were well-cared for and loved.) Tony sold balloons and made fun shapes with them. 

Their plan to save up never quite works out. There’s a flat tire. Or a broken arm. (For Tony, again. Steve seemed to be unbreakable.) But that was fine. 

They talk about having a little baby. A dozen, if Steve’s excitement is anything to go by. 

The doctor tells them they can’t. It’s for a lot of reasons, most that Tony and Steve don’t want to focus on. 

The light disappears for a couple of weeks. Steve takes it the hardest. Tony comforts him as best he can. 

The Adventure Book helps. It pulls Steve out of his sadness, and they focus on their trip again, on work. Sure, Steve still has that lingering sadness about not having a kid, and Tony can see it everyday. But Steve still ties Tony’s fun ties for him, pins the bottlecap pin onto his lapel, and they drive to work together. 

They grow old peacefully. Things change, of course. They always do. Steve laughs as Tony grumps about going gray at the temples. He thinks it looks distinguished. 

They’re cleaning the house when Tony realizes that they never got to go on their adventure of a lifetime. The trip to South America. 

He buys two tickets without Steve knowing it, grinning as he heads up the hilltop excitedly. 

Steve falters. 

There’s nothing the doctors can do. 

Tony buys his favorite flowers, blows up colorful balloons, and cries. The love of his life is gone. 

Everything changes again. Tony hates development around his house, and the fact that they keep trying to get him to move to a damned old folks’ home. Someone crushes the mailbox, their mailbox, and he doesn’t mean to do it. But he hits a man with his cane a bit harder than intended. And that settles it. He doesn’t have much time or patience. So he has to work on getting out of here, house included. 

There’s a knock at the door. 

A boy with a uniform on and a book in front of him smiles up at him before looking back down. 

“Good afternoon. My name is Peter. And I am a Wilderness Explorer in Tribe 3490. Are you in need of any assistance today, sir?” * 

Tony shuts the door and plans for more balloons. 

He ends up having to factor in a kid who weighs seventy pounds at most. 

And a dog. 

And that Alexander Pierce is terrifying. 

But he thinks Steve would think that this is the kind of adventure that was out there. 

(He would’ve liked Kevin.) 

* in the movie, Russell (character Peter Parker is based on) is from Wilderness Tribe 54. In my writing, I chose 3490 because that the presumed universe where Steve and Tony are together, albeit Tony as a woman. 

[ao3feed-thefoxholecourt]

Name Games

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Fko09S

by fuzzballsheltiepants

The credit for this fic belongs to @andrews-nothing on Tumblr for their post: Andriel AU where Andrew owns Sir Fat Cat McCatterson and Neil owns King Fluffkins and they meet because they’re both at the vet at the same time. The assistant, an aggravated and annoyed Kevin, announces to the lobby, “will the owner of the cat with the stupid name come back here? Your cat is trying to kill the vet.” And Neil and Andrew both stand up.

Words: 2311, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten, Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Kevin Day, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson, King Fluffkins

Additional Tags: meet sort of cute, veterinarian!Dan, vet assistant!Kevin, i'm a vet okay, do cats care about gender identity, who knows - Freeform

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Fko09S

[orbemnews]

