#4.13: glimpse

[frakyeaheureka]

#eurekaedit #a town called eureka #eureka #syfyedit #scifiedit #jo lupo #zane donovan #erica cerra #niall matter #zane x jo #ship: zane x jo #season 4 #4.13: glimpse #tvgifs #scifigifs #syfygifs #syfy eureka #.gif

[pluckysidekick]

Hey Drewds, just 59 days to mayhem! While we wait, I wanted to share 2 recent discoveries I’ve made of new featured actresses in Season 4 (potential minor spoilers ahead).

You may remember back in July, Maddison shared an adorable story from the golf cart that brought her out to the creepy woods with the “2 heart throbs” (Alex and Tunji of course).

There was also a young woman in the cart with them, and we all speculated on whether she was cast or crew. Well it turns out she is CAST, her name is Megan Munro, and she’s listed in the premiere episode as “Young Actress” on IMDB.

Now she and a few other returning featured actors (including Thomas Cadrot, Sharon Taylor, Ecstasia Sanders and Richard Keats who play Jonas and Shelby Glass, Officer Joyce, and Judge Abbott) are listed for 4.1, which makes me feel confident the cast listings are legit. This is in contrast to the new Season 4 episode titles that appeared this week that we have yet to receive confirmation on.

So - who does she play? Assuming “Young Actress” is a placeholder so as not to spoil her character, is she the new potential love interest for Ace? Someone who is somehow affected by the main “graves” mystery storyline? There is one other actress listed for 4.1 who plays “Corpse #3” who is also a stuntwoman, so there is certainly going to be some supernatural high jinks going on in the woods/cemetery (zombies?). Can’t wait to find out if I got even close with my speculation in The Space Between (Chapter 14 coming this week!).

OK, moving from 4.1 to the finale (4.13) and my second reveal, if you remember back on the last day of filming Riley posted a very interesting BTS video of his and Scott’s final scene at The Claw amongst what looks like a baby shower. There are a few new characters in that video revealed in that video, but the most interesting is someone named “Jessica” who was standing right behind Riley and Scott. I believe I’ve found the actress - Jessica Meraz of Major Crimes and Supergirl, who lists “Nancy Drew” as “soon” in her bio, and who certainly looks like the actress we catch a glimpse of in the baby shower scene.

Now I believe she is integral to the scene based on where she’s standing and Scott giving her a big hug. Two thoughts I had were 1. Could she be Jean’s sister? I believe from past clues Carson and Jean get married (in episode 8) and are having a baby. Back in episode 3.11 Jean talks about her sister who has a cabin in Winter Harbor that she and Carson could visit for a romantic weekend (presumably where they are headed at the end of 3.13 after Nancy cries to him about losing her soulmate sniff). It would make sense that Jean’s sister would be a recurring character as her maid of honor, throwing her baby shower, etc.

Second thought is that she is a love interest for Ryan. Reading Jessica Meraz’s IMDB resume and while she looks young, she has been in the business for a bit and could be a good match for Ryan age-wise. It’s possible this is her baby shower and there’s a time jump (she’s wearing a bulky sweater so it’s plausible), but I lean toward it being Jean’s (I’m happy with either!). Could she be Jean’s sister and Ryan’s love interest? We won’t know for a while if this storyline develops mid-season, or who knows, we may meet her in Episode 1!

OK, hope you enjoyed these little crumbs, we are so thirsty for news literally anything is welcome at this point.

#nancy drew #nancy drew cw #ace [redacted] #nace #ndcw #nancy drew season 4 #nancy drew s4 #maddison jaizani #riley smith #alex saxon #nacesource #ndcentral #scott wolf #author: pluckysidekick

[calcbench]

Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 Operations

Like everyone else on the planet, Calcbench has been relieved to see the covid-19 pandemic recede into the background of daily life. Now, however, Johnson & Johnson’s latest earnings report gives us a glimpse of what that fade means for corporate earnings.

J&J ($JNJ) filed its earnings report on Tuesday morning. As we skimmed through the company’s segment disclosures, we noticed an odd detail. J&J had established a new “Innovative Medicine” operating segment, but reported that segment’s numbers “excluding covid-19 vaccines.” 

We’re pretty open-minded about adjustments to earnings around here, but really? Has the decline in covid vaccination business declined so much, so swiftly, that an adjustment is warranted? Come to think of it, how much did covid vaccinations support J&J earnings, anyway? 

It’s all there in the filings — if you know where to look. 

Let’s start with that Innovative Medicine operating segment. Johnson & Johnson defined that segment last summer when the company spun off its consumer health business into Kenvue ($KVUE) in third-quarter 2023. Today’s Innovative Medicine segment had previously been the Pharmaceutical segment, and in the 10-Q J&J now reports the U.S., international, and worldwide revenue for its blockbuster drugs. Pretty cool, actually. See Figure 1, below, for a small sample of what J&J discloses.

Further down that segment report, one sees that J&J reported only $41 million in worldwide revenue for its covid-19 vaccine in Q3 2023 — and all of that revenue came from international sales; J&J reported zero revenue from the United States. Even more jarring, that $41 million in sales was down 91.5 percent from $489 million in the year-earlier period.

OK, those Q3 2023 numbers do establish that J&J’s covid vaccine revenue has been plummeting. Now let’s look at those Q4 numbers filed today.

Covid-19 Revenue and Cost

First, we can see from the Q4 earnings release that the Innovative Medicine segment reported a total of $13.722 billion for the quarter, up 4.2 percent from the year-earlier period in 2022. See Figure 2, below.

Immediately below those line items, we have Innovative Medicine “excluding covid-19 vaccination.” That totalled $13.678 billion for the quarter, which is $44 million less than the $13.722 billion reported in the previous line item.

So that’s how much covid-19 revenue J&J had for Q4 2023: $44 million, compared to (if you do that same math again for Q4 2022 numbers) $689 million in the year-earlier period. That’s a drop of 93 percent. Ouch.

Meanwhile, we also have covid-19 related costs for J&J. The company reports those in the earnings release too, as part of its reconciliation table to square adjusted earnings ($5.56 billion) back to GAAP-approved net earnings ($4.13 billion). See Figure 3, below. The covid costs are highlighted in gray.

As you can see, the company reported a $10 million adjustment related to covid this quarter, down from an $821 million adjustment one year ago. Those costs, the company says in a footnote, stem from “external manufacturing network exit costs and required clinical trial expenses, associated with the company's completion of its COVID-19 vaccine contractual commitments.”

So, clearly, J&J is winding down covid-19 vaccination as a substantial part of its operations. And for those who want to see a history of J&J’s covid revenue since the company first started reporting it at the beginning of 2021, see the rather astonishing Figure 4, below.

