#Sometimes I think I just watch the show for Aram

[peachhcs]

I feel like will and Sammy were one of those friends that like took naps while cuddling, or maybe at any free time they would be together, sometimes they said flirty comments to each other and still be like “we are best friends, we would never like each other”

no, no we’re just friends | the wonder years

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

1.5k words

takes place fall of will’s first dev program year (samy is a junior) this was genuinely so fun to write. i added some more plot to it, i hope that’s okay, but keep sending in requests for the wonder years i love writing their younger dynamic!

au masterlist

a weekend of no hockey games? not even traveling? those types of weekends were rare for the boys. 

they'd been on the move since the start of the season in august meaning two straight months of nonstop hockey every day, every week, every weekend. things were hectic–chaotic even—but they loved it. playing hockey everyday? it was the dream and so was finally getting to sleep in on saturday morning without worrying about waking up at ungodly hours for morning practice. 

the boys scattered themselves across the hughes family living room after a long night in ann arbor. what other way would they spend their free weekend besides driving an hour to samy's house where ellen welcomed them with open arms—secretly excited that her house was filled with people again. 

things were quiet now that the brothers were gone even though luke came back every weekend to do his laundry. 

samy excitedly showed them around the city she grew up in for most of her life with will chirping in every now and then with tidbits from the places he's visited. surprisingly, the boys were really into the museum of art by the university, especially ryan and drew. 

"no way someone painted that," ryan mumbled as their gazes stared up at the large 4 foot painting hanging off the wall. 

"i could do it better," aram shrugged earning a slap on the arm from jacob. 

"no you could not," the brunette muttered, shaking his head. 

the two began quietly bickering about who could paint better. will rolled his eyes before flicking over to briefly meet samy's gaze who lingered beside the blonde. she softly giggled at his friends' antics which resulted in a soft smile on the boy's lips. 

"i'd really like to see you guys try and paint," samy cut into their bickering as she led the way to the next painting. 

"you think we can't paint?" jacob raised his eyebrow at the girl. she only shrugged. 

"let's be real, you can't paint to save your life," ryan added with his own laughter. 

"uh, i can to. i took art classes my freshman year," jacob defensively crossed his arms. 

"ooh, so cool," ryan's mimicry voice made the group laugh. 

the banter didn't stop the entire time they were in the art museum. at least not until they made it to the natural history museum where the boys were really excited to look at dinosaurs. samy couldn't help but giggle as she watched the six boys hurry to see the t-rex up close. 

"how do you think they got it here?" gabe wondered. 

"a plane?" drew raised his eyebrow. the dark-haired boy smacked him on the arm, rolling his eyes. "smartass," gabe mumbled. 

"what's your favorite dinosaur?" will wondered over the commotion of the other guys. 

the girl's eyes slid to his, sparking some in the light while she thought about her answer. "good question. i really like rhinos. they don't have any in this museum though," she finally decided with a tiny smile. 

"didn't quinn buy you a rhino stuffed animal however many years ago?" the blonde asked. 

"he did! it was like my 7th birthday or something. i can't believe you remembered that," the youngest hughes chuckled. 

"only because i remember we sent you the nerf guns after being upset all summer that your brothers had them and you didn't," will informed making samy laugh again. 

"those were the best gift. i think we still have them in our basement somewhere, but i definitely lost all the..what do you call them? pellets?" the two shared another small laugh before the group headed to a different exhibit. 

after the museums, luke graciously met up with all of them and took them to dinner close to campus (but secretly ellen sent him money to pay for all eight of them because poor luke was a broke college student). the boys were definitely excited to see luke and they got him into a long conversation about hockey and what college was like. 

samy and will were at one at one end of the table where they immersed themselves in their own conversation again letting the others talk luke up because the two already saw him all the time. 

"happy there's no saturday practice tomorrow?" the brunette wondered, sipping on her lemonade. 

"mhm. i don't think i've really slept in since like..i moved here," will chuckled. 

"do you ever sleep in though? i'm pretty sure i always hear you awake at like eight in the morning with luke and jack at the lake house," samy raised her eyebrow which brought a flush to will's face. 

"you gotta get up early to hit the green," the boy argued referring to all the times they went golfing. 

