#chat: maddie carter.

[fatiinjadmani]

"Wait —" Fatin reached out, grabbing Maddie by the arm, tugging the blonde toward her, back into the light. It was the only light switch she'd found after she'd woken in total darkness, and by the time she'd managed to flick it on, she'd been so distracted by the revelation that Maddie was in the bed beside her, her hair spread around her like a halo, she hadn't taken the opportunity to actually see what was in the room. Wherever they were, whatever had happened, she wasn't alone. That was what had mattered to her most. Until she'd seen the bathroom, anyway. Realising the ensuite in their shared room was what the light had been for, Fatin began to hyperventilate, feeling a sob build in her chest. "Wait a fucking second. Is that - indoor plumbing?" The sob finally hit, and she pulled Maddie into a tight hug instead, squealing. "Oh my god! We're saved! We're fucking saved!"

[alexlesuagz]

Criminal Case fanfic ideas (because IDK, I’m bored)

[Possible spoilers for all 8 seasons]

{S5} Prequelfic where Amir realizes he’s gay and confides in Rupert about it.

{S5} Rupert having an ace awakening (because yes, I headcanon him as ace) and being extremely confused about his feelings, so he confides in Amir about it. (No seggs, only tea, amirite)

{S3} [TW: SA] Jack finally gaining the courage to tell Lars about Lavinia DeBrils SA’ing him.

{S1} How Chad Whickman and Rose Cassidy first met (because goddamnit, they deserved better).

{S1} AU where Chad managed to calm Joe Stern down, not die, and get the job.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] A day in the life of Duncan Young, living with his mother and sister and having to deal with her emotional abuse.

{S1} Adam Bentley talking with his foster brother at his grave.

{S1} The aftermath of Julian Ramis’s arrest from the perspective of Julian’s parents.

{S2} [TW: Homophobia] The end of Zack and Becky’s friendship.

{S5} James Savage first meets Carter Hayes.

{S4} How Timmy and Bridget Baker first became friends.

{S5} [TW: Implied Sewerslide] Rene Narcisse’s words almost push Julian over the edge until the player and Gabriel show up.

{S2} [TW: Murder] A young Yann Toussaint has an argument with his parents and storms off. That would end up being the biggest mistake of his life.

{S5} Jones accidentally stumbles upon Zoe suddenly using telekinesis.

{S2} [TW: Cults, PTSD, and Implied Abuse] Not even Russell is safe from flashbacks, and surprisingly, the one who helps him out of a PTSD-induced panic attack is Frank.

{S4} The events of Vittorio Cappechi’s murder from Seamus’s point of view.

{S6} One of Amy’s therapy sessions with Marina following Nebet’s betrayal.

{S6} Sirius wonders why Orlando constantly ignores him, so he decides to ask. It doesn’t really go well.

{S6} Sequelfic(?) where Tony meets the player during S1 and tries to recall why they seem so familiar.

{S3} Baxter Fraser goes to therapy.

{S3} AU where Obaasan (IDK how to spell it, sorry) is found dead and Tsukada Hiroshi is alive because he killed her.

{S7} An apology note Dolores wrote to Gwen before her demise.

{S7} Inspired by @katrinahood , a crackshipfic between James Savage and Sam Ellis.

{S5} Crackshipfic between brunette bastard Louis Leroux and Joe Warren.

{S8} Jones and the player bond and catch up after 3 years.

{S8} Hugo Mercier giving love advice to Carrie.

{S5} Jones copes with Tony Marconi’s death.

{S8} Hugo and Jones bond over similar experiences.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] Gabriel and Jones talk after Jones’s attempt.

{S2} One of Jupiter’s letters to Russell, apologizing for being a shit dad.

{S5} Jones, Zoe, Alex and Cathy have a double date.

{S7} Larry Zarus goes on a car ride with his friend and business partner, Bernie. Next thing he knows, he’s waking up in a coffin. His own coffin.

{S4} Charlie reveals that he can’t slow dance for the life of him. Maddie decides to teach him.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] Frank confronts Miriam Young about her shit parenting.

{S2} [TW: Abuse] Duncan confronts his mother about her shit parenting. It goes as well as you’d expect.

{S2} [TW: Abuse and Death] The day the Young siblings’ father died was a hellish day indeed.

{S5} [TW: Underage Drug Use] Julian and Vicki smoke weed together and have a chat about life.

{S7} Dolores tries to figure out a way to apologize to Gwen.

{S7} Arthur Darkwood never really enjoyed the small things in life, and he never noticed until he spent time with the Supernatural Hunters.

{S5} Jones is lowkey kinda lonely, so Ramirez decides to set him up on a blind date to cheer him up. Unbeknownst to Ramirez, Jones’ blind date was one of his old college acquaintances — Zoe Kusama.

{S6} The “Altered Present” Arc, but Lars is in it for some reason.

{S7} Zander Stark and Danny Kwame were queerplatonic bros, change my mind— (I hc Zander as bisexual and Danny as omniromantic asexual)

{S8} Cody reminisces on his failed relationship with Eleanora.

{S8} Prequelfic where Jean-Phillipe slow dances with Marguerite.

{S5} After skipping the trial of Rosamund Wilcox, Julian runs into Chelsea Bloom and they have a chat.

{S7} Human AU where Arthur and Reggie decide to have some “brother bonding time”, so they go to a local art museum. Things don’t go well.

{S4} Seamus makes eye contact with Giulietta at Mr. Alastor’s party.

{S2} A series of noteworthy recorded conversations between Bobby Prince and his therapist over the span of a year.

{S3} 5 times Jonah tries to smile and the first time Marina makes him smile.

{S3} [TW: Kidnapping, Torture, and PTSD] Elliot claims that he’s moved on past the whole “Anbu Devanesan” thing. He has not.

{S6} Serap and Roxelana’s love story, starting from their first meet.

{S6} Noah Lowe gets some advice from Ian Devine about love and life and shit (also, Noah lives in this fanfic concept, because bro deserves better).

{S7} AU where Rathimael lives, Arthur lives, and they live a peaceful life together in a small lakeside cottage on the outskirts of Michigan.

{S2} “What happened to the Francis I loved and cared about deeply?!” “He’s dead, and I killed him a long time ago.”

{S2} Bobby Prince’s last thoughts were about the idyllic life he would live with Amy via the virtual reality. (This was inspired by Bojack Horseman btw) (No I do not like Bobby Prince)

{S5} [TW: Attempted Murder] AU where Zoe survives Louis’s attempt on her life.

{S3} [TW: Implied Abuse] Michelle Zuria’s traumatic childhood at the hands of her nanny.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] AU where Jones decides to go home after Leroux is arrested, and the player decides to accompany him. Possible alternate endings available.

{S7} Fabien de la Mort chills out and asks Gwen for advice on how to properly swoon a certain someone (*cough*, Luke Fernandez, *cough cough*)

{S7} [TW: Murder] Ruth Wu’s final moments were in utter agony. (Deserved tbh)

{S4} [TW: Murder] Elias Willingham pays local pimp Kristopher Bauer for information about his missing daughter. Like many moments in the Criminal Case universe, things do not end well.

{S7} AU where Arthur Darkwood survives the events of S7 and decides to join the Supernatural Hunters.

{S2} Anjulie Cruz breaks up with Bobby and remembers all the red flags he showed while they were dating.

{S1} AU for “The Rorscach Reaper” where Ramirez arrives just in time to arrest Tess — but too late to save the player.

{S5} Canon divergence after Zoe’s arrest when Jones confronts Marconi and breaks down. Marconi talks him out of doing anything foolish and the two of them just talk while lying down on the grass.

{S7} Arthur never really had a family (besides Reggie, but we don’t talk about Reggie) due to being a demon. One of the Supernatural Hunters (probably Hope Newman) makes an offhand comment about how he’s family to them. (Bro deserved better imo)

{S5} [TW: Attempted Murder] AU where Nathan manages to regain consciousness just before Kit pulls out the snake.

{S6} Series of transcripts from Marina’s therapy sessions with different Criminal Case characters, including Jack, Amy, Jones, Chief Arrow, and Arthur Darkwood.

{S5} Prequelfic where Joe Warren meets his new college roommate, Louis Leroux.

{S2} After the events of “Once Upon a Crime”, Frank decides to call his daughter to tell her what happened.

{S5} [TW: Sewerslide] Either Alex, Grace, or Ramirez get the call about Jones’ attempt on his own life.

(I’m perfectly fine with y’all using these, just please ask first and credit me!)

[creativeashproductions]

Banjo Riff // Platonic!Reggie Peters

IN WHICH: Luke rejects Reggie’s ideas for country music one too many times leading to the friendship fracturing and putting the bands future in question. Luke, with the help of his girlfriend the reader and his friends scramble to make it up to the bassist.

Warnings: Swearing, hurt!Reggie, Luke being an ass, fighting, angst, and fluff

Words: 3.2k

A/N: This idea has been sitting in my notes for MONTHS now. Song referenced is Lay Here With Me by Maddie & Tae (featuring Dierks Bentley)

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!

Masterlist

If there was one thing Sunset Curve, then later Julie and the Phantoms would rely on, it was the battle between Luke and Reggie. Since the conception of a band between the friends, Reggie had always wanted to play a country song. He had learned how to play the banjo in preparation, but Luke rejected both the idea and songs as always.

"You said our sound was vintage '80s and '90s rock music Luke. The band evolved into a pop-rock sound-"

"Because our band changed from Sunset Curve to Julie and the Phantoms. I love you, man, but there's no way we're going country." Luke finally snapped with a heated glare on his face. Luke didn't mean to snap so severely, but it happened.

Luke watched as Reggie's face completely dropped into the kicked puppy expression that tore everyone apart. Instead of making light of the conversation, Reggie mutely nodded in response before turning to grab his bass for the band practice. Luke's stomach dropped at the rather odd behaviour, but Luke blamed his response on his current writers' block.

"Let's start with Flying Solo." Luke proclaimed, hoping Reggie's favourite song would cheer him up. Alex's curious gaze bounced between the two other males in the band just as Julie wandered into the garage.

Before Julie could even question the tension, Reggie had started the beat on the pad stationed on the keyboard. The young female immediately jumped into the first rehearsal song with ease. Every attempt Julie was about to question Reggie's uncharacteristic quiet, the bassist started a different song.

"What's his problem?" Julie questioned as Reggie packed up his stuff and practically sprinted out of the studio. He'd rejected the offer of a pizza movie night.

"Luke here decided to be an asshole again." Alex's tone of voice was sugary sweet in comparison to the glare he sent his guitarist. 

Luke flinched at the furious expression on his bandmate's face. It wasn't a secret Julie and Reggie gravitated to each other in sibling bond. The two had been friends since infancy through their parents; Julie was there when the Peters started fighting. Reggie was there when Julie's mom passed away.

"Don't kill me!" Luke pleaded, scrambling around the piano from the intimidating Puerto Rican who had a solid punch. Julie's anger faltered at the guilt on the boy's face, "I was frustrated, and I shouldn't have taken it out on him!"

"What did Reggie do to deserve it?" Julie asked from the other side of the piano, acting as a barrier between the teenagers.

"He asked about the band doing a country song," Luke admitted with a grimace. His hazel eyes dimmed once more.

"What is your issue with country music? Your girlfriend is literally a country singer Luke!" Alex cried, stepping in between the two feuding bandmates.

Rock n' Roll Luke Patterson had been dating a well-known country singer for close to two years now. Luke had always been adamant that country wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but if you looked in the false bottom of the console in his car, you'd see a different story. Beneath the Eagles, Nirvana, AC/DC, and Gun N' Roses CDs, you'd find countless CDs of his girlfriend. He even had a playlist with a name that concealed the music in it.

Luke was a secret country fan, but he'd take that to his grave before he let anyone other than you know that.

"I don't have an issue! I don't think our band would benefit from branching into that music genre!" Luke argued with his bare arms crossing over his chest. Both Julie and Alex were about to respond when the studio gained another inhabitant.

"Would anyone like to explain why Reggie stormed into my house holding his songbook? He literally dropped it in my garage and tried to light it on fire?" You asked from the double doors with said book in your hand.

All three out of four members of Julie and the Phantoms recognized the book with a country landscape. The sight caused all their stomachs to drop at the obvious symbol of Reggie's hurt feelings.

"Funny story-"

"Luke Patterson...did you hurt his feelings about his love of country?" You asked through clenched teeth. Your response was Luke wincing at the anger blistering in your tone, "Did you ever think that country music is his comfort music? Fix this, Luke. Reggie, of all people, doesn't deserve your frustration."

You turned on your heel with Julie following in the attempt to find the forlorn bassist, most likely being hard on himself. You checked the beach house Reggie's dad had gotten in the divorce to no success. The school auditorium was empty, and so was the stable where Reggie worked part-time for the horses. You had returned back to Julie's house to sit on the porch to brainstorm.

"Isn't this the week he's with his mom?" Julie questioned with a furrowed brow. You could only shrug as Julie pulled up the calendar she shared with Flynn.

Reggie's parents had somewhat amicably divorced two years ago after attempts of reconciliation through therapy. Reggie had sat down with them to tell them how he felt with them fighting, if you recalled. They decided to do a trial separation for a few months and, in the end, had mutually agreed to divorce.

"I think Mr. Peters is taking care of his mother in a different state. She broke her hip, and now she's being moved into a retirement home." You offered the girl the encapsulated sunshine in just her smile.

"I suppose we'll try the Carter-Peters home." Julie breathed, bouncing on her feet to your car parked in front of her house. Julie's fingers tapped the screen in a chat thread she hadn't touched for months.

Your keen eyes easily read Carrie Wilson's name at the top of the thread that had been dormant since the end of their friendship. Apparently, Julie received little help in the frustrated sigh she released and the increasingly violent tapping of her screen.

"As usual, Carrie is no help," Julie announced with disgust in her voice. She squeezed the hand you placed on her knee before your hand returned to the wheel.

"One day, you'll have to tell me what happened between the two of you."

"Old news. Happened just before you moved back from Nashville." Julie once more avoided talking about the issues. 

It was the same response every time you questioned the friendship that had fractured in the few years you'd been in Nashville. Before you left, Carrie and Julie had been attached at the hip, and when you came back, they were at each other's throats. Well, mostly Carrie was because Julie had too big of a heart to stand up to her former friend.

"Well, the beat-up van is still there." Julie caught the van, more of an eyesore, to be honest, sitting in the three-car driveway. The van was shared between Reggie and Flynn as a joint gift from their parents when Reggie's mom moved in with Flynn and her father.

"We both know Reggie-"

"Would walk to work through his problems. The number of times I've found in walking downtown…" Julie trailed with a shake of her half up half down hairstyle she left uncovered by a hat. Another symbol of her finding herself outside the grief that had concealed her.

"Oh, thank god." Flynn moaned from the front porch with her headphones resting on her shoulders instead of her ears, "He's been playing his old bass that makes that odd high pitch squeak noise. I couldn't take it. Get him out!"

You opened and closed your mouth with the inability to find the words, but Flynn knew already, "Doors unlocked. He's in his room."

"Thanks." You informed the fashionable teenager before brushing passed into the house. Not much had changed since Reggie had moved part-time into the house; his parents shared custody.

Flynn was right; the sound of that screech was like a bread trail to the last bedroom in the hallway to the left. The door opened a smidge to reveal Reggie sitting in the dim room with just his bedside lamp on. He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, Reggie." You breathed from leaning against the door jam, "I'm not sure what Luke said but don't give up on writing. Your songs mean something, Reginald."

"Then why doesn't Luke even read my lyrics? He barely read the title of my last one before tossing it aside!" Reggie whined before taking on a caricature of Luke's voice, "'Home is Where my Horse Is'? Reggie, stop putting your songs in my book!"

You couldn't help the snort at his interpretation of Luke, "That's a...uh...an accurate voice?"

Reggie didn't even crack a smile.

"Okay, maybe don't push Luke's buttons but imagine turning this hurt into songs!"

"Okay. Can I be left alone?"

"Sure." You sighed, turning to leave the room again, "But first. Don't get rid of this Reg. You have good songs." 

You left Reggie's songbook on the dresser by his door on your way through the Carter-Peters household. Flynn sighed in relief when Reggie didn't continue using his old bass and even waved as you and Julie pulled away from the curb.

Reggie's eyes had stayed on the songbook you left on his second-hand dresser as if it would get up and bite him. All he could see was Luke rolling his eyes when Reggie had opened the book to show him a new song he'd written. Reggie was tired of only being known for playing bass.

"I brought you some leftover pizza." Reggie wasn't aware he'd been staring at the songbook for hours by then. He was only aware of Luke when he offered a peace offering in the form of Reggie's favourite food.

"I-"

"I'll go grab a soda from the fridge." Luke retreated just as quick as he had entered the bedroom. Seeing Luke was like rubbing salt in the open wound, and once more, Reggie's emotions flared.

Reggie was already at the fire pit in the backyard when Luke had argued with Flynn overtaking one of her sodas. The soda that had dropped on the back porch as Luke saw Reggie's fingers about to drop the songbook in the crackling fire.

"Reggie!" Luke shouted, ignoring the cold spray of soda on his bare arms. The hazel-eyed guitarist shoved Reggie away from the fire.

"What the hell, dude?" Reggie groaned, rolling onto his stomach to push himself to his sit on his knees. His blue eyes seeing Luke stomping the ignited corner of the songbook that had caused them issues.

"What the hell were you doing, Reggie?" Luke demanded with the songbook held tight in his grip. The glare on the messy-haired teenager directly pinned on his best friend, "Why would you try to destroy the book?"

"What's the point of having something our band won't branch into?" Reggie shrugged, moving to sit with his knees pulled to chest, "I've tried to keep the peace but Luke. I'm starting to understand why Bobby left the band."

Luke's heart clenched at the honesty Reggie was revealing, "What do you mean?"

"Screw the blood pact." Reggie grumbled, recalling the oath Alex, Bobby, and he had done to keep the truth from Luke, "Bobby didn't leave because he got an early acceptance into Juilliard."

Luke's eyebrows furrowed together, "What?"

"Luke...you tend to get possessive over the music we make. You brushed off Bobby's opinions, and we all didn't want to hurt your feelings. You've had a shitty time with your parents, but like Bobby, I feel like you don't appreciate our talents."

"What? Dude, you're killer on the bass! Alex's insane on the drums!"

"We know that. Maybe Bobby should have told you the truth on why he was leaving. I don't think you noticed but 

"Luke. The songs we perform are all written by you. It was fine, but then when Julie joined, all of a sudden, you were okay with someone else writing with you. But you've never even looked at the songs I've written."

Luke silently listened as Reggie rambled on about how he, along with Bobby, felt underappreciated by the guitarist. 

"And now you've been bit by the writers' block bug, but I think the band should take a break. Get our heads back on straight. Before we destroy the band, destroy our friendships." Reggie told his best friend with tears rolling down his face, "Just a week or two."

Luke's mouth hung open as Reggie circled around him to enter the household, but the telltale sound of the lock engaging broke the teenager. But Luke wasn't one to give up, so he created a group chat with Alex, Julie, Flynn and you. A single text that had all of them meeting at the studio.

"He quit the band?" Alex demanded, taking the songbook from Luke's hand, "What the hell?"

"One second he's in his room, and the next he's about to burn that! I may not like-"

"Luke, have you even read a single song he wrote?" You asked your boyfriend with your arms resting down on your knees. The boy in question half-heartedly shrugged with his eyes on his battered shoes.

"How are we gonna fix this?" Julie asked with a frown marring her pretty face usually lit up with sunshine. Her question was left to waft in the forlorn atmosphere in her family's studio.

"Give me that." You demanded towards the band's drummer with determination lit up in your eyes. Alex hesitantly handed over the songbook to your grabby hands.

The other individuals in the room watched as you settled into a chair with a stray acoustic guitar you'd left. Your eyes focused on the notes Reggie had placed around one of the unfinished songs. The soft melody was played a few times before you noticed Alex creating a beat with his drums.

"If I just tweak the song to make this piece the verse instead of a chorus." You mumbled under your breath with a pen scratching the paper. In a different colour, you jotted down the lyrics of a song you'd been working on previously. It was a song you'd struggled with the ending.

Alex huddled around you to add his own notes for the drums, "Definitely a song with a soft backing beat."

"Perfect. I just joined what he has with a song I'd given up a while back. The two songs are the last two pieces of a puzzle." You informed the drummer. Both of you unaware as Julie, Luke, and Flynn watched your brainstorming.

Luke felt out of sorts not being included in writing a song, but he thought it was suitable to not work on it. It gave Luke insight into how Reggie felt not being included in songwriting.

"I have an idea." Luke interjected with a grin, "Reggie's always wanted to see a real ranch. Do you think your uncle would be okay with us staying at the ranch?"

Your eyes flitted up to the mischievous hazel of your boyfriend's scheming gaze, "My uncle adores having people on the ranch. He'd enjoy teaching Reggie the ways of ranch life out of a city."

"How are you gonna get Reggie out to Nashville without it being band business?" Flynn questioned from her position on the couch, "He did just ask for a break from the band."

"Uh...I could pretend to enter a music competition." You offered hesitantly as you'd never actually performed on a stage for the group. You'd kept your personal life separate from your successful career as a country musician.

So you conspired with your friends to make amends with the bassist.

One Month Later, Nashville

The beat-up van pulled into a parking spot in front of a building. The band had seen the building in pictures on your Instagram. Alex, Luke and Julie all shared a look Reggie couldn't catch with his mouth wide open at the city.

"So, where's this competition?" Reggie inquired with his steps in line with Julie. The distance between Reggie and Luke is still noticeable.

True to Reggie's word, the band had come back together after two weeks of a break, but the bassist and guitarist's friendship was still fractured. A particular cloud of awkwardness followed each attempt; Luke tried to branch it together.

"Uh, not here. Y/N invited me to tour the recording studio she uses through her label." Luke offered to the confused bassist. As usual, Reggie barely cast a glance at the guitarist.

"C'mon!" Alex called out from the open doorway with the new addition of you by his side.

Luke was quick to nearly tackle you in a hug and a lingering kiss on your lips. The band all made sounds of feigned disgust. Even Reggie joined in the usual banter within the group.

"Hey, Reggie, do you want to see how us country artists do it?" You quipped with your arm interlocking with his. The cold leather of his jacket raising goosebumps on your arm as you dragged him to the recording booth.

As soon as he was comfortable on one of the spinney chairs by the producer's side, he watched like a hawk. The band had never been in a real professional recording studio owned by a label. It was interesting to everyone, but mostly they all watched Reggie's reactions.

"I was working on this song." You spoke from inside the booth. With a nod, your producer began playing a portion of the song.

"Is...is that-" Reggie was cut off by as Luke interrupted him.

"Your song? Yeah." 

Reggie stared at his best friend, "What?"

"You were right, Reggie. I didn't appreciate what you could bring to the band, and I'm so fucking sorry about that. You have excellent songs even if I'm not a fan of country music." Luke genuinely informed his best friend with his hands clasping his, "I want you. Both you and Alex to have a bigger role because we started this band together. We all share responsibility."

"So for now. Alex and I finished one of the songs you had written. I was wondering if you'd like to make it a duet? Release it as a single with a full writing credit."

Reggie absolutely beamed in response to your question. He was in the recording booth beside you in mere seconds.

For the week the band stayed on your uncle's ranch, Reggie was in the studio with you going over the song. It is a song you released as the leading single for your upcoming studio album with Reggie and cemented his career. It wasn't the last time you did a song with Reggie. In fact, he set himself up as a sought after country songwriter.

"Holy shit!" Luke shouted as soon as Reggie told him the success of one of the songs had brought interest to Julie and the Phantoms, "I could kiss you! I'll never doubt your skills!"

Reggie and Luke's fractured friendship healed with the promise of a yearly visit to the ranch in Nashville. Plus, Reggie impressed Luke and Alex with the banjo riff in a country song the band released on their third studio album featured by you. Reggie would always be thankful he had the chance to record ‘Lay Here With Me’ with you.

Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)

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[toplinetommy]

Three Times Your Brother Got in the Way + One Time He Was Nowhere to be Found

Words: 2.8k

one

It was both you and your twin brother, Ryan’s, birthday, meaning that a way too large of a celebration was going on. Between the two of you, Ryan was the one that favored the overly large gatherings, whereas you were the twin that liked to party with just their friends. That’s how you ended up here; at a bar in downtown Philly with half of the Philadelphia Flyers roster and a few of your girlfriends. If it were up to you, which is usually wasn’t when your brother was around, you’d be at your shared apartment on the east side of the city with only people the two of you knew.

It was okay though, your twin was your best friend and you were thankful you got to celebrate with him. You were also pretty thankful for the tall dirty blonde he had befriended a little over a year ago that was seemingly always around now. 

Ryan was somewhere on the dancefloor with a few of his work buddies and a girl he introduced you to earlier that night. You chose to sit at the long table where part of your group had situated, sitting with Carter, Travis, Kevin, along with your friends Haley and Maddie. 

Carter was sitting next to you nursing an IPA you had never heard of while you were drinking your usual margarita, “Hey! Does anyone want to do tequila shots with me? I’m thinking I need to be on Ryan’s level pretty soon.”

Cheers came from around the table, signaling everyone wanted one as well. You and Haley got up from your chairs, her volunteering to walk over to the bar with you.

“So, you finally gonna make a move on Carter tonight?” She yells over the music once you guys reach the bar. You scoff in her direction as the bartender asks for your drink orders, telling him you wanted six shots of tequila.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” You yell back, tapping your heeled foot on the wooden floor beneath you. You look over your friend’s shoulder towards Carter’s general direction once you’re done speaking, only to see him look at you as he took a sip from his beer.

The shots get handed to you right as you turn your head back to Haley and you walk back over to the table, setting them down on the table for everyone to grab. As you all lift your shot glasses to meet in the middle for a toast, Carter cuts you off, “To the gorgeous birthday girl!”

A warmth fills your chest and covers your shoulders as the rest of the group echoes the toast and takes the shot. Once you shoot back the shot you settle back into your chair, only to notice the blonde’s lengthy arm slung over the back of it. Pushing your feelings to the side, you lean back into anyways. If Ryan was going to come back and make a comment about his best friend being a little overly friendly with his sister, you’d blame it on the alcohol.

Chatter fills the table once again, the guys all making jokes about Ryan’s god awful dance moves and the girls laughing along with them. You feel Carter lean a little bit deeper into your side and suddenly he’s very close to you.

“You having a good time?” He asks, the softness in his voice sending shivers through your body. You turn your head to him, nodding your head yes in response, a light blush and shy smile on your lips.

“On a scale of 1-10 how drunk are you?” He questions loudly.

You knit your eyebrows at the odd question, “like a four?”

“Okay, cause I want to make sure you’ll understand what I’m about to ask you.”

The calmness and smoothness in his voice sounds like honey and even though he’s fighting over all the background noise he still sounds like he’s whispering to you. A tightness pulls in your stomach, and you're not entirely sure if it’s because of the man’s face that’s four inches away from you or all the tequila you’ve consumed in the past hour.

“I wanted to ask you if you wanted to, like, do something sometime. Ya know, like not with-” He starts before a very heavy and large, Ryan tumbles into you.

“Y/n!” He exclaims in a slur, “It’s our birthday, why are you over here and not hanging out with me?” He pouts at you and you know it’s time for you to get dragged away by him. Standing up, you turn towards a flushed Carter and give him a soft smile.

two

Football season was coming to a close and with a hopeful happy ending for the city of Philadelphia. The Eagles had made it to the NFC championship game, meaning the city was on a whole new level of crazy, hoping they could pull out a win to go to another Super Bowl in the weeks to come.