More on Calcbench and Pharma Revenue

If following the pharma sector is your thing in financial analysis, don’t forget that large pharma companies report their sales of blockbuster drugs. Calcbench first looked at this corner of financial disclosure in 2018 and then provided a fresh look in 2021. You can use our Segments reporting database to research sales of specific drugs. 

And for Calcbench premium customers, we even have a pharma industry earnings analysis template that uses our Excel Add-in to pull the latest revenue on blockbuster drug sales automatically. 

If you want to learn more (about pharma or any other templates, tools, and other tricks of the trade we have), just email us at [email protected]. 

#financial analysis #earnings #jnj #big pharma

[constructioandchemicalblog]

Builder Hardware Market Revenue Growth, Demand Forecast and Trends Analysis By 2030

The global Builder Hardware market was valued at 4.13 Million USD in 2021 and will grow with a CAGR of 4.38% from 2021 to 2027. Market Research Future (MRFR) in their report envelops segmentations and drivers for a better glimpse of the market in the coming years. Builder hardware is a group of metal hardware that is mainly used for supporting buildings and structures and making them effective in terms of protection, convenience, and aesthetic enhancement. Door handles, door hinges, bolts, latches, locks, and door knockers are some of the builder hardware components that are used with the doors, windows, and cabinets. During the forecast period, the global market is expected to be driven by various factors, such as the growth of the construction industry, rise in demand for strong security, and rise in furniture use. However, fluctuating raw material prices could hamper market growth during the forecast period.

Segmental Analysis

The global Builder Hardware Market is segmented based on type and application.

On the basis of type, the global builder hardware market is segmented into cabinet hardware, doors, hardware, windows hardware, plumbing hardware, and others. The cabinet hardware segment dominated the market and was valued at USD 13,630.2 million in 2018. This value can reach USD 18,486.4 Million by 2024. Meanwhile, the metal segment is witnessing significant growth and is expected to attain 5.22% CAGR during the forecast period.

On the basis of application, the global builder hardware market is segmented into residential and non-residential. In 2018, the residential segment held the maximum market share and enjoyed a valuation of USD 23,288.9 million. This valuation can rise to USD 31,234.5 Million by 2024. This segment is expected to grow with the fastest CAGR of 5.03% during the forecast period.

Market Research Analysis:

On the basis of region, the global market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and South America. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to lead the builder hardware market during the study period, followed by North America. The region is expected to witness the increased development of infrastructure and the construction of residential, commercial, and municipal buildings. China followed by Japan and India are countries that dominate the builder hardware market in Asia-Pacific.

Get Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/builder-hardware-market-7996

Key Players

The prominent players profiled in the global builder hardware market report are ASSA ABLOY (Sweden), Allegion plc (Ireland), Masco Corporation (US), dormakaba Group (Switzerland), Tyman plc. (US), Roto (Germany), Siegenia (Germany), GUANGDONG KIN LONG HARDWARE PRODUCTS CO., LTD (China), and Sobinco (Belgium). Mergers, acquisitions, expansions, and product developments are some strategies that these companies employ to stay ahead of the rest.

About Market Research Future

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

Contact

Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited

99 Hudson Street,5Th Floor

New York, New York 10013

United States of America

Maharashtra, India

[phone]

Email: [email protected]

#Builder Hardware Market

[buttercupbuck]

i will be found, [ao3 link]

tw: shooting, gun violence, blood + spoilers for 4.13/4.14

He’s not safe, but he knows he was supposed to be.

Or at least, he thought he did. Now he’s not so sure. The familiar sound of bullets piercing the air fills his ears as hot blood spills from him and onto the ground below him, and he swears he can feel the phantom feeling of sand clogging his throat.

Absentmindedly, he presses a hand to his abdomen, his vision nearly whiting out as a fresh wave of pain rolls over him, sharp and agonizing. Blood slips past his fingers, pumping out of him with every dragged beat of his heart. He doesn’t move his hand, though, just forces himself to press harder despite the way it sends bursts of pain racking through his body.

Everything hurts and he wants Buck - he thinks he can be safe again if he can just see Buck.

Distantly, he thinks he can hear someone sobbing - no, you have to let me go, let me go, and he finally catches a glimpse of his best friend from under the truck. His heart does something funny, relaxes at the sight of him and spikes at the way he’s struggling against someone. Something in him grows cold, or colder, and he almost chokes on the fear that swells within him.

His hand brushes against the gravel, reaching out, wanting to comfort and maybe to be comforted, too. But it doesn’t connect with anything and the pit of dread grows, threatening to swallow him whole.

It’s then that he realizes he’s still exposed, but he can’t move and he starts to think he’s going to die here. The thought rips a half sob from his throat, and the metallic taste of blood on his tongue makes his stomach roll. After everything, he’s going to bleed out in the middle of the street, alone.

He keeps trying to pull himself towards the truck but everything in him’s draining out with the blood that pools below him and the pain is so overwhelming, and he feels so goddamn helpless. A wave of despair and frustration washes over him; some desperate, embarrassing noise escapes him and there’s no one to even hear it.

But then hands are pulling at him, dragging him underneath the truck, and he panics, sure this is the final blow when he hears Buck, his voice raw and frantic - “Hey, hey, you’re okay. I got you. I got you, okay?”

And the world rights itself when he moves his head to the side and finds his best friend - there’s a wild look in his eyes, but Eddie finds himself relaxing anyway, and he can see the way Buck’s body seems to slump in relief as well.

“How are we doing, Eddie?” Buck asks as he starts to move around, his hand carefully roaming over Eddie’s body until it tightens against his abdomen, applying pressure to his wound and sending a fresh wave of pain through him. A garbled shout escapes him and Buck winces apologetically but doesn’t lighten up.

“Yeah, dumb question,” Buck says for him.

“What’s...what’s happening?”

“There’s a sniper. We - we gotta stay here until it’s clear.”

“Oh. Okay,” he says, trying to breathe around the pain that flares from his abdomen. “I was shot?”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna be okay,” he says, like there’s no room for any other option.

His fingers connect with Buck’s, sliding through the hot, slick mess of his blood. “Yeah, you - you got my back, right?”

“That’s right,” Buck says firmly. “We got each other.”

Sleep tugs at him but he knows he has to stay awake. He can’t - he can’t remember why that’s important, but he doesn’t let himself go yet anyway.

“Am I gonna die?”

“No,” Buck bites, pressing harder on the wound, igniting a white, sharp flame of pain that licks at the edges of his consciousness, “We just have to wait here a little longer, alright?”

“Okay.” He tries to inhale but it gets caught in his throat, blood slipping past his lips. “I-I don’t wanna die, Buck.”

Buck’s expression hardens, a raw but determined look in his eyes as his free hand clasps his jaw. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you. I won’t let it.”

He can feel a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and he exhales. “I know.”

If it were anyone else, he’s not sure he would believe it, but Buck’s hand is warm and firm against his cheek and he knows he’s safe.