"oh, right, right. how could i forget?" samy made a face. 

a small silence settled between them as their eyes drifted down the table where their friends excitedly talked with luke. something warmed in both of their chests seeing how well they everyone got along. samy really couldn't be more happier that will introduced her to these boys and seeing how much her brother loved them all too. will thought the exact same thing. 

the two years ahead were gonna be the best years. will knew it and so did samy. 

it was late when the group made it back to the hughes house. ellen and jim already had the air mattresses blown up meaning everyone immediately collapsed on sight after changing into pajamas. samy made herself comfortable beside will who briefly scrolled through his phone. the girl had a small cup of ice cream in her hand, quickly offering some to the blonde. 

"mm love rocky road," will hummed as he took the bite. 

"i know we have the same taste," the brunette giggled. she fished around for the remote before turning the tv on the lowest setting and flipping to some random movie playing. 

the girl stretched out, letting her eyes grow sleepy. her head dipped onto will's shoulder making the boy flush briefly before he hooked his arm around her own shoulders. this wasn't abnormal for the two, especially after the past summer. they'd become a lot more touchy with one another, always poking and prodding—so a head on the shoulder as samy fell asleep wasn't something the two thought twice about. 

not until the morning where they were in the same position except samy's head fell more onto will's chest with one of her arms spread out across his torso. the guys woke up before they did and ryan was the first one to notice the sleeping pair curled up on the couch together. 

"dude, look," the brunette nudged drew's shoulder who slowly sat himself up while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

"are we sure smitty doesn't like her?" drew mumbled with a tiny snicker. 

"he's gotta or something. i mean look at them!" ryan exclaimed. 

all of the guys were still in denial about will saying he didn't have feelings for samy and never has. they were literally staring at the two asleep together. gabe, aram, and jacob woke up a few minutes later hearing ryan and drew's voices. 

"why are you guys talking so damn loud?" aram grumbled. 

"look at smitty and hughesy," ryan urged his friends. the other three shifted their gazes towards the sleeping pair and they immediately understood what the fuss was about. 

"damn. if i didn't know any better.." jacob trailed off earning laughs across the group. 

"should we wake them up?" gabe asked as ryan took some pictures on his phone for later use whenever will wanted to try and deny his feelings. 

"i think your voices were loud enough.." samy's eyes fluttered open. the boys immediately quieted down, but the smirks didn't disappear on their faces. 

samy slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. will shifted against the couch, his own eyes opening up too. 

"good morning love birds," ryan sang. 

"oh this again," samy playfully rolled her eyes. 

"what do you mean this again? you guys were literally cuddling," aram pointed out and all of the guys nodded in agreement. 

"and?" the girl raised her eyebrow, gazing over at will briefly who was now fully awake. 

"and? y'all are acting like a couple!" ryan exclaimed again. 

samy and will instantly bursted into laughter which left the boys silent and confused. 

"no, no we're just friends," the brunette got out through her laughter. 

"friends don't cuddle," drew cut in. 

"yes they do. i cuddle with my friends all the time. you guys are just afraid to," samy argued, pushing herself off the couch. she looked down at will for confirmation. he saw the guys' looks, knowing exactly what they were thinking. 

"come on, we're just friends. it's nothing," the boy agreed with samy. 

"exactly, thank you. can we stop making a big deal out of it and get breakfast?" the boys looked between the two for a few more seconds before deciding to drop the subject for now, but still not believing a word either of them said. 

#hughes!sister x will smith au #will smith hockey #samy x will #boston college #boston college hockey #samy hughes #umich hockey #will smith imagine #will smith x oc #uofmichigan #will smith fluff #will smith hockey fluff #the wonder years #ryan leonard #gabe perreault #jacob fowler #drew fortescue #aram minnietian

[writingbyshiloh]

Part 4. Cooper

Series Masterlist

CW: domestic red I think? (possibly) OOC Cooper, FBI!Reader 

AN: I pictured the show to be Euphoria, but no specific details so it can be any show with a drug dealer character. IDK Cooper's official rank and I am scared of spoilers so we just went with the assistant director. Just realized that if you read all the parts back 2 back then they are very similar but also ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. No beta

------

Reddington in the post office is a scene that never fails to surprise you. In the early days of the task force, he seems to be there frequently. As the years went, he saw less and less of the walls inside.  He never goes to the post office if he can help it, and you don’t blame him. 

You see Dembe nudge Reddington, a silent indicator for him to start talking about what he needs the team to do this week. 

As Reddington lectures, Liz interrupts and Aram pulls up the supporting documents and photos. Red usually tells Liz the details, and she tells the rest of the team.