Biden's border strategy faces crucial test amid dramatic surge of migrant children But that strategy is already being stressed by the hundreds of unaccompanied children arriving each day at the US southern border, overwhelming border facilities and raising alarm among officials scrambling to accommodate them. Senior administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, traveled to the border region over the weekend to take stock of what’s unfolding on the ground. The scenes the group witnessed in Donna and Carrizo Springs, Texas, were alarming, one person familiar with the matter said, describing migrants who had been in the facilities for several days, as well as a sense the surge is likely to grow. The group presented their findings to Biden in a formal briefing on Wednesday. The sudden spike in children is being driven by the devastation left behind by two major hurricanes last year, the toll of the pandemic, and a perceived relaxation of enforcement. Under the Trump administration, border officials had also been turning away migrants, including children, after putting in place a public health order related to the coronavirus pandemic. While the Biden administration is still leaning on that policy, the administration has taken the position it will allow children arriving on their own into the US, resulting in more kids in US custody. The President and his team are weighing a series of decisions that could expand capacity for the children arriving in the US and ease what is quickly becoming both a humanitarian and political challenge for the new administration. Officials said that while an increase of children arriving at the border was expected in light of the Biden administration’s decision not to expel kids, a surge of the current magnitude was not. “They’re overwhelmed,” a former Homeland Security official said. “There’s not enough staff there yet, they’re tired, they’ve been sprinting for a month and a half.” “They recognize that getting this right is vital,” the official said. “There’s only one way through this: you have to fix the operational challenges.” Early warning signs Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the US-Mexico border are being held in Border Patrol custody for more than four days on average, a dramatic spike in the time spent in facilities and overwhelming an already-stressed system, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN. The data, dated Tuesday, is the latest indication of a bottleneck in the system, with the number of unaccompanied children outpacing shelter space and leaving thousands of kids staying in facilities not equipped for them. On average, over the last 21 days, Customs and Border Protection encountered 435 unaccompanied children daily, up from a previous average of around 340 children. They are staying in facilities for 107 hours on average, longer than the 72 permitted under US law. A week ago, the average time was 77 hours. The trends are particularly concerning given the time of year. Usually, arrests increase on the border in the spring and summer months, foreshadowing a more pressing challenge on the horizon. Aggravated by pandemic-era restrictions that limited the capacity of government facilities, the system is now overwhelmed by the uptick in migrant children, forcing the Biden administration squarely into a mire that could complicate efforts to enact broader reforms to the immigration system. While multiple agencies are dealing with the issue, inside the White House, the border effort is being managed by a small team working alongside Susan Rice, the director of the Domestic Policy Council who previously served as Obama’s national security adviser. Roberta Jacobson, a former ambassador to Mexico was tapped by Biden to oversee US southern border policy. Esther Olavarria, the deputy assistant to the President for immigration, also plays a key role. “We’ve seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was a significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of, you know, pent up demand,” Jacobson told reporters at a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday. “I don’t know whether I would call that a coincidence, but I certainly think that the idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make that decision, but perhaps more importantly, it definitely drove smugglers to express this information to spread disinformation about what was now possible,” she added. Critics tee off Already, Republicans have seized on the situation to accuse the President of inviting the problem through his messaging on reversing his predecessor’s policies. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is leading a group of House Republicans to the southern border on Monday to highlight what they have decried as poor handling of the migrant situation. Some Democrats have also been critical of Biden’s handling of the matter, suggesting the detention of families and children in temporary facilities is no better than how Trump handled migrant children during his time in office. The administration has responded by seeking to expand capacity, a process that can take weeks if not months, even as officials refuse to describe what’s happening as a “crisis.” That messaging has fueled a sense of confusion among the workforce at the immigration enforcement and border agencies about the direction the Biden administration wants to take, a senior government official told CNN. “There is a lack of clarity being shared by the White House on the objectives desired policy goals,” the official said. “If you want to facilitate as many people as you can who want to come in and as fast as you can, then own it. If you want as many people to come in as fast as you can, and you also want to hold back the tide, then own it,” the official said about allowing migrants into the US. During the Obama administration, Biden and several of his top officials weathered an earlier wave of migrant children in 2014. Some of the playbook in responding to that event — which the Obama