Buck keeps talking to him after that - he catches fragments of it here and there, but he can feel himself slipping, even as Buck begs him to stay awake and just hold on, hold on a little longer, please. He tries, though. He doesn’t want to leave Buck alone, not yet.

The other times he felt close to death, he’d been alone, and so...so far from everyone he loved. But Buck is here, and he’s okay. He lets himself lean into Buck’s touch, and he knows that Buck will bring him back home to Chris, to the places where he’s loved. He feels safe and finally warm and it’s enough to let go, knowing that Buck wouldn’t let him fall, or go anywhere he couldn’t follow.

#eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie #buddie fic #911 fox #911 on fox #911 spoilers #alicia writes

[kitkatpancakestack]

"Universe denotes, etymologically, 'turned into one' . . . 'whole, indivisible.'" (Dictionary of Word Origins, John Ayto)

Yeah, you can probably guess what this one is about. And to think I told myself I was done with metas until S5. I blame you, @ktinaj (affectionate). But anyway *pours vodka* who wants to spiral some more about the Universe Theory?

(Quick PSA: I totally lied in an earlier post about when the mobile first showed up in Christopher's room. I thought it was in S3, but it's actually the second episode of S4. Which is even more bonkers.)

Let's start at the beginning. We will, of course, be operating completely under the assumption that this Universe Theory is legitimate and not a collective fandom-induced fever dream. Just humor me. Sorry this is long I can't brevity:

4.02 || The universe mobile appears first when Chris and Eddie are listening to Carla on the computer read them a book about invisible strings connecting people who love each other.

4.06 || Jinx is just a weird episode in general, regarding Eddie's character arc. In an episode about supernatural forces and control vs. powerlessness, it's extra interesting that this is when the writer's chose to kickstart Eddie's romantic arc.

"It's like the universe is screaming at you and you refuse to listen."

"The universe does not scream."

4.08 || So! Interesting! That the writers chose to kickstart Buck's romantic arc a literal! Episode! After Eddie's! And it continues so conspicuously into Breaking Point.

"Do you ever think you just need to be patient, wait for the universe to come to you? . . . Didn't think so."

"We all miss the signs now and then."

We get our next glimpse of Christopher's room in this episode, twice. First at the beginning, after Eddie's date, and again near the end, when Christopher has run away. Both times the universe mobile is in plain sight. Both times Christopher is wearing his universe-themed pajamas. In the first scene, Eddie and Christopher talk about his friend and Eddie is cagey as hell about it. In the second scene, Christopher tells Buck what a great friend he is, and Buck clearly is not in agreement with this sentiment.

4.10 || This is only distantly, distantly related to the universe theme, but I'm including it for the scene at the end with Eddie and Ana on the couch watching a movie, and Chris joins them, and he is not wearing universe pajamas. They are dinosaurs. How INCH resting

4.13 || We get yet another look into Christopher's room in this episode, with Eddie, Carla, and Christopher inside, and Ana eventually coming to stand in the doorway very much separate from them. There's a weird universe-esque poster that appears on the wall of Christopher's room in this scene. I say appear because it is literally non-existent before this episode. It's placement is important as it is specifically shown in the framing with Chris and Eddie.

Big thanks to @ktinaj for pointing this next one out and making me lose whatever sanity I had left. I can't believe I'm saying this, but after Ana comes into frame and whisks Eddie away, the camera pans up enough to show that - gasp - the universe mobile is in fact missing. Almost as if Ana isn't the missing piece of Christopher's universe, almost as if there is somebody else who has been hinted at fulfilling that role this whole season. Tim I am looking through your window.

4.14 || The next scene we get of Christopher's room is Buck going to talk to him about Eddie getting shot. Buck standing in the doorway, Buck entering the room, Buck occupying Christopher's space with him with practiced familiarity. Nevermind that the universe mobile has suspiciously returned to its proper place and is put in frame. But the weird universe-esque poster that popped up in the previous episode is still on the wall, only it's been moved to a different location so it can share the frame with Buck and Christopher. I mean what kind of bullshit —

And of course, the scene with Christopher waking Buck up on the couch, wearing that damn universe pajama shirt.

Is this a meta or just a bizarre preponderance of evidence? Idk. Either way, I'm not saying I'm not crazy, I'm just saying I picked up on this and other people picked up on this and for all the little mistakes TV shows are prone to make (9-1-1 in all its brilliance is far from perfect) . . . this is just difficult for me to wrap my head around. I know we essentially circulate the same dumbfounded posts around because we're all still in shock . . . but that should say something in and of itself.

Oh well *pours more vodka* until my sweet validation I will just be sitting here like

#I am so tired #so weary #this show got me too emotionally drained #Oh look surprise surprise #weewoo show owns my soul #universe theory #christopher diaz is the universe #this started as a joke but it is NO LONGER A JOKE #How is this no longer a joke #buddie #911 meta #meta by me

[eidetictelekinetic]

Fic Interview Meme

Thanks for the tag, @rubickk7 !

How many works do you have on AO3? 

I have 115 fics.

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

1,553,954

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

On AO3:

The Magicians (TV) (28)

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin (21)

Inception (2010) (20)

Suits (US TV) (17)

Game of Thrones (TV) (12)

Black Sails (7)

Supernatural (6)

The Avengers (Marvel Movies) (5)

A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms (5)

The Tudors (TV) (3)

The Hobbit - All Media Types (2)

X-Men (Movieverse) (2)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2)

The Hobbit (Jackson Movies) (2)

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) (2)

X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) (2)

American Gods - Neil Gaiman (1)

Conviction (TV 2006) (1)

16th Century CE RPF (1)

Star Wars Legends - All Media Types (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (1)

Whitechapel (TV) (1)

Chronicles of Narnia (Movies) (1)

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (1)

Here’s the list from my fanfiction.net days (some overlap here):

Song of the Lioness

Star Wars

Stargate: SG-1

Harry Potter

In The Forests of the Night

X-Men: The Movie

Circle of Magic

Doctor Who

House, M.D.

Wicked

Law and Order: SVU

Torchwood

Charmed

Primeval

NCIS

Tudors

Inception

Supernatural

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Lady of Rivers and Storms [ASOIAF]: When Lysa miscarries Petyr's child before anyone learns of her pregnancy, her father negotiates a different marriage for her instead. Married to the second Baratheon son, will the future be any easier for either of them?

In the Middle (Before I Knew I Had Begun) [Suits]: It's an accident, when Mike touches Lyla. But everything follows from there. (Or maybe everything follows from the moment Rhi saw the golden tiger and all she could think was how beautiful she was.)

Skyfall Is Where We Start [ASOIAF]: 'At least Stannis won't laugh at Renly if the boy tries to follow him around when he's a bit older and takes a tumble on the flagstones. It's not much, not much at all, but perhaps it's enough to be going on with.'