You knew a tiny bit. He left shipping documents on his kitchen table a few nights ago while he went to the bathroom. He wouldn’t just leave documents lying around if he didn’t have a reason for you to see them. 

To keep yourself sane you set boundaries. If you're not working, or if someone isn't in immediate danger it is not your problem what Reddington is doing. This came after a series of him dropping clues and waiting for you to put the details together. 

You still listen, minus a few instances where you zone out thinking about Reddington's suit, waiting for the shipping documents to make some sense to you, but nothing yet. 

“Liz, you go with Reddington to the shipping docks. You two” Cooper points at you and Ressler “see what you can find with -” 

“I’ll go Ressler” Elizabeth cut in. 

Everyone turns to look at Liz. 

“I’ll go with Reddington” you suggest, pronunciation wobbly. You’re so used to Red, the “ington” feels off. 

“That was fast on the jump” Red notes, once you were out of the earshot of the group, preparing to go to the docks. 

You shrug. “It's so nice out. And I can not get caught in a fight between you two.” 

Red and Liz fighting always makes you feel like you’re in the middle. Liz would sometimes rant to you about Reddington, which never fails to make you feel like a bad friend.  On the other hand, Red keeps his thoughts about Elizabeth to himself in times like these. 

---

“Do you understand it yet?” Reddington asks. 

You frown. You both have been walking around the docks for an hour, trying to find something on this week's blacklist. Technically, you’re looking for clues, Reddington is watching you, trying to see the exact moment you put the pieces together. 

You admire how he pushes you to do your best, to get better at both your job and thinking like him, but now it’s on your nerves. Having elected to ignore him, you exaggerate checking the number on the shipping container. 

“My god, you agents are so meticulous. You don’t need every number from every crate.” Red observes. 

“I’m not taking every number, just what I think is important.” 

“That seems to be the majority, dear.” 

You shoot him a look over your shoulder due to the use of the pet name in the field. 

He puts his hands up in surrender, but he is smiling. 

You’re saved from a reply by your phone, Aram calling with no doubt some important information. 

---

 That night, Reddington visits you. He says he can't spend the entire night but has a few free hours. You don't know what he has to do before or after your time together, but it's not your problem. 

“Do you watch this every week?” Reddington asks, glancing at your television.

“Yeah. We talk about it at work,” you respond, placing your water on the table, and settling onto your couch next to him. 

“Who’s everyone?” 

“It started as me ‘nd Aram but then Samar started watching with him. I think Liz is in season one. Dembe too maybe?”

You tip your head against his shoulder, feet propped up on your coffee table as the show started playing the introduction. He had one of your pens (technically a pen you took from work) in his hand while he mulls over one of his crossword puzzles? Sudoku? Sudoku with words? Red showed you once how it works and once was enough. 

---

“That's no way to run a drug business!” 

You turned your head to the side to look at him, now sitting on the edge of your seat watching the show. 

“I thought you weren't watching.” 

“I wasn’t, but this is ridiculous!” he huffs. “He's not even marking up the price at all? And his storage? I mean it is ridiculous! No wonder the police were called.” 

“He's just a minor character” 

“For running a business like that he should be!” 

“Just watch the show.” 

---

You were happy to go into the post office today, if only for a chance to talk to Aram about the show.  

“Did you see the new episode?” Aram’s words hit you before you even left the elevator. 

“Of course! I didn't see the big arrest coming. And that fight?!” 

Aram walks with you to the central part of the floor, the rest of the team waiting, both you and Aram dying to talk about yesterday's episode. You catch Reddington in the office out of the corner of your eye and can’t resist winding him up. 

“I can’t believe the arrest! Forgot the rest of the prom, I thought he was going to keep dealing drugs for the whole show,” you exclaim, slightly too loud to make sure Red can hear. 

‘My god, he was the worst drug dealer I've ever seen. Ressler would do better!” Reddington jokes. Aram's head snaps to him. 

“Mr. Reddington, I didn’t know you watched the show!” 

“How far along are you?” you chime in. 

“My beloved watches it. I caught a few minutes.” Red smoothly deflects.

You freeze, never hearing him call you that before, but you like it. 

“Do you want to join our text chain?” Aram eagerly asks. 

Cooper saves Reddington from telling the task force that he doesn’t know how to use a cell phone. 

The assistant director launches into some of the information that the team rounded up yesterday. Numbers you took note of pop up and you make a mental note to tell Red “I told you so”, no doubt knowing that he wants to tell you the same, for taking too many numbers. 