Ryan and you, being the football fanatics that you are, had decided to host some of your friends over for a watch party. To no surprise, Ryan had invited a few of the Flyers over, while you had invited your best friend.

Ryan was outside on the back deck grilling, showing Travis the new grill he had gotten for himself, while you and everyone else sat comfortably in the warmth of your home. The guys hadn’t been over for long so when Carter finally walks up to greet you by the back patio door, you’re shocked at the midnight green hoodie he was wearing.

“Getting into football now, huh?” You joke around, poking at the flying eagle on his chest.

He chuckles lightly, looking down at your hand as you pull it away, “Being in a sports town like this rubs off on you, what can I say.”

“Fly, eagles fly, baby.” You smirk, raising your Coors Light to clink with his IPA.

“Fly or die.” He agrees as your two glasses meet in the middle with a sharp clink. His clear blue eyes watch yours as he brings his glass away from his mouth, licking his lips. “I might have to ask you a few questions, there’s still some stuff that confuses me.”

You take half a step backwards, leaning on the kitchen counter behind you, looking out the back patio door to see your brother chatting Travis’ ear off.

“Just stick with me and you’ll know all the ins and outs of the game. You do the hockey and I’ll do the football.” You joke lightly, turning back to the goalie in front of you. Football had always been your favorite sport growing up and you had only really gotten into hockey once Ryan had befriended Carter and a couple of the other guys.

“I like that plan.” He says softly, taking a step towards you, making up for the step you had just previously taken away from him. “Speaking of hockey, we have a day game next weekend if you wanted to come?” His voice raises in infliction as he asks the question, nerves taking over his body.

“Actually, yeah, that’d be nice! I haven’t been able to go to a lot of the games Ryan always tries to drag me to.” You cheer. “Let me see if he can go too, but I imagine he can.”

You start to turn towards the back patio, planning on asking Ryan if he was free next weekend. You slide open the door a bit, poking your head out into the winter Philadelphia air, asking if he wanted to tag along to the game with you. As he lets you know you can make it, you turn back towards Carter, who seems to have a slight awkwardness in his slouched posture.

“Well, actually, I was, uh, thinking if you wanted to like, do something after with-” He starts, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand.

Suddenly the door slides open and Ryan barges in with an overflowing plate of burgers, sliding right between you and Carter. “The burgers are ready!” He announces, Travis following close behind him as everyone rushes towards the kitchen for some food.

three

Waking up, you squeeze your eyes tighter shut, trying to block out the sun peaking through your bedroom blinds. A groan slips past your lips, as the pounding in your head starts. The memories of last night flood through you. You had drank way too much tequila, the reason being Ryan getting a promotion at work.

As you rubbed your eyes awake, you could only imagine the mess that would be in your living room. Moving around you pull on a pair of running shorts and pull your hair into a quick braid. 

Walking down the hallway into the living room, you could still distinguish the scent of beer, causing a slight gag in the back of your throat. You make your way to the kitchen, on a mission for the biggest glass of water you could possibly get and anything that was overloaded in carbs. Once you get your water, you realize you left your phone in your room and make your way back to grab it.

Walking back to the kitchen you notice the large sleeping figure flopped onto your couch. The large, pale, shirtless figure with light brown hair all over the place. Carter Hart is sleeping on your couch and you look like you aren’t even wearing pants. 

You decide to ignore him, going back to the kicthen to find some food to make, trying your best not to wake anyone up in the apartment. As you pull the carton of eggs out and shut the refrigerator door, the same shirtless figure appears behind the once open door once it’s shut.

A soft ‘fuck’ slips past your lips as your eyes naturally fall onto his pale, toned abdomen. 

“Do you have water?” Carter asks in a raspy voice, breaking you from your thoughts. 

You nod your head, whipping open the fridge door once again to grab your Brita filter. You stick your head in the fridge for a little longer than necessary to avoid the shirtless man standing next to you. You finally hand him his glass and he takes it going to sit at the kitchen island. You choose not to follow him and instead start grabbing things to make some eggs.

“Hey, instead of making breakfast, did you maybe want to go grab breakfast? There’s a place nearby I’ve been to that’s pretty good.” He shrugs, spinning his glass around on the countertop.

You face the stove, contemplating the idea for a moment before turning around to face the shirtless hockey player in your kitchen. “Yeah,” You answered, “that sounds a lot better than homemade scrambled eggs right now.”

“Okay, awesome, uh, I just have to grab my shirt and I’ll be good to go.” He says, downing the rest of his water and setting it back down on the island. 

“I just have to change and I should be good, too. Just give me a few minutes.” You shrug, putting away the ingredients you were planning to use. As you round the corner to head to your room you run into a large body, Ryan.

“You guys going to grab breakfast?” He asks, running his hand through his bed head.

You and Carter look between one another before you look back at your twin. “Uh, yeah, Carter said he knows a place a few blocks away.” 

“Cool! I’ll just go change and throw on a hat and I can join you guys!” He exclaims before turning back around and disappearing back down the hallway towards his room.

plus one

Sitting on the couch of your apartment, your thoughts are pulled away from your laptop as you hear a knocking on the front door. Setting your laptop on the cushions beside you, you move towards the door to see who it is.

Swinging the door open, you find Carter in the hallway holding a box of some sort. Ryan hadn’t let you know he was coming over, so you’re confused as to why he’s standing at the door and even more confused at the mysterious box in his hands.

“Hey,” Carter greets, sensing the confusion written all over your face. “Is Ryan home? He said I could swing by anytime today.”

“Uh, yeah, I think his girlfriend is still here. I’m not really sure what he’s up to.” You let him know, moving to the side so you can let him into your entryway. You close the door behind him, and move back towards where you were previously sat on the couch, pulling your laptop back onto your lap.

“What’s in the box?” You ask, your curiosity getting the best of you. Carter walks further into the apartment, setting the box down on the kitchen island with a large ‘thud’.

“Tax stuff? I don’t really know what it all is. Ryan said he’d help me with my taxes and said he’d make sure I was doing everything right.” He answers.

“Oh, yeah, it’s getting to be that time of the year, huh?” You say, remembering that the tax season is coming to a close soon. You look up from your laptop to see him continuing to stand by the kitchen island, his hands awkwardly stuff into his sweatpants pockets. “You can come sit while you wait for him.”

Carter moves to join you on the sectional in the middle of the living room, sitting on the opposite side as you. “What are you working on?” He asks, pointing to the laptop you're typing away on. 

“I’m actually looking for a new job,” You start. Carter nods his head, urging you to go on. “I didn’t really plan on staying at the place I’m working at right now anyways.” 

Although Carter seemed to be around quite frequently over the past few months, you guys never really got to get to know one another other than the basic things. You knew he was a goalie and that he was on his season and that he was Canadian, which you had picked up on instantly due to his accent. 

“What exactly do you do? I think Ryan mentioned to me that you worked in communications?” He asked.

A smile spreads across your lips, the passion evident in your voice as you begin to speak. “I work in communications and marketing, or at least that’s what I’m looking for right now. I want to be a marketing coordinator but I’m just a PR assistant at my current job.”

Carter leans further into the couch, adjusting himself so he’s facing you. His head is leaned against his hand that’s resting on the back of the couch. He nods his head along as you speak, and he finds himself immersed into the conversation, asking more questions about exactly what you do.

The conversation flows for a little while longer before footsteps come from the hallway, signaling that Ryan and his girlfriend had finally emerged from his bedroom. 

“Oh, hey, man. When did you get here?” Ryan asks, slapping his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Carter looks back up towards your brother, “Not too long ago.” 

“Hopefully y/n hasn’t been too annoying.” He jokes, smirking at you, as he walks his girlfriend out. You roll your eyes with a scoff at the chirp, a slight blush rising on your cheeks.

“Not at all.” Carter responds with a smile, looking back towards you.

“I’m gonna grab a quick shower then I’ll be right out to help you.” He says before disappearing back towards his room. “Y/n don’t bore him to death!” He chirps as he shuts his bedroom door.

You get a little quiet after that, focusing back on the computer screen in front of you. Carter stays silent as well, trying to feel out the now-awkward atmosphere in the room.

“Hey, y/n?” He asks, grabbing your attention. You hum in response, turning your attention back to him where he continues to sit on the other side of the couch.

“I’ve been trying to ask you out for, like, weeks now, and now that your brother is finally not going to interrupt, do you wanna go out sometime? Like, on a date? Just you and me.” He asks, rambling a bit. A wide smile falls on his face as he finishes, watching your reaction at every word he speaks.

You smile softly at the blushing boy in front of you, your own blush starting to creep up your neck. “Yeah, I’d really like that.” You agree.

His smile widens further as he fishes in his pocket for what you assume is his phone.

“Awesome,” he affirmed. “I’ll look at my game and practice schedule and I can let you know what days work for you?”

“That works perfectly.” You smiled, “And by the way, Ryan is always going to get in the way.”

[deans-mind-palace]

Suspirium (Pt.1)

Pairing: Prof!Sam x Reader

Summary: You’re in your last year of your Classics and Mordern Languages studies and you're majoring in Latin and English. Then you get assigned to a different Latin teacher. And damn, he loves his subject. Too bad that he’s also hot. What is just a childish crush soon develops into something way more complicated.

Word Count: 1,210

Warnings: None, yet.

Author’s Note: This is sort of an introduction to the story. The first real chap to get you a bit into the story. The first part of my Professor Sam x Reader series. Finally. Took me long enough. I don’t know how many chapters this series will have. We’ll see. Enjoy and show it some love.

Suspirium - Masterlist

You dropped on a yellow chair in your favorite coffee shop. Your friends Maddie and Brooks awaited you beaming with joy. Maddie immediately pulled you into her arms, squealing. "Oh, God, you're back finally! I missed you so much." your best friend rejoiced as she squeezed you so tightly you almost couldn't breathe. "Maddie... air..." you gurgled. She pushed you away a little bit and examined you from head to toe. "And you got so tanned! The Italian sun has done you good." She said with a grin. "Were there any cute boys I need to know about?" You laughed at your best friend. It was so typical of her. Always looking for the next great love story in your life. Laughing, you shook your head. "No, sorry, Maddie." You had to disappoint your best friend and, somewhat embarrassed, stroke a strand of hair behind your ear while taking off your jacket and putting down your bag and laptop.

"No cute ltalian boys?" she asked, sliding her lower lip forward like a little kid. Her freckles moved across her face and red strands fell into her eyes as if she was honestly offended, but you saw the mischievous sparkle in her green eyes. It was at that moment that Brooks intervened. His fingers slipped through his black hair, making it look even messier than it already was. A wry grin lay on his lips as he winked at you. "We all know that Y/N will never have another man after such a great catch like me." Then you all burst out laughing at the same time, while you hugged your best friend.

You were interrupted by a waitress. "What can I get you?" she asked. Brooks checked her out immediately and you wiggled your eyebrows at him, which made him laugh again. "I'll have a Pumpkin Spice Latte, please." Maddie ordered with a warm smile. You had a Caramel Frappucino and Brooks a plain, black coffee. You chatted until the drinks came.

"And?" Maddie clapped her hands in supplication. "How was Italy?" Just the memory of that country put a smile on your face. "It was wonderful. This year has been really good for me. I've come so much closer to the language!" you raved and Brooks snorted. "I like you, but you're a nerd," he said with a grin, and you rolled your eyes and laughed, ramming your elbow between his ribs as Maddie nodded in agreement. Then she sighed theatrically. "Now she's studied in Italy for a year and still thinks only of her dead language." You shrugged your shoulders and smiled innocently. "What can I say, there is something magical about this language.Did you know, for example, that Catull-" Both moaned at the same time and you bit your lip laughing as you saw the tortured expressions on your friends' faces. "All right. It's okay. I'll stop." you said and raised your hands defensively, while Brooks playfully wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief. "Phew, I thought we were going to have another monologue on the beauty of Latin." he said with a grin. You snorted.

Your friends knew of your love for this ancient language, even if they couldn't understand your passion. Neither of them had much to do with languages. At least Brooks learnt French in high school. Maddie gave up languages after her poor grades in Spanish almost ruined her degree. While you were sipping your coffee, lost in thought, Maddie was tearing you away from your thoughts.

"Oh, boy, guys! Last year! Can you believe it? I feel like it was only yesterday that I met Y/N in my English class." Smiling, you remembered the feisty student who immediately declared her friendship to you before you even sat down. "Oh, yes, I remember meeting her too." Brooks said, grinning cheekily. Maddie moaned and you blushed. It had been at the first party on campus. Actually, you weren't even planning on going to it, to be honest, you just couldn't find your way back to your dorm again. Long story short. You got really drunk and crashed with Brooks. It had only been a one-night stand, but the whole thing became pretty embarrassing when it turned out that Brooks' room was right across from yours and you met him every day from that moment on.

But a few days later he had shown up in your auditorium completely out of breath and had interrupted the class in the middle of the lecture only to discover that this was definitely not the higher applied mathematics course. Instead, he had barged into your Latin Epic class.

You shook your head and agreed with Maddie. "You're right. It feels like only a few days since I started my Classics and English studies." you agreed with her. You sipped your coffee and for a moment observed the bustle of the café around you. "How was your first day?" you asked your friends curiously. Maddie grinned ready. "In our Creative Writing course we have a new student from England. Henry has such a cute British accent," Maddie raved. Brooks pulled a face. "I had to take that course with Professor Carter again. The others underchallenged me, but I still can't stand Carter." he said, and you nodded sympathetically. The two had not liked each other from the start. What a pity, because Brooks was a rather intelligent student who far surpassed the knowledge of his other fellow students. But he was not in the habit of dealing with it modestly.  That had made him unpopular to Carter.

Then you remembered something, and you reached in your pocket for your notebook. In a hurry, you opened it and flipped through the pages, then you found what you were looking for. "Classic literature - tragedies and comedies of the Romans" with a certain Professor Sam Winchester. Any of you know him? He must be new. He wasn't at this university before I went to Italy." Brooks whistled through his teeth in appreciation and Maddie started smiling. "Oh, lucky you!" she said. "He came to college during your year abroad." "Made quite a name for himself in a very short time. They say he's an expert in his field." Confused, you frowned. "There are many experts in philology. Why are you so enthusiastic?" "Well, well, well," said Maddie. "He's the hottest professor this damn university has ever seen! He's handsome and he's young. Damn young for a professor." You knew Maddie was attracted to a lot of people, so you didn't read too much into it, but Brooks' reaction made you wonder.

"I told you so. If I wasn't straight, I'd hook up with him right now!" Brooks declared, smiling. "How do you know he'd want you, huh? He could have anyone." Maddie teased Brooks. Brooks laughed, then he got serious again. "All kidding aside. He's  a pretty smart guy. Good-looking and young at that. A dangerous mixture. I heard he even attended the diggings of Pompeii as a student. He's also supposed to be fluent in Latin." You snorted and interrupted the black-haired man's tales. "Guys, what's wrong with you? He can't be that great. He's just a human like you and me."

"Just wait till you meet Professor Winchester, honey."

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[joannie95]

Legacy- Part 35

Pairing: Carter!reader x ?????

Summary:  Everyone knows Peggy Carter is a force to be reckoned with, who could have guessed her granddaughter would hold the same ferocity, if not more.This story follows y/n Carter’s life as she faces the obstacles life pitches her.

Warnings: Swearing, mentioned death

A/N: Thank you to @mo320 for proofreading and helping with the ideas for this chapter, thank you to @writeyourmindaway for making these awesome text dividers im so excited to use them all 

2012 Age 28

You weren’t lying when you told them you were done. Right after quitting you packed your bags and told your grandma you needed to leave. You couldn’t be there anymore, you were running and that was the cowards way out but you didn’t care. She told you she wasn’t letting you leave without her, she was there for you when you lost your parents and she’ll be here for you now. She packed her bags and you two left, you found yourselves in a small town in East Sussex, England. It was something new but that’s exactly what you needed, you found a home with the nearest town miles down the road. You’re ashamed to say that you haven’t spoken to Phil, Clint, Natasha or even Darcy since you left. You needed a clean break, your grandma doesn’t approve but you thought it would be easier.

You were making your way home back from town in your beat up pickup truck. From a distance you could see a quinjet a small distance from your house and started to panic. When you got out you heard 2 female voices coming from inside, you took a deep breath and walked in. On the couch you saw your grandma and Darcy, you gave her a sad smile before she got up and pulled you into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry. I left you without notice and I didn’t even try to contact you.” You were trying not to cry, she was practically your sister and you abandoned her.

“Don’t apologize, you were doing what you thought was best for you.” She looked at you hesitantly. 

“What’s wrong?” You were starting to worry.

She let out a breath. “We need you to come back.”

You started to shake your head. “You know I can’t do that D. I meant it when i said I was done.” You looked down at your feet.

“It’s Clint.” She grabs on to your hands and you look up. “He’s been compromised.”

“Where is he.” You were shocked, you never thought anything would happen to Clint. 

“We’re not sure but we need you, please.“ 

Clint was your family, you don’t hesitate and immediately agree. You look towards your grandma. "I need to go with Darcy but I need you to stay here. I’m not sure what’s going to happen out there so I’d rather know that you’ll be safe.” Before she has a chance to interrupt you speak up again. “You’ve protected me all these years and now it’s my turn to protect you." 

She puts a hand to your cheek. "Alright dear.” She grabs Darcy and pulls you both of you into a hug. “I know it’ll be difficult but please don’t do anything stupid." 

You both make your way towards the quinjet and head off towards New York.

In a few hours you’re landing on a helicarrier, you step out wearing your grandma’s old leather jacket and block your eyes from the sun before putting on a pair of sunglasses. You start to fidget with both your necklaces. Darcy easily forgave you for leaving but you’re not quite sure how Natasha will react. 

"Stop panicking, everything is going to be fine.” Darcy is looking at you with a smile on her face.

“You don’t know that, do you know how long it took for her to warm up to me in the first place? What if she hates me for abandoning you guys.” You don’t know if you’d be able to handle that, after the progress you have made all these years you would hate to have to start over. 

“Trust me she won’t, look there she is now.” Darcy starts to wave someone over.

You look up and see Natasha walking towards you. She has an expressionless look on her face so you’re not quite sure what she could be thinking. Once she reaches you she stares you down before pulling you into a tight hug.

“Don’t you dare leave ever again do you understand.” There was a slight hint of pain in her voice.

You hug her back. “I promise I won’t." 

Once she releases you she let’s you know she needs to get a few things done and she’ll see you both later.

"That went better than I thought.” You let out a small chuckle and you both began to walk ahead. In the distance you saw a man standing around with a look of panic on his face. You immediately recognized him from a few pictures of your parents. “Excuse me." 

He looked up and seemed relieved. 

"Hi, are you Bruce Banner?”

“Yes I am.” He stuck his hand out for you to shake.

You put his hand in yours. “Dr. Banner it’s an absolute honor to meet you. My name is Y/N Carter and this is Darcy Dugan, I’ve read your work on anti-electron collisions and Gamma Radiation and I’ve got to say it was absolutely amazing.”

“Thank you I really appreciate that.” He looked surprised to hear you say that.

“I’m not sure if you remember my mom Alice Grey, she told me about the time you all participated in an experiment involving hallucinogens.”

He chuckled thinking back to the memory. “Yes I remember her, she was a good friend, sad to say we lost touch. When I heard about her death I was at a loss for words. I’m sorry for your loss. She was truly an amazing person.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

You heard 2 people walking towards three of you. You turned around and thought you were seeing things. In the distance you saw Natasha walking with someone you remember seeing only in pictures when you were a kid. You lift up your sunglasses and you start to feel your heart beat quickly, your breath hitch and your palms start to sweat. 

Darcy leans towards you. “I forgot to mention they found Steve Rogers frozen in ice not too long ago. Seems like the serum kept him alive." 

You’d have to remember to punch her later for not warning you.

Steve Rogers pov 

We were walking towards a group of people as agent Romanoff was discussing agent Coulson’s interest in me. As we got closer to the group I felt as if the world was moving in slow motion, as she turned around my heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be possible, I started to blink rapidly because I must be seeing things. It can’t be her, I looked at her file and she would be around 90 at this point but this woman isn’t anywhere near that. "Peggy” I quietly whispered. 

Y/N’s pov

“Captain Rogers, this is Lieutenant Dugan, Dr. Banner and Agent Carter.” Natasha said your name with a smile on her face. 

You zoned out for a second and stared in awe. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He seemed to be as equally mesmerized. 

You tried to quickly recover and properly greet him . “Captain Rogers, it’s wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He cleared his throat trying not to fumble his words. “It’s good to meet you too, you as well Dr. Banner.” He looked towards Darcy. “Dugan? You wouldn’t happen to be related to-" 

Before he could finish Darcy interrupted him with a smile on her face. "Yes sir, Sergeant Dugan was my grandfather. Taught us both everything we know.” She looked towards you when she said that.

“He was a good man, it was an honor to fight alongside him." 

"Thank you captain I appreciate that." 

"If you’re all done chatting you might want to step inside. It’s going to get a little harder to breathe out here.” Natasha had a small smirk as she spoke.

Knowing exactly what she meant you and Darcy started walking inside as propellers began to spin lifting the carrier into the air. Once inside you quickly punch Darcy in the arm and make your way to the bridge.

She hisses in pain before speaking. “What the hell was that for?" 

"You know exactly what that was for Dugan!” You playfully shout back.

Legacy Tags:

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[more--than--anything]

Episode Review: "Hey, we should all get matching tattoos after this." [S04E21/22]

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but here, at long last, is our review of the season 4 finale. Just in time for season 5! Better late than never?

The season 4 finale can only be described as “explosive,” both literally and figuratively. What did we think of the end of the penultimate season of Blindspot?

Y: Hands down my favorite Blindspot finale ever—and definitely up there in my top three episodes of all time. It’s been almost a year since it aired, but still, every time I watch it I am left with the same feeling of… MIND. BLOWN. HEART. RACING. PROTECT THE TEAM!

L: It was a masterpiece. There were a lot of moments in season 4 where I wondered where the overall plot was headed, but now that I see the whole picture.... Wow. And this team... I am simultaneously giddy and heartbroken and terrified and elated. Verklempt, that’s what I am. Utterly verklempt. Bravo, Blindspot.

The team is still racing to stop Madeline’s plans, even though they don’t know exactly what they entail. But they quickly find themselves changing from hunter to hunted. How do they fare in this final battle?

L: Our team starts this episode right where we left them, still fumbling around in the dark, trying to figure out what Helios is all about. The only leads they have are Madeline’s henchmen, Dominic Masters and Barry Wallace. (I’m not sure how they discovered Barry, but let’s just assume that Tasha encountered him in her travels with Mad Maddie’s inner circle.) Dominic has vanished, but Barry shows up in Queens, so the team sets out to bring him in for questioning. They find Barry, but he isn’t alone; Jake Keaton is there. He tells them that Barry used to be CIA before he went rogue. And then Weitz shows up, followed by Lucas Nash, a CIA bigwig (more on him in a bit) who says that he was the one who trained Barry. Inter-agency posturing ensues as they fight over who gets to interrogate “the most popular girl in school.” They settle on transporting Barry to a neutral location, but Barry gets blown up on the way in our first, but by no means last, explosion of the evening.

The only clue the team has to go on is a message on his phone, “Retrieving virus at 1200. Will be ready for today,” which is even more alarming in the context of Barry’s area of expertise at the CIA: chemical, biological, and viral attacks. The team seems terrifyingly stuck until Dominic helpfully turns up on camera at Bellmore University, which we remember from 3.15, when yet another pissed off CIA operative tried to take out her former boss and coworkers. (I’m thinking maybe the CIA needs a better benefit plan to keep their agents from turning on them. Or, you know, maybe they should stop screwing over their employees?) The team figures out that 1200 doesn’t mean noon, it means Building 1200, the bio-science building and the logical place to look for a biological weapon. The teams heads out to look for the woman seen meeting with Dominic, minus Keaton, who gets pulled to have a little chat with Nash and discovers that—surprise!—he’s being reassigned to Malta.

Which brings us to Nash. He apparently outranks Keaton, who replaced Carter as the Deputy Director of the CIA. The only person who would outrank the Deputy Director would be the Director. Which would make sense, since Nash is up for the promotion to Director of National Intelligence alongside Weitz, the Director of the FBI. And it would explain Sabrina Larren’s witch hunt on the Director’s behalf (as well as calling it off once Tasha was embedded with the team again). But no one refers to Nash as the Director, which seems odd. The FBI is pretty big on titles and respect and formality. Reade would certainly have recognized Nash and referred to him as “Director,” and Weller would have been “sir”-ing him all over the place. So it’s strange to me that Nash is never directly identified as the Director. It also seemed a little odd to me that the Deputy Director could just be reassigned to Malta (which would definitely not be a “promotion” of any sort, since the only logical promotion from Deputy Director would be Director). But Madeline clearly wouldn’t want someone she doesn’t control taking over the CIA when Nash gets promoted to DNI. So they’d have to get Keaton out of the way before they promote someone else to Director, thereby preserving Madeline’s control over the FBI, CIA, and the Director of National Intelligence. (Shepherd’s plan to nuke the White House and replace all of these folks with Weller and Keaton is looking better by the minute!)

Meanwhile, our diligent FBI team locates the woman seen meeting with Dominic and brings her in for questioning. Her name is Erin Sandler, and she insists that she’s working for the CIA, making a computer virus instead of a biological virus. If her story sounds familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first person we’ve met who has been exploited this way. Ana Montes, the teenage hacker we encountered in 1.06, believed she’d been recruited by the NSA to develop an app that was instead being used by criminals. These computer geniuses aren’t quite as smart as they think they are. (Sadly, both Rich and Patterson were otherwise engaged at this moment and missed this cautionary tale.)

Unfortunately, knowing what weapon Dominic plans to use doesn’t help them figure out where he’s going to unleash it. The team drags Madeline into the FBI to interrogate her, but she’s her usual helpful self. (Honestly, I think the team should get bonus points for resisting the urge to punch her. And while I have some issues with the way Madeline’s character was written this season, I cannot give enough credit to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio for the phenomenal job she’s done portraying this season’s archvillain.) Weller puts pressure on Madeline, and she finally coughs up Dominic’s phone number. Of course, the phone is turned off. They turn it on remotely, but as soon as they do, the signal disappears, and when they check out that location, they find a dead body that Rich identifies as part of a team that monitors the power grid. Ruh-roh!

Dominic, of course, has already headed over to the facility, used a badge stolen from his victim to get inside, executed the rest of the employees, and cut off access to the outside world. Our team heads to intercept him, and Dominic goes out in a blaze of glory, after texting a touching goodbye to Kathy for reasons that escape me. (Kathy’s struggles with autocorrect tie with Erin’s breakdown as the most relatable moments in this episode. I find it oddly comforting that even computer geniuses have their texts helpfully mangled by autocorrect.) I’m left still puzzling over Dominic’s participation in Madeline’s scheme. As we learn in this episode, Madeline clearly had an axe to grind with the FBI, but as far as we know, Dominic didn’t. I’m sure she promised him a lot of money to carry out her plans, but he seems pretty willing to sacrifice his own life at the end to carry out Madeline’s scheme, and we’re not given any reason to explain this level of commitment. And why text goodbye to Kathy? I thought he was just manipulating her to carry out the grand Helios plan. Dominic, you will forever remain a mystery.