Robert never loved his brothers, but this is not a story about Robert. This is about Stannis, and Renly, and glimpses of how they might have been different, had they let themselves love each other as brothers usually do.

Breakin’ Out the Institution [Suits]: “OK, so, before we start, a few things you should know about me. My name’s Mike Ross, not Rick Sorkin. I am a lawyer, I just didn’t go to Harvard. But you should hear me out anyway.”

Where Mike is actually a lawyer, a Brooklyn ADA looking for a change of pace, and gatecrashes Harvey's interviews entirely on purpose.

Lay Me Down (Pockets Full of Stones) [The Magicians]: The world spins, and Quentin doesn’t even feel his knees buckle, or how his head hits the wall on the way down. All he knows is the fall into the quiet dark.

In which Quentin survives the events of 4.13 by taking such bad care of himself he never actually makes it to the Mirror Realm. Also in which everyone loses him for a day, and Eliot is Not Happy about this.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yeah; I like getting responses to my comments so I do my best to reply to comments I get.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I had to go back to fanfiction.net for this because I never crossposted these to AO3, but Kiss My Eyes for The Tudors. It was Anne of Cleves/Cromwell, which was tragic mostly because it was historically compliant so a deathfic. Honorable mention, same fandom, was And In That Hour, Charles Brandon/Margaret Tudor and Charles Brandon/Henry VIII, unrequited love for the latter. 

Fun fact about the latter, it was the first m/m fic I ever wrote; the deal was I’d write a slash fic if one of my forum friends did a femslash one.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Ha. Hahahahahaha. So, back when I was 17-18 I was working on a verse titled A Moment To Be Real, and it was a crossover verse that, taking all the relevant fics into account, included Charmed, Primeval, the Whoniverse, and NCIS in major capacities. In more minor capacities, the plans for the verse also included Fringe, Supernatural, Stargate SG1/Atlantis, and Warehouse 13. Oh, and there were two main timelines and two minor ones the stories spent time in. Heh. Yeah, that was a thing, yes it was way too big a project and I didn’t finish it, but I truly think that working to juggle all that was very helpful to my later work. 

I don’t write a lot of major crossovers anymore, but I tend to just... live in the idea that certain canons can feasibly coexist so when I can do little crossover cameos I like to do them. One recent exception is return to the sunlit lands, which is a Magicians/Narnia crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not recently; a long time ago back on ff.net, I left a comment that was misunderstood as hate (I said something was bad, meaning the characters’ situation, but the author thought I meant her writing) and the author of that fic responded in kind. Once I clarified, they were nicer in a subsequent review. I’ve been very lucky in that regard; I’ve had friends who have had to deal with a lot of drama in that sense.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I didn’t for a long time, but recently I’ve begun to! So far, it’s been m/m and f/f, though there was an intentionally-vague m/m/f scene and I’m... currently avoiding writing a more detailed one because I’m nervous as hell about it, lol.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, actually! Two of my older ASOIAF fics, All the Traveled Roads and I Will Not Fall, I Will Not Break have translations, which is just really neat to me.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

About ten years ago I was working on a joint project about modern day Tudors; never did get posted, alas. I’m not sure I’d be very well suited to co-writing a single story; co-writing a verse where different authors do different stories might work, though.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

God, I have no idea, but I still and always have strong feelings about Sam/Jack from Stargate SG1, so let’s go with that for longevity?

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

A Moment To Be Real, actually; it’s not so much that I want to finish it as that I know I won’t and I regret it. I have another verse that I probably won’t finish but one of these days I’ll at least post an outline of where I saw it going so that there will be some degree of closure. Pretty much every other fic has at least a faint chance I might go back to it, or I genuinely don’t want to.

What are your writing strengths?

Worldbuilding and handling the moving pieces of a canon divergent AU. I’ve also been told I’m pretty good with ensembles.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, which is unfortunate when I find myself definitely needing to write a battle, and I suspect is part of my smut hang-ups too.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have done it occasionally, but honestly I feel it’s usually easier to italicize English dialogue and put the other language in the narration - I think it’s probably easier to read, too.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Stargate SG1

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I couldn’t possibly pick one, really.

Tagging @theemightypen @cosmonauthill @jayneladybright @ofthedirewolves @portraitofemmy @nellie-elizabeth @mihrsuri

#kate writes fic #this took a while!

[thotsonthebible]

Sometimes Life Interferes

1 Corinthians 2.9 (ESV)

But as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him'…

I'm sorry these posts have been erratic lately, but sometimes life just gets in the way. This one is a personal note.

The long-term care facility where my mother is staying is finally allowing visitors—but only 1 or 2 at a time, and only once every 8 days.  Why the 8-day rule?  Who knows. It's probably part of the same CDC protocol that requires me to wear an N95 mask and face shield.  So after a little more than a year, I was finally able to visit my mother again.  My brother took the next visiting day, and my turn was this Saturday.

However, I was called to the nursing home this morning.  They were unable to rouse Mom and her blood pressure was extremely low.  The nursing supervisor thought that perhaps the sound of a familiar voice might help.  And the nurses had questions regarding end-of-life care.

My son and I drove to the nursing home, went through the screening required to be allowed inside, and sat with her for hours.

She wasn't responsive when we arrived—only an occasional flutter of the eyelids—but she did eventually regain consciousness for a while.  She wondered where she was, asked if the doctor had told me how long she would live, and then asked, 'Do you think anyone really knows what heaven is like?'  I answered, 'No, I don't.  I think it's more wonderful than anyone can even imagine!'  She replied, 'So do I!'—and she smiled.

She said she'd seen lots of people: family, friends, but most of all, Jesus.  She'd obviously had a glimpse through heaven's door—and I think she's being called home.

I knew she'd wanted to go home for years, and I told her if she wanted to go, it was all right; we'd be fine.  We'd miss her terribly, but we'd be fine.  After that, we just talked.  Mom mostly talked about the folks she'd known who'd gone before her.

I offered her water on a small sponge to moisten her mouth, because she didn't think she'd be able to swallow if offered a sip from a straw.  I was reminded, uncomfortably, of Jesus' last moments on the cross.

Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.  —Matthew 27.48 (NASB)

The liquid on the small sponge that I offered Mom wasn't sour wine, but fresh mountain water, and she kept telling me how refreshing it was.

I'm returning to the nursing home this evening.

How much longer will she be with us?  I don't know—but I know when she leaves us, she'll be welcomed into the arms of her loving Savior, Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  —1 Thessalonians 4.13 (NIV)

What is our hope? Our hope is in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.

Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?'  —John 11.25-26 (NASB)

Do you believe it?