Once everyone is back up to speed and assignments are dolled out, Cooper catches you at your desk. “I need to speak to you in my office.” 

You nod and follow him while you feel anxiety roll in your stomach. It could be good news but you can’t think of anything good. More bad news flashes through your mind as you climb the stairs. You could be suspended, fired, or anything else due to Reddington. And there was that one time you made a questionable decision in the field which could be coming back to bite you. 

“Close the door, please,” Cooper asks quietly. 

You nod, the door firmly shut as you sit, forcing body language to act neutral and calm. 

“I wanted to talk to you about fieldwork.” Cooper starts. You force yourself to make eye contact and not start fiddling with anything on his desk. 

“You’ve been going into the field with Reddington more. Any reason?” 

“Can I be honest?” you ask, trying to come up with something to say. 

“Please.” Cooper leans forward in his chair, awaiting your response. 

“It makes me uncomfortable when Agent Keen and Reddington fight. I felt that if I go with him yesterday, then they could cool off.” 

“Uncomfortable how?” 

You sigh. 

“Like, he killed Sam, and then she faked her death to get away from him, and no one knows how or if they’re related…” You train off, not enjoying thinking of reasons Red and Liz fight, but more than happy to if you can keep your job. 

Cooper nods, understanding. There's an unspoken feeling in the post office when they fight. 

“And do you mind? Going into the field with Reddington.” 

“Not as much as the fighting.” 

Cooper nods again, posture more relaxed before he continues. “I noticed you’ve been working less.” 

Your face reacts before you could try to stay neutral. Of course, Cooper would notice. You’ve lost track of the number of times he turned off the lights at the post office before he leaves late at night and you had to scramble in the dark to turn them back on again. 

“I’m sorry, I can start staying later again.” You say, trying to fumble your way through apologizing. 

Assistant Director Cooper holds up his palms for you to slow down. 

“Your hours are fine. Is everything okay with you?” 

The question shouldn’t take you by surprise. Things are more fun with Reddington as part of your life, but there's more stress. The stress of hiding the relationship mostly, especially from Liz.

“I, uh, started seeing a guy recently? So I have a reason to spend time outside the post office?” you want to speak in sentences but you’re nervous in case this is a leadup to something else.

He nods like he understands. 

“I’m happy for you. Now we just need to get Ressler a girl.” 

You both share a smile, while you silently thank your lucky stars. 

“Is there anything else, sir?” you ask, arms ready to push you up and out of your chair. 

“No, that's all. Thank you.” 

You nod and get up. “Do you want me to leave the door open?” 

“You can close it. Thanks.” 

You pull the door shut behind you and glance down at the post office. Does Red also get hit with this stuff? You wonder. You’ll have to tell him later, once the case concludes. 

---

Tag list: @soraya-daydreams, @horrorqueen22, @wild-rose-35, @anonymoussherlockandmarvelgeek, @zombieskullxz, @rhepworth, @fanficismydrug, @btsjiminsthings, @emilynissangtr, @navs-bhat, @thatonerandomsimpinthecorner

#We r at the bottom on the red gifs #however I do like a white dress shirt with a dark vest #raymond reddington fan fic #raymond reddington x you #raymond reddington x reader #the blacklist x reader #the blacklist fanfic #the blacklist fanfiction

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Encore Delayed

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Rating: G Words: 551 Fandom: Love Live Nijigasaki Parent Fic: Tri-Arame Time Frame: Sometime early in college Event: Promptober 2022 Event Source: Idol Fanfic Heaven channel on Discord Prompt: Ninja

---------

Author’s Note: Primary entry for Oct 15th

Summary: The trio talk about a movie they just saw

---------

“Setsuna-chan, you’re…” Ayumu held up a tissue.

“T-thank you, Ayumu san…” Setsu practically blubbered before dabbing her eyes and wiping her nose.

“Setsuna-chan’s still moved by the romantic climax, eh?” Yuu smirked.

“It was just so good!” Setsuna insisted as the trio exited the theater. “When Neru-san made Yugure-san promise that she would outlive her. Even if just by a day. Or even an hour.” She sniffled again. “She just… She couldn’t bear the thought of being without her again…” She accepted another tissue from Ayumu.

“Yeah, that part actually confused me.” Yuu admitted.

“How do you mean, Yuu-chan?” Ayumu inquired.