Patterson struggles to undo the virus that Dominic uploaded, but for the first time, we see our tech-genius-in-charge fail. The power grid goes down, and the Eastern Seaboard goes dark. (Which is a refreshing change from someone trying to nuke it, although no one else seems to appreciate this variety.) Rich’s hushed, “We failed,” sums up that moment perfectly. (Fortunately, he’s not subdued for long. His post-apocalyptic humor was on point in this episode. And also really necessary, since we are steadily approaching maximum freak out.)

Patterson and Rich find Dominic’s texts to Kathy on his phone and use Rich’s “Deep Fake” app (which he really ought to patent, because he could earn more than an enough to pay Patterson back, and then they could bicker over whose app is making them more money) to pretend to be Dominic. They are able to get a lock on Kathy’s location... in the Perlan Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland. Which seems a really odd place to hang out until Rich explains that there’s a rumor on the dark web that the Perlan is sitting on a secret cryptocurrency mining operation. (And while that particular rumor might not be true, apparently Iceland is actually big for cryptocurrency mining, because it has both cheap electricity from the geothermal heat generated by its volcanoes needed to power supercomputers as well as arctic air to cool the processors. Not for the first time, I admire how the show’s writers draw from the weird-but-true science featured in the likes of Wired magazine.)

The team persuades Weitz to let them go after Kathy (and the long flight to Iceland gives them plenty of time to air all their personal grievances), while Madeline’s lawyer, Richard Shirley makes his long-anticipated return to the NYO. (His line, “I’ve been up since, well, I don’t really sleep anymore. Do you have kids?” is right up there with Kathy’s autocorrect for relatability.) In a bit of brilliant cross-cutting, we finally see Madeline’s plan to bring down the team spelled out for us, as the team themselves is forced to face each of their own personal failings from each other’s perspective. We could easily spend an entire review on that scene alone, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Because first we have to acknowledge: Madeline’s plan is absolutely brilliant.

Every step of the way, all season long, the team thought they were getting closer to Madeline. But in reality, they were stepping neatly into the traps she was setting for them. Tasha believed that she was gathering evidence on Madeline, while instead Madeline was setting her up for the murders of Blake Crawford, Kira Evans, and Claudia Murphy. Patterson and Rich believed they were paying off Kathy to silence her, but instead they appear to be financing her attack on the power grid. Everything they’ve done to try to bring Madeline down has been twisted to make it look as though the team were guilty of Madeline’s crimes. And the narrative that she spins, revealing the team’s darkest secrets, ascribing “their” crimes to her own motive (“they crave power, and they sought to gain control of one of the most powerful companies in the world” so they “mastermind[ed] a plot to infiltrate the FBI and hide behind its integrity and wield its power for their personal gain” because they “only care about themselves, and anybody that gets in their way, that person is eliminated”) makes her whole case utterly, chillingly, brilliantly plausible.

It is clear that this is a trap that our team will not be able to magically talk their way out of, nor is there any way that Weitz, as their boss, or anyone else at the FBI can exonerate them. And the beauty of it from a story perspective is that everything our team ever thought they “got away with,” every infraction that their higher-ups forgave or covered up, comes out. And I love that, because it takes away a lot of the “magical resolution” aspect of these supposedly neatly wrapped-up storylines. There is a comeuppance for all the times our team has skirted the law, and it’s huge. And it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but maybe it’s true that our team has gotten a bit too cocky, a bit too willing to bend the rules to achieve the ends they desired, and yes, a bit too assured of their ability to talk their way out of things. (In other words, Reade isn’t entirely wrong.)

In some ways, Madeline’s plan is like looking at the photonegative of Shepherd’s plan. Shepherd set out to bring down all the corrupt individuals and replace them with people who would uphold their offices honorably. Madeline set out to do the exact opposite: To control everyone she could and eliminate the ones she couldn’t, until the entire national security system was under her control. It’s brilliant, and in some ways, it’s even more terrifying than a nuclear blast. Because there is no one left who can stop her.

Certainly no one sitting at the table with Madeline is willing or able to stop her. Nash orders Weitz to call the Icelandic Minister and have the team arrested when they land. Fortunately, our favorite criminal-turned-FBI-consultant Rich is listening in and gives the team a heads up. With no other options available to them, the team parachutes out of the plane (giving us many drool-worthy shots of Iceland and making me deeply grateful for this on-location shoot) and meet up with one of Rich’s dark web contacts, a guy known as “Ice Cream.” (Yet another colorful secondary character I hope we will see again.) Ice Cream helped to design the system that secures the crypto floor beneath the Perlan. And he’s willing to give them the elevator password to access it... if Rich gives him the Gardner paintings. And I absolutely love how we come back to this earlier heist. It would have been easy to ask Rich for money or bitcoin, but this is something unique to our team (and the fact that Boston is the key to retrieving them gives me hope that we haven’t seen the last of him either).

Patterson, Kurt, and Jane head to the Perlan, posing as tourists to get into the building, while Tasha and Reade meet up with Ice Cream to facetime Rich and get the password. Everything seems to go according to plan, but Kathy is gone by the time they get to the crypto floor. Patterson dives in and tries to restore the power grid, but Kathy rigged the system so that instead of fixing the problem, Patterson knocks out the power in London and Paris, all while being recorded by security cameras. She manages to restore the grid, but it’s too little, too late, especially once Rich discovers that the money he put into Kathy’s ransom account (despite being ordered not to) is being moved into accounts in their names, the final nail in the coffin that frames the team for all of Madeline’s crimes. The cops are on their way to the museum, so Jane and Kurt pretend to take the museum visitors and employees hostage to buy Patterson time to escape out the back exit. (And I am not going to lie, I loved the way Jane improvised and Kurt went along with it, getting into the role enough to shoot up the ceiling and include pizza with vegan cheese in his list of demands.)

Things look pretty grim when the Icelandic SWAT officers bust onto the scene, setting off gas canisters (in much the same way that the FBI captured Barry less than two hours ago, in what feels like pretty much another lifetime at this point) and taking Kurt and Jane into custody. But the officers turn out to be owned by Ice Cream. (Not that this show is making me horribly cynical, but is anyone in law enforcement really operating under free will, for the good of the general populace?)

Back at the NYO, things are going... less well. Weitz finally realizes the deep doo-doo he’s in, and when he tries to warn Rich, he instead leads Nash right to him. Nash takes Rich, draped in a black hood, to “the boat” as Weitz looks on. And Madeline neatly manipulates Weitz into issuing her a public apology, which she follows by announcing that she is heading up a new “Civilian Oversight Committee.” And then she kicks him out of Reade’s office, which she has apparently claimed as her own. (There is a strange irony watching Madeline call the shots in the NYO. As a civilian, she has no place there, but yet, technically, neither does Jane, and we’ve been feeling like she does belong there for four seasons now.)

We finally have to admit how horribly badly things are going... and then we find out that Nash has gotten a drone strike on the team greenlit by the DOD, the CIA (who the hell is in charge there now?!), and the White House. And I’m not gonna lie, there is a part of me that really loved watching the light dawn on both Weitz’s and Briana’s faces, as they realize their part in the team’s imminent assassinations. And then we get a really impressive explosion (as much as we have joked about efforts to blow up Kurt over the seasons, this is taking things a bit too far), followed by a lovely close up on Jane’s face as she watches her family go up in smoke and a distinctly less lovely long hiatus before we find out who survives. As often and as many times as we rewatch these episodes.... that will never be easy to watch.

One of the things that I love so much about the finale is the way it plays so much on our expectations and deliberately avoids following the formula we anticipate. In season 1, we were presented with two central mysteries: Who did this to Jane? And what happened to Taylor Shaw? Both of these were resolved—or at least answered—by the end of the season. Seasons 2 and 3 followed similar formats, introducing a main villain who matched wits with our team but was ultimately defeated in the season finale. We had every expectation that this season would take the same path, which makes the finale unexpectedly shocking. But the best part of it is that it wasn’t just shock value for the sake of shock value (cough, Game of Thrones, cough). This was actually impeccable storytelling that told us what was happening all along, we just chose to believe it wasn’t true (or hoped that our team would escape) because of our expectations—a technique that Blindspot has been using on us since the pilot, to brilliant effect.

My favorite thing about this show has always been that it’s a smart show created by smart people for a smart audience. And this finale (and the season as a whole, viewed in retrospect) really highlights that. There was an interview a few years ago with David Kwong, the puzzle consultant on the show, who said something along the lines that mysteries where the audience isn’t given all the clues and can’t solve it themselves aren’t as satisfying to the viewers as those where the audience can put the clues together themselves. And that’s kind of stuck with me over the seasons. Blindspot does that so very well—they show us everything, but they misdirect our attention, so we ignore clues. (This is what happens when you have a consulting magician on the payroll. I mean, they showed us in the pilot that it was Remi’s choice to have her memory wiped. But we didn’t believe it even when we saw her say it, some ten episodes later!) This season, the writers were misdirecting us in every episode, and really, right into the second half of the finale, we didn’t even realize it. I think that it gives us a sense of empathy for these characters, too. We got played just as much as they did. And I have to respect that!

And on that note (pun totally intended), you have to love the way they used the Rolling Stones at the end of the last team scene. “You can’t always get what you want... but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” This finale might not have been what we wanted, but it was what we needed to re-ignite our passion for this team and this story.

We’ve talked before about the fact that one of things that sets this show apart from other police procedurals is the fact that our team doesn’t always win, which makes their struggles seem more real. They’ve had some tough losses over the seasons, but never one to this degree. They lose in every way it’s possible to lose: The bad guy not only gets away, she ends up running the FBI and CIA. They don’t just lose a case, their entire professional reputation is destroyed. And they don’t just lose their reputation; some of them might have even lost their lives. These are a lot of hits to a team that’s gotten pretty good at taking down villains. And maybe they’ve gotten a little smug about it (or maybe that’s just Rich rubbing off on them). But this definitely knocks the wind out of their sails and forces them to do a bit of soul-searching about who they really are inside, so I loved what this does for the characters on an individual level. I can’t wait to see how they emerge from this (both literal and figurative) wreckage, how they cope with what’s happened, and how they chose to move forward in season 5.

And I love the questions that this finale opened up for the overall mythology of the show. When did all of Madeline’s planning begin? Clearly it was in motion even before Madeline assumed control of HCI. Tasha went undercover before that. On Nash’s orders? All of this keeps bringing me back to something Madeline said, talking about her father, “Did you know at one point, he was being groomed for the presidency? Until the powers that be had a change of heart. And they ruined him instead.” By the “powers that be,” she seems to be referring to some sort of shadow organization, operating within the U.S. government. An organization like maybe Orion? No, there aren’t any clues that point directly to that. But think of how perfect it would be if Remi had her memory wiped as part of a plan to wipe out corruption within the U.S. government... and Jane ended up working to wipe out the same source of corruption within the U.S. government. It would bring her story full-circle, and would remove the last barrier to her fully accepting the parts of her that are Remi, proving to herself that she was always heading toward the right goal (even if her methods were a bit questionable). And I am not going to lie: A large part of me is really hoping that this will be the case!

But whatever happens in season 5, season 4 was definitely a tour de force. And this finale was absolutely brilliant. Blindspot has always had amazing season finales, but this one really knocked them all out of the water. Bravo, everyone!

Y: I know that on more than one occasion during this season, I grumbled about how little we know about Madeline’s motives or where it was all going. But I am not too proud to admit when I’ve been wrong. So consider this me bowing down to the geniuses in that writing room who managed to craft one of the most perfectly structured and executed stories told over twenty-two episodes. Not only did they blow my mind with that finale and the long game that both they and Madeline played, but they made all the confusion and annoyance along the way worth it. This finale not only tied up almost every loose end from this season, but it also tied in loose ends that date all the way back to season 1. They managed to bring it all together—all those tiny moments, little almost insignificant plots and events that happened—in the most devastating way possible.

And one of the best things about it all is that our team was dealt such a huge blow. It’s not every day that your protagonists lose—and lose in such a big way—but our heroes just did, and this has breathed new life into the show and set forth the final chapter in the most exciting way possible. We’re so used to brushing the dust off after every episode, tallying the scores, and finding that the team somehow snatched a win despite everything. There have been very few incidents before when the team came out on the losing end—off the top of my head, I can think of 2.09 when Shepherd blew up half the NYO agents and again in 2.21 when she raided their offices—but this time, I believe, the loss is far more devastating especially because it hit so close to home. Not only did Madeline beat the team in their head-to-head, but she’s now sitting pretty in Reade’s office and has the director on a leash.

Having your heroes end the season with a huge loss—not to mention blowing them up in a drone attack—and putting them through all that they went through during the finale, from external forces coming at them to having them implode from within as a team—was a very bold move and a very brave decision from the writers. And I think making that move as a final one before the last season was the right way to go. I think we all knew that there would come a day when they could no longer work from within the FBI, and that fighting the corruption while still being a part of the system cannot last so long. We all expected them to not be a part of the FBI as they completed the last of their tasks. And the fact that they finally got to this point shows how true the writers have remained to the premise and to the original core mythology. But did anyone see it happening like this? I’m just so blown away by the beautiful craftsmanship of this storytelling. I am in awe. Absolutely in awe.

I am also quite in awe of how well these two episodes flowed together. Remember, they were initially meant to run separately but the rescheduling forced the two-hour finale to run as such. Credit goes first to the writers because the story moved seamlessly from one to the other. And also credit to the editors who managed to make it look like one continuous episode. The rhythm never faltered, the pacing never felt off, and it just worked so well as one cohesive episode.

But enough of that for now. Let’s go ahead and dissect Madeline’s devilishly elaborate Helios scheme and see just how she managed to absolutely destroy this team because there is just so much for us to look at and take apart.

We finally find out what Madeline’s motivation is and why she’s been doing what she’s been doing, and it turns out her motives and her drive are far more personal than anyone else’s. It’s true, she never had Shepherd’s or Crawford’s ideological platform or any ambition to change the world and install a new world order. Madeline’s drive was purely a personal vendetta, instigated and fueled by emotion rather than logic. And this is probably why we often felt disconnected from her evil plan but also why she went to such extremes. And honestly, what is more interesting to me than the motive—now that we know it—is looking back at everything she’s done and realizing just how long she’s been planning this and how meticulously and carefully and patiently she’s been orchestrating this. And what is terrifying is realizing that all along Madeline has been the ultimate puppet master. Certain things may have come to her by luck, but she knew exactly how to exploit every chance and opportunity and mastermind this vendetta. And looking back at everything that has happened this season and all the things she reached for from seasons before, it just blows me away to see how every single small piece of this puzzle came together.

I don’t think we’ll ever know exactly when or how Madeline began her scheme, but it’s clear now that Madeline has been focused on taking down the FBI since she was very young—or if not exactly taking the FBI down, at least avenging her father. This is not something you whip up on a slow Sunday afternoon. It’s a plan that takes years of scheming, of placing all the right pieces in place, and of waiting patiently until it’s the right time to move these people and the right time to strike. I think it’s safe to assume that she was not always after this team specifically but when certain things fell into place, she did not waste any time jumping to the opportunity to target them to complete her revenge.

Placing herself on the board of HCI was probably always part of the plan. It’s the perfect seat to be in to have access to all this information, and access to all of these people to control, and in many ways remain protected. Taking out Hank Crawford was probably always on her to do list, but I guess we can say she got lucky when the team got to him first. That gave her the perfect opportunity to pounce and take his seat and also gave her the perfect target within the FBI—our beloved team. And once she got her target, Madeline wasted no time building Helios around taking them down, and honestly you have to give credit to her research team, who managed to dig up so much on them. And you also have to give her credit for managing to build such an airtight case against them—designing Helios in such a way that it is so convincing even if she had to pin a few things on the likes of Tasha and Kurt to paint the full picture.

Speaking of Tasha, looking back now, I cannot help but wonder if the orders to Keaton to send Tasha undercover were orchestrated by Nash who we now know is on Madeline’s payroll. I think what is more likely is the other option—that Nash had nothing to do with Tasha going undercover with Blake but everything to do with Madeline knowing all along that she was CIA. And what better than keeping Tasha by her side long enough to build a decent rap sheet against her? I think Madeline knew from the beginning who Tasha was and what she was doing there and that had been—along with the team taking down Crawford—the first perfect piece to the Helios puzzle: make sure Tasha is part of and witness to enough crimes that Madeline can pin on her because at the end of the day it is going to be Tasha’s word versus Madeline’s, and if everything goes according to plan, Madeline’s is the word that is going to win.

And after that, all Madeline needed to do is make sure the team stays on her trail, gather dirt on them, and ultimately get them arrested. Yes, I honestly believe getting arrested had always been part of the plan—making Madeline the perfect victim of this vicious vindictive FBI team and garnering all the sympathy towards her as well as hatred for the team—nothing like spreading some fake news to gather the mobs. Just before she gets arrested in 4.17, Madeline tells Tasha, “And while I always suspected you might be working for the government, I also suspected there was a chance I could turn you.” And to this Tasha replies, “Sorry to disappoint,” but it’s Madeline’s reply that—in hindsight—gives me all the chills. She says, “Oh, no, you haven’t. I wouldn’t change a thing.” And this just again convinces that every single thing that happened, every move that the team made, had all fallen just in the right places that Madeline needed them to fall in to fit perfectly into her master plan.

Gathering dirt on the rest of the team could not have been that hard. Rich has a colorful history that is known to everyone. Having access to Crawford’s hard drive, which she got from Kira, meant she had access to intel Crawford got from Hirst, which it’s safe to assume included Reade’s drug problems and probably his involvement with Coach Jones’s murder and the disappearance of the lone suspect, and I’m sure Hirst knew all about Megan. And then there’s Jane, and while her file is classified, Madeline has Nash and all the CIA black site intel that he has access to, so knowing the truth about her identity and her past must have been a breeze. And as for Weitz, well there’s a guy walking with not a closet but an entire wardrobe department full of skeletons. Getting dirt on Weitz was probably also rather accessible, especially again with Hirst’s intel. Finding out about Patterson’s involvement with The Three Blind Mice was probably a little bit harder but also I think not so impossible. With Madeline’s connections and Kathy being Kathy I can see the former eventually finding out the truth and recruiting Kathy. It’s a bit trickier than the others which would explain why Kathy came much later in the game. And finally, there’s Kurt Weller. And while he has made a few decisions along the way that Madeline could have used against him, whether it’s his covering the truth about what happened to Taylor or more recently with Remi’s return and what she had done, I love the fact that Madeline could not find these things out and had to resort to framing him for things that he did not do. She had Briana steal his personal gun and then have Dominic use it to kill innocent people to incriminate him for this crimes. And she also resorted to some elaborate conspiracy theory about him and Jane setting up this whole thing to infiltrate the FBI and whatnot—which I love because it’s the same crazy theory that Weitz had tried to pin on them all the way back in season 2.

It’s interesting that what she has on Kurt is so flaky and can easily be exposed if only Briana would come forward with the truth. Against everyone else, she has more concrete evidence—and what she has against Tasha is also a frame job but less easily exposed. So it should be interesting seeing how long those accusations against Kurt last. But we’ll get to Briana and what she might and might not do in a bit. But before I close this on Madeline and Helios, I have  a few questions about Dominic—which might now never get answered but still—why was he so loyal to Madeline and Helios? What was his personal motivation to be part of it? Was burying Jane a part of the plan all along or did he act out on his own? And what about his relationship with Kathy? It seemed staged at first but his sending her the message before he basically kills himself felt like maybe he wasn’t faking it?

There is no denying that our team has been put through the wringer this season. But the finale tests them in ways they could never have imagined. How do they hold up... and what do we think the future holds for them?

Y: Wow. Just wow. Everything surrounding the team—what they went through as a group, and what they went through individually, what happened to them, and what they did to themselves—was absolutely brilliant. Watching them fall apart and fight after seeing how close they’ve become as friends and as a family was absolutely heartbreaking. But then watching them make up and stand there together, having lost everything, realizing that they still have each other and that is enough to take on the world and promising to stick together until the bitter end? That healed my broken heart and filled me with so much joy. It was incredible to watch them go through this.

And then they got blown up. No big deal. And honestly, the emotional implosion was more powerful than that drone strike.

The actors carried the plot and the characters’ emotional response to everything so wonderfully, and honestly that is one of the main reasons that the finale was almost flawless. And the writers somehow managed to make these two episodes huge for every single one of these characters, and I am not only talking about our regulars. So  this week’s team section includes all our favorites and almost as many of the familiar recurring characters. That’s how good the writing was for the two-hour finale. Everyone got so much to work with and every single character who appeared in these episodes got so much story. We have so much to discuss when it comes to both our core team as well as Briana, Weitz, and Keaton.

Let’s start with Briana, shall we? Our once mild-mannered and often forgotten assistant has suddenly become a major player whose involvement with Dominic proved catastrophic for a certain Kurt Weller. And her involvement has put her in the middle of everything, not just for this isolated incident, but also for the story moving forward. I mentioned in last episode’s review that the way they got Briana into the mix bugged me a little bit. I think if they’d shown her flat out refuse Dominic’s offer and then only give in when they threatened her family that would have made us sympathize more with her and not just feel anger and betrayal towards her. But in the opening scene of the finale, we do see just how guilty she feels about her actions and her own disappointment in her actions. It does make me feel bad for her, enough that I am rooting for her to do the right thing moving forward.

We don’t see much of Briana for the rest of the episode. She’s in the background for most of the day, but she does not get called upon by either the team or Madeline’s people. And we don’t really see her react to the accusations until the very end. We know for a fact that Briana is in perfect position to clear the team, or at least clear Kurt’s name. It’s true that doing so will put her in a very bad place and potentially get her in a lot of trouble. I don’t know how helpful to her case it would be that Dominic threatened her family, but she owes it to the team to come clean. She really screwed them over. Madeline could not have taken Kurt down without Briana’s involvement.

Briana can have a huge role to play as we move into the last episodes. For starters, she’s one of the very few left at the FBI, and she holds valuable information. She is going to be in a precarious position and definitely on Madeline’s radar. But more than that, the team do not know about her betrayal and if they are going to ever try to reach out to anyone back at the NYO, Briana remains one of the options. (As is Afreen. I am dying for my girl to be the hero of the day and help the team, but that’s another conversation.) I don’t think Briana will necessarily become a regular but something has to be said about the fact that during that last scene, as Madeline green lights the drone attack, they made sure to focus on Briana. She got three very specific close ups during that scene—the guilt and terror evident on her face—and that has to mean something moving forward, right?

The team are going to need people in their corner, especially people who can help them out in any way possible, and as much as I am disappointed in Briana, I am also rooting for her to do the right thing.

L: Absolutely. You can do it, Briana! This is your chance to save the day and be a hero!

I have to admit I was a little bit worried at the start of the episode, when Dominic met Briana with no effort to conceal his identity. Obviously, he wasn’t worried about her being able to identify him. And even more worrisome to me was that Briana didn’t seem at all surprised to see him. Dominic’s picture would have been all over the NYO as the investigation progressed, especially while Jane was missing, so Briana would have been able to identify him instantly. Did she always know she was communicating with him? He disguised his voice when he threatened her parents and presumably whenever he made contact with her before, so at what point did she realize who she was dealing with? And at that moment, wouldn’t she have realized she was in way over her head, consorting with the very criminals she was sworn to stop?

I agree that her motivation was kind of a weak link for me in this storyline. I would have liked to see more of what led her to talk with Dominic in the first place. I know the earlier storyline with the crime novelist was meant to show us that she wasn’t satisfied with her job, but there’s a pretty big leap between “I feel unappreciated at work” and “I want to betray my sworn duties and my country.” I would have liked to see some steps in the middle there.

But that said, I do think that Briana’s heart is more or less in the right place. She did tell Dominic that she wouldn’t work for him and only gave in once he threatened her parents. But she knows that he’s dead now, and she does know a few people who might be able to keep her parents safe from any threats. So I hope that she’ll go to Weitz and start their own little rebellion to take back the NYO in season 5.

Which brings us to the guy running—or mismanaging, as the case may be—the FBI.

Y: Speaking of rooting for people to do the right thing, Matthew Weitz sits firmly at the top of that list. It’s been quite an interesting season for Weitz, and this last episode was huge for him. The writers managed to give him an entire arc, to dive deep into his character and set him up nicely to be more involved in the next season. Ever since he first appeared on the show, Weitz has been the character we love to hate. He’s obnoxious and smarmy and self-serving and the polar opposite of our team on the moral compass. Every time he’s around it spells bad news for the team, even when he’s technically on their side, he somehow finds a way to make things worse for them. He’s always managed to walk the very fine line between the sides of the law, making sure he leans just enough towards safety that he keeps his hands clean of any real mess and knows just how to hide anything that might tip him to the other side. He knows how to take care of number one, to make sure his needs are met and to hell with everyone else. And so it seems quite perfect that the episode starts with him trying to get himself into a better job than the one he’s in—how many jobs has this man had?—and hoping to get out of his current position with nothing but a stellar report card.

And what makes Weitz interesting is that he knows all that about himself. He doesn’t pretend to be something that he is not. He is ambitious and vicious and doesn’t care about who he hurts or what he has to do along the way to reach where he wants to reach. He says just that in the episode while arguing with Kurt in the car. It’s the way he’s been since we first met him. But by seeing more of him this season, we did witness a few moments where we thought that maybe Weitz could change, that maybe being around the team might be the trigger he needs to better himself, and that maybe it’s his turn to shine under the spotlight of character development. Coming into the finale, and with his feud with Kurt, the odds were against him. But then the events of the day unraveled, and I like to think that maybe this was the gut punch that Matty needed to take a step back and have a close look at his life and the choices he’s made. He’s not used to ending up on the losing side. Even when he couldn’t take the team down in season 2, he still managed to come out of it with a win and a nice new job. But this loss is like nothing he’s ever seen in this episode, and I really think the learning curve for him was pretty intense.

I’m not saying Weitz has been reformed. No, far from it—he still has a long long way to go. But this episode was really a wake-up call and I think by the end of it, Weitz was on the verge of turning a page—of making a choice that would alter the course on which he had thought his life belonged. Rich’s line to him about them not being similar really stung—you could see it clearly on his face—and from the minute Madeline took apart the team in the conference room, Weitz’s demeanor completely changed. By the way, I really appreciate him trying to stand up to Kurt. They might have never seen eye to eye, but I think Weitz has so much respect for him and it showed in that moment. But I really think it was that slap in the face from Rich and the way the day ended that are going to be what pushes Weitz into hopefully doing the right thing next season and seeking his redemption.

And yes, I am on the team that believes that Weitz was the one to warn the team about the drone attack when he left the SIOC with his phone in the moments before the green light.

L: Honestly, until season 5 definitively tells me otherwise, I remain firmly convinced that Weitz was the one who warned the team.

Since we first met Weitz, as an Assistant US Attorney, we’ve known that he was smarmy and self-serving, yes. But he’s not evil like our bad guys have been. He went after Mayfair because he thought it would help his career, but also because he believed she was guilty. Same with the team and Weller. And he’s been a pain in the ass, certainly, as a boss, but he’s also grown to trust and respect this team, who, for the most part, have made him look like he’s doing a pretty good job. He’s like a cat; he generally lands on his feet. And so it’s interesting to watch that moment when he realizes that instead of being a player, he’s the one who has been played. Nash used his own ambition against him, to set him up. And just like with Patterson and Rich, Weitz falls right into the trap. That’s gotta sting for a guy who prides himself on his ability to come out of trouble smelling like the proverbial rose.