#Bible #Bible study #Christianity #religion #Jesus #heaven #death #hope #resurrection

[philomaela]

Top 5 Aslaug costumes

I actually did a gifset of this! but tbf some of my faves didn’t make it into the list bc they got like no good screentime and also it was hard to choose. So, I’m gonna try to do a revised version. Though… probably some of my faves still won’t show up since I’m only allowed to pick 5 lol

1. Her entrance look from 2.01: Let’s be real, this was the best costume Vikings EVER did. It was gorgeous, dramatic and unique, but on top of that, it subtly conveyed a lot about Aslaug’s characterization, background and intentions. The furs and the gold pins and threading conveyed her rank, it was on such another level from other high-ranking character’s costumes so it immediately put her on another level. Plus, that fishnet-style detailing that highlights her pregnancy?  What a shady queen lol.

2. Her purple dress from 4.01: it showed up in all of the promo images and it was so fucking gorgeous! and then… we see it in like one scene and ALWAYS in an awful light. WHY would you do that, I consider it a personal attack honestly, to hide such a beautiful costume.

3. Her appearing in a fishnets…. it was like she stepped out of the pages of a fairytale, it was everything I had pictured and more.

4. There was this white gown and cloak combo she wore in s1, it was only in one scene, but it haunts me. I just love the glimpses I saw of it, the detailing on both the cloak and dress. The cut and simplistic elegance, it was great for s1, where she was portraying this mysterious, otherworldly fairytale princess.

5. Her final look in 4.13-4.14 when she’s facing Lagertha and her army. I loved it because it was like the antitheses of a battle look? Like you know how a lot of Lagertha’s dresses are “battle armor inspired” in s4b-s5? They could have very easily done something like that for Aslaug since this is her kind of like fighting back. But, that’s never been who she is! And you know, this was her battle and she was going to go through with it in her own way, just like she’s gone through everything else in her life.

#Anonymous #Asked and Answered #vk ask #aslaug #sorry gonna put this in the tags bc I went in depth #games ask

[buffster]

The I in Team (BTVS 4.13)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

In Buffy, there are always background issues sprinkled throughout the season before they begin to come to a head. This episode: Xander’s failure to thrive post high-school. He’s selling “healthy” candy bars (unsuccessfully) to try and make a bit of money. He forces a reluctant Giles to purchase some. There’s also a red flag between him and Anya as we note her obsession with money and his lack of big-money-making ambitions. He wants to make her happy, but he’s a simple guy. Their goals and desires don’t really match up in a way that could leave both satisfied. 

We see Buffy throw herself into the commandos operation, leaving her friends behind and wary of what she’s getting herself into. Has anyone else noticed Buffy’s tendency to not involve people in her life? It’s like she sections people off but no one gets access to the full Buffy. As soon as she gets a boyfriend she has this whole side life with him that her friends don’t really know about, but Riley doesn’t know about Spike or her past with Angel...I mean, obviously no friend knows everything that’s going on with you and vice versa, but she keeps some pretty big secrets to herself on a regular basis. Big on the internalizing, our Buffy. 

Willow in particular has always seemed the most bothered by this aspect of Buffy’s personality, which is probably why she’s jumped at the chance to have her own private world with Tara. We see the usual lonely-Willow face as Buffy runs off, but now she can head to Tara’s instead of just feeling pathetic. 

No one can say Buffy didn’t give a good faith effort to trust the Initiative. She doesn’t seem to notice they’re subtly testing her skills and getting a good read on what she can do. Forrest is, predictably, not happy about the situation. 

Graham: He made you team leader, didn’t he?

Forrest: That’s not the point. I’ve always been Riley’s second-in-command. Instead he picks a girl.

Graham: His girl.

Forrest: Whatever. Three guesses what that boy’s thinking with.

It’s funny everyone at the Initiative is a bit obsessed with Riley. If Buffy were made today there would definitely be a Forrest-is-in-love-with-Riley subplot.

Speaking of what Riley’s thinking with, we get a montage of Buffy and Riley fighting demons and having sex for the first time. It makes me wonder how much fighting was foreplay for them, and if that was tied in to Riley’s issues when Buffy doesn’t trust him to come along anymore post super-soldier. If the sex was less exciting he probably became worried about his hold on Buffy. Anyway, Maggie is so creepy for watching them have sex. She’s totally rocking that vibe you get around certain mothers where you wonder just how obsessed with their sons they are (am I the only one who’s met one of those mothers?).

Sadly, Buffy wakes up panicked the morning after with Riley. This is the first time in her life things haven’t immediately gone to hell after sex. It was almost an entire day before it happened this time! Progress. 

Willow’s worry makes it’s way over to Buffy and she begins to question the operation a bit. The culture of the Initiative is don’t ask questions, just follow orders. They’ve got a bunch of soldiers contributing to an operation they know absolutely nothing about. It’s amazing the kind of trust they have in authority figures. But Buffy’s used to leading, not following. 

Giles: Thinking about your affliction -- as well as your newly discovered ability to fight only demons. It occurs to me - and I realize it's against your nature - but have you considered there may be a higher purpose--

Spike: Aagh. Made me lose count. What are you still doing here?

I’ve mentioned over on my Angel commentary that he’s really struggled to find reasoning for his being brought back. He thinks there’s a higher meaning for his continued existence despite all he’s faced (I mean, that’s got to be easier than thinking it’s all pointless, right? Ah, and there’s our set up for his break down...anyway...). Spike has no interest in Giles musing about his new potential now that he’s chipped. Spike just wants to smoke, shag, and maybe get into some trouble as always. 

After an unfortunate meeting with the commandos Spike turns up at Giles’ door despite just telling him he wants nothing to do with him. Xander’s military knowledge (it’s amazing how often that’s come up) helps them realize he’s got a tracker implanted in him. Giles gets some of the money back from the Fyarl fiasco in exchange for helping. Interestingly, Giles immediately calls Willow to perform a spell to buy them some time. No concern about her use of magic right now.

Spike: I'm not going anywhere. Not until those bastards undo whatever they did to me. Put me back the way I was.

Xander: Sure, just explain to the nice scientist guys that you really miss torturing and killing innocent people.

Spike: Think that'll work?

Giles: Spike, Lord knows why I'm telling you this, but it's for your own good. As long as the Initiative's in operation, it's not safe for you here.

After Maggie watched Buffy and Riley and heard her ask about 314 she makes the decision to kill Buffy. Since Maggie died prematurely we can only speculate on how much she was motivated by possession of Riley vs. pure protectiveness over her operation. I think it was obviously a little of both, but ultimately I think her feelings for Riley would have lost out to her love of the Initiative. I think a big reason she cared so much for him was his compliance anyway. Maggie expresses some regret over the loss of a powerful ally in Buffy.

After sending Riley on a mission Maggie contacts Buffy to set her up. We get a quick glimpse of Buffy and Willow’s lack of a relationship right now as neither tells the other why they were out all night. Buffy is sent to the sewers and quickly realizes she’s been set up. And then THE BEST SCENE:

Maggie: Two of our hostiles broke free and escaped into the tunnels. She went after them on her own. She's dead, Riley.