“’Cause Yugure was a ninja, right?”

The other two girls nodded.

“And she was hired to protect Neru, right?”

More confirming nods.

“And presumably that means giving her life to save her charge if necessary. I mean that was kinda half of the movie, with Neru desperate to get Yugure back after having made such a sacrifice. And now she can’t do that again?”

“I don’t think Neru was telling Yugure to stop doing her job.” Ayumu said. “She was telling her to not be so reckless with her own life; her wellbeing is important too.”

“And while Yugure was gone, she wasn’t there to protect Neru.” Setsuna added. “So she doesn’t want that to happen again either.”

“Huh… I guess I didn’t think about it that way.” Yuu admitted. “Either of those ways. But I think I get it now. Thanks you two.” She grinned.

“Ooooo…” Setsuna stopped walking. “Just thinking about what a masterpiece it all was makes me want to see it again.”

Yuu chuckled. “Now?”

Setsuna looked like she desperately wanted to say yes, but instead just continued to vibrate excitedly.

Yuu glanced at Ayumu, then at her watch. “Well, the next showing is in few minutes.” She turned back toward the ticket counter.

“Wait! Yuu-san!” Setsuna called, louder than she needed to, given the short distance between them. “You mustn’t!”

“Eh?” Yuu paused.

“What if we inadvertently buy seats that could’ve gone to people who haven’t seen the movie yet? It’s only fair that we wait until the Blu-ray release!”

“I was only kidding, Setsuna-chan.” Yuu laughed. “I’m actually looking forward to getting back home for dinner soon.”

“We could come back tomorrow?” Ayumu suggested.

“No way!” Setsuna shook her head vigorously. “It’s still opening weekend. All who wish to see such a wonderful show should be allowed to do so as soon as possible.”

“Well then maybe in a couple weeks after the initial crowds have died down a bit?” Yuu offered.

“Perhaps a matinée during the week?” Ayumu added. “Those tend to be less crowded anyway. And Yuu-chan and I don’t have any tests coming up.” She anticipated a possible objection.

“And Setsuna-chan is still wa~y ahead of her own schedule.” Yuu teased, pointing out the online student’s habit of overstudying. “One afternoon off won’t hurt you.”

Ayumu could practically see the scales finally tip in Setsuna’s mind.

“Alright.” Setsuna agreed. “But we’ll need to check the seating charts online that day first, to make sure it really is not that busy.”

Yuu laughed again and the trio resumed their way home. As they walked, Ayumu made a mental note to check the Blu-ray release date for a possible gift to her girlfriend.

---------

Author’s Note Continued: A big thank you to @myonmukyuu for the help getting past a sticking point in this one. And for giving me one of Setsu’s best lines in the chapter, imho.

That said, I doubt I will ever tire of writing dorky Setsu geeking out about something she loves. Or of writing Yuu and Ayu happily indulging that love. Or teasing her about it, in Yuu’s case; affectionately, of course.

And on a final note, this was actually inspired by a chapter for my D&D story that has sat gathering digital dust for over a decade and has still not progressed past the outline. But the names of the girls in the movie are basically what my two OC’s names mean in English translated to Japanese; given names, not call signs. And someday I may very well write that scene... or just keep pillaging ideas from the thing for my LL fics...

#YuuAyuSetsu #Takasaki Yuu #Yuki Setsuna #Uehara Ayumu #Tri-Arame #Love Live Nijigasaki #Promptober 2022 #fanfic

[meetmeatthecoda]

Okay Coda, don't be upset with me because I do believe in lizzington 100%... but I've been seeing some very convincing rederina theories.

The thing is, I think each writer has yanked our (the viewers) attention multiple directions except maybe Bokenkamp. He seems lizzington deep down. Anyway, while rederina could be plausible, I can't reconcile the romantic insinuations and comments from Red and even from Liz......... and Aram, and Ressler, and the knowing and LOUD expressions from Samar with her quiet lips. I think Cooper has had questions and thoughts... as have countless blacklisters.

Help Coda, I'm so confused 😕 I don't even watch the show anymore. I haven't gone past early/mid season 6 if that far.