Weitz may not be smart the way Patterson is, but he’s not dumb either. He’s very clever at figuring out how to spin a situation to his own advantage. We’ve always seen him land on his feet. And so, just as it is unexpected to see Patterson and Rich being outsmarted by criminals rather than the other way around, it’s refreshing to see Weitz set back on his heels, at a clear disadvantage. Unfortunately, we’re too worried about the team to really revel his discomfort during the press conference the first time around, but it was really a moment to savor during my rewatch. As pissed off as I am at him, I think he’s just fallen down the slippery slope he was skirting. He ordered an illegal drone strike against an innocent man to cover up evidence of wrongdoing, and by the end of the episode, he sees the same tactic used against the team, a group of people who had been nothing but loyal to the FBI—and to him. Despite all of his blustering, Kurt didn’t expose his secrets to the world. And even when the team finds out, none of them do either. And for their silence, they are punished.

And so it’s going to be interesting to see what Weitz does in season 5. He’s going to want to hang onto his job, of course, but to do that, he has to be willing to allow Madeline and Nash call all the shots. How far is he willing to go? Would he be willing to sacrifice his career in order to bring down Madeline? And even if he is, will the team be willing to trust him again? Because the only way they are going to be able to fully exonerate themselves is by someone with some power and clout making sure the truth they reveal is heard and exposed to the world, and they will need someone on the inside who is willing and able to do that for them.

I have to say, this is the most interested I have ever been in seeing what Matty Weitz does next!

Y: And if Weitz needs a good role model to emulate on his journey from “a character we love to hate” to simply “a character we love” then all he has to do is look to Jake Keaton. We’ve never been subtle about how much we have grown to love Keaton and how impressed we are with how the writers have managed to develop his character and turn him from Jane’s torturer whom we vowed to hate forever to a character we care about and root for and who has become one of the team’s most dependable allies—in his own CIA way.

I know that there are other characters whose fates at the end of the episode are far worse than being relocated by your boss to Malta—I mean being escorted to a black site and getting blown up do kind of suck more than a having to move to a picturesque Mediterranean island—but still I do feel kind of bad for Keaton. All the guy ever wanted to do was serve his country and do the right thing. He definitely did not deserve to be the fall guy for this mess, but I guess that’s what it’s like to work for the Company, and the way he talked about it, it seems like Keaton always knew that. Also, Nash is an asshole. One last thing, Keaton’s “new assignment” while it fit the narrative of the episode itself also gives the writer something to play with next season and places yet another character in a position that might be useful to the team.

Just like Briana and Weitz will both still be at the FBI, or so I assume, having Keaton in Europe could fit in well with our team being on the run. We know Keaton has CIA contacts, and he can definitely help the team travel around undetected; get them safe houses, money, and weapons; and could also be a source of intel for them. And just like Briana can be the one to clear Kurt’s name, Keaton is in position to do the same for Tasha, but the question remains if they will let him or not. Keaton can prove to be a very useful ally to the team some way or another. I just hope they don’t kill him or send him into another coma. But either way, I am pretty sure that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of him and now he too has a score to settle, at least with Nash, and it should be fun if he once again teams up with our group of plane-jumping fugitives.

L: Yes, I think that Keaton is definitely a player who can help aid our team from the right side of the law, so I am certain that we will see more of him in season 5. And I do think that he and Tasha kind of bonded during her time with the CIA. There is genuine respect between them. And so he is someone the team can trust (no matter what misgivings Reade and Jane might have about him).

And the more I think about Keaton, the more I come back to Shepherd. We know two things about her grand plan: One, she believed that Keaton, like Weller, was incorruptible and could be trusted with leading the CIA, just as Kurt could be trusted to lead the FBI. And two, she believed that she couldn’t fix the corruption from outside the machine, which is why she had to send Jane into the FBI, so they could clean their own house. And I do feel that in many ways, the team’s mission in season 5 is following through with the goal of removing corruption within the government. And to do that, they have to have people inside who are willing to expose it, otherwise Madeline and her cronies will circle the wagons, bury the evidence, and continue to spin the narrative they want the world to follow.

So I expect both Keaton and Weitz (and Briana as well) to step up next season.

And I agree, Nash is an asshole, and I want to see him get his comeuppance almost as much as I want to see Madeline get hers!

Y: And moving from one adversary-turned-friend to another, I think it’s time we talk about Rich, because if anyone has had a beautiful and fulfilling arc on this show it has to be Rich Dotcom. We’ve talked a lot this season about Rich’s transformation, and about how finding this team and this family has given him purpose and allowed him to grow and develop and find redemption. And then this episode comes and throws at him the ultimate test to everything his character has gone through—a test of his goodness, of his loyalty, his friendship, his commitment to his job, his commitment to doing what’s right, his faith in the team and in himself—and I don’t know about you, but at the end, all I can say is that my heart is so full. It’s full of love for this character and his arc and his journey, full of happiness and pride at how far he’s come and who he has become, and of course because this is Blindspot, full of worry and trepidation regarding what’s in store for him.

Every time I rewatch the episode, especially those last couple of scenes with Rich, I’m just blown away to see how far his character has come and yet how true he still remains to who he is—proving that true character growth can be exciting and interesting and take one character and make them the best possible version of themselves without sacrificing integrity and originality of the character. Many times this season, we have seen just how far Rich has come and how being part of this team has helped him grow, and helped learn to think of others and not just himself. He’s grown to become a part of this family. On more than one occasion, he has had to risk his life for them and watch them risk their lives for him and understand the true meaning of being part of a family. And he has even admitted it a few times as well—seeing these changes in himself and appreciating them and also appreciating the team for welcoming him and helping him grow into this better version of himself.

And this finale was a test to all that character growth and a test to see just how committed he is to this new version of himself, to the team, and to being a good person. He had many chances during the finale to stumble, and we would have forgiven him if he had because there is nothing wrong with self-preservation, especially when faced with a force determined to take you down and ruin your life. But even though Rich knew what was at stake and knew that he could have easily saved himself, his loyalty to the team and his determination to help save them remained his priority. And honestly, if you think about it, Rich could have taken that phone and gone somewhere safe and still tried to hack that Helios file from a place he wouldn’t have been caught. I’m sure The Boston would have welcomed him and helped him hack it—because we all know now that he’s free, Boston has all the good toys to help him do all the hacking. But Rich knew that the best resources were at the FBI, and he was not going to opt for a lesser setup to try and help the team. Would anyone have blamed him if he’d left the building and tried to hack the phone from somewhere else? I know I wouldn’t have, and every time I watch the episode, I find myself yelling at Rich to get out of that air duct and go to Starbucks and work from there.

But no, not this Rich.

This Rich never leaves his post, won’t let a silly little arrest warrant and an office swarming with trained agents hunting for him stop him from helping and trying to protect his family. And this is what I loved about Rich in the finale. Yes, he was fantastic while doing all the stuff he typically does as one half of the Wonder Twins, but he really got a chance to shine when he was left alone and especially when we got to see him juxtaposed with Weitz in the final part of the episode. Hiding out in that vent, still doing his damnedest to help the team, to do his part, and do the right thing and consequently getting arrested was all we needed as proof that the growth he’s done hasn’t been for show and that it will stick. It wasn’t just growth when it seemed convenient and with a reset button when things got real.

And that final scene when he is in the interrogation room is just the most perfect Rich Dotcom scene that ever was, and, in my opinion, Ennis Esmer’s most remarkably acted scene. Even with all the growth that we’ve seen in Rich over the past two years, there has always been a certain Richness to his more emotional moments—a certain smart-ass attitude and cockiness that are uniquely him. And even in moments of weakness or vulnerability, that edge to him was always present and always loud. But in that moment, when he confronts both Weitz and Nash, he is just so vulnerable and exposed, and there is that level of honesty and rawness to him, and it’s the most real we’ve ever seen him. His emotions and his vulnerability are there at the surface for us to witness, and if you don’t fall in love with Rich in that moment and if your heart doesn’t simultaneously shatter for him and fill with pride and love, then I’m sorry but we can’t be friends anymore.

All the credit goes to Ennis Esmer for such an incredible performance in that scene and for carrying Rich’s pain and fear and at the same time his strength and his conviction in such a perfect and touching way. And I cannot wait to see where his story goes next season. Rich in a black site is something I am terrified about, because I am scared for him and what they are going to do. But I firmly believe that it will only make him stronger and give him that much more motivation to come back and be a better person and never look back.

L: All of the cast members definitely brought their A games to this episode, but I agree; Ennis was phenomenal in that scene!

There hasn’t been any question of where Rich’s loyalties lie this season, not since he turned down Hirst’s offer last season to turn on the team in exchange for his freedom and Boston’s location. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t warm my heart a bit every time he puts the team ahead of his own well-being. And the way that he does that in this episode was just awesome. He doesn’t run—despite being told repeatedly to save himself—and he continues to help the team right up until he’s caught by Nash. And even then, he refuses to tell them anything about the team. (He also refuses to give Weitz Dominic’s phone with the Helios intel, so I have high hopes for a retrieve-the-phone-from-the-NYO-air-duct heist next season.)

Now I do have to admit that I have my concerns about how well Rich is going to hold up in a black site, but frankly, the team is going to need his dark web contacts (like Mr. Ice Cream) and also probably the bitcoin he’s got stashed away, so rescuing him should be pretty high up on their priority list.

After Jeller, Patterson and Rich might be my favorite pairing. Not in a romantic sense, but in a Wayne-and-Garth, Han-Solo-and-Chewbacca, iconic duo fashion. I love these two nerds. I love watching them be the smartest people in the room, waiting for the mere mortals to catch up. I love watching them fist bump when they pull off something huge. But as I mentioned in the case section, I think maybe they were due for a wake-up call. They were so sure they were outwitting Kathy and Madeline that they never considered that they might be the ones being outwitted. The team has been playing right into Madeline’s hands all season, but in this episode especially we see Rich and Patterson being so convinced that they are right that they tune out any dissenting voices or evidence to the contrary. We see Patterson going ahead with her plans to fix the grid, even as Rich yells at her that she’s making it worse. And then we see Rich going against Weitz to put bitcoin into Kathy’s ransom account, only to discover that the money was immediately re-directed to accounts in the team’s names. Yes, Madeline’s plan was fiendishly clever, but these two are pretty smart. Giving Kathy money, not checking to see what else she did while she was tapped into the New England National Bank—these are the kinds of things that they most certainly would have caught (especially new accounts in their own names!), if they’d been looking around for them. But they had kind of tunnel vision, believing they were the cat and not the mouse. Like all of our team, Patterson and Rich will be sadly wiser for this lesson in season 5.

Which brings us to Rich’s partner in crime...

Y:  Agent Patterson, whose first name remains a mystery despite the endless inside jokes and endless teasing from the writers.

Patterson has been an absolute MVP from the first moment she popped upon on our screens. She is, after all, the LeBron of the FBI as voted unanimously by everyone. Week in and week out, our Patty saves the day, saves the millions of people living on the east coast, and saves her team’s butts out in the field from her awesome lab. She also has a whole lot of money, an awesome relationship with her parents, and has plans to adopt. Yes, she’s a little unlucky in the dating department, but that has never stopped her from being an absolute superstar.

She knows it, and the team knows it. Jane says as they’re trying to escape the museum in Iceland that as long as Patterson is out there, as long as she’s not captured, the rest of them stand a chance. And that’s true.

And that’s also kind of a little scary because making her the most valuable also makes her the most likely to “die” in that drone strike—which I think is what they will lead us to believe for some time before we find her alive and well.

But back to this episode. So, we’ve known for a long time just how badass and invaluable Patterson is. But in this finale, Patterson had her most iconic moment to date—her “birth of a leader” moment—and it was epic. I’ve always thought that a day will come when Patterson will be running the show. I just never expected it to be out of a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Iceland and as a wanted fugitive accused of terrorism and treason. Patterson had a few incredible moments in the finale but for me that one absolutely stood out and I believe defines her as we move towards the final stretch and will probably go down as one of Patterson’s most iconic moments.

Every so often, you have a character who finally grows into their own, embraces all their potential and has that “birth of a leader” moment. And our Patterson got her “birth of a leader” in this episode as the team gathered around her and she gave a speech that got them to drop their differences and united them as they basically pledged their allegiance to her.

Reade did a great job when they needed someone with diplomacy and a suit, and Kurt’s always been the one to go to when it’s about gut instinct and split-second decisions, but now, it’s Patterson’s turn to take charge, and boy is she ready to do so!

And yes, I am ignoring how the accusations Madeline made against her are ones that she’s actually guilty of and would totally stick if it comes to it, because right now all I care about is that incredible scene where Patterson took her rightful place at the throne.

L: I completely agree about Patterson’s “birth of a leader” moment. While there is no question that Patterson frequently saves the day for our team, it’s usually been from a more subordinate role; she provides the information they need at just the right moment (like how to land a jet with no working engines), but she’s not the one on the ground leading the team and calling the shots. But if there is anyone who can take this team of alpha dogs and make them work like a pack, it’s Patterson.

Patterson’s arc has been an interesting one over the course of these four seasons. In the early episodes, she seems quite young—brilliant in the lab, but still trying to establish her career at the FBI. Over the years, we see her grow in confidence, even as—or perhaps because—the universe deals her one blow after another. The girl who breaks up with David after criticism from Assistant Director Mayfair becomes the woman who stands up to Director Weitz—and wins! This season we see her running her lab like a boss and, at times, the whole NYO. This transformation is not without cost to her, though. Although she began the series more on the straight and narrow—not unlike Weller—by the end of season 2 we saw her burned out enough to leave the FBI, start a new career, and engage in a bit of cyber-activism on the side.

These hacking adventures provide some great foreshadowing for her role in season 5. Because there is no question that she’s going to be absolutely critical in the fight to take Madeline down. They’re going to need all of Patterson’s (and Rich’s) tech skills to get the information they need to bring down Madeline. (Man, I need to know what’s on that phone like yesterday!) And you know at some point Patterson is going to have to hack into the FBI. She’ll know every backdoor into that system (which she can conveniently blame on the now-dead designer of the new system). Wouldn’t it be awesome to see Patterson and Afreen going head-to-head electronically? Although I’m hoping Afreen will join the team of rebels working inside the FBI to help clear our team.

I really can’t wait to see what brilliant feats Patterson pulls off in season 5.

Y: Then of course we have, the ever elegantly dressed Assistant Director Edgar Reade. There’s no denying that Reade has been doing a great job as AD of the NYO especially given that he has already had to clean up after Hirst turned out to be dirty and then deal with having Weitz as his boss. He also cannot be envied about having this team working for him. Don’t take this the wrong way, I love the team and I think they are the most badass team there ever was, but they are not the easiest to have under your command—there’s the former dark web criminal, the former Navy Seal turned terrorist with memory problems, the little genius with the side white hacking hobby, his best friend slash soulmate who went on a little “assistant to the devil” sabbatical, and finally his former boss, a ridiculously alpha control freak male. So yes, given all that, I’m surprised Reade hasn’t quit his job and opened a hot dog cart. I know I would have. So given how far he’s gone to cover for all these people and protect them from the suits upstairs, I don’t really blame Reade for snapping when he realized that people were still keeping things from him and going behind his back.

Yes, there is a level of hypocrisy there, and we’ll get to that in a minute, but I do feel bad for him. One minute he thinks everything is under control and the next minute, he finds out about Kurt and Weitz, and then he finds out about Patterson, Rich, and Kathy. And I understand him getting so mad because I believe that had he known, he would have still had their backs. But it still hurt hearing him say those things, and not just to Jane, but also to Kurt and Patterson and of course Tasha—the one person he owes almost everything to. But I especially liked how real it all felt, when the team finally let it all out, in that they dug deep, and they went all the way back and brought up things that have been hidden and buried under the surface since season. It especially worked with Reade, who in season 1 had been the most vocally opposed to Jane’s joining the team and her effect on Kurt. Listening to him attack Jane—and Kurt—on the plane and before that in the locker took me straight back to early season 1 when Reade would warn Kurt against Jane’s participation in the team and when he would be straight with Jane about his discomfort with her presence especially around Kurt, when he said, “When he’s around you, the guy I lean on, the guy I know... isn’t there. And that scares the hell out of me.” And he’s said to Kurt about Jane, “Look, we have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into. You sure you want to bring her today? […] All right, honestly, the idea of having her armed and out in the field makes me nervous.”

It just goes to show that these things never went away, and it felt so real because who hasn’t done the same? When you find yourself getting in a fight with someone, you always somehow revert to that one thing that happened so long ago that you had thought you were over or thought that you’d forgiven, but it’s still there, waiting to get out into the open to be properly addressed.

So to a certain extent I do find that moment with Jane somewhat understandable. And the same goes for what he said to Patterson, especially from a purely “I’m the boss and you kept this from me after I specifically asked you about it” point of view. But what I think is completely unforgivable is him going after Tasha especially now that he knows why she was doing what she was doing and how ever since she’s been back she’s been unwaveringly loyal—and mostly because dammit, Edgar, she has kept your secrets for so long and she’s protected you and had your back more than anyone else in your entire life and she’s been the best friend you could have never imagined. What he said to Tasha pissed me off more than what he said to either Jane or Patterson or Kurt or about Rich.

But as much as he had the right to be angry at being lied to and the secrets that others were keeping from him, we do have to point out that he wasn’t all that innocent himself. And what’s interesting is that—for all his being pissed off at the others—the rap sheet he’s got is pretty bad. And with Reade, he is pretty much guilty of the things that Madeline has accused him of—and what Tasha threw back at him with regards to Coach Jones. It’s all coming full circle here. All these plot lines from earlier seasons, they have not been forgotten—not by the writers and not by the other characters on the show. And it is going to be interesting to see where we go on from here, especially for Reade, because clearing their names would require proving what Madeline has on them is fake but in his case, it’s not. And for someone who’s tried to maintain that facade of being by the book this whole time, how he gets himself out of it is going to be a true test for Reade.

L: I think the thing to remember about Reade is that he knows he was promoted to AD not because of his abilities, but because Hirst believed he would do what she wanted. That knowledge colors everything he does; he knows he has already fallen short of the yardstick by which he would measure himself against Mayfair and all of the previous AD’s (including Weller). So he’s already a little bit insecure when he discovers that his boss and his predecessor are up to something and deliberately keeping him out of the loop. When we take this into account, his actions and attitude in this episode make more sense.

And the thing is: He isn’t wrong. The team has lied. They have broken the law, and they have covered up those crimes. Their attacks on each other are so painful to watch because they’re true. They are disappointed in each other, and they are disappointed in themselves. They are supposed to be the good guys, the ones who stop the bad guys, and instead, they have done bad things and are losing to the bad guys. Maybe they aren’t really better just because they are the ones with badges. And for all of the career law enforcement types, especially Reade, that has to hurt. Because—unlike Kurt—Reade doesn’t have anything else. He doesn’t have a wife or a child to keep him going. He poured everything into his career, and that’s slipping away.

So, yes, he lashes out at everyone, up to and including Tasha. Because of all of them, Tasha hurt him the most. He’d been in love with her for years, but she pushed him away. And then she told him she loved him, and he let things end with Megan on the promise that Tasha’s words meant something. And she sleeps with him and then ghosts him, and when he sees her again, she lies and lies and lies to him. (And ties him to a chair and cold cocks him, but I think that’s probably the easiest thing to get past.) So I think that what Yas said about things from the past bubbling up is true across the board. This wound is just more recent and runs a whole lot deeper.

But we can’t really discuss Reade without also talking about Tasha.

Y: Look, I think we need to get one thing out in the open: I love Tasha Zapata. Like, in case this is the first time you are reading our reviews or “meeting” me and don’t already know, I really really love Tasha. I will defend Tasha until my dying breath. Tasha Zapata is everything. Everything! So this is going to be more me gushing over Tasha than saying anything remotely intellectual or useful. You’ve been warned.

It’s no secret how amazing this season has been for Tasha. After spending three seasons as an incredible supporting character, Tasha—and Audrey—finally got the chance to be in the spotlight and get her own long arc and carry half the plot for quite a while. Going undercover with Madeline gave Tasha the chance to leave her sidekick role and come into her own. It gave her a chance to explore who she is, ask questions about what she wants, what she believes, what she’s capable of, and where she wants to be in the world. After years of feeling out of place and looking for her true purpose, she finally found it, but of course not without the battle scars and cracks in her armor to prove it.

Tasha’s journey this season really highlighted the most integral parts of her character and focused on the same core characteristics and intentions that drove her plots in earlier seasons—helping her friends, following orders, bringing down the bad people. All such noble and commendable goals and intentions. And the things that Tasha eventually gets framed for are all a result of these things that backfire on her so horribly. But also, much like Kurt, she is quite innocent of all these things—at least the things that Madeline framed her for. Luckily for her, the things Madeline does not know about—covering for Reade and her involvement with the Coach Jones case—are actually the things she could get in trouble for.

But all Tasha has tried to do since we met her has been for the side that is responsible for stopping bad guys and ending corruption and doing the right thing. And because she never truly found her place at either the NYPD or the FBI, this led her to the CIA and eventually undercover with Madeline—just because she was following orders and trying to do the right thing. And it really sucks for her that not only was her reputation at the CIA ruined and she had Sabrina Larren after her, she ended being completely screwed over and found guilty of all the crimes Madeline had committed when she was with her. Because Madeline is a freaking evil genius. And what’s worse for Tasha is that she had at least two people who can vouch for her and get her out of this—Claudia and Keaton. But of course, Madeline had Claudia killed—and pinned that too on Tasha—and Nash made sure Keaton has been exiled and his reputation too not so great at the CIA, so even if he does come back to try to clear her name, I’m not so sure how many people would listen.

As usual, the best part of Tasha’s story comes down to her being the best friend a person can possibly have, not just to one but to every single member of her team. Even though she was separated from them for half a season and even though they almost gave up on her for a second, she still remained so fiercely loyal and protective of them. And even after Reade was unnecessarily snippy with her as well, she still had his back. In this episode alone, Tasha had incredible moments with each and every one of them. She defended Kurt’s choices and what he had to do to keep Weitz off Jane’s back to Reade, she supported Patterson when the latter was nervous about stopping the virus, she immediately jumped up to save Jane and Kurt by asking Ice Cream for SWAT uniforms, and her smile and hug with Jane at the cabin was the sweetest and the most genuine thing I have ever seen. But I think the most important moment of all is on the plane when the team were going at it and she let it slip about her covering for Reade. The reaction from everyone else makes it clear that Tasha had never spoken a word to anyone about what had happened with Coach Jones and that she had kept Reade’s secret safe for at least four years now.

And in my heart, I have a special place for Tasha and Keaton’s relationship and how it’s developed and evolved over the years. We saw how theirs was not only a working relationship anymore when she chose not to let him take the fall for the Madeline situation earlier this season and in the finale, that hug between them made me so happy—it was so pure and genuine and sweet. It really showed what kind of person Tasha is—rough on the outside, with walls that seem impenetrable, but in reality she’s the kindest, softest soul who just loves so much and cares so much but is terrified to let it show.

Honestly, I don’t think the universe deserves such a beautiful precious human being. She is too good for us.

L: How can anyone not love Tasha? She’s fierce and snarky and loyal and will totally fight you if you cross someone she loves.

I think her last scene with Keaton might be my favorite Tasha scene in this episode. When he says goodbye, he holds out his hand to shake hers, and she ignores that to fling herself at him for a hug. Honestly, that is Tasha in a nutshell right there. She is cautious and suspicious and slow to warm up to people, but once you worm your way into her heart, you’re there for good. She’s 110% loyal to the people she trusts, and that group isn’t a large one. It took her a while to embrace Jane, but once she did, that was it. Remember the scene in season 3 when she asked Jane if she was going to run again? “[Weller’s] not the only one who would miss you. Don’t go back to that hotel room. Stay at my place. I promise I won’t make you talk about your feelings. I hate feelings, we can just drink.” Once Keaton made it onto Tasha’s list, he became part of her family too. And no, Reade doesn’t get that, because Reade is different. He views everyone, even the people he loves, with a dose of skepticism and reserve. And maybe that’s a result of his childhood; after all, he once trusted Coach Jones, too. And that’s why he’s had such a hard time forgiving Tasha and trusting her again. And that’s why he immediately questions Tasha about both her loyalty and Keaton’s. And it’s why Tasha doesn’t understand why Reade can’t forgive her. She’s always had his back, even when she had to pretend otherwise, and she thinks he should know that and trust her and the rest of the team.

I have to admit, I was a little bit surprised that we’re didn’t get more resolution between Tasha and Reade in this episode. But I guess they were a little busy for a romantic heart-to-heart. But we did get Tasha telling Reade, “You’re not alone, Reade. I’ve got you. Always.” And let’s be real: from Tasha Zapata, that’s even more binding than a declaration of love.

One of the most painful, but also most brilliant things about this episode is the way it tears the team apart, but also makes them really think about what is most important—and what they know in their guts to be true. Who do they know they can trust, who will have their backs in the worst of situations?

Honestly, the team interaction in this episode is really what makes it one of my all-time favorites. In a lot of ways, it echoes the themes this show has shown us so thoroughly in Jane Doe’s character. Jane’s journey over these four seasons could be summarized as going from being alone to being part of a community. In this episode, our team goes from trying to handle things on their own (and, like Jane, sometimes only succeeding in making things worse) to truly embracing their need to work as a team.

And now that the team is operating outside of the protection of the FBI, it makes sense that they might call upon characters that have helped them in the past. Allie and Boston, certainly. Keaton, especially when he finds out that the whole FBI team has been “killed” and branded as traitors. I think Weitz has finally figured out that he’s in bed with a nest of snakes, so he might be willing to help the team—if they are willing to trust him. Briana was manipulated by Dominic, so I am sure she would like some revenge. What about Nas, back at the NSA? And then there are the ones who are a little further outside the law: Rossi? Clem? What about Ana Montes? (I never thought I’d say that I am sorry that Shepherd is dead!) I can’t wait to see who else turns up to help our team in season 5!

When we first met Jane Doe, she was frightened and alone, with no idea who she was. And over four seasons, we’ve seen her grow stronger and braver, find love and a family, and become certain of who she is and where she belongs. What is she willing to do in order to keep all that she holds dear?

Y: Anything and everything. Absolutely anything and everything. From the first day we’d met her, we’ve known that Jane is a person who will go the unthinkable extremes for the ones she loves and to stop what she believes is wrong and evil and unjust. And this year has seen Jane go through a transformation that no other character has ever see. She’s become the best version possible of herself—she’s stronger, more confident, more driven and whole—and if Pilot Jane was a force to be reckoned with, then you can just imagine what this Jane is capable of. Don’t you just love when the writing respects the characters and does them justice? I know I do.

L: We couldn’t ask for more! From the beginning of the pilot, the central thread of this show has been Jane’s journey to find her identity. In season 1, she set out on a quest to discover how she got to Times Square and who she’d been before her memory wipe. Season 2 gave her a name and a family, and ultimately forced her to choose between that family and the life she’d made for herself at the FBI. Season 3 tested her commitment to that choice and asked her how far she would go to hang on to that life. Season 4 finally gave her back all of her memories, both of her lives, and we saw her reconcile them, find her balance, and recommit to her life with Kurt and the FBI. And so it seems terribly, horribly appropriate that the season finale yanks that rug right out from under her. Her new life and everything she built there is stolen from her, and the stage is set for a season 5 that will hopefully allow her to reclaim the future she’s been reaching for since she crawled out of the bag in the pilot.

It’s been a beautiful journey, and what I loved the most about the end of this episode is the way it brings Jane full circle. We have that phenomenal parallel between pre-series Remi, watching her whole team being blown up by an illegal drone strike ordered by the government they served, and season 4 Jane, watching her whole team being blown up by an illegal drone strike ordered by the government they served. In both cases, it was to prevent these teams from exposing the corruption that had been manipulating them. And in both cases, Jane is the one who survives with new motivation to bring justice to the people who ordered the strikes. Jane began this series as someone who had felt betrayed by the people in charge of her country. So betrayed that she was willing to sacrifice everything she had and everything she was to fight that corruption: her memories, her sense of self, even her very skin. She was willing to give up all of it in order to bring an end to gross abuses of power. And now, here she is again, with even more reasons to finish the job she started so long ago.