Riley: What?

Maggie: I did everything I could to stop her. Told her to wait for a back-up team. She kept insisting she didn't need any team, she could handle it herself.

Maggie: I'm so, so sorry.

Riley: I-I don't understand. How could this happen?

Maggie: I know how much you cared for her. She was a very, very special girl...I was just beginning to... I didn't understand at first. But she had something. I don't know... maybe I could've stopped her. It's hard not to blame myself--

Buffy: Hello, Professor Walsh...That simple little recon you asked me to do? Wasn't a raccoon. Turns out it was me trapped in a sewer with a faulty weapon and two of your pet demons on my hands. If you think that's enough to kill me you really don't know what a slayer is. Trust me when I say you're gonna find out.

First, I love that Walsh really thought her trap would work. Buffy hasn’t had access to military-grade weapons throughout her run as the slayer (okay, maybe a few times) so she’s had to rely on creativity. Second, I love Riley’s emotional reaction. A little poorly acted, but so cute. And third, badass Buffy is badass. Suck it, Walsh.

Riley walks out to the Maggie ordering him to stop--even resorting to saying Riley instead of Agent Finn. But for once he’s not following orders. Maggie seems to think he’ll come around once Buffy is killed. But Adam wakes up and kills “mommy” before she gets the chance to find out. This is when the villain arc of the season begins to suck. Adam is a huge downgrade from Maggie/the government and their infinite resources.

Character Notes:

Buffy Summers: When she was eight she took a trip to Washington D.C with her parents and got lost in the Smithsonian. Her code number is 91423.

Riley Finn: His code number is 75329.

Tara Maclay: She found a dolls-eye crystal in her attic she believes belonged to her grandmother. She gets it for Willow, but Willow doesn’t feel right taking it.

#david fury #buffy summers #riley finn #theiinteam #s4 #tara maclay #willow rosenberg #Xander Harris #anya jenkins #spike #rupert giles #forrest gates #Graham Miller #maggie walsh #willow/tara #xander/anya #Buffy/Riley

[frakyeaheureka]

#eureka #a town called eureka #eurekaedit #jo lupo #zane donovan #erica cerra #niall matter. #.gif #season 4 #4.13: Glimpse #bbecher #chewieblog #scifiedit #scifigifs

[darkstar6782]

4.13: After School Special - My Rewatch Review

Feels like it’s been a while since we had a flashback episode. I always really enjoy them because, as fascinating as I find the Winchesters’ adult lives, their lives as children are equally unique, but not explored in nearly as much detail. Not to mention, there is something about contemplating the way that their childhoods turned them into the men they are today, for better or for worse, that I will always appreciate the show being willing to explore, specifically because their experiences growing up were not just far from normal, but also pretty far from healthy, and this episode in particular does a pretty good job of illustrating that with a fair amount of nuance.

I also love the way it shows their lifestyle affecting Sam and Dean in different ways. I find it likely that Dean, as a younger kid, probably had the same grievances that Sam does here about always having to change schools and be the new kid, but this close to the end of his schooling , he has embraced the aspects of that reality that benefit him—he doesn’t care about the schoolwork or impressing the teachers, he doesn’t take relationships with girls seriously, and he flaunts the independence that his father’s absence gives him. It’s a pretty popular headcanon, given the timeline, that this was one of the last, if not the last school that Dean attended before he dropped out, and that his decision was likely driven by the experiences he had here—not just the fact that he ends up being mocked and belittled by his ‘girlfriend’ for the way he has chosen to embrace and cope with the life his family leads, but also because Sam chose to stand up to his bully, which I can see leading Dean to decide that his little brother doesn’t need him around to look after him any more, so school is now just a waste of time. It makes me sad for Dean, in some ways, because Amanda wasn’t wrong when she said that his bad boy facade was all an act, but only because it’s not an act that he can easily drop. I find Dean a very easy character to understand mainly because so many of the traits he exhibits are classic oldest child behaviors, and this is definitely one of them. Dean has absolutely no say in the way he was raised, or in the responsibility he is expected to shoulder, and the best way for him to keep the peace and make things easier for Sam is to act like he’s okay with everything being asked of him, and somewhere along the way, he probably even managed to convince himself that he was okay with it. But deep down, there is definitely a part of him that isn’t, and it has to hurt him all the more when that part is exposed by someone who doesn’t have the faintest idea why all those walls were built up around him in the first place.

In contrast, Sam’s ability to express exactly how he feels about the way their lives affect him is a privilege that he doesn’t even realize he has yet, though it is not something to be celebrated, because he definitely has his own troubles, as this episode illustrates equally well. We get to see him coming into his own as a kid, standing up for what’s right and trying to protect those who can’t protect themselves, and then we get to see him facing up to the complexity of the consequences of his childhood actions—that no matter how hard you try to protect someone, you don’t always succeed (in the case of Barry) and that in the process of doing what you think is right, you can cause more harm than good simply by not knowing the whole story (in the case of Dirk). And that is a lesson he is going to learn again by the end of the season, but in a very different context, and with much more devastating consequences for both himself and the world. It often is a shame that the lessons the boys are supposed to learn from the meta narratives within these episodes are made so obvious to the audience, but are obfuscated from them, causing them to make the same mistakes over and over again.

As a final note, there is another cool headcanon about this episode that I totally subscribe to, because it is too good not to. There is an episode in Season 9 where we see flashbacks to a young Dean who is not much younger than Dean in this episode is supposed to be. And yet, he is shown as a fair bit younger-looking and less mature in that episode than we see him here, and the glimpse we get of young Sam in that episode makes him seem very young. There were practical reasons for those discrepancies, but the headcanon that took root as a better explanation is that this episode, where Dean is seen as a tall, swaggering badass and Sam as just a normal kid, is showing us both Sam and Dean from Sam’s point of view, and that episode, where Sam is an innocent little kid and Dean looks and and acts like a normal teenager with all the accompanying uncertainties, is showing us Sam and Dean from Dean’s point of view. I will discuss this bit of meta more when we get there in the rewatch, but it’s worth mentioning here as well, because it is a good example of how our view of the characters in any given episode needs to take into account the point-of-view of the narrative to some extent.