Also, um, what ya been up to? 🙃 Not to discount your life away from Tumblr and ao3, but I'm excited about reading new content! 😄😁

Hi there, anon!! 😍 Awww, I could never be upset with you, my friend, not to worry!! Besides, I fully understand what it's like to feel conflicted over this show... I think we've definitely all been there!! 🤗 I'm very touched you're coming to me with these feelings & I'm happy to share my thoughts on the topic!! I hope maybe they can bring you a little bit of peace!! Also, I'm going to put them under a read more cause we all know how I get when asked about R*derina 😂 Okay, here we go:

So. These theories & whatnot that you're worried about don't bother me at all because, simply put? The writers lost all credibility when they killed Liz. And, if you ask me, the best part about not watching the show anymore? We don't have to pay attention to what they're doing now! And let's be real, they went off the reservation a long time ago. That's reason enough for me to not consider anything they say or do now to be canon, especially not in the context of the whole story, & especially given that they no longer have the original creator (Bokencamp, who - I agree with you - always seemed team Lizzington to me) or literally half of the original cast. And you're absolutely right, there's so much undeniable proof for - at the very least - a STRONG, STRONG case for Lizzington - I mean, everything you listed, the looks, the comments, the subtext, the filming, the FUCKING PILOT SCRIPT - that to me, the bottom line is: If they can turn their back on their original endgame, then we can turn our backs on the retconned one. And yeah, some people might say that I'm only ignoring the canon that I don't like & doesn't support my ship which is UnTrUe To ThE sHoW or AgAiNsT fAnDoM rULeS or some shit & hey, that may be. But you know what? I'm fine with that. Because it's all fictional media & media is meant for entertainment & escaping from real life. And the best part about escapism in the form of fictional media? If it doesn't spark joy, then you can throw it the fuck out!!! And R*derina don't spark no joy for Coda 🙃🙃🙃 So... fuck 'em, honestly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ But yeah, my strategy is simply "assume anything that doesn't check out with previous canon is a retcon & therefore inadmissible in the fandom court of shipping laws." I don't know if that helps at all, anon, but I hope it does, especially since you're not watching the show anymore, just like me & many of us surviving Lizzington shippers!! I would simply recommend not worrying about the crap they've spewed past season 8 7 6 3A - even if they try to confirm R*derina in the end - & instead enjoy the Lizzington proof & moments & beauty we were graced with while it lasted. Sometimes straight-up denial & sticking to your beliefs are the way to go 🥲🥲

Other that ^THAT^ lol, I've been quite well, thank you for asking, dear anon!! 🥰 And might I add that I so appreciate your respect for my #real life away from tumblr & AO3 bc - as irritating as it can be - I do have one LOL & it can get busy just like everyone else's, of course, & idk, I just really appreciated the way you worded that, so thank you so much 🥰🥰🥰 To answer your question in unspecific terms, I'm currently starting the process of going back to music school after a pandemic/personal health break to do some post-grad work. But, of course, a musician's life is not an easy one & the process takes time - especially after a break like I've had - so it's slow-going at the moment... But I'm chugging along with it & excited to get back to my passion of making music!! 😊 And, of course, I'm hoping to have more time to write in the coming days as I settle into a hopefully more productive real life routine, & bc I know I will need the stress relief of fic. I'm very excited to get down to work on Halcyon & hopefully bring you new content as soon as possible!! And of course I'm so flattered that you're looking forward to it!! Granted, it will be a while... I have just under 12k so far with just the beginning bits & my outline is only growing... sooo I think it's safe to say this will be my longest, most ambitious fic project to date. But I certainly hope it will be worth the wait - for both you & me!! 😂 Anyway, I think I've blabbed on for long enough, so the only thing left is to thank you so much for your kind & lovely ask!! I hope my response did something to help you feel a little better about things & I promise to have new Lizzington fic out as soon as I can!! Thank you again, sweet anon, & much, much love to you always, my friend!! 😍🥰❤️

#The Blacklist #Lizzington #thoughts #speculation #theories #headcanons #mine #ask #anon #i understand how you feel anon!! #and i hope this helps you a little!! #thank you for being so sweet!! #fic coming soon i hope!! #much love to you!! #❤️❤️❤️

[endlessceaselessboundless]

Ok, so I finally finished Season 7 of The Blacklist, and I’m like legit losing my mind over here. 

Am I supposed to dislike Elizabeth now? Am I supposed to think she is the WORST FBI agent/criminal profiler in history? Because I now think both of these things. 

I do not understand how she has been drawn in by this supposed Katarina Rostova. The gymnastics the show has done over the past few season on Katarina are mind-numbing. Is she good is she bad? Is she dead is she alive? 