So we see Jane returning to herself, in many ways. Both of her Remi and Jane selves are finally in agreement, united in the goal of ending this corruption hiding inside of the law. She has her full complement of memories from both of her lives, and her full breadth of skills to call upon. I keep thinking about what Reade says to Jane on the plane. “So, you don’t think people can change?” she asks him, and he says, “No. They don’t change. People just become more like themselves.” And as harsh as that sounds, he’s not wrong. Jane hasn’t changed, she’s finally become fully herself. As Borden told her, “when you joined Orion and then Sandstorm, you were on a search for justice, correct? ... You wanted to right what you saw as a world of wrongs, which isn’t all that different from your role now at the FBI, is it?” This is who Jane is, it’s who she’s always been. It’s why she joined the military, it’s likely how she was recruited into Orion, and it’s how Shepherd was able to draw her into Sandstorm and Phase Two. And it’s why she gets up and goes into the FBI every day, agent or not, and risks her life to “save the world.” Because she knows she can make a difference this way and fix some of the wrongs of the world.

And this is where I really hope that somehow Madeline ties into Orion. It would poetic justice indeed if Madeline’s empire were tied to the organization that Remi first set out to destroy, and if by bringing Madeline down, she could complete the quest she’d set out on four seasons ago. It would bring her journey full circle, and it would be the final step necessary to unite Remi and Jane in her mind, to allow her to view Remi’s actions not as something that she must atone for, but as part of the same battle she is fighting as Jane. It would be both poetic and deeply satisfying for viewers.

I am incredibly excited for season 5, for so many reasons. But near the top of the list is because it finally puts Jane in the driver’s seat. The past four seasons have been all about her finding her way on FBI turf. But now she’s outside of the confines of that institution. This is her home turf; life outside the law, out from under the government’s rules and regulations. We know that she’s no stranger to life on the run. What is even more interesting is how this will affect the team dynamic. For the most part, Jane has followed Reade and Weller’s orders, letting them call the shots. But that was on the FBI’s turf, where they clearly outranked her. But on the run and outside of the law, she’s the one with the most experience and the most contacts. Will she take on a more dominant, leadership role? If they do kill off or seriously injure any of the team members, I think we can expect to see Jane take charge. After all, planning a major government take-down is pretty much what she spent her life training for. She’s got the most seniority in this game.

But it’s also going to be a different game than Remi played. Unlike Remi, Jane has something to lose. She has her whole family: Kurt and the team. Remi didn’t really have a family. Yes, she had Roman, but Shepherd did her best to come between them, to set them up as rivals rather than teammates, so that lone relationship hardly constituted the close bonds of a true family. (Even Avery, the child that Remi bore and Shepherd stole away, falls now on the Jane side, a relationship in the life she built for herself that she needs to fight her way back to.) Everyone else in Remi’s life, even Oscar, fell into the context of Shepherd’s plans. Remi’s value to others lay in what she could do, in her abilities and talents. But Jane has everything that Remi did not: She has love, unconditional love, just for who she is, with no strings attached. She has family, teammates who will guard her back as closely as she would. She trusts her team, in a way that Remi never could, because she knows the lengths they will go to in order to protect the people they love. So Jane is both stronger and more powerful, but also more cautious. Remi had nothing to lose, so there were no limits to what she was willing to risk. She was willing to sacrifice her very skin and all of her memories, because she didn’t have the connections to her life that Jane has. Jane needs to be smarter and more careful about the risks that she takes, because there is too much to be lost if things go wrong. And I think we will see both of these sides warring inside of her in the next season.

Y: In season 1, when Pellington fires Jane, she voices her concern that she does not know what to do now. Coming out of that bag and ending up at the FBI gave her some purpose in a situation that was terrifying and crippling. In trying to uncover the truth, she found a place and purpose within the FBI, waking up every day, coming to work and saving the day. After escaping the CIA black site in season 2, she found another purpose which included stopping Sandstorm and undoing Remi’s terrorist past. Then season 3 came along and she was conflicted between the happy married idyllic life of Colorado and the meaning she found in her K&R work and tried to find that place in between where she belonged. And finally we got to season 4, the most amazing incredible season 4, in which Jane finally got to face off with Remi and her entire past, in which Jane regained all her memories, and in which Jane finally became this whole person she has always meant to be. The list of adjectives to describe this Jane is endless and full of all the best kind of adjectives and all these amazing parts of her came into play in this finale. She’s become stronger than ever, physically and mentally and emotionally—well not so much physically these last few episodes because Jaimie’s injury meant Jane leaned against quite a few walls and cars. She’s also become more sure of herself and more confident. She finally understands and knows who she is and who she wants to be and what her purpose is. She has embraced all that and has found comfort in it. She is fierce as hell in protecting her family, her loved ones, and doing what’s right.

Jane’s relationship with every member of the team has been a journey on its own. And yes this episode did have at its core the team going at each other, but at the end of the day, that implosion had to happen for them to be able to come back closer and more committed. And while the show doesn’t always have time to explore these individual relationships as much as we would love them to, we do always get the rare moments that highlight these connections and emphasize them. And while in many ways Jane has always been a soldier in an army with people around her and part of her team, I don’t think she’s ever allowed herself to let them get so close as with this team, to care for them so much they become a family. As Remi, she only ever had Roman in that same unconditional sense, and even then Shepherd laid such unhealthy and messed up ties to it.

Jane’s relationship with Rich has always been special. Sure, it started with him being slightly obsessed with her and Kurt—can you blame him?—but soon after his joining the team and her return, it developed into something real. Rich early on confided in her that his move to the straight path was very much inspired by her and constantly reminds her that his redemption was very much thanks to her. He was also one of her strongest supporters in her return from being Remi to embracing who she is truly meant to be and despite all his inappropriate behavior, the two have developed a strong and honest friendship.

And honesty in her friendships is something that Jane values a lot and what allows her to be so supportive of these people, to lean on them when she needs to but to also not bend too far backwards that she loses her place. And that was clear in what happened with Reade this episode. They have never necessarily had a warm fuzzy friendship but after the first awkward weeks, I think Reade learned to trust Jane’s abilities in the field and respect her at least for that in the beginning before this family slowly morphed into the beautiful thing we see it now. They had one solid moment earlier this season when Jane was buried and she made him promise not to compromise the case for her—proving that Jane knows exactly what kind of person and what kind of agent Reade is and that she respects him for it. But I also just loved how she stands up for herself when he calls her out on the plane for not being a real agent. She doesn’t say anything when he calls her a terrorist in the locker room because technically she was. But not this. She puts her life on the line every single day, she is out in the field taking bullets and punches more than anyone else, she’s in the lab solving cases and in SIOC writing reports, and she does everything everyone else does and then some. Just because she did not get there like everyone else does not mean she is not very much the agent that they are. After everything she’s been through, she won’t let Reade use that line on her to make her feel unworthy or take away all she has worked and suffered for. And I absolutely loved that from her.

And while friendships in general may or may not have been missing from Remi’s life, I think that one thing we can say with certainty is that Remi never had any girlfriends. You know which kind I’m talking about; the girlfriends who are like your sisters with whom you share a bond that goes beyond just friendship. And I think that this is one of the most important things that Jane has gained in this second chance of hers. Her relationships with Patterson and Tasha—and heck, I’ll throw in Allie here as well—have been one of the most important pillars of who she is now and this incredible person she has become. It’s just so satisfying and beautiful to see Jane specifically have these connections and these friendships. And as a general observation, it’s so satisfying and refreshing to see such genuine and honest and real friendships between women, especially between a woman and her partner’s ex. But for now let’s just take a moment to bask in the perfection that is the friendship among the women of this show and especially Jane’s with Patterson and Tasha.

Of course Jane’s relationship with Kurt is the cornerstone of—well of everything on this show and for these two people—but before I go into how important it is in this episode and how far it’s come, I just want to focus on another relationship that’s a byproduct of this one.

Due to Jaimie’s injury, we couldn’t get all the Jane and Little Bee moments that our hearts desired, but we did get through expository dialogue the confirmation we needed about that precious relationship. Bethany may not be her biological daughter, but we know that Jane adores this little girl as though she were. Her love for her is an amazing thing and adds another admirable layer to Jane and gives her that much to fight for. From her saying “who needs money when we have all this” to saying how lucky they are to have this; from loving having Bethany in bed all night long with them to being heartbroken about the weekend passing by too quickly; and everything about her belief that the reason they do what they do is to provide a safe future for Bethany and being excited about moving to Colorado and watching her grow. In their world where everything can be dark and gloomy and depressing, Bethany brings in an air of innocence and simplicity and adds a ray of hope into their world—and especially into Jane’s.

And finally there’s Jane’s relationship with Kurt. That bond between them and that connection has been at the core of what has allowed Jane to go from the woman who walked out of the bag with no name and no story to the incredible woman she is now. He has been her starting point in every sense of the word. Their partnership—as a married couple and as a battlefield duo—has helped Jane grow and evolve and become whole, and it has been at the heart of that purpose she has constantly searched for. She wants them to grow old together, and in the meantime she wants to spend her days saving the world with him.

And through that relationship and with it as a strength and a motive, Jane has changed and evolved so much. I cannot be the only one who was dreading the possibility of Jane sacrificing herself when the whole Weitz versus Kurt situation started. Jane has a track record of throwing herself in her sword to protect the ones she loves. We’ve seen that many times. And ever since that episode, that worry has been nagging at me—that the writers might try to pull that narrative out to resolve this situation. But all respect to them for showing Jane and her journey and her arc the respects they deserve and not making her do that.

The old Jane would’ve ran away, in one form or another, but this Jane stood her ground, and first of all trusted Kurt, and second she trusted herself and believed that what she has is worth fighting for. She is stronger with this team, and they are stronger with her. And she is stronger with Kurt, and he is stronger with her. And she now has a purpose and a future she wants to fight for. And there’s nothing that will make her abandon it now.

But that was not only the major highlight for Jane in this episode—not the only part of her plot that shined a light on her journey and how far she’s come and this new and improved version of her. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we all loved when Jane ran back into the museum, pulled out her gun, and turned their unenviable situation into a hostage situation. That was smart and intuitive and the kind of thinking that we know Remi would have resorted to. A major part of Jane’s story from the beginning and especially this season has been about her confronting her past and especially the Remi part of her past, to come to terms to who she was then and to accept and embrace that part of her—as an actual part of her and not an “other.” It was a long and exhausting and painful journey for her, but Jane is finally in this place where she has accepted and come to learn to love all these parts of herself. But what is more important is that she can also now rely on the skills and talents that Remi had but use them in the right ways. Okay, maybe taking a museum full of innocent people hostage isn’t a “right way,” but I know Jane would have never let anything happen to them. I think it was such a great way to show how Jane is now in control to have her do something like that and not be afraid of that idea.

And now with the team on the run, it’s a good thing that Jane has tapped into her Remi archive of skillsets because they are going to need it more than ever.

And finally we just have to talk about that last scene don’t we? The anguish on Jane’s face as she watches that cabin go up in flames is almost too much to witness. I do not think it is lost on anyone, and certainly not Jane, that this is the US government—the same one they’ve spent the last number of years of their lives fighting for and defending and putting their lives on the line for—bombing them, just as it did to her ORION team in Afghanistan and then to the Thorntons’ village after they rescued her. Jane Doe is going to be a very very very pissed off and very dangerous person in season 5. Even if her whole team survives this attack, her rage will be unparalleled.

And another thing that doesn’t go unnoticed is the parallel between Kurt blowing up in her cerebral war against Remi in 4.09 and him blowing up here. This is her worst nightmare. And what will make it worse is the guilt. Kurt was the one who was going out to take first watch but she took his place. That feeling of “it should have been me” will definitely be one to linger there, right next to the rage and the heartbreak.

And Jane just breaks my heart—as Alice she watched her parents die, as Remi she watched her entire team die, as a fresh-faced Jane she watched the woman who protected her, Mayfair, die, and then she held her brother in her arms as he died, and now she’s had to witness her team, her family and the love of her life “die.” Someone get Jane Doe a drink and a lot of vegan pizza.

As long as we have known Special Agent Kurt Weller, we’ve seen him totally committed to his career in law enforcement. We’ve often referred to him as the “moral compass” of this team and this show. But everyone has a breaking point; how does Weller reach his?

Y: Simple. Kurt Weller’s commitment to what’s right and being the moral compass are a hard thing to shake but if you want to see this happen then all you need to do is threaten or endanger Jane Doe. But even then—even when he’s covering up someone else’s crimes to protect his wife and his friends for that matter—you can see how it eats at him and how he suffers and struggles with it and how he still tries to find a way to put an end to it. This boy is good. This boy is very very good.

In fact, Kurt Weller is such a good boy that when Madeline needed to include him in the “FBI agents to pin crimes on and disgrace” she had to go and both make stuff up and plant evidence to incriminate him. And yes, he might have a few skeletons in his closet that she could’ve used against him—the mess with Weitz and not revealing the truth about Taylor Shaw pop to mind—but he’s so clean that even Madeline couldn’t dig this information up. And even though it’s the situation with Weitz that gets the ball of fiery mistrust and heartache rolling within the team, Kurt’s secret and his indiscretion remains within the team. It never gets to Madeline or gets outside the safe zone of the team which means Kurt is still protected.

What was interesting about the whole Kurt versus Weitz situation was that in many ways both were being extremely selfish. Weitz wanted to protect himself and his personal agenda and secure his future ambitions. And Kurt wanted to protect the people he loved. Granted that the choices they made were eating at Kurt whereas Weitz remained unfazed by them. But I think what truly sets them apart is what Tasha said, Kurt did what he did out of love—his love for Jane mainly and his love for the team as well. I’m pretty sure if he had the option of taking all the blame himself he would’ve, as long as the others were safe. That’s what sets the two men apart, among other things. And I think there was a part of Kurt that was relieved when the truth came out despite what happened because that burden was off his shoulders and the nightmare of living with a lie was killing him.

And I love that ultimately what drives this man—this rough around the edges, introverted, “I build builds walls to protect myself” man—is love because as we saw in the finale it has become his drive for many things.

And what is more beautiful than the love this man has for his little girl? I think it’s safe to assume that if prompted we can easily churn out a thesis-length post about Kurt as a father, his relationship with Bethany, and how much we love everything about it. It would include a whole lot of flailing and feelings all over the place, but it would also be a lot of appreciation for Kurt’s journey, his growth and the amazing arc he’s been on since we first met him in the pilot. The purpose and the motivation that having Bethany in his life gives Kurt is unlike anything he’s had before and it allows him this new view on life that’s unburdened by guilt or anything sinister or any baggage that turns it into anything that isn’t pure and genuine. Watching Kurt question his priorities and come out of it making all the right choices is so satisfying as a viewer and as a fan of this character especially with all the daddy issues he came into the show with and all the concerns he had about being able to be a good father. He’s always just wanted to do the right thing and do right by everyone around him and to see him get the chance to be selfish for the first time in his life but be selfish for all the right reasons makes me happy. He just wants to have his kid in his life and wants to be a part of her life and make the world a better place while being there for her.

I never once expected—back when we first met him—that we would ever get a scene of Kurt Weller taping up a toddler’s drawing in his locker. Or that we’d see Kurt Weller going out into battle with that drawing folded and securely tucked into his vest. I think it’s great that it has in many ways come full circle like this for him but gone from something negative to something positive. Kurt went into this life and this career because of a little girl and what happened to Taylor Shaw. And now his drive and his motivation is also a little girl, but instead of being dark and haunting, it’s positive and a promise for the future. And we have to mention here the incredible relationship between Kurt and Allie and by extension between Jane and Allie and everyone involved in this co-parenting setup. It’s so refreshing to see a show that manages to develop a relationship between exes that is so healthy and that is mainly concerned about the welfare of the child involved without any of the pettiness and unnecessary drama and that finds a way to keep a lot of love between everyone involved. Credit goes to the writers for turning this into one of the most beautiful aspects of the show.

It’s interesting that the show set up Weitz versus Kurt as the huge confrontation that we anticipated come the finale but it eventually led to a Reade versus Kurt blow up. Narratively and emotionally that was much stronger, and using Weitz to set it up was a smart move. When the team imploded, they all said things that were extremely hurtful and while it makes sense that Reade’s anger triggered everything, it’s funny that Reade seemed to forget that not long ago, Kurt covered for him just as he is doing now for Jane and that then he had also done it out of love. Anyone in Kurt’s position back then would have rightfully reported Reade’s drug use, but Kurt had protected and covered for Reade instead.

As I was writing down my thoughts on Kurt’s ”we’re not family,” I remembered that this was not the first time someone from the team had said that. And ironically, it was Reade who had said it before back in season 2 during his drug problem phase. When Kurt confronted Reade about it and offered to help:

“But, Edgar, whatever it is that you’re going through, we can help you, but you need to—”

“How the hell would you know what I need?”

“I know that you need help, I know that I’m in no position to give it to you, so, as your friend—”

“We’re not friends. We’re not family. You’re my boss, that’s it.”

It may not have been as heartbreaking to hear it back then especially since it was just the two of them and not directed at the whole team but the parallel remains.

But coming from Kurt, that line was extremely painful and hurtful and the looks on Jane’s, Patterson’s, and Tasha’s faces said everything. Kurt’s “we’re not family” may have been the hardest thing to watch during the episode and probably the most heartbreaking sentence uttered on this entire show—right up there with “Jane Doe, you’re under arrest.” And it’s funny because that’s the same Kurt Weller who bends until he breaks for these people, and who just an episode ago had everyone over for dinner when he could have chosen to spend the evening with his wife and the daughter he barely sees. He may not be the best with words but he’s always been insanely protective of these people and has for a long time considered them family so you know he was really hurting when he said those words.

So yes, this huge fluffy marshmallow of a man didn’t mean it but even before he even got a chance to apologize, his words once again spoke for him, louder than any apology could have. At the museum, as the cops approach and surround the building, without flinching, he sacrifices his life for Patterson.

But still, that moment in the cabin when he actually apologizes to the team—his family—was terribly sweet and heartwarming and I cry every time I watch. So there you have it. Another favorite to add to my endless list of favorite Kurt Weller moments as I live my life of eternal Kurt Weller appreciation.

L: Yup, right there with you!

I recently rewatched the pilot, and there are two things that we learn about Kurt Weller almost immediately. First, he is a bit of a control freak, and second, he is A Good Guy. If you’ve been reading these reviews for a while, you’ve seen us use the term “moral compass” over and over when we talk about Kurt. In a lot of ways, even though Jane may be the main character of this story, Kurt is the protagonist, like the narrator of a book whose motives we never question. He is the guy who takes off with a bomb in his arms, barely 40 minutes after we’ve met him, to try to reduce the loss of human life in the explosion. Not because he’s wearing a badge, but because in his mind, it’s just the right thing to do.

I find it amusing that both Roman and Madeline set out to find some dirt about Kurt they could expose and use for their own gain, and they both had to resort to framing him for murder because there just wasn’t any dirt to find. Even the things that we know he’s guilty of—reburying Taylor Shaw and concealing the identity of her murderer, and funneling money to drug dealers—were done to protect other people, specifically his family. Because not only is Kurt Weller on the right side of the law, he is the most loyal, most loving family man there is. So there is something about watching him being branded as a dangerous criminal that just seems beyond the realm of comprehension.

And he is also a control freak, as Nas rightly pointed out. He is most comfortable when he’s the one calling the shots. He’s a good leader, because he never asks anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself. But he’s antsy when he has to hand the reins to someone else. Which is why we’ve seen him chafe under the command of his superiors. He’s crossed horns with every boss he’s ever had, with Mayfair, with Pellington, and with both Reade and especially Weitz. And while we saw the conflict with Weitz brewing, the spill over into his relationship with Reade was less expected. Yes, it was weird for both of them to have their roles reversed when Kurt returned to the NYO, and there were certainly a few rocky moments there. But once they figured out how things had to work—Reade wearing the suits and dotting the i’s and reporting to the higher-ups, and Weller calling the shots out in the field—they settled into a productive working relationship. So the blowup in the locker room and again on the plane was especially painful after they’d worked so hard to establish a new normal that fit them both so well.

But it’s the scene in the Perlan Museum with Jane that really brings home all the changes that this man has gone through. Jane takes everyone at the museum hostage, and Kurt.... goes along with it. He lets Jane call the shots. And yes, he loves her and trusts her, but he’s still the one who usually calls the shots when they’re in the field, and he’s the one who gets pissed off when she goes off book. And this time, he just goes with her plan. And then he fires his gun into the ceiling—with no regard for how badly he’s scaring the hostages—and really gets into the part talking to the police on the phone. If that doesn’t show how different he is from the man in the pilot, nothing does.

So this is a new Kurt Weller that we’ll see in Season 5. But, like Jane, he’s not really different, he’s just become more himself. He’s still doing what he thinks is right, he’s just doing it outside of the confines of an FBI badge. And instead of protecting the general populous—although I am sure there were will be some of that—he’s protecting his team, the people who are closest to him. Like Jane, he’s figured out what’s really important to him, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get back to the life they were planning in Colorado.

I kind of feel sorry for the real bad guys.

Which brings us, finally, to Jeller. They begin this episode as tightly in-sync as we have ever seen them. And then... we’re gonna have to talk about the end of the episode, aren’t we?

Y: By “the end of the episode” you mean when Jeller reunite with the team at the cabin, they all kiss and make up, Patty puts on some music, and Jeller share that sweet kiss, right? Because nothing happened after that. Absolutely nothing.

Seriously, though, I hope no one comes here expecting that they will find some intellectual and objective analysis in this section. Honestly, it is a miracle that we can even type in full sentences and using real words instead of just flailing and posting an endless stream of Kermit gifs and heart eyes emojis. Jeller have taken being an in-sync and an in-tune couple to a whole new level. They are best friends and soulmates and an ultimate battlefield power couple. At this point I am just as in love with this ship as I am with how their story is being told. Good storytelling requires your characters to grow and to learn from their mistakes. And after a few hiccups in the narrative, the writers have found the perfect formula for how to give Jeller exactly this. Conflict when it comes to writing a couple doesn’t immediately equal cheating or break ups or lies, and a couple getting together is most definitely not the end of their story.

Jeller have moved on to a whole new level of storytelling and of being an established relationship on a show and of character growth and development. They’re unquestionably madly in love—they know that and we know that—the story isn’t about questioning that now. The story is about that taking that love and making something real out of it—a marriage and a partnership—and going through all the obstacles together, facing problems together, extracting strength from it, growing together and most importantly fighting for what they have and what they dream of having.

They are so confident in what they have and what they mean to each other and in each other. The trust they share and watching it grow between them is as enjoyable and fun and exciting to watch as it was to watch them fall in love and awkwardly flirt and rebuild everything after they lost it all. They know each other and understand each other in a way that no one else can—in the scene in the locker room when Jane walks in to see Kurt staring at Bethany’s drawing, she immediately knows exactly what he’s thinking and what he’s feeling and what he’s struggling with, and what makes it all better is that she knows exactly what to say and what to do to make him feel better and help him through it.

And when Jane pulls her hostage situation stunt at the museum, you know it takes Kurt by surprise and even though it would not be his choice of how to get out of the situation, he trusts her. He immediately jumps into action and joins her. He plays his role perfectly and follows her lead and doesn’t question her choices. And even as criminals, they fall into that perfect power couple rhythm. And don’t tell me you don’t think they made very attractive and extremely sexy criminals? Come on, now!

Another important thing to take out of that scene—aside from the trust and unhealthy level of hotness—is how they deal with issues when they disagree which in itself is another sign of how much they have grown as a couple and as individuals. The communication between these two is just another aspect of their relationship that is so enjoyable and satisfying to watch. Whether it’s in these moments of silent communication or when they actually talk, when they voice their concerns, when they open up to each other and don’t hold anything back because they know that after everything they have been through they are much stronger together and so much better when they talk and discuss things that they disagree on. It’s such a joy watching a relationship grow and develop and blossom on screen as the writers treat it with so much care and love and respect and in such a way that is real and relatable and not overly dramatic for the sake of drama.

And finally, the most beautiful thing is that these two wonderful people have reached the place where even their purpose in life is aligned. They might want different things individually but what they want as a couple is bigger and more important and a driving force for the both of them. They both want a future—the same one—a peaceful future as a family, moving back to Colorado, watching Bethany grow and maybe have a child of their own—and to get there they know that they have to keep on fighting just a little bit more but it would all be worth it if they get that in the end, if they get to grow old together.

I just cannot with them anymore. They are the worst.

L: If the scene in the museum is the one that shows these two in all of their power-couple glory, then the one in the locker room at the start of the episode is the one that shows them at their heart. And after all the upheaval of the past four seasons, and particularly the first half of this one, I don’t think I will ever get over the novelty of watching Jane and Kurt just be quietly happy together. Whether they are planning for the future or talking about getting kidney-kicked by a toddler all night long, there’s pretty much nothing that makes my heart happier than watching these two be so happy and domestic together.

And I agree about the writing. If this were a romance novel, it would have ended about five minutes before the end of season 2. If it was, well, any other television show, we’d have had four years of will-they-won’t-they and both of them would have failed marriages to other people under their belts by now and probably a divorce from each other, too. But theirs has been a line that’s run pretty much straight and true since day one: These two are at their best when they are together. They are stronger, they are smarter, they are more successful, and they are more resilient.

And this is why they are ultimately going to triumph. We might have been content with an ending in which they rode off into the sunset, to live out their lives in safe obscurity on a deserted island somewhere. But they wouldn’t be happy there. They want to get home, to get back to Bethany, to move back to Colorado, and to be a family. They have some serious motivation to clear their names, put Madeline away for good, and finally achieve the domestic happiness they want so desperately.

And when the chips are down, my money is always going to be on these two.

----------

And that is, truly, all from us. Season 4 was a wild ride. Thank you for sharing it with us! We loved your questions and comments, and we can’t wait to hear from you during season 5!

—Laura & Yas

[osurp]

                             𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐀-𝐅𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐀 ── 01h30min.

As luzes piscavam no ritmo das batidas da música eletrônica que soava por todo o campus, a festa de boas-vindas da OSU parecia estar ainda no começo mesmo que houvessem alunos e alguns funcionários já embriagados. O falatório demonstrava o quão envolvidos todos estavam… E vulneráveis. Tão desligados, ninguém percebeu as figuras estranhas que saíam do prédio principal aos risos, entrando em um carro e indo embora. O DJ contratado por um dos alunos se preparava para a próxima música que tocaria, quando todas as luzes se apagaram. Um enorme apagão que atingiu toda a universidade. Os alunos não se encontravam apenas na escuridão, como também no total silêncio até que veio a explosão de vozes se perguntando o que tinha acontecido. Tentativas de restaurar a energia foram feitas e nenhuma teve sucesso. Apenas meia hora depois as luzes voltaram na companhia de um barulho ensurdecedor de sirene se fez presente por todo o campus. Então a voz de um desconhecido se fez presente pelos alto-falantes que antes tocavam a música da festa. “Vocês acharam mesmo que iriam ter um início de ano tão calmo, tigers? Depois do que fizeram com a gente no ano passado decidimos dar o troco. Pegamos o precioso troféu de vocês e escondemos. Vocês tem até o amanhecer pra encontrar. Se não conseguirem só vão provar que são uns perdedores. Fomos bonzinhos e colocamos dicas em pontos específicos… E umas surpresas também. Tenham muito cuidado se não quiserem se sujar. Peace, suckers!” E desta forma deu-se início a tradicional gincana entre a OSU e a Columbus State Community College, uma competição amigável que resulta em prêmios para os alunos de ambas as universidades. Que vença o melhor!