#supernatural #4.13 after school special #spn rewatch #tgpcSPNr #the great pre-convention SPN rewatch

[antmrankingskd]

Beauty

Place: 4th

My call-out average: 4.25

Panel call-out average: 4.13

Favorite Photo: Pin-Up Giant Shot

Least Favorite Photo: Subaru Dogs Campaign

Beauty immediately jumped out to me as one of, if not the most modelsque girl in the cast. Her body was just ridiculous and she had a breathtaking face that could appeal to both commercial and high fashion brands/briefs/concepts. I also thought she had a stellar runway walk, as shown by her challenge win in the first week and the few glimpses I saw of her in the finale fashion show. However, it took a bit of time for her to find her groove in front of the camera. In the first five weeks of the cycle her photos were usually pretty good (Subaru shot aside), but she never wowed me and was outclassed by some of the other top competitors like Mia, Jachin, and Adela. I was relieved that she finally stepped it up and delivered fantastic shots in the Supermarket and Pin-Up Giant photoshoots, both of which were some of the strongest pictures of the entire season. I quite liked her final Subaru shot as well, and I don’t think it should’ve eliminated her at that point. Beauty did have a few weaknesses though. She struggled with confidence and often had to be coached on set, though she did improve as the weeks went on. I also noticed that she didn’t show a lot of variety with her face and had similar expressions in a lot of her shots. Despite those drawbacks, I really believe that Beauty would’ve been a worthy finale contender and I’d be happy with her winning as well. Her look had so much potential for success outside of the show, and while it took some time for her to develop I still found her portfolio to be very strong overall. 

#beauty thet thinn #asntm6contestants #asntm

[alyblacklist]

What’s going on with Ressler?

We finally got a glimmer of a Ressler storyline in 4.13. He has a brother - and a living mother? (Yeah, even I missed that “love you, mom” the first time - thanks @aussiokie) Who knew? Is this a one episode glimpse? Something more? Only time will tell. But ever since it aired I’ve seen a number of posts saying "Ressler should have just asked for the day off," or "Ressler should stop hating on Red after everything."  So this post is an effort to put down my thoughts on both of those issues.

First - the simple question.  Why not just ask Cooper for the day off?  Sure he's a federal employee and they get paid leave but this unit is not your typical government job.  Cooper made that clear back in S1 to Meera:

"I agreed to let you join this task force with the promise that family wouldn’t be an issue. I don’t mean to be a hard-ass, but in this unit, job comes first, second, and third."

Liz understood that when she stayed on the job despite learning that Sam was sick.  Charlene had an affair because that's how Cooper operated.  Samar understands it now.  She never validates Ressler's feelings that he should have dropped everything to be with his brother.  Instead, she says:

"You were working. Whether Reddington is involved or not, it’s your job."

So once there was a case to run, Ressler was going to stay.  But that feeds into the bigger issue - Ressler is questioning whether the sacrifices of the job are worth it.  He said as much to Samar over a year ago in 3.07:

Ressler. I mean, this place, this job, it’s – After Audrey died, I came to work the very next day. It’s so easy to lose perspective, forget what really matters. Samar: Are you okay? Ressler: I’m not so sure

Ressler can handle the sacrifice required for the job as long as he can convince himself it's for the greater good.  The purpose matters.  He said it to Dr. Friedman in Lord Baltimore:

"I feel like crap. But I know the good we do here, why it matters. And am I worried that someday it’s not gonna be enough? Yeah. And when that day comes, you’ll be the first to know."

And again to Liz when she wanted to turn herself in over the Harbormaster:

Ressler: How many people do you think are alive today that wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for the work that we do? Liz: Please. Ressler: 50? 100? How many, Liz? How many families haven’t buried a mother, a father, brother, sister? Children? Liz: That doesn’t make it right. Ressler: No. It’s never gonna be right. See, the only question is the body count. So, you go ahead and you nail yourself to a cross, and while you’re up there feeling sanctified, you consider how many people are gonna die because this task force gets shut down and the rest of those animals on Reddington’s list are still out there feeding..... No. Don’t. Don’t ask me to feel your pain, Liz. I got more than enough of my own.

In fact he uses the job to escape the fact that the rest of his life seems to lack joy or purpose.  He buries himself in work.  So that brings us to where we are now.  It's been over two years since that conversation with Dr. Friedman.  Ressler has battled addiction but still has no one to go home to at night.  No personal life that we ever see.  Meanwhile, his job - his escape - has increasingly become about breaking and bending the rules - something that makes him very uncomfortable.  He nearly let Red murder Kirk in front of him at the end of last season, only to find out that Red was hiding Kirk's true connection to Liz.  So he's increasingly on edge.  Ressler has learned over the years that Red always has a personal agenda in at least most of the cases he gives them.  For him to be ok with that he needs to see a larger purpose, a greater good.  He needs to be able to rack up the case in his mind as a "win” especially if he is going to be asked to go into the grey and break rules.  But ever since they recovered Liz and Agnes, it's getting harder for Ressler (and Cooper, I think) to see the greater good.  How what they are doing matters beyond Red's personal agenda, especially after Red let Alexander Kirk go.

Ressler began increasingly focusing on Red's agenda during the Kirk arc.  For example, in the Thrushes:

Ressler: You sicced us on Le Bron as a test. You knew that if Kirk was listening and he heard that we were going after Le Bron, he’d try to get to him first. Red: We set the bait. He took it. Cooper: A human sacrifice.

And later - with Dr. Adrian Shaw:

Ressler: What the hell was that all about? Who’s Sonia Bloom? Red: Apparently, Adrian Shaw. Samar: You didn’t care about The Coroner. Red: No, I didn’t. Ressler: You used us to find him for you so he could tell you about Bloom. Red: I don’t know what the two of you are so indignant about. I told you about a criminal you had no idea existed, and now he’s in your custody. The Coroner gives you dozens of criminals you thought were dead or missing. Take the win, Donald. You could use one.

So Ressler is seeing Red's apparent agenda more and more with the cases, but Ressler can still justify it as long as it's necessary for Liz's safety or some other greater good.  But then Kirk is gone and it's back to business as usual - or is it?  

Ressler - and the rest of the Task Force - are working with far less information than Liz.  While Liz is getting “Red-time” stories at the end of every episode, they are not, and there's no evidence she’s sharing what she's learned.  So while Liz learns, for example, that Red's "personal agenda" in 4.11 was to save Mr. Kaplan’s sister, the Task Force doesn't know that.  

Instead, by the time we get to 4.12, everyone on the Task Force is openly questioning Red's agenda:

Samar: You may think you’re paid enough to serve the public’s interest and Reddington’s. Personally, I don’t. Ressler: If someone killed Reddington’s accountant, you think he’s gonna want us to just put him in jail? I mean, the second we find him, he’s gonna insist we turn him over so he can make an example by murdering him. Cooper: I agree. Agent Keen, tell Reddington he’s on his own.

And by 4:13, Ressler is becoming increasingly fed up.  He's not seeing any bigger picture beyond Reddington's own agenda.  He's not seeing the "why it matters" anymore enough for him to be sacrificing everything - risking everything.