I don’t watch it live so no spoilers, but man, season 7 messed me up. (Also, like what the hell Aram?! I will forgive you because you are the best and most perfect human to ever exist in reality or fiction, and you arrested that crazy lady you were sleeping with, but get yourself together man!)

#the blacklist #raymond reddington #katarina rostova #Aram #He's the best #Sometimes I think I just watch the show for Aram #But actually it's for #James Spader #Also watching Ressler run #Can I get a whole show where he's just running?

[hazelcephalopod]

The Eye of the World Ch 25-26

Forgot the number? Hmm? Anyway sry fixed that now.

Disclaimer: this is my first read thru but I’ve watched all of the show this far and been spoiled on some book things. So… I’m going to lean into that. Enjoy figuring out what I know, and what I think I know, and what I just don’t. Also s/x I add commentary when I edit.

Spoilers for the first book and up to the most recent episode under the cut. Potential spoilers for latter books.

It’s a long one!

New friends are met and much is learned by some. Meanwhile for others a respite ends, big news is learned, and a harrowing flight follows.

Also! Half way point reached!

Ch 25: The Traveling People

The Tuatha’an!

Perrin POV

They are in fact wolves. I’d be nervous too

Bud, she might be the best person to talk to about this

They don’t talk to each other enough do they?

Lol. He’s killed Warders and escaped Red Ajah I know Egwene is good at getting what she wants but no. Not right away at least.

Gaze of fear???

Man those Wolf powers really did activate huh?

Hey! See bonuses to powers. Cool. No Balzo dreams

lol. Yea not likely to get rid of those wolves anytime soon

… ‘Kay. Of course. Cenn Buie… that asshole

Hhhh. Coplins and Congars. Tracks

At least Elyas is going to set them right

Show crew- ‘who is anyone actually? Never heard of that.‘ books- ‘ah yes we’ve heard of that. But best not talk about it or the Dark One will come and make us into stew -or something. Or worse, the Wisdom will get you’

Also. How good a dude is Elyas?

Always good to rely on second hand accounts about people you’ve never met. Especially ones that only seem to insult and spread fear about them. /s

Yup. People being people.

“Abruptly the music stopped and all the [Tuatha’an] were looking at him and his companions.” -(Perrin) entering the Tuatha’an camp with Egwene and Elyas

… more being watched.

“…as if on the point of flight.” And you’ll soon learn why!

He knows them? Elyas. At least this Raen guy

… aside: spellcheck thinks ‘Raen’ should be arsenal which, irony lmao

Mahdi/Seeker Raen then. Title name. Cool

“…if they can find it again, the paradise of the Age of Legends will return… they’ve been looking near to [3k] years, ever since the Breaking. I expect they’ll be looking until the Wheel stops turning.” -Elyas on the Song the Tuatha’an seek

Ila! Different role here but still! Her!

Aram!

Oh no… not. Not great.

Egwene babe no. That was an awful line

Hardcore pacifists then. Even with their dogs

They did all first

Sounds like those peoples problem not the Tuatha’an

“Some people… can never overcome their baser instincts.” - Aram to Perrin about the Way of the Leaf vs self defense and using violence to stand up to bullies and such. But also b/c he’s a bit of a shit, apparently

Yup the show did improve them; gotta say it

Don’t knock a good retreat Perrin

“He is a good boy but sometimes, I think he finds the Way of the Leaf a hard way.” -Raen on Aram after his display of being a bit of a shit

Not that Perrin isn’t also a little bit of a shit there

Huh. So people can just leave and the Tuatha’an call them ‘the Lost’

“The Lost cannot be happy.” -Ila

Oh interesting. Only Gleeman, Peddlers and the Tuatha’an can cross the Aiel waste without being bothered.

Also. Just. All the lore.

“[Aiel] watch us from a distance, but they will not come near us, nor let us near them. Sometimes I worry they might know the song, though I suppose it isn’t likely. Among Aiel, men do not sing… From the time an Aiel boy becomes a man he will not sing anything but battle chants, or their dirge for the slain… That song is one to make the stones weep.” -Raen (a Tuatha’an) on the Aiel towards Tuatha’an and the singing

“Young Aiel often travel into the Blight. Some of the young men go alone, thinking for some reason that they have been called to kill the Dark One. Most go in small groups. To hunt Trollocs…” -Raen explains an Aiel custom to Elyas, after telling him he has a story that may interest him

Raen continues to explain that a group of Tuatha’an came across such a band near the blight, specifically a group of women warriors -them being warriors is unusual to Perrin. They may “…join one of the warriors societies, Far Dareis Mai, the Maidens of the Spear…”

“The young women were all dead except one, and she was dying. She crawled to the wagons… Her loathing outweighed her pain, but she had a message so important to her that she must pass it on to someone, even us, before she died.” -Raen describes the messenger and her actions.