INFORMAÇÕES OOC.

EXPLICAÇÃO:

A queda de energia terá uma duração de aproximadamente meia hora. O que não impede de os personagens usarem a lanterna do celular ou coisa assim para se localizar.

O retorno da iluminação da festa acontece junto ao som da sirene. Uma gravação dispara das caixas de som, substituindo o que antes era a música alta. Sendo feito o anúncio da caça ao tesouro.

A caça ao tesouro nada mais é do que recuperar o último troféu da temporada, símbolo do primeiro lugar da OSU frente aos adversários da  Columbus State Community College. O que é uma questão de honra!

 Essas pranks são bem comum entre os rivais: OSU e Columbus State Community College Só que naturalmente todos os personagens serão pegos de surpresa. É praticamente uma gincana que ocorre anualmente entre as rivais.

 Em IC: Haverá dicas espalhadas por todo o campus. Elas poderão ajudar ou atrapalhar no processo. CUIDADO: Para que o seu personagem não se suje de tinta! *Tem várias armadilhas espalhadas por aí. Fica a critério de cada um escolher se o personagem vai ou não ser um dos alvos.

 A primeira equipe a desvendar o enigma (encontrar a bandeira da OSU e o troféu) vai ter a vantagem de 500 pontos para o próximo evento! Boa sorte a todos.

 A duração do plot drop é até o início da madrugada de DOMINGO, 23/08.

SOBRE AS EQUIPES:  

Esse evento vai dar início as competições internas na OSU! O que significa que esses serão seus colegas de equipe. Como isso vai funcionar e demais detalhes vão ser disponibilizados na segunda-feira!

 As cores das equipes correspondem a bandeira de Ohio.

Os treinadores são os líderes da equipe, o que não significa que eles não possam escolher outra pessoa do time para liderar. Seja essa primeira “MISSÃO” ou as próximas.

DETALHES SOBRE A PRANK:

Fica a critério de cada um fazer o personagem ser um dos alvos ou não. Durante a caça ao tesouro é possível que alguém fique sujo com tinta, por exemplo, com as cores do time da universidade rival.

PONTUAÇÃO:

A pontuação acontecerá por meio de interação! Usem a criatividade: Pode ser por chat, SMS, turno ou até mesmo POV. O que for mais confortável para vocês! Para diferenciar uma equipe da outra recomendamos que usem a tag (de acordo com o grupo du char): #OSU:VERMELHO #OSU:CINZA #OSU:AZUL.

TABELA PONTUAÇÃO: 

TURNO / SMALL: 15 CHAT: 5 POV: 10 SNAPCHAT: 5 EDIT: 5 SMS: 1

DIVISÃO DAS EQUIPES:

EQUIPE VERMELHA: Brielle “Elle” Alkaev, Francesca “Frankie” West, Bianca Cornelia Hatheway,  Marina Rossetti Delacost, Aurora “Rory” Laffayette, Levi Du Lac, Jared H. West, Mike Johnson, Sebastian “Bash” Barnes Anderson, Victoria Nimue, Austin Schwart. Kenna Reyes. TREINADOR: Mael griffin. (12 alunos + 1 treinador ).

EQUIPE CINZA: Cassius Skylar Lafayette, Archibald “Archie” Harvey O’Connor, Vincent Loren, Adora “Addy” Banner, Alanna B. Campbell, Hadley Howard, Cheryl Rockholt, Khaleo Reed Cooper, Nora Aube Fauvel Hozier, William Lecter. Ian Banner. Dahlia Song. (12 alunos + 1 treinador).  TREINADOR: Eric Phillip Harden.

EQUIPE AZUL:Teresa Adelaide Bochard, Debra Ellen Rhodes, Madeline “Maddie” Laffayette, Roxanne Belaware, Maggic Nathaniel Russell, Keith Collins, Joseph Mckinley, Ethan Williams, Richard “Dick” Hammer, Gwen Nguyen-Lýnn. Casey A. Traynor . (10 alunos + 1treinador).TREINADOR: Christopher “Chris” Carter.

[uncanny-accuracy]

RA AUs Masterpost

Note: Sorry for errors, this is really long and I pulled an all-nighter for no reason and now I'm going on a road trip.

Note #2: Some characters, such as those in the Good Omens AU, D:BH AU, etc., may be subject to change depending on how others view the characters’ roles.

Cralt

     Werewolf Halt and Vampire Crowley

In which Halt, a werewolf, makes the mistake of attacking Crowley, the leader of a clan of vampires

     Angel Halt and Demon Crowley (Alternatively: Good Omens AU)

In which Archangel Remiel, also known as Halt, must scour the Earth to find a rogue demon, identified as Lilith (alias: Pauline). Along the way, Halt meets Crowley, a demon with the same goal: Drag Pauline back to Hell.

Good Omens Version: The angel Halt (Remiel, takes the place of Aziraphale) and the demon Crowley (replaces, well, Crowley) try to stop Armageddon so that they may continue their lives on Earth.

Other characters include:

     Will as Adam

     Jenny as Pepper

     Horace as Brian

     Alyss as Wensleydale

     Ebony as Dog

     Pauline as Anathema*

     Gilan as Newton Pulsifer*

     Pritchard as Sergeant Shadwell**

     Rosalind as Madame Tracy**

     *Pauline and Gilan (Anathema and Newton) are not a couple

     ** Pritchard and Rosalind (Shadwell and Tracy) are not interested in each other

     Bounty Hunter Halt and Falsely Accused Fugitive Crowley

In which Crowley has been convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. However, he cannot prove his innocence and decides to flee. Halt is a bounty hunter set to track down and detain Crowley, but upon meeting the fugitive and hearing his story, decides to help Crowley prove he was falsely accused. 

     Reckless Firefighter Halt and EMT/Paramedic Crowley

In which Halt is a reckless firefighter and ends up being patched up by paramedics, namely Crowley, more than the people who actually called the fire department. Crowley finds this entertaining.

     Bodyguard Halt and Rich and Famous Crowley (FT. Make-Up Artist Gilan)

In which Crowley is a famous internet celebrity (YouTuber, namely) and owns his own make-up brand. Halt is the bodyguard hired to keep Crowley safe. Gilan makes a few cameos as Crowley’s professional make-up artist for important events.

     Lieutenant O’Carrick and Captain Meratyn (Police AU)

In which Lieutenant Halt O’Carrick of the RPD (Redmont Police Department) finds himself working alongside the famous Captain Crowley Meratyn of the APD (Araluen Police Department) on homicide cases after the two departments merge to form the RAPD (Redmont-Araluen Police Department)

     Greaser Halt and Prep Crowley

In which Halt, leader of a gang of greasers, and Crowley, leader of a group of preps, make an unlikely alliance to take down Morgarath, a jock who’s become far too cocky

     Barista Halt and Florist Crowley (Thanks, @ranger-rebbeca !)

In which Halt, a barista, finds out that the cute florist across the street, Crowley, likes coffee and decides to buy him some every day during their breaks as an excuse to chat

Alyss x Will

     Abstract Muralist Alyss and Spray-Painter Will

In which Alyss, an abstract muralist, finds Will, a spray-painter, painting over one of her murals

     Hairdresser Alyss and Client Will (FT. Make-Up Artist Gilan)

In which Will refuses to allow anyone other than Alyss, a hairdresser, to cut his insanely curly hair

     Model Alyss and Tattoo Artist Will

In which Will, a tattoo artist, is hired to fix a botched tattoo on Alyss Mainwaring, a model

     Model Alyss and Photographer Will

In which Will is a freelance photographer hired last minute to shoot Alyss Mainwaring, a model, after her usual photographer failed to show

Cassandra x Horace

     Tangled AU

In which Horace, a thief, accidentally stumbles across the lost Princess of Araluen, Cassandra, and is forced to take her to see the floating lights

     Detective Serenne and Officer Altman (FT. Shady Bartender/Mechanic Halt and Shady Bartender Crowley)

In which Detective Cassandra “Evanlyn” Serenne and Officer Horace Altman investigate the murder of Lieutenant Samdash

     Fake Relationship AU

In which Cassandra lies to her father about bringing home a boy for the summer and asks her new best friend, Horace, whom she met at college, to act as her boyfriend

Jenny x Gilan

     Mermaid Jenny and Marine Life Scientist Gilan

In which Gilan, a marine life scientist, accidentally discovers Jenny, a mermaid

     Witch Jenny and Witchfinder Gilan

In which Jenny, a witch, falls in love with Gilan, a witchfinder who is unaware of Jenny’s true nature

Misc/Non-ships

     Spider-Man AU

In which Will “Treaty” Meratyn is Spider-Man and must take down Doc Ock, A.K.A Dr. Morgarath Octavius

Other characters include:

Alyss “MJ” Mainwaring-Jones as Mary Jane

Horace “Flash” Altman as Flash

George Carter as “The Man In The Chair” (Ned from the Holland films)

Pauline Meratyn as Aunt May

Crowley Meratyn as Uncle Ben

Halt “Stark” O’Carrick as Ironman

Jenny as Will’s suit A.I.

     Duncan Dies, Rosalind Survives AU

In which Duncan is killed during the first war with Morgarath and Rosalind survives her pregnancy with Cassandra. Rosalind and Crowley marry, not because they’re a couple, just because it’s easier to run a country with two royals, not one royal and a Commandant. Farrel takes over as Ranger Commandant and Halt becomes Farrel’s second-in-command. 

     Hogwarts AU

In which the RA characters attend Hogwarts

Gryffindors

Will

Hufflepuffs

Jenny

Horace

Slytherins

Gilan

Ravenclaws

Alyss

George

Professors

Duncan (Gryffindor), Headmaster 

Halt (Slytherin), Defense Against the Dark Arts and Flying teacher

Crowley (Gryffindor), Potions, Charms, and Astronomy teacher

Pauline (Slytherin), History of Magic, Herbology, and Transfiguration teacher

     Avatar AU

In which the RA characters are in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe

Fire Benders

Horace

Halt

Water Benders

Cassandra

George

Pauline

Air Benders

Alyss

Gilan

Earth Benders

Jenny

Avatar(s)

Will

Crowley (previous)

     Detroit: Become Human AU

In which the RA characters are in the Detroit: Become Human universe

Halt as Lieutenant Hank Anderson

Will as Connor

Jenny as Kara

Horace as Luther

Maddie as Alice

Gilan as Markus

George as Simon

Alyss as Josh

Evanlyn as North*

Pritchard as Carl

Morgarath as Agent Perkins

Crowley as Elijah Kamski

*There is no planned romance between Evanlyn and Gilan

[fatiinjadmani]

Fatin looked at the blonde pointedly over her newly-acquired can of vodka mix. "Slut," she stated bluntly before smirking, cracking open the drink. "But not if I get to him first. He'll consider changing religions after I'm done with him."

Maddie had already had two servings, but noticing most of the rebels had now finished their meals, she went in for a third, shovelling the remaining cranberry sauce into her mouth. "I think this is my favourite day ever. After this, I'd be willing to show Santa a good time."

[argocitycosplay]

Slimer watched the sad clown join H.P. Lovecraft as he was chatting up Captian Marvel. Behind us, drunk furries chased each other. This is the sort of thing that can really only happen at ConCoction.

I got out of work later than last year but still had hopes that i could make the opening cermemoniesif I stepped on it. When I rushed into the Bertrem I saw to my dismay that the line for registration was almost out the door. A man worked the line with a bowl of choclates, handing out Dove mins to everyone.

“Long line triggered the candy bonus,” he explained.

I got my badge too late to make the Opening ceremonies so I headed back to the car to pull on my Ghostbusters coveralls. I shrugged the proton pack on and tossed the gloves and goggles into the monkey head. I noticed that breathing was difficult due to the poor ventlation in the large mask and didn’t want to get into it until I’d gotten inside the building. Knightmage sotted me as I was wandering in and headed over to greet me and look over the costume.

“Tracy the Gorilla,” he said shaking his head. “Man, that’s obscure. Did you just see the monkey head and think Tracy?”

“It was in the back of my mind,” I admitted. “But a gorilla suit is also one of those things you should just HAVE in your closet – like a little black dress.”

Tracy of course was the third member of the original Ghostbusters from the 1975 TV show  starring Larry Storch (Who I met a year or so ago) and Forrest Tucker. When Filmation made thier Ghostbusters cartoon, they stated that the characters were the grandsons of Storch and Tucker, but that Tracy was the same gorilla. I wanted to mash it up so I decided to up Tracy in a proton pack and coveralls from the ’84 movie (though I added a t-shirt with the filmation logo under it, one extra touch), integrating him into the  Columbia Ghostbusters as well. ‘Mage circled me to check out the pack as I pinted out the christmas lights and laundry detergant caps  that made up the prop. He laughed as I excused myself to head inside.

Living inside the Gorilla head was similar to wearing Mr. Freeze. I had to keep moving to keep circulation going in the mask otherwise air would get stagnant. I was right to make Concoction the premire for this suit though – it’s one of the few places that would really get the gag, and boy did they. I caught my buddy Jason as well as connecting with Nicole and spotting Annye and her husband Zeke on the other side ofthe hall. Wandering in to the art show I head Vanessa’s voice pipe up “I know who’s in that costume!”. It’s always good to be at Concoction. Much like Cinema Wasteland, it’s home. Even if there’s no familiar faces around, yo ucan talk to anyone. It’s one of those very few places where the words “Mind if I share your table?” dosen’t fill me with dread. I ate with strangers several times in the con suite chatting abotu the day and the goings on. In the corner, a rack full of battered old sci-fi paperbacks was available to browse. That’s one of those things I love about Concoction – the books. That heavy literary focus helps it feel a lot like the Star Trek conventions of the 80’s. Roger Zelazney ut it best in Nine princes in Amber – “It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful and wise, all around me. I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold back the shadows.”

I had my own book with me, a copy of my battered old “Dreams ofthe Raven” by Carmen Carter, but honestly, I barely touched it. During lunch, my table mate and I listened to the energetic conversation going on next to us.

“See, Scooby Doo dosen’t ever interact with anyone else on the team.  That’s because he dosen’t actually talk – it’s just that Shaggy is high off his gord the entire time! And anyone who thinks Daphne and Fred are together is nuts. Fred is asexual – he’s totally oblivious. Daphane is one of those spoiled rich girls – she’s just there to play with him and break his heart. He looked like someone she could manipulate like that. But man, she HATES Shaggy…”

The volume occasionally elevated to near shouting. I looked over at my tablemate. Like mine, her eyes were wide in disbelief behind her tablet.

“This is the best panel of the weekend!”

Back in the actual programming, I sat in on Knightmage’s Cosplaying for Charity panel. Halfway he paused to shake his head laughing at me, sitting in the back.

“The gorllia just keeps…STARING at me!”

“I can fix that!” I exclaimed and brought down the Ecto Goggles, covering the unblinking gorilla eyes.

“That’s not better!”

As the evening wore on I wandered over to the comedy showcase. Concoction is the only other convention I know of besides Monster Bash that includes stand up comedy and I always dig it. Two of the comics were late so the host kept us entertained with cat videos on  the projector. About twenty minuets late, the set started. I whipped out my camera hoping to livestream the set (So I could save it later) but once t he material began to involve graphic depictions of The Simpsons knocking boots, I thought better of it. The show started to slow down with the second preformer.

“You know what? Let’s talk about some stuff that you guys are intrested in. What do you want to talk about?”

He pointed at me. I comically looked behind me, making sure he wasn;t refrecing another gorilla. and then pointed to myself in exaggerated motions.

“Me?”

“Sure!” What do you want to talk about? Bananas?”

“That’s a very hurful stereotype,” I deadpanned. The room lost it.

Before I snuck out later the host walked by me and clapped me on the shoulder, telling me I got the biggest laugh of the night.

After five hours in the monkey suit I’d had enough and shed the Ghostbuster look before returning to catch the Confused Greenies do improv games. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay fo the Saturday night show so I wanted to make sure I got to this one. They started out with a skit about aliens arriving on earth during Carnivale, then went into Whoose line type comedy. Close to midnight, I decided wisdom was the better part of valor, and popped out early, skipping the barfleet party to brave the hour drive back home.

I was back around ten the next day, this time clad in my cumbersonme Slimer costume.I always seem to do themes at Concoction. It’s something that was coincidental at first but now has pretty much become intentional. As much as I like Tracy, I didn’t feel good about entering him in the costume contest. He’s mostly assembled. It’s a wierd assembly, but other than the proton pack, feet  and googles it’s all stuff I bought. Slimer on the other hand, is 100% made from scratch -and he’s not been out nearly as much as I’d like. Still, Slimer wasn’t the costume I was really looking foreward to. I couldn’t wait to see my friend Annye’s Iron Marvel. She’d crafted the Captian Marvel suit out of foam insted of leather and the result was nothing short of spectacular.

We were stked to discover that Guy Allen was set up again in the Annex and headed over there to get some professional photos done (I so rarely get that opprutunity).

I managed to catch some of Jim O’Rear’s panel on horror before stopping over at his table and getting my Dawn of the Dead poster signed. He asked me if I was a Romero fan. I nodded. O’Rear expanded on how Romero was such an influence on him.

“Man, I saw Night of the Living Dead, and it changed everything for me. I was like – this. I can get into this.”

O’Rear ended up at the table with Jason, Tina and me for lunch.

Saturday consisted of the Doctor Who panel,  the costume contests and picking up dragons for the kids. I made sure to grab a photo with Mogchelle who was dressed as Sabrina – my daughter Maddie is a huge Sabrina fan and just discovered the old mangas coming off the new TV show. I found her an old Archie with Sabrinia in it as well. Even the Cat got something. I found an adorable catnip Cthulu for Sparky. It was to my great reluctance that I had to cut out early, but Clue was screening at the Cedar Lee at 9:30 with a live shadow cast and I couldn’t miss it. But I’ll tell you this much; I’ll be back at Concoction next year!

    ConCoction 2019 Slimer watched the sad clown join H.P. Lovecraft as he was chatting up Captian Marvel. Behind us, drunk furries chased each other. 1,492 more words

[careerexpansion]

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us!

The 8th Annual Global Education Conference (GEC) All Online, All Free November 13 - 16, 2017

The Global Education Conference Network's eighth annual worldwide collaboration on globally-connected education starts today, Monday, November 13, and continues through this Thursday, November 16.

This event is FREE, but does require that you REGISTER. Please register HERE to get instant access to the conference AND to receive all the recording links after the conferences. 4 days 24 hours/day 127 live sessions 27 keynote speakers ...and an amazing amount of global learning and fun!

The GEC features thought leaders from the world of education and beyond, is completely free to attend and takes place online in live webinar format. We invite you to join the 25,600 GEC community members (from 170+ countries) and actively participate in dozens of sessions focused on international education topics. Some important conference updates are below:

Keynotes + Sessions

As usual, Lucy Gray has putting together an INCREDIBLE keynote speaker lineup:

Mali Bickley (Collaboration Specialist, TakingITGlobal)

David Bornstein (Co-Founder + CEO, Solutions Journalism Network)

Kevin Crouch (Director of Technology Services, Consilience Learning)

Franz De Paula (Author)

Gavin Dykes (Programme Director for the Education World Forum)

Fabrice Fresse (Member of EvalUE, EvalUE)

Michael Furdyk (Co-founder, TakingITGlobal)

Terry Godwaldt (Executive Director, The Centre for Global Education)

Ed Gragert (Founder, Global Woods Consulting)

Martin Levins (President of the Australian Council for Computers in Education--ACCE)

Julie Lindsay (Founder and CEO, Flat Connections)

Sylvia Martinez (Author, speaker, publisher - Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom)

Alan Mather (Chief, Office of College + Career Success)

Ann S. Michaelsen (Teacher and school leader, Sandvika vgs)

Anne Mirtschin (Hawkesdale P12 College, Australia)

Pam Moran (Superintendent of Schools, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Jean-Luc Moreau (President, EvalUE association)

Dana Mortenson (CEO + Co-founder, World Savvy)

Jennie Niles (DC's Deputy Mayor of Education)

Lori Roe (Instructional Technology Specialist, Delaware Department of Education)

Maggie Mitchell Salem (Executive Director, QFI)

George Saltsman (Associate Research Professor, Director, Center for Educational Innovation and Digital Learning, Lamar University)

Ira Socol (Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Ariel Tichnor-Wagner (Senior Fellow of Global Competence, ASCD)

Erin Towns (Global Educator, Edward Little High School)

Liam Wegimont (Chairperson, GENE)

Dr. Jennifer Williams (Director of Education Strategy, Participate)

Below are the session titles and presenters for our 127 currently-accepted general sessions, and more of these are coming as well! Full details are here.

10 Ways to Easily Integrate Global Collaborations in Your Daily Curriculum - Rhett Oldham

A Joined Up Approach to Education and Learning - Christine Farrell

A World of #CollaborativePD: Build Your Global PLN Twitter Chat - Dr. Jennifer Williams, Brad Spirrison

Amplifying Student Voices Globally Via the Our Global Classroom What If Grid. - Bronwyn Joyce

Beyond Our Borders: Fostering Global Competency Through Student Travel and Virtual Exchanges - Cynthia Derrane, Jennifer Orlinski

Bridges to Argentina: Teaching and Learning with First Grade Partners and their Teachers - Susan Jacques Pierson

Bringing learning BACK INTO the classroom - Liu Yijie

Bringing the world to rural environments - Peter Raatz

Building up an organization (from scratch!) for a Global impact! - Montserrat Fregoso Fonseca, Maria Fernanda, Fregoso Fonseca

Cavando Bajo las Fs de la Educación Global para Experiencias Más Profundas - Jennifer D. Klein

Challenge Based Learning - David Lockett

Children's Literature for Solving Real-World Problems - Tina Genay

Children's Literature, Math, and Global Connections - Oh My! - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Citizen Science: A Global Conservation Effort - Lindsay Glasner, Kelly Schaeffer

Classroom Conversations with the World - Paul Hurteau

Connected Learning Activities through Social Service - Sebastian Panakal, Gladwin Xavier, Muhammed Fardeen, Muhammed Mufsal, Sophia T Pascal

Connecting through Architecture: Minecraft in the Language Classroom - Kathleen Reardon

Cosmopolitan Project Based Learning - Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals in PBL - Craig Perrier

Creating Global Citizens through Teen Service Travel - Joanne Trangle, Jodi Sabra

Curriculum is the most important 'C' word in Global Projects! - Christine Trimnell

Deep Learning - A Global Perspective - Tom D'Amico

Designing for All: Lessons from a Global Network of Maker Classrooms - Lisa Jobson, Jonelle Lorantas, Mahfuza Rahman, Elyse Gainor

Developing Global Competencies in Teacher Education through Transdisciplinary and Translational Research - Melda N. Yildiz. TBA

Developing Globally Competent Students - Ann C. Gaudino, Millersville University Graduate Students in Education

Digging Beneath the Fs for Deeper Global Learning - Jennifer D. Klein

Digital media education for digital higher educated students - Laura Malita

E.I. and Humanitarianism in Classrooms - 21st Century Learning and Citizenship Essentials - Sania Green-Reynolds

Earth Charter in Education - Dr. Valerie Schmitz, Dr. Mary Ann Kahl

Educational Diplomacy with High School Students - David Angwenyi, Ph.D, Lea Hopkins

Empowering Young Changemakers through Design Thinking - Mahika Halepete

Enhancing Intercultural Communication through an International Film Club - Helaine W. Marshall

Exploring Gender Neutral/Inclusive Bathrooms in Libraries: A Global Perspective - Raymond Pun, Kenya Flash

Flipped Learning in L2: How to Encourage Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking to Teach Global Problem-Solving Skills - Birgit A. Jensen

Food Rescue through a High School - Toni Olivieri-Barton, Colorado Springs Food Rescue

Fostering Global Citizenship Through Literature and Art - Nadia Kalman

Foundations of Global Learning: Creating Global Citizens in the First-Year Experience - Dr. Shelbee NguyenVoges

Free research-based educational material from Finland - Marianne Juntunen, Ph. D.

GEC Connect - The Game! - Julia Francis

Global Collaboration Provides Diverse Perspective for UN Sustainable Development Goals - Donna Roman, Hassan Hassan, Jen Sherman, Maire O’Keefe, Katrina Viloria

Global Collaboration: Connect Your Kids to the World - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., Ping Gao, Ph.D., Magda Galloway

Global Education Discourses in International Student Mobility - Uttam Gaulee, Krishna Bista

Global Learning Collaboration in a Less Tech World - Dr. Reynaldo L. Duran

Global Mentors Project: Connecting Student Teachers with Mentors from Around the World - Terry Smith

Global PBL in the Digital Age - Brad Bielawski

Global Project-Based Learning with iEARN: Sharing Impact and Opportunities - Jennifer Russell, Allan Kakinda, Hela Nafti

Global Scholar Diploma at the High School Level - Toni Olivieri-Barton

Global Students Global Perspectives - Amazing Race Project - Laurie Clement

Globally Conscious Mathematics - Kristy Beam

Globally Responsive Teaching Practice: Overcoming Social Disparities - Sajdah Ali George

Going Beyond the Hour of Code - Bryan L. Miller

Great Global Challenge Project Awardee Presentation: Why should I study a Foreign Language? - Ruth Valle, Athalo Carrao, Alexis Radney

Green Digital Footprints - Sebastian Panakal, Sophia T Pascal, Mertle Williams, Sunitha, Nisa

Harnessing Global Efficacy through Literature and Technology - Justin Peter Manwell

Harnessing the Power of Children's Literature to Teach Math and Global Themes - Glenna Gustafson, Rachel Altizer, Leslie Angle, Delayna Doolin, Cassidy Hartsock, Jami Keen, Irene Labille, Josie Santos, Maddie Semones, Katie Smith, Malorie Tanner, Kelly Troiano 

Hello Little World Skypers - the Continuing Adventures - Anne Mirtschin, Presenters from across the world (names to be added closer to the time)

High Quality Career Counselling as a Push for the Global Development – presenting best practices from the Erasmus+ Career Tree Project - Grzegorz Kata, PhD. with Robert Porzak, PhD and Jacek Łukasiewicz, PhD

High School Global Issues Class as a Springboard for Creating Young Activists - Adam Carter

How can schools be vehicles for creating community wellness? - Jennifer Moore

How might preparation for and engagement in a protest poetry festival enhance Grade 10 boys’ understanding of global conflict? - Glynnis Moore

How to create inclusion and shared power in virtual exchange partnerships. - Jack Haskell

How to Globally Mobilize High School Students to Actualize the United Nations SDGs. - Linda Flannelly, Ralph Viggiano, Megan Scharf, Pete Robinson, Ann Michelsen, Kristian Otterstad Andresen, the students at Lindenhurst and Sandvika High School

How to increase global competency in students: A research-based discussion with Empatico - Chelsea Donaldson, Angela Jo, Travis Hardy

iEARN - Girl Rising project - R. Allen Witten

Immerse Yourself in the German Culture For Free by Volunteering in Germany or Austria - Birgit A. Jensen

Integration of Global Outdoors Learning Blogs, TED Ed Lessons and Global Goals in Management Courses - Dr. Jose G. Lepervanche, Flor Lepervanche

Intercultural Competence - Shawn Simpson

Intercultural Competence For Educators: What's In It For Me? - Dr. Whitney Sherman

Invitation to World Literature - Arthur R. Smith

Just Little ol' Me Sharing my Global Collaboration Experiences. - Lynn Koresh

Kids @SOS Children Village Going Global with iEARN and Mathletics - Sheeba Ajmal

Kids on Earth - Howard Blumenthal

Kings of Collaboration - Jan Zanetis,Sean Forde, Ralph Krauss, Peter Paccone

La acción tutorial en la educación virtual: funciones y responsabilidades - Lic. Gustavo Beltrami

Learning math from students around the world - Chris Collins

Let's Talk Global Education - Anne Mirtschin

Lidrazgo para el Desarrollo Social - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Maverick Leadership - Mike Lawrence

Mobilizing Student Voice through Global Discussions with a Real-World Impact with WorldVuze - Julia Coburn

MOOCs for librarians/library –opportunities and challenges for digital literacy - Gabriela Grosseck + Laura Malita

More Than Current Events- A Globally Connected Triad of Tri-BOBs - Noa Daniel

My Identity, Your Identity Culture Project: Global Online Collaboration in Action - Nicolle Boujaber-Diederichs, Said Belgra, Asma Albriki

One Truth and a Million Truths: Teaching History in a Globalizing World - Nayun Eom, Dr. Marty Sleeper

Online global collaboration - enablers, barriers and implications for teacher education - Julie Lindsay

Opening up Statistics Education to a Global Audience - Larry Musolino

Optimizing OERs Globally Through ICT Literacy - Dr. Lesley Farmer

Organize, innovate and manage your global projects with free ICT tools - Barbara Anna Zielonka

Participatory Spontaneity: What Is It and How Can We Achieve It with Global Audiences Online? - Helen Teague

Power of Impact Cinema: How to bring the world into your classroom? - Gemma Bradshaw

Practice Active Global Citizenship with the K-12 Global Art Exchange - Paul Hurteau

Preparing Students for Careers in a Globally Connected World - Heather Singmaster

Preparing Teachers for Global Learning and Collaboration - Linda Haynes

Promote Global Tolerance + Celebrate Cultural Diversity by Creating New Media with the My Hero Project - Wendy Milette, Wendy Jewell, Victoria Murphy

Promoting Internationalism In Teaching And Preparing Global Citizens Through Exchange Projects: Different But The Same Project As An Example - Mr. Omar Titki

Quality Education through technology - Goal 4: Sustainable Development - Sara Abou Afach

Rainwater catchment and Practivism - Lonny Grafman

Ripples Make Waves: Bring The Global Water Crisis Into Your Classroom - Joan Roehre, Jan Zanetis

Scaling Global Competency Education - Delna Weil

Secrets to Successful Global Collaboration in Higher Education - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., David Stoloff, Ph.D.