administration described at the time as a “humanitarian crisis” — is being considered again. Then, as now, the surge of migrants was prompted in part by a perception the Obama administration was adopting a more welcoming approach to migrants at the border. The precedent led some Biden officials to anticipate the current situation, though the scale was not expected. “It’s always hard to estimate how big the numbers would be, but it was always clear there would be a need for more capacity if the government was going to stop expelling children,” said Mark Greenberg, a former Health and Human Services official who was involved in the Biden transition. “Because of Covid, they had greatly reduced bed capacity. That capacity has not been enough for the increased number of children. It was foreseeable months ago that there was going to be a problem if bed capacity wasn’t going to be increased,” he added. Biden himself, officials said, is viewing the matter through a human lens. “The way he looks at it isn’t just from a policy perspective, it’s from a human perspective,” a White House official said. “We think about it at a big policy level. He thinks about in a very granular human level.” So far, that has not included any plans for the President to visit the facilities himself or deliver formal remarks that might shed more light on what his administration is doing to counter the flow of migrants or accommodate them once they are in the United States. A fact-finding mission Biden dispatched the delegation to the border last weekend as a fact-finding mission, officials said. At the two sites, which include tent facilities, the officials spoke with some of the people who are in charge of running them, rank-and-file officials working there and a few of the migrants who are being held in the facilities, including some of the children. Several of the officials on the trip spoke Spanish, and could communicate directly with the migrants who were being held. “He heard from the delegation on what they observed during their visit to the border region and the facilities they toured, but they spent the majority of their time discussing what steps can be taken to … move the process more quickly to meet the administration’s goal of getting these children placed with vetted and confirmed families,” press secretary Jen Psaki said. Behind the scenes, Biden has quizzed aides on what more can be done through the executive branch to expedite processing of migrant children and expand the capacity for housing them. He’s raised the issue in informal meetings and during otherwise-unrelated discussions with senior advisers. “When he’s asking questions and he’s asking for details, it’s not just a report back on numbers — what are the things we already have in our toolbox that we can be deploying?” the official added, saying that he’s encouraged staff to think outside the box. “Every single little space of White House operations, and of different agencies, are devoting time and resources to doing this and that’s what it’s going to take.” “We’re not keeping up” An immediate step has been embedding staff from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a part of Health and Human Services, with officials from Customs and Border Protection in an effort to cut down on the processing time for migrants and limit the amount of time children are kept in CBP custody. Yet, according to the recent court filing, some Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities are “struggling with staffing shortages,” making it difficult to fill posts as the agency tries to expand its network to accommodate unaccompanied children. “We’re not keeping up,” a Department of Health and Human Services official previously told CNN, referring to the department’s capacity to care for unaccompanied migrant children. Officials said the administration was also looking at operationalizing more shelter facilities, including “outside the box” ideas for where they could house unaccompanied minors, like out-of-use summer camps, schools, hotels and military bases. Internal correspondence underscores the urgency among officials. This week, Mayorkas asked DHS employees to volunteer to help support the “surge” of migrants along the US- Mexico border, calling the situation “overwhelming,” according to a DHS source who received the email sent by Mayorkas on Monday. “Today I activated the Volunteer Force to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they face a surge in migration along the southwest border. You have likely seen news about the overwhelming numbers of migrants seeking access to this country along the southwest border,” the email read. Around 300 agents have already been temporarily assigned to the Rio Grande Valley, where arrests are increasing, “to meet mission demands,” according to a recent court filing. Last Friday, HHS also notified facilities caring for migrant children that they can open back up to pre-Covid-19 levels, acknowledging “extraordinary circumstances.” Other efforts by the Biden administration to alleviate strain on border communities are also meeting resistance. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, blocked attempts to provide federal funds for the testing, quarantining and isolating of migrants released from custody, arguing that the burden is on the federal government. Democratic lawmakers have asked Abbott to reconsider. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas told CNN she’s in ongoing discussions with the administration to find a workaround. “We’ve been writing every avenue on a whiteboard possible. It is so incredibly frustrating that human capital and resources are being spent on trying to work around a governor’s intent,” Escobar said. CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and Geneva Sands contributed to this report. Source link Orbem News #Biden'sborderstrategyfacescrucialtestamiddramaticsurgeofmigrantchildren-CNNPolitics #Bidens #Border #children #Crucial #dramatic #Faces #migrant #Politics #strategy #surge #Test