Elyas informs the group that Trollocs call the wastes (Djevik K’Shar) The Dying Grounds? Well then

(Raen clarifies that the woman and her dead band had come from the Blight pursued by Trollocs, and she refused all help only speaking to their leader.) pretty serious message then huh?

“…she seized the Seeker of the band by his coat, and this is what she said, word for word. ‘Leafblighter means to blind the Eye of the World, Lost One. He means to slay the *Great Serpent*. Warn the People, Lost One. Sightburner comes. Tell them to stand ready for He Who Comes With the Dawn. Tell them…’ And then she died.” -Raen tells the story (Leafblighter & Sightburner= Dark One)

Also, Great Serpent? Hmm. Familiar

Yup. Sounds serious. Hope there wasn’t too much more… rip mystery Aiel lady

(Also could be cool if they adapted that to live action for the show)

“She called *us* the lost. I never knew before how much they loathed us.” -Raen

Hey… wait. That’s the thing they call people who leave them right?

“…none of it makes sense. Slay the Great Serpent? Kill time itself? And blind the Eye of the World?” -Elyas on the story.

“The Eye of the World. That had been in his dreams, more than once…” (Perrin)

Eh let her have fun I suppose. Can’t force her one way or the other

“He was trying to imagine what Aiel girls were like-going into the Blight, were only Warders went…” (Perrin)

- intimidating I imagine.

Ohhh. Worrying about their friends and trying to keep hope alive. Love to see it, and, something, to feel the sad

Ch 26

Lol guess Mat is not skilled at flute playing

Still a bit cruel Thom. Even if he is terrible

Strangely I feel learning the harp would be easier idk

Thom… truly he is trying to help. Trying.

Ohh Mat… sadness

“Sometimes even heroes die. Are you a hero, Rand al’Thor? Are you a hero, sheepherder?” -Rand thinking to himself

No! I no longer trust bridges!

It was probably Aes Sedai or some sort like that tho

“And not mutiny.” Hurrah for that!

And Gelb -the coward Rand stepped on and everyone hates- is officially fired

Should I be worried about Gelb? Idk. (I later learn. Yes. The fucking asshole)

Mm. Yup. Maybe>.>

Huh. Thom really made an impression On Cap. Domon

What’s the Feast of Sefan? Apparently there’s a storytelling competition.

Wow. He really made an impression. Huh?

Lol. He just wants to keep being an ass too huh? ‘Well if you I leave I have to be nice to my crew. Damn it…’

Rand wrangling Thom like ‘no no. We are staying here and looking for our friends’. That Two River stubbornness strikes again!

… imagine the story where they take the offer and run from their destinies for ten books.

Yes I’m certain it’s just the gleeman drawing looks

Gleemen are that rare?

“Innkeepers have all the news and gossip.” -Thom. Yes, like Skyrim

Why is it so empty? Oh… the season and bad weather I bet. (I quickly learn that’s it)

New inn found! ‘The Wayfarers’ Rest’ (Innkeper: Bartim)

I mean it does seem that way doesn’t it?

No Mat you want a bad one

And remote I suppose. Makes sense (think I mixed that up. They wanted a well traveled inn??? Kinda confused still)

Sir. Stop talking about your feet to your customers and maybe you’ll get more. Way to sell yourself and your inn the the gleeman

Oh shit. Logain! He got captured. Was trying to move from Ghealdan to Tear.

Oh right *Prophecy*. ‘Kay. Which one? Did we learn that one yet…? There are so many even now. And stories and songs and just I love it but it’s a lot to remember and keep track of

“…the troubles.” -eotw. That’s a choice (it’s odd b/c I’m partially watching a movie right now related to The Troubles)

Well he REALLY doesn’t like Aes Sedai huh?

Morbid. ‘Look at the sad man in the cage we caught’ but accurate probably to the era which inspired it

“Logain could do ‘things’…” -eotw (Rand) (from Bartim). That’s probably an understatement.

People do not like False Dragons huh? That’s prettt brutal.

Ah the point