Self Identity and Global Connection - Erin Dowd

Social Leadership Class Project - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Student conversation on Gender and Ethics - Sean Terwilliger and Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on Girls and Sports - Sean Terwilliger, Nan Hambrose, Vanessa Campbell, Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on LGBTQ+ Issues - Sean Terwilliger and Emma Maney

Student conversation on World Religions - Sean Terwilliger and Tica Simpson

Student driven eco-initiatives towards UN's SDGs - a case study of our GGPC grant winning entry - Ms. Kamal Preet, Ms. Anitha Bijesh

talking kites in the footsteps of J. Korczak - Ruty Hotzen

Teach-The-World Foundation: A Call to Action To Eradicate Illiteracy Around The World - Robert Torres, PhD

Teaching Math and Global Themes with Children's Literature - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Teaching the SDGs through experiential and service learning - Caroline Weeks, Liz Radzicki, Kimm Murfitt

Tech Trip: Using EdTech to Get the Most Out of Global Travel - Kathleen Reardon

Teens Dream: A global video contest for teens to express their dreams as they relate to one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Linda Staheli

The Impact of a Cultural Immersion Program on Student Perceptions of the “Other”: A Pilot Study - Sarah Thomas

The Kidlink Global projects.Perspectives and horizons for close cooperation. - Lusine Jhangirian

The positive impact of digital exchanges around the globe - Quratulain Hussain

The power of case studies - Anne Fox

Tips for starting your own DIY Global Youth Summit - Tara Kajtaniak

Tutoring Students Online to Promote Universal Access to a Quality Education - Kasey Beck, Ed Gragert, Adriana Vilela

Understanding the Reproductive Health Education Needs for Sustainable Development - Ms. Eunmi Song

University-Industry Collaboration in Vietnam: When the boss says Jump, you say Why? - Dr. Thi Tuyet Tran

Upward Mobility: Supporting the Academic Nomad through Blended Learning - Julia Zeigler, Terra Gargano

Use Design Thinking to Integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into STEM - Barbara Bray

Utilizing School-Based Virtual Field Trips for Global Learning - Dr. Stacy Delacruz

Virtual Exchanges: Harnessing Technology to Build Global Competencies and Increase Mutual Understanding Among International Youth - Katherine Hanson

Virtual STEM Competition-Your Community, Your World - Volita Russell, Tinika Fails

What's a Crankie?? Using Creative Story Exchanges to Build Global Competence and Connect Students Across Borders - Cora Bresciano, Susan Gay Hyatt

Why and How Collaborative Projects Work Best according to the Mind, Brain, and Education Science - André Hedlund

World Peace Music Project - Yoshiro Miyata, Ayumi Ueda, Anne Mirtschin, Lorraine Leo

Write Our World - Multilingual eBooks by Kids for Kids - Julie Carey, Dr. Leigh Zeitz

Thanks to the GEC Sponsors

Without the support of the following organizations, GlobalEdCon would not be possible. We are grateful for companies and organizations who believe in the power of globally connected learning. Contact Steve Hargadon (steve@hargadon.com) about opportunities to get involved with our community.

See you online!

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us! posted first on http://ift.tt/2tX7Iil

[growthvue]

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us!

The 8th Annual Global Education Conference (GEC) All Online, All Free November 13 - 16, 2017

The Global Education Conference Network's eighth annual worldwide collaboration on globally-connected education starts today, Monday, November 13, and continues through this Thursday, November 16.

This event is FREE, but does require that you REGISTER. Please register HERE to get instant access to the conference AND to receive all the recording links after the conferences. 4 days 24 hours/day 127 live sessions 27 keynote speakers ...and an amazing amount of global learning and fun!

The GEC features thought leaders from the world of education and beyond, is completely free to attend and takes place online in live webinar format. We invite you to join the 25,600 GEC community members (from 170+ countries) and actively participate in dozens of sessions focused on international education topics. Some important conference updates are below:

Keynotes + Sessions

As usual, Lucy Gray has putting together an INCREDIBLE keynote speaker lineup:

Mali Bickley (Collaboration Specialist, TakingITGlobal)

David Bornstein (Co-Founder + CEO, Solutions Journalism Network)

Kevin Crouch (Director of Technology Services, Consilience Learning)

Franz De Paula (Author)

Gavin Dykes (Programme Director for the Education World Forum)

Fabrice Fresse (Member of EvalUE, EvalUE)

Michael Furdyk (Co-founder, TakingITGlobal)

Terry Godwaldt (Executive Director, The Centre for Global Education)

Ed Gragert (Founder, Global Woods Consulting)

Martin Levins (President of the Australian Council for Computers in Education--ACCE)

Julie Lindsay (Founder and CEO, Flat Connections)

Sylvia Martinez (Author, speaker, publisher - Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom)

Alan Mather (Chief, Office of College + Career Success)

Ann S. Michaelsen (Teacher and school leader, Sandvika vgs)

Anne Mirtschin (Hawkesdale P12 College, Australia)

Pam Moran (Superintendent of Schools, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Jean-Luc Moreau (President, EvalUE association)

Dana Mortenson (CEO + Co-founder, World Savvy)

Jennie Niles (DC's Deputy Mayor of Education)

Lori Roe (Instructional Technology Specialist, Delaware Department of Education)

Maggie Mitchell Salem (Executive Director, QFI)

George Saltsman (Associate Research Professor, Director, Center for Educational Innovation and Digital Learning, Lamar University)

Ira Socol (Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Ariel Tichnor-Wagner (Senior Fellow of Global Competence, ASCD)

Erin Towns (Global Educator, Edward Little High School)

Liam Wegimont (Chairperson, GENE)

Dr. Jennifer Williams (Director of Education Strategy, Participate)

Below are the session titles and presenters for our 127 currently-accepted general sessions, and more of these are coming as well! Full details are here.

10 Ways to Easily Integrate Global Collaborations in Your Daily Curriculum - Rhett Oldham

A Joined Up Approach to Education and Learning - Christine Farrell

A World of #CollaborativePD: Build Your Global PLN Twitter Chat - Dr. Jennifer Williams, Brad Spirrison

Amplifying Student Voices Globally Via the Our Global Classroom What If Grid. - Bronwyn Joyce

Beyond Our Borders: Fostering Global Competency Through Student Travel and Virtual Exchanges - Cynthia Derrane, Jennifer Orlinski

Bridges to Argentina: Teaching and Learning with First Grade Partners and their Teachers - Susan Jacques Pierson

Bringing learning BACK INTO the classroom - Liu Yijie

Bringing the world to rural environments - Peter Raatz

Building up an organization (from scratch!) for a Global impact! - Montserrat Fregoso Fonseca, Maria Fernanda, Fregoso Fonseca

Cavando Bajo las Fs de la Educación Global para Experiencias Más Profundas - Jennifer D. Klein

Challenge Based Learning - David Lockett

Children's Literature for Solving Real-World Problems - Tina Genay

Children's Literature, Math, and Global Connections - Oh My! - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Citizen Science: A Global Conservation Effort - Lindsay Glasner, Kelly Schaeffer

Classroom Conversations with the World - Paul Hurteau

Connected Learning Activities through Social Service - Sebastian Panakal, Gladwin Xavier, Muhammed Fardeen, Muhammed Mufsal, Sophia T Pascal

Connecting through Architecture: Minecraft in the Language Classroom - Kathleen Reardon

Cosmopolitan Project Based Learning - Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals in PBL - Craig Perrier

Creating Global Citizens through Teen Service Travel - Joanne Trangle, Jodi Sabra

Curriculum is the most important 'C' word in Global Projects! - Christine Trimnell

Deep Learning - A Global Perspective - Tom D'Amico

Designing for All: Lessons from a Global Network of Maker Classrooms - Lisa Jobson, Jonelle Lorantas, Mahfuza Rahman, Elyse Gainor

Developing Global Competencies in Teacher Education through Transdisciplinary and Translational Research - Melda N. Yildiz. TBA

Developing Globally Competent Students - Ann C. Gaudino, Millersville University Graduate Students in Education

Digging Beneath the Fs for Deeper Global Learning - Jennifer D. Klein

Digital media education for digital higher educated students - Laura Malita

E.I. and Humanitarianism in Classrooms - 21st Century Learning and Citizenship Essentials - Sania Green-Reynolds

Earth Charter in Education - Dr. Valerie Schmitz, Dr. Mary Ann Kahl

Educational Diplomacy with High School Students - David Angwenyi, Ph.D, Lea Hopkins

Empowering Young Changemakers through Design Thinking - Mahika Halepete

Enhancing Intercultural Communication through an International Film Club - Helaine W. Marshall

Exploring Gender Neutral/Inclusive Bathrooms in Libraries: A Global Perspective - Raymond Pun, Kenya Flash

Flipped Learning in L2: How to Encourage Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking to Teach Global Problem-Solving Skills - Birgit A. Jensen

Food Rescue through a High School - Toni Olivieri-Barton, Colorado Springs Food Rescue

Fostering Global Citizenship Through Literature and Art - Nadia Kalman

Foundations of Global Learning: Creating Global Citizens in the First-Year Experience - Dr. Shelbee NguyenVoges

Free research-based educational material from Finland - Marianne Juntunen, Ph. D.

GEC Connect - The Game! - Julia Francis

Global Collaboration Provides Diverse Perspective for UN Sustainable Development Goals - Donna Roman, Hassan Hassan, Jen Sherman, Maire O’Keefe, Katrina Viloria

Global Collaboration: Connect Your Kids to the World - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., Ping Gao, Ph.D., Magda Galloway

Global Education Discourses in International Student Mobility - Uttam Gaulee, Krishna Bista

Global Learning Collaboration in a Less Tech World - Dr. Reynaldo L. Duran

Global Mentors Project: Connecting Student Teachers with Mentors from Around the World - Terry Smith

Global PBL in the Digital Age - Brad Bielawski

Global Project-Based Learning with iEARN: Sharing Impact and Opportunities - Jennifer Russell, Allan Kakinda, Hela Nafti

Global Scholar Diploma at the High School Level - Toni Olivieri-Barton

Global Students Global Perspectives - Amazing Race Project - Laurie Clement

Globally Conscious Mathematics - Kristy Beam

Globally Responsive Teaching Practice: Overcoming Social Disparities - Sajdah Ali George

Going Beyond the Hour of Code - Bryan L. Miller

Great Global Challenge Project Awardee Presentation: Why should I study a Foreign Language? - Ruth Valle, Athalo Carrao, Alexis Radney

Green Digital Footprints - Sebastian Panakal, Sophia T Pascal, Mertle Williams, Sunitha, Nisa

Harnessing Global Efficacy through Literature and Technology - Justin Peter Manwell

Harnessing the Power of Children's Literature to Teach Math and Global Themes - Glenna Gustafson, Rachel Altizer, Leslie Angle, Delayna Doolin, Cassidy Hartsock, Jami Keen, Irene Labille, Josie Santos, Maddie Semones, Katie Smith, Malorie Tanner, Kelly Troiano 

Hello Little World Skypers - the Continuing Adventures - Anne Mirtschin, Presenters from across the world (names to be added closer to the time)

High Quality Career Counselling as a Push for the Global Development – presenting best practices from the Erasmus+ Career Tree Project - Grzegorz Kata, PhD. with Robert Porzak, PhD and Jacek Łukasiewicz, PhD

High School Global Issues Class as a Springboard for Creating Young Activists - Adam Carter

How can schools be vehicles for creating community wellness? - Jennifer Moore

How might preparation for and engagement in a protest poetry festival enhance Grade 10 boys’ understanding of global conflict? - Glynnis Moore

How to create inclusion and shared power in virtual exchange partnerships. - Jack Haskell

How to Globally Mobilize High School Students to Actualize the United Nations SDGs. - Linda Flannelly, Ralph Viggiano, Megan Scharf, Pete Robinson, Ann Michelsen, Kristian Otterstad Andresen, the students at Lindenhurst and Sandvika High School

How to increase global competency in students: A research-based discussion with Empatico - Chelsea Donaldson, Angela Jo, Travis Hardy

iEARN - Girl Rising project - R. Allen Witten

Immerse Yourself in the German Culture For Free by Volunteering in Germany or Austria - Birgit A. Jensen

Integration of Global Outdoors Learning Blogs, TED Ed Lessons and Global Goals in Management Courses - Dr. Jose G. Lepervanche, Flor Lepervanche

Intercultural Competence - Shawn Simpson

Intercultural Competence For Educators: What's In It For Me? - Dr. Whitney Sherman

Invitation to World Literature - Arthur R. Smith

Just Little ol' Me Sharing my Global Collaboration Experiences. - Lynn Koresh

Kids @SOS Children Village Going Global with iEARN and Mathletics - Sheeba Ajmal

Kids on Earth - Howard Blumenthal

Kings of Collaboration - Jan Zanetis,Sean Forde, Ralph Krauss, Peter Paccone

La acción tutorial en la educación virtual: funciones y responsabilidades - Lic. Gustavo Beltrami

Learning math from students around the world - Chris Collins

Let's Talk Global Education - Anne Mirtschin

Lidrazgo para el Desarrollo Social - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Maverick Leadership - Mike Lawrence

Mobilizing Student Voice through Global Discussions with a Real-World Impact with WorldVuze - Julia Coburn

MOOCs for librarians/library –opportunities and challenges for digital literacy - Gabriela Grosseck + Laura Malita

More Than Current Events- A Globally Connected Triad of Tri-BOBs - Noa Daniel

My Identity, Your Identity Culture Project: Global Online Collaboration in Action - Nicolle Boujaber-Diederichs, Said Belgra, Asma Albriki

One Truth and a Million Truths: Teaching History in a Globalizing World - Nayun Eom, Dr. Marty Sleeper

Online global collaboration - enablers, barriers and implications for teacher education - Julie Lindsay

Opening up Statistics Education to a Global Audience - Larry Musolino

Optimizing OERs Globally Through ICT Literacy - Dr. Lesley Farmer

Organize, innovate and manage your global projects with free ICT tools - Barbara Anna Zielonka

Participatory Spontaneity: What Is It and How Can We Achieve It with Global Audiences Online? - Helen Teague

Power of Impact Cinema: How to bring the world into your classroom? - Gemma Bradshaw

Practice Active Global Citizenship with the K-12 Global Art Exchange - Paul Hurteau

Preparing Students for Careers in a Globally Connected World - Heather Singmaster

Preparing Teachers for Global Learning and Collaboration - Linda Haynes

Promote Global Tolerance + Celebrate Cultural Diversity by Creating New Media with the My Hero Project - Wendy Milette, Wendy Jewell, Victoria Murphy

Promoting Internationalism In Teaching And Preparing Global Citizens Through Exchange Projects: Different But The Same Project As An Example - Mr. Omar Titki

Quality Education through technology - Goal 4: Sustainable Development - Sara Abou Afach

Rainwater catchment and Practivism - Lonny Grafman

Ripples Make Waves: Bring The Global Water Crisis Into Your Classroom - Joan Roehre, Jan Zanetis

Scaling Global Competency Education - Delna Weil

Secrets to Successful Global Collaboration in Higher Education - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., David Stoloff, Ph.D.

Self Identity and Global Connection - Erin Dowd

Social Leadership Class Project - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Student conversation on Gender and Ethics - Sean Terwilliger and Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on Girls and Sports - Sean Terwilliger, Nan Hambrose, Vanessa Campbell, Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on LGBTQ+ Issues - Sean Terwilliger and Emma Maney

Student conversation on World Religions - Sean Terwilliger and Tica Simpson

Student driven eco-initiatives towards UN's SDGs - a case study of our GGPC grant winning entry - Ms. Kamal Preet, Ms. Anitha Bijesh

talking kites in the footsteps of J. Korczak - Ruty Hotzen

Teach-The-World Foundation: A Call to Action To Eradicate Illiteracy Around The World - Robert Torres, PhD

Teaching Math and Global Themes with Children's Literature - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Teaching the SDGs through experiential and service learning - Caroline Weeks, Liz Radzicki, Kimm Murfitt

Tech Trip: Using EdTech to Get the Most Out of Global Travel - Kathleen Reardon

Teens Dream: A global video contest for teens to express their dreams as they relate to one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Linda Staheli

The Impact of a Cultural Immersion Program on Student Perceptions of the “Other”: A Pilot Study - Sarah Thomas

The Kidlink Global projects.Perspectives and horizons for close cooperation. - Lusine Jhangirian

The positive impact of digital exchanges around the globe - Quratulain Hussain

The power of case studies - Anne Fox

Tips for starting your own DIY Global Youth Summit - Tara Kajtaniak

Tutoring Students Online to Promote Universal Access to a Quality Education - Kasey Beck, Ed Gragert, Adriana Vilela

Understanding the Reproductive Health Education Needs for Sustainable Development - Ms. Eunmi Song

University-Industry Collaboration in Vietnam: When the boss says Jump, you say Why? - Dr. Thi Tuyet Tran

Upward Mobility: Supporting the Academic Nomad through Blended Learning - Julia Zeigler, Terra Gargano

Use Design Thinking to Integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into STEM - Barbara Bray

Utilizing School-Based Virtual Field Trips for Global Learning - Dr. Stacy Delacruz

Virtual Exchanges: Harnessing Technology to Build Global Competencies and Increase Mutual Understanding Among International Youth - Katherine Hanson

Virtual STEM Competition-Your Community, Your World - Volita Russell, Tinika Fails

What's a Crankie?? Using Creative Story Exchanges to Build Global Competence and Connect Students Across Borders - Cora Bresciano, Susan Gay Hyatt

Why and How Collaborative Projects Work Best according to the Mind, Brain, and Education Science - André Hedlund

World Peace Music Project - Yoshiro Miyata, Ayumi Ueda, Anne Mirtschin, Lorraine Leo

Write Our World - Multilingual eBooks by Kids for Kids - Julie Carey, Dr. Leigh Zeitz

Thanks to the GEC Sponsors

Without the support of the following organizations, GlobalEdCon would not be possible. We are grateful for companies and organizations who believe in the power of globally connected learning. Contact Steve Hargadon (steve@hargadon.com) about opportunities to get involved with our community.

See you online!

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us! published first on http://ift.tt/2xx6Oyq

[hemcountry]

INTERVIEW: NATHAN CARTER TALKS #1s, TV, AMERICA, AND MORE!

Right now, Nathan Carter is THE biggest name on the Irish country music scene. And considering the wealth of talent Irish country fans have been able to enjoy over the last few years, being the man at the top of the mountain is an achievement to be proud of. But getting there didn’t come easy, as Nathan remembered during his sold-out show in the Tullamore Court Hotel last Sunday night. “The first time I ever played in Tullamore was in the Bridge House, about seven years ago”, he revealed to the audience. “We were due to start at about half ten, but there was only around twelve people there, so we said we’d give it another fifteen minutes to see if anyone else would come. At quarter to eleven”, he went on, “there were six people still there! Six had gone home in the meantime!” Oh, how times have changed!

If any dreamers out there think all the hard work stops when you get to the top, well they had better think again. Getting to the top is only half the battle, staying there is another challenge entirely. When you keep pushing yourself to achieve more, as Nathan continues to do – TV, arena shows, America – you keep raising the bar for yourself. That’s who your main competition is: the man in the mirror. What that also does, however, is push everyone else in the industry to attempt more, too. And for the country scene, that can be, and has been, only a good thing.

I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down to chat with Nathan a number of times over the years now, as well as running into him at different events all around the country. And despite the fact that, in terms of success, he’s gone from big to bigger, then from huge to massive, he’s still the same humble, funny, and honest young man to talk to. To paraphrase the Tim McGraw hit, Nathan has stayed humble and kind every step of the way. While somewhere close to a thousand fans enjoyed every minute of his show last weekend, what only a few people will have witnessed behind the scenes was the time Nathan gave to meet some of his very special younger fans in person earlier in the evening. Nice guys don’t win? Yeah they do.

Nathan released his brand new album, ‘Living The Dream’, in the last few weeks, and it shot like a rocket straight to the top of the national album chart in Ireland. To me, going by the first singles, the title track and ‘Summer’s Here’, this collection seems to have evolved from the Nathan’s last album, ‘Staying Up All Night’, with perhaps more shades of an American country, country/pop vibe to this one. When we began our chat, I asked Nathan if that was a fair comment, or just crazy thinking?!

“No, yeah it definitely has. Well that track especially [‘Living The Dream’] because I was trying to aim to get mainstream play, on RTE, Today FM, those sort of shows. So I had to make it slightly more modern sounding for that single, but the rest of the album has a lot of the same influences from what I’ve done before. There’s older country songs on there, there’s some folk songs like ‘Beeswing’ and ‘Ned of the Hill’, and there’s some stuff that I’ve written as well over the last couple of years. But definitely ‘Living The Dream’ was slightly more modern sounding, for sure, and kinda had to be as the title track.”

Nathan’s new single, ‘Summer’s Here’

‘Living The Dream’ was a co-write with top Irish songwriter Don Mescall, a man with whom Nathan has also written with before.

“I really enjoy working with Don, he’s really encouraging when it comes to writing, ya know. He’s just really good! He’s got great ideas. For this one, I came in with the tune, and the idea of the title, ‘Living The Dream’, and we ended up knocking the song out in about two hours. He’s that good, ya know! And he’s worked with so many different people, and he’s just done Geri Halliwell’s new album, he’s been co-writing on that with her, too. So yeah, Don is great. And I’ve got another ballad that we wrote which is my favourite song that I’ve written, and we’ll be releasing that towards the end of the year, and that’s a co-write with Don as well.”

Nathan’s ‘Living The Dream’ single.

As mentioned earlier, ‘Living The Dream’ went all the way to number one on the Irish album charts upon its release, a massive achievement for Nathan and his team, and indeed for the country scene. It’s also, of course, an experience – a dream, if you will – that most of us will never have the pleasure of living! Could Nathan remember where he was and what he was doing when the good news came through?

“Yes, I can! [laughs]. Last week I was at home and I got a call at half-one, we’d just got word that it had gone to number one, and the charts would be out at two o’ clock! I was ecstatic, I couldn’t believe it, ya know. Cos’ I’ve been lucky before with the others [albums], but at the minute with the streaming thing, with the likes of Ed Sheeran’s album, it’s going to number one most weeks, or at least top three. Because one hundred streams equals an album chart position, or something like that, as in it counts as one album sale, ya know. So you can imagine the amount of people that are listening to Ed Sheeran’s album every hour, nevermind every week! So the streaming thing is obviously huge. My album sales are maybe eighty per-cent physical, whereas his are probably ninety per-cent digital. So my audience is totally different to what a pop audience is, or the latest generation, if ya like.”

Now every new album tends to have one or two tracks on there that are the artist’s own personal favourites. I wondered if ‘Living The Dream’ had some for Nathan?

“Hmmm, ya know I don’t think I have a particular favourite one, to be honest. But I love singing ‘Beeswing’ , which is a Richard Thompson song originally, a great folk song. But then I like ‘Living The Dream’ too, that’s been a great song so far and it’s been going down really well at the gigs. There’s a good few on this album that I’m really proud of and that I really enjoy listening to. Generally, ya know, I don’t listen to the album [once it’s been recorded and released] because you’ve heard it so many times when you’ve been doing mixes, and playing it back, and you have to listen to every track maybe twenty times, so you’re just fed up of hearing it! [laughs]. But ‘Beeswing’ and ‘Living The Dream’ came on the other day somewhere and I’m not fed up of listening to those yet, so that’s a good sign, I suppose.”

A typical view from the stage for Nathan these days!

Another massive career milestone for Nathan in recent times was his sell-out show in Dublin’s 3Arena. Again, like a number one album, a brilliant achievement for any artist. But there was something very specific I wanted to ask Nathan about regarding that night back in April. In the final moments just before that show began, when the band and everybody else were in position, and everything was all set to go, in those last few moments when Nathan had a few seconds all to himself….what was going through his mind?

“Stop being nervous. Just stop being nervous! [laughs]. I still couldn’t get over the fact that that amount of people had went out and bought tickets to come and see me at a show, ya know. I just couldn’t fathom it. Just because I’d played for so many years and done so many gigs where no-one turned up, ya know, and things were just rubbish! [laughs]. So I just couldn’t get this through my head, that so many people were actually there for me that night. So I was just thinking, Jesus, don’t be so nervous now. Cos’ it’s been a great journey so far.”

Was there any special standout moment of the night for Nathan?

“Yeah, I think it was when I sang ‘The Rare Ould Times’ with John Sheahan, the last remaining member of The Dubliners. And he got a standing ovation when I brought him out. We did that song and everybody was singing along, everybody in the whole place, ten thousand people or however many it was, all singing along. It was just really cool.”

Everything about Nathan’s career seems to be one huge event after another these days, and next month sees that trend continue as Nathan, along with American country superstar Miranda Lambert, headlines the Harvest Country Music Festival at Westport House in Mayo and Enniskillen Airport in Fermanagh. Joining Miranda and Nathan on the bill are a number of the biggest names in American country right now; Mo Pitney, Kip Moore, Dan & Shay, Maddie & Tae, to name just a few. But does Nathan listen to much American country music himself?