Samar: You said Stone went after one of Reddington’s couriers. Liz: Yes, and one of his accountants. According to our last Blacklister, Natalie Luca … Aram: Typhoid Mary. Liz: Stone used her to kill Reddington’s accountant and money-launderer, Zack Smoll. Cooper: Ressler, Navabi, get with DGSE. See what they can tell us about the murdered courier. Ressler: With all due respect, sir. I feel that Reddington gave us this case to protect himself. Liz: Against someone we should be interested in taking down anyway. Ressler: We’ll, can we at least put a clock on it? Cooper: Why? Is there someone else you have to be? Ressler: Look, I’m just saying. If it turns out we end up doing all the heavy lifting for him, maybe we shouldn’t devote too much time to it. Cooper: I understand there’s a line, Agent Ressler, and that you think he’s crossed it. Reddington insists his courier’s death was part of a larger threat and we’re going to investigate it. Samar: Everything okay? With the phone call? Ressler: Yeah. It’s just stuff. Samar: “Stuff”? Ressler: Yeah, stuff. Everything’s fine.

He says it to Liz:

Ressler: Jesus, Keen, you just got your badge back. Liz: Because of Reddington. He needs our help. Ressler: So what? We just drop everything? We put off everything to help this guy? No, it’s too much, Keen. The guy demands too much. I’m not going in there without a warrant, and neither should you.

And to Samar:

Ressler: What’s wrong is I’m here in Monaco when my brother’s going in for surgery. I mean, maybe if it was for the right reason, I-I wouldn’t have a problem, but it’s not. It’s for Reddington. He might as well sign our checks. We work for him.

And that's what it boils down to.  Ressler no longer feels like he's working for good - he feels like he's working to further Red's criminal empire.  And in his mind, he's asking himself if it's worth it.  Liz may not have a choice about working with Red but the rest of them do and I'm very curious to see where they go with this over the next several episodes.  I think both Ressler and Cooper are close to reaching a breaking point with Red - and Red seizing Isabella Stone from federal custody won't help matters at all.  Ressler needs a purpose again - a mission he can believe in - in order to be comfortable working in the grey of Red’s world.

#The Blacklist #Donald Ressler

[imyourplusone]

You think Red was saying goodbye somehow with that gift for Agnes? And the part of the song playing was "I foresee this ending in a shower of flame", right? I mean he's not going to actually die but in a few weeks we know he's gonna get very close to it... I wonder if he already knew something...

Hey there’s nothing like a little near death experience to put things in perspective right? Change that perception a little so I’m sorry Red it has to be you again this time buddy but we are definitely in need of a good dose of CLARITY.

Time for Lizzy to realize Red is worth fighting for and some kindness wouldn’t hurt. We saw a glimpse of this in 4.13 but consistency isn’t Ms Keen’s thing so let’s see that from now on ok.

Time for the Post Office gang to stop ganging up on Red and remember the good work they’ve done, the lives they’ve saved. Yeah Red has his own agenda but sometimes and a good deal of the time that agenda is for the greater good. So maybe slow your roll Coop and Ressler.

Speaking of Ressler….time for a remembrance of times past and another near death experience. Namely his. He’d have died in a pool of his own blood had it not been for Red saving his life in the box so Donald please….clarity.

So yeah the foreshadowing is pretty damn blatant from Red’s growing agitation as the threat grows to the song that played when he handed over the gift. Do I necessarily think he was saying goodbye with the gift? Not entirely. Red likes to give meaningful gifts, made or restored by his own hand. Something to be kept and hopefully treasured. He loves Agnes and perhaps he pictures her laughing when the birds come out to chirp. He’s only seen Agnes once since she left his safe house and that’s technically only because he broke into the unmarried Keen’s apartment. He knows he’s not a consistent part of her life (yet) and so I think the clock was a way to express his feelings and give her a gift that comes from the heart. I just don’t like viewing the gift as a goodbye since Red is such a fighter. It ain’t over till it’s over and it ain’t over yet. He’s like us in a lot of ways. Always hopeful for better days ahead with Lizzy and now Agnes.

#anon

[fiucat-blog]

Paving the Way for Powerful Learning

Welcome to the Fall 2017 semester! On Monday, thousands of students will arrive on FIU’s campuses, eager—and a little nervous—to meet their professors and learn from your expertise. And for about 2800 of these students, this semester will be their first time in college. The more we know about our students, the more effectively we can support their learning. What do we know so far about this year’s incoming class of first-year students? 

For starters, that they’re an impressive group: The average high school GPA and SAT score for our entering students are 4.13 and 1199! This includes 5 National Merit Scholars and 21 National Hispanic Scholars. About 600 entering students are first-generation college students, and more than half are eligible for Pell grants. 

Whether you too are new to FIU this semester, or you’ve been here for decades, most faculty also greet the first day of class with a mix of excitement and nervousness. While we might take comfort in spending the first class session distributing the syllabus and reading it aloud, the first meeting or first time students see your online course presents an invaluable opportunity to make a positive first impression—one that will likely influence how your students respond to the course, to you, and to each other!

In How Learning Works (2010), Ambrose et al. remind us that as instructors, “we have a great deal of control over the climate we shape, and can leverage climate in the service of learning” (p. 180). Especially on the first day, you can create the kind of learning environment that motivates students to excel. Here are two strategies for using the first day to pave the way for a productive and supportive learning environment:

Showing Your Passion for the Discipline. Our passion and enthusiasm for our subject matter can be incredibly powerful and contagious. Though students may not be particularly interested or invested in a course at first, experiencing the palpable enthusiasm you have for your discipline can foster their motivation, engagement, and curiosity, all essential to learning.

On the first day, help students get to know you. What excites you most about your subject? Why? How did your learning shape or change you? What particular skills (which they will be developing in your class) served you in your professional life? Give them a glimpse of the possibilities. Let them see the connections between the content of your course, other courses to come, and the world beyond the classroom.

Making Uncertainty Safe. Our college courses can be intimidating spaces. Although risk-taking is essential to intellectual growth, and students are enriched by the diverse viewpoints surrounding them, they might resist new or conflicting knowledge and will need support navigating ambiguity and embracing complexity.

Making uncertainty safe entails creating a learning environment where students are encouraged to actively participate in productive dialogue and discussion and to ask questions that can lead to more meaningful understanding of complex concepts. As faculty, we might forget that asking questions can be difficult or frightening for students, but we can encourage them to overcome their fears by inviting their questions and responding generously. We can also give students a few minutes to write before they participate, so they can gather their ideas and examine their own thinking before they attempt to share it. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we can model and encourage active listening, for example, by inviting students to paraphrase their peers’ points of view. In this way, we can demonstrate that we value our students’ thinking, and we expect them to value one another as well.

We hope you enjoy meeting your students and helping them get to know one another next week! 

How else do you use the first class session or first online course experience to pave the way for an engaging, supportive, and challenging semester? We’d love to share your strategies with your colleagues. Please send them to [email protected].