“I do, yeah, but not so much the new acts, to be honest. I’m listening to Glen Campbell’s new album, ‘Adios’, there at the minute, and it’s fantastic, I absolutely love it. That song ‘Adios’ is one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. And I can’t believe that with the condition he’s in, being so unwell, that he was still even able to do it, it’s incredible. I love the older type of country, to be honest, guys like Merle Haggard. Even some of the more modern singers like Joe Nicholls and Mo Pitney, who sound like that older generation, ya know, I really like that. I think they’re really cool.”

Harvest Fest Line-Up

Going back to Nathan’s 3Arena show, and this will apply to his Harvest Fest appearances as well, and to so many more moments in his career, moments that most of the rest of us will never experience….how does he unwind after such huge events?? How does he just get back up the next morning, wash his face, pour his Cornflakes as normal, and just begin another day??

“The thing with those shows is they are special. But at the end of the day, they are just more shows, and they come and go pretty quick. But I was still on a buzz for about three or four weeks after it [the 3Arena show], I was still definitely on a high. But at the same time, I was doing more gigs as well. There were more shows waiting, so you quickly get back into it. Ten days after the gig at the 3Arena, I was in Scotland, in Aberdeen for two nights!”

And after Harvest Fest for Nathan, comes America in September! It’s the biggest territory in the world to try and tour, and try and break. Does that mean it will bring the biggest sense of excitement yet for Nathan? Maybe the biggest amount of nerves, too?

“Excitement, yeah, but very scared about it, too. Because it’s basically starting again! It’s going to be trying to build a fanbase among people who’ve never heard of me, ya know. So to try and get people to come out to the shows is gonna be hard work, I know that. I’m lucky enough in that I’ve had a TV special on PBS there which has been shown in a good few different States. But still, it’s like going back and starting again, and trying to build up that fanbase from social media. Because radio is just impossible to get in America, I mean it’s just impossible, ya know. So the TV thing will definitely be a help, but it’s gonna be a hard slog goin’ back to the start and doin’ it all over again. But it will be fun, too!”

  Nathan’s debut American tour.

  Of course Nathan has some competition coming from within the Carter household these days, since baby brother Jake struck out on his own musical adventure. How has it felt for Nathan seeing Jake begin his career, and begin it so successfully from the get-go, too?

“Yeah, he’s had a great start. And I definitely never got the opportunities he’s had! [laughs]. He’s turning into a good artist, and he’s been writing a lot of stuff with a girl called Triona [Carville] who has supported me a good few times. And I’m glad that he’s doing his own stuff. Ya know he wants to do it differently to what I’ve done, which is good. Because there’s no point in him trying to be me, that’s for sure. He’s doing his own thing. He’s more into pop music and rock music, so he’s taking a lot of influences from there. But I’m trying to give him as much of a hand as I can, like we’ve got him on the Marquee gig in Cork [July 8th], he’s on Harvest as well. But he’s doin’ his own thing musically, which is good, and I think he’ll do well.”

Does Nathan try and let Jake figure things out as much as possible for himself, or offer advice more often than not?

“He doesn’t take my advice on board anyway! [laughs]. He’s very independent. So even if I did say something, he probably wouldn’t agree with it, so there’s no point in telling him anything! [laughs].”

Nathan’s chat show returns to our screens very soon, and the documentary of his trip to Music City, ‘Nathan Goes To Nashville’, aired earlier this week on RTE. Having done so much TV work by now, I wondered if it’s almost beginning to feel like just another normal part of what Nathan does, or is it still a bit like stepping into a different world for a while?

“It’s still like stepping into a different world, but it felt a lot more normal this time. When I say normal, what I mean is I didn’t feel as nervous doing it. The first time I did TV I was absolutely…I can’t tell you how nervous I was, let’s put it that way! [laughs]. I was so out of my comfort zone. It made a gig look real easy work, ya know! But having to interview guests, and find out all about them – like yourself, ya know, you have to do all your research – and then being in front of a ‘live’ audience and reading autocue, and links into breaks, and links back into whatever else. Then in the middle of all that singing and duets with some of the guests….aaaah, it was just head-wrecking! [laughs]. Because it was my first time, ya know, I was learning it all, all at once. This time, though, because I’d done it before, I knew what to expect, which helped. We only finished recording last night, and we’ve had some great guests, The High Kings, Donna Taggart, Shane Filan, Stella Parton. It’s been a great week, though. But I… am… wrecked! I woke this morning and I thought, ‘Ahh, I’m off!’ But then I remembered, no, I’m in Tullamore! But coming to the Court Hotel here in Tullamore is always a brilliant night for me, so I’m delighted and happy to be back here again. And ya know, once I’m back up on stage I’ll be lovin’ it all again. But it’s been a tough ten days to get here! [laughs].”

* Nathan’s brand new album, the chart-topping ‘Living The Dream’, is available now in TRAX, the Bridge Centre, Tullamore. ** Nathan plays Cork’s Live At The Marquee this coming weekend, Saturday, July 8th, and the Harvest Country Music Festival on August 26th and 27th.

INTERVIEW: NATHAN CARTER TALKS #1s, TV, AMERICA, AND MORE! was originally published on HEM COUNTRY

[joannie95]

Legacy Part- 25

Pairing: Carter! reader x ?????

Summary:  Everyone knows Peggy Carter is a force to be reckoned with, who could have guessed her granddaughter would hold the same ferocity, if not more.This story follows y/n Carter’s life as she faces the obstacles life pitches her.

A/N: Since I explained the family I created for Sharon in the last chapter I will be referring to her as either Sharon or Agent Miller so it doesn't become confusing since the reader is also a Carter and Sharon never went by Agent Carter while working at SHIELD.

A/N: The descriptions for each weapon were found on Wikipedia 

Warnings: None

Phil, Clint and Natasha stand in the corner as they watch you work. Ever since you saw Sharon you locked yourself in your lab; instead of sitting around and pouting, you decided to be productive.

"She looks angry." Phil notices the look on your face.

"Of course she's angry, you didn't tell her Sharon was here." The redhead stated.

"I did tell her!" He tried to defend himself.

"Actually you waited till she cornered you to tell her." The archer started laughing. 

"Are you ladies done chatting, I'm trying to work over here." You heard a chorus of sorrys coming from them.

"Go find out what she's doing." Natasha slightly pushed Phil in your direction.

"Do you think I have some sort of death wish? Clint should go check."

"What? Why me?" He argued.

"You named your baby after her, do you really think she'd hurt you for bothering her." 

You clench your fists and let out a breath; you were getting very irritated with them at this point, and were close to snapping. They started to get louder, arguing about who had the guts to bother you. "Alright, that's enough!" You slammed your hands down on the table. "You can either keep quiet while I work or leave."

"Sorry." They all looked down and mumbled in unison.

"Now if you'd all shut up for a second I can show you your new weapons." You said with a smile. 

Natasha and Clint looked at each other and ran up to you with excitement in their eyes.

"They need a few adjustments but they're just about ready. Nat, I made you an electroshock weapon that can deliver electrical high powered discharges from two bracelets worn around your wrists when activated." You connect a few more wires, close up the panels and hand them to her. 

"Each bracelet illuminates blue lights charged from electrical capacitors that wrap around the circumference of the bracelet allowing you to electrocute someone upon contact. I call them black widow's bite."

"Oh, I'll definitely get some use from this." She slides them on and watches in amazement as they light up. 

"Clint I actually made you a couple of items. The first is a collapsible bow along with a specialized arrow quiver that is designed to organize and store arrows as well as assemble and present them on demand." You snap your arm and open the collapsible bow as you hand it to him.

You hand him each arrow as you list them off. 

"They come with a standard arrow, a stun arrow that is non-lethal and knocks someone unconscious or into a dazed semi-conscious state. An explosive arrow that serves as a remote explosive that could be triggered via the remote in your bow. These arrows contain an explosive tip that can be detonated at any time after it's been fired on impact. Lastly, a grapple arrow with three small claw-like prongs that was made to function as a form of grappling hook."

"The second is a wrist bow that stores seven miniature arrows, three on either side and one in the centre already drawn ready for quick fire. Once it's fired another arrow moves into the center it includes standard arrows and grappling hook arrows."

He straps on the wrist bow and shoots an arrow that narrowly misses Phil. 

 "This is amazing." He lets out a laugh

"Do you guys mind giving Y/N and I a minute?" Phil walked up to the three of you.

They both furrowed their brows and gave looks of hesitation. 

"It’s fine, I'll meet you guys later."  They both walked out as Phil walked towards you.

"I know you're mad, and I'm sorry."

You let out a long breath. 

"You know I'm not mad Phil, you know how I feel about Sharon so the fact that you didn't give me a heads up that she's here just hurt."

He pulled you into a hug. "I'm sorry, I promise if I ever hear anything you'll be the first to know." 

"Thank you, Phil."

 You both looked up when you hear Albert’s voice. "Miss Carter, Director Fury wants to speak with you.

"Alright, thank you, Albert." You look towards Phil with a raised brow. "Do you know what that's about?"

"Absolutely no idea." He puts his hands up in defense. 

"What can I do for you, Nick?" When you arrive at his office you see him sitting behind his desk and Sharon standing to the side. She rolls her eyes as you walk up to the desk. 

"I need you to train with Agent Carter, show her what to expect."

"You mean Agent Miller." You scoffed and crossed your arms. 

You could see the look she was giving you, if looks could kill you'd be six feet under.

"No, find someone else. How about Natasha I'm sure she'd love to show her how it’s done." You said with a smirk on your face.

"I wasn't asking Agent."

"Nick, I'm sure there are better people I can train with."

"That's Director to you Agent, don't forget it." He raised his brow towards her. 

You let out a small chuckle but once he looked at you, you covered your mouth and tried to pass it off as a cough.  

"You two will train together and that's final." 

"Yes, sir." You both mumbled and walked out of his office. 

You turned and looked towards Sharon. 

"Meet me in the training room in one hour. Don't be late." You walked away, not giving her a chance to speak. 

You were sparring in the gym with Natasha and testing out her new weapons.

"She's half an hour late Nat, how does she expect us to take her seriously if she can't show up on time." You moved side to side, dodging every punch she threw.

She caught you off guard grabbed you by the wrist and flipped you onto your back. 

"I don't know what your problem with each other is, but if this is how its always going to be, then I can't work with her. If we're going to be out on the field together, then I need to trust that she'll have my back, and being late is not helping her case."

Before standing back up you swept your feet and knocked her on her back. As you helped Natasha back up the doors swung open and Sharon walked in your direction.

" Agent Miller, you're late. When I told you to meet me here in an hour, I meant it." 

"I'm here now aren't I?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

You walked up to her so you were right in her face. 

"That doesn't matter, I gave you a specific time and you should have been here. If you're not gonna take this seriously then you can walk out that door."

"Yes, ma'am." She spoke with gritted teeth. You weren't sure if it was your tone, the fact that Natasha was standing behind you, or that you were giving her a threatening look, but she stood down.

The next hour was spent with you sparring with Sharon, knocking her on her ass a couple of times as Natasha watched from the sides. 

"That's enough for today,” You slightly shoulder check her as you walk out. “Next time we train together, I expect you to be on time."

Legacy Tags:

@agentmarvel13 @1v-kayla @5sos-wdw @a-dancing-hufflepuff @annoylinglyaries @avngrsinitiative @bradfordsgreekgod @babypink224221 @captainam-erika-trash @carisi-sonny @chook007 @cosmiccomicloverqueen @daniellajocelyn @doctoranon @ecamille-xo @editsbyjenny @ellieababy @futuremissstark @gummiwormsandonedirection @henrietteoaks @hermionie-is-my-queen @ineedmorefanfics @isabella-bby @jaemingold @junitorials13 @katykyll @klanceiscannon14 @littlephoenix-fire @lovemarvelousfics @l0kisbitch @ludwigvonbaethoven @maddie-laufeyson @magnificentsoulecollector @mikariell95 @mistressoftorture  @moli1497 @nanajaeminniee @orderoftheflamingflamingos @paintballkid711 @pastelpurplexoox @princessizzy36 @shallowshawn @sillydecoy @spodermanpete @starstruckgardenstudentzonk @stuckyandsciencebros @thatweirdchick147 @tienna-laufeeyson16 @wishiwasanavenger @xalinx @zaza-jones @izzyisavengersupernaturaltrash

[careerexpansion]

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us!

The 8th Annual Global Education Conference (GEC) All Online, All Free November 13 - 16, 2017

The Global Education Conference Network's eighth annual worldwide collaboration on globally-connected education starts today, Monday, November 13, and continues through this Thursday, November 16.

This event is FREE, but does require that you REGISTER. Please register HERE to get instant access to the conference AND to receive all the recording links after the conferences. 4 days 24 hours/day 127 live sessions 27 keynote speakers ...and an amazing amount of global learning and fun!

The GEC features thought leaders from the world of education and beyond, is completely free to attend and takes place online in live webinar format. We invite you to join the 25,600 GEC community members (from 170+ countries) and actively participate in dozens of sessions focused on international education topics. Some important conference updates are below:

Keynotes + Sessions

As usual, Lucy Gray has putting together an INCREDIBLE keynote speaker lineup:

Mali Bickley (Collaboration Specialist, TakingITGlobal)

David Bornstein (Co-Founder + CEO, Solutions Journalism Network)

Kevin Crouch (Director of Technology Services, Consilience Learning)

Franz De Paula (Author)

Gavin Dykes (Programme Director for the Education World Forum)

Fabrice Fresse (Member of EvalUE, EvalUE)

Michael Furdyk (Co-founder, TakingITGlobal)

Terry Godwaldt (Executive Director, The Centre for Global Education)

Ed Gragert (Founder, Global Woods Consulting)

Martin Levins (President of the Australian Council for Computers in Education--ACCE)

Julie Lindsay (Founder and CEO, Flat Connections)

Sylvia Martinez (Author, speaker, publisher - Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom)

Alan Mather (Chief, Office of College + Career Success)

Ann S. Michaelsen (Teacher and school leader, Sandvika vgs)

Anne Mirtschin (Hawkesdale P12 College, Australia)

Pam Moran (Superintendent of Schools, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Jean-Luc Moreau (President, EvalUE association)

Dana Mortenson (CEO + Co-founder, World Savvy)

Jennie Niles (DC's Deputy Mayor of Education)

Lori Roe (Instructional Technology Specialist, Delaware Department of Education)

Maggie Mitchell Salem (Executive Director, QFI)

George Saltsman (Associate Research Professor, Director, Center for Educational Innovation and Digital Learning, Lamar University)

Ira Socol (Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, Albemarle County Public Schools)

Ariel Tichnor-Wagner (Senior Fellow of Global Competence, ASCD)

Erin Towns (Global Educator, Edward Little High School)

Liam Wegimont (Chairperson, GENE)

Dr. Jennifer Williams (Director of Education Strategy, Participate)

Below are the session titles and presenters for our 127 currently-accepted general sessions, and more of these are coming as well! Full details are here.

10 Ways to Easily Integrate Global Collaborations in Your Daily Curriculum - Rhett Oldham

A Joined Up Approach to Education and Learning - Christine Farrell

A World of #CollaborativePD: Build Your Global PLN Twitter Chat - Dr. Jennifer Williams, Brad Spirrison

Amplifying Student Voices Globally Via the Our Global Classroom What If Grid. - Bronwyn Joyce

Beyond Our Borders: Fostering Global Competency Through Student Travel and Virtual Exchanges - Cynthia Derrane, Jennifer Orlinski

Bridges to Argentina: Teaching and Learning with First Grade Partners and their Teachers - Susan Jacques Pierson

Bringing learning BACK INTO the classroom - Liu Yijie

Bringing the world to rural environments - Peter Raatz

Building up an organization (from scratch!) for a Global impact! - Montserrat Fregoso Fonseca, Maria Fernanda, Fregoso Fonseca

Cavando Bajo las Fs de la Educación Global para Experiencias Más Profundas - Jennifer D. Klein

Challenge Based Learning - David Lockett

Children's Literature for Solving Real-World Problems - Tina Genay

Children's Literature, Math, and Global Connections - Oh My! - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Citizen Science: A Global Conservation Effort - Lindsay Glasner, Kelly Schaeffer

Classroom Conversations with the World - Paul Hurteau

Connected Learning Activities through Social Service - Sebastian Panakal, Gladwin Xavier, Muhammed Fardeen, Muhammed Mufsal, Sophia T Pascal

Connecting through Architecture: Minecraft in the Language Classroom - Kathleen Reardon

Cosmopolitan Project Based Learning - Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals in PBL - Craig Perrier

Creating Global Citizens through Teen Service Travel - Joanne Trangle, Jodi Sabra

Curriculum is the most important 'C' word in Global Projects! - Christine Trimnell

Deep Learning - A Global Perspective - Tom D'Amico

Designing for All: Lessons from a Global Network of Maker Classrooms - Lisa Jobson, Jonelle Lorantas, Mahfuza Rahman, Elyse Gainor

Developing Global Competencies in Teacher Education through Transdisciplinary and Translational Research - Melda N. Yildiz. TBA

Developing Globally Competent Students - Ann C. Gaudino, Millersville University Graduate Students in Education

Digging Beneath the Fs for Deeper Global Learning - Jennifer D. Klein

Digital media education for digital higher educated students - Laura Malita

E.I. and Humanitarianism in Classrooms - 21st Century Learning and Citizenship Essentials - Sania Green-Reynolds

Earth Charter in Education - Dr. Valerie Schmitz, Dr. Mary Ann Kahl

Educational Diplomacy with High School Students - David Angwenyi, Ph.D, Lea Hopkins

Empowering Young Changemakers through Design Thinking - Mahika Halepete

Enhancing Intercultural Communication through an International Film Club - Helaine W. Marshall

Exploring Gender Neutral/Inclusive Bathrooms in Libraries: A Global Perspective - Raymond Pun, Kenya Flash

Flipped Learning in L2: How to Encourage Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking to Teach Global Problem-Solving Skills - Birgit A. Jensen

Food Rescue through a High School - Toni Olivieri-Barton, Colorado Springs Food Rescue

Fostering Global Citizenship Through Literature and Art - Nadia Kalman

Foundations of Global Learning: Creating Global Citizens in the First-Year Experience - Dr. Shelbee NguyenVoges

Free research-based educational material from Finland - Marianne Juntunen, Ph. D.

GEC Connect - The Game! - Julia Francis

Global Collaboration Provides Diverse Perspective for UN Sustainable Development Goals - Donna Roman, Hassan Hassan, Jen Sherman, Maire O’Keefe, Katrina Viloria

Global Collaboration: Connect Your Kids to the World - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., Ping Gao, Ph.D., Magda Galloway

Global Education Discourses in International Student Mobility - Uttam Gaulee, Krishna Bista

Global Learning Collaboration in a Less Tech World - Dr. Reynaldo L. Duran

Global Mentors Project: Connecting Student Teachers with Mentors from Around the World - Terry Smith

Global PBL in the Digital Age - Brad Bielawski

Global Project-Based Learning with iEARN: Sharing Impact and Opportunities - Jennifer Russell, Allan Kakinda, Hela Nafti

Global Scholar Diploma at the High School Level - Toni Olivieri-Barton

Global Students Global Perspectives - Amazing Race Project - Laurie Clement

Globally Conscious Mathematics - Kristy Beam

Globally Responsive Teaching Practice: Overcoming Social Disparities - Sajdah Ali George

Going Beyond the Hour of Code - Bryan L. Miller

Great Global Challenge Project Awardee Presentation: Why should I study a Foreign Language? - Ruth Valle, Athalo Carrao, Alexis Radney

Green Digital Footprints - Sebastian Panakal, Sophia T Pascal, Mertle Williams, Sunitha, Nisa

Harnessing Global Efficacy through Literature and Technology - Justin Peter Manwell

Harnessing the Power of Children's Literature to Teach Math and Global Themes - Glenna Gustafson, Rachel Altizer, Leslie Angle, Delayna Doolin, Cassidy Hartsock, Jami Keen, Irene Labille, Josie Santos, Maddie Semones, Katie Smith, Malorie Tanner, Kelly Troiano 

Hello Little World Skypers - the Continuing Adventures - Anne Mirtschin, Presenters from across the world (names to be added closer to the time)

High Quality Career Counselling as a Push for the Global Development – presenting best practices from the Erasmus+ Career Tree Project - Grzegorz Kata, PhD. with Robert Porzak, PhD and Jacek Łukasiewicz, PhD

High School Global Issues Class as a Springboard for Creating Young Activists - Adam Carter

How can schools be vehicles for creating community wellness? - Jennifer Moore

How might preparation for and engagement in a protest poetry festival enhance Grade 10 boys’ understanding of global conflict? - Glynnis Moore

How to create inclusion and shared power in virtual exchange partnerships. - Jack Haskell

How to Globally Mobilize High School Students to Actualize the United Nations SDGs. - Linda Flannelly, Ralph Viggiano, Megan Scharf, Pete Robinson, Ann Michelsen, Kristian Otterstad Andresen, the students at Lindenhurst and Sandvika High School

How to increase global competency in students: A research-based discussion with Empatico - Chelsea Donaldson, Angela Jo, Travis Hardy

iEARN - Girl Rising project - R. Allen Witten

Immerse Yourself in the German Culture For Free by Volunteering in Germany or Austria - Birgit A. Jensen

Integration of Global Outdoors Learning Blogs, TED Ed Lessons and Global Goals in Management Courses - Dr. Jose G. Lepervanche, Flor Lepervanche

Intercultural Competence - Shawn Simpson

Intercultural Competence For Educators: What's In It For Me? - Dr. Whitney Sherman

Invitation to World Literature - Arthur R. Smith

Just Little ol' Me Sharing my Global Collaboration Experiences. - Lynn Koresh

Kids @SOS Children Village Going Global with iEARN and Mathletics - Sheeba Ajmal

Kids on Earth - Howard Blumenthal

Kings of Collaboration - Jan Zanetis,Sean Forde, Ralph Krauss, Peter Paccone

La acción tutorial en la educación virtual: funciones y responsabilidades - Lic. Gustavo Beltrami

Learning math from students around the world - Chris Collins

Let's Talk Global Education - Anne Mirtschin

Lidrazgo para el Desarrollo Social - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Maverick Leadership - Mike Lawrence

Mobilizing Student Voice through Global Discussions with a Real-World Impact with WorldVuze - Julia Coburn

MOOCs for librarians/library –opportunities and challenges for digital literacy - Gabriela Grosseck + Laura Malita

More Than Current Events- A Globally Connected Triad of Tri-BOBs - Noa Daniel

My Identity, Your Identity Culture Project: Global Online Collaboration in Action - Nicolle Boujaber-Diederichs, Said Belgra, Asma Albriki

One Truth and a Million Truths: Teaching History in a Globalizing World - Nayun Eom, Dr. Marty Sleeper

Online global collaboration - enablers, barriers and implications for teacher education - Julie Lindsay

Opening up Statistics Education to a Global Audience - Larry Musolino

Optimizing OERs Globally Through ICT Literacy - Dr. Lesley Farmer

Organize, innovate and manage your global projects with free ICT tools - Barbara Anna Zielonka

Participatory Spontaneity: What Is It and How Can We Achieve It with Global Audiences Online? - Helen Teague

Power of Impact Cinema: How to bring the world into your classroom? - Gemma Bradshaw

Practice Active Global Citizenship with the K-12 Global Art Exchange - Paul Hurteau

Preparing Students for Careers in a Globally Connected World - Heather Singmaster

Preparing Teachers for Global Learning and Collaboration - Linda Haynes

Promote Global Tolerance + Celebrate Cultural Diversity by Creating New Media with the My Hero Project - Wendy Milette, Wendy Jewell, Victoria Murphy

Promoting Internationalism In Teaching And Preparing Global Citizens Through Exchange Projects: Different But The Same Project As An Example - Mr. Omar Titki

Quality Education through technology - Goal 4: Sustainable Development - Sara Abou Afach

Rainwater catchment and Practivism - Lonny Grafman

Ripples Make Waves: Bring The Global Water Crisis Into Your Classroom - Joan Roehre, Jan Zanetis

Scaling Global Competency Education - Delna Weil

Secrets to Successful Global Collaboration in Higher Education - Leigh Zeitz, Ph.D., David Stoloff, Ph.D.

Self Identity and Global Connection - Erin Dowd

Social Leadership Class Project - Arlette Audiffred Hinojosa

Student conversation on Gender and Ethics - Sean Terwilliger and Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on Girls and Sports - Sean Terwilliger, Nan Hambrose, Vanessa Campbell, Deborah Glymph

Student conversation on LGBTQ+ Issues - Sean Terwilliger and Emma Maney

Student conversation on World Religions - Sean Terwilliger and Tica Simpson

Student driven eco-initiatives towards UN's SDGs - a case study of our GGPC grant winning entry - Ms. Kamal Preet, Ms. Anitha Bijesh

talking kites in the footsteps of J. Korczak - Ruty Hotzen

Teach-The-World Foundation: A Call to Action To Eradicate Illiteracy Around The World - Robert Torres, PhD

Teaching Math and Global Themes with Children's Literature - Glenna Gustafson, Pre-service educators in the Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Teaching the SDGs through experiential and service learning - Caroline Weeks, Liz Radzicki, Kimm Murfitt

Tech Trip: Using EdTech to Get the Most Out of Global Travel - Kathleen Reardon

Teens Dream: A global video contest for teens to express their dreams as they relate to one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Linda Staheli

The Impact of a Cultural Immersion Program on Student Perceptions of the “Other”: A Pilot Study - Sarah Thomas

The Kidlink Global projects.Perspectives and horizons for close cooperation. - Lusine Jhangirian

The positive impact of digital exchanges around the globe - Quratulain Hussain

The power of case studies - Anne Fox

Tips for starting your own DIY Global Youth Summit - Tara Kajtaniak

Tutoring Students Online to Promote Universal Access to a Quality Education - Kasey Beck, Ed Gragert, Adriana Vilela

Understanding the Reproductive Health Education Needs for Sustainable Development - Ms. Eunmi Song

University-Industry Collaboration in Vietnam: When the boss says Jump, you say Why? - Dr. Thi Tuyet Tran

Upward Mobility: Supporting the Academic Nomad through Blended Learning - Julia Zeigler, Terra Gargano

Use Design Thinking to Integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into STEM - Barbara Bray

Utilizing School-Based Virtual Field Trips for Global Learning - Dr. Stacy Delacruz

Virtual Exchanges: Harnessing Technology to Build Global Competencies and Increase Mutual Understanding Among International Youth - Katherine Hanson

Virtual STEM Competition-Your Community, Your World - Volita Russell, Tinika Fails

What's a Crankie?? Using Creative Story Exchanges to Build Global Competence and Connect Students Across Borders - Cora Bresciano, Susan Gay Hyatt

Why and How Collaborative Projects Work Best according to the Mind, Brain, and Education Science - André Hedlund

World Peace Music Project - Yoshiro Miyata, Ayumi Ueda, Anne Mirtschin, Lorraine Leo

Write Our World - Multilingual eBooks by Kids for Kids - Julie Carey, Dr. Leigh Zeitz

Thanks to the GEC Sponsors

Without the support of the following organizations, GlobalEdCon would not be possible. We are grateful for companies and organizations who believe in the power of globally connected learning. Contact Steve Hargadon (steve@hargadon.com) about opportunities to get involved with our community.

See you online!

The 2017 Global Education Conference (Online) Starts Today! Join Us! posted first on http://ift.tt/2tX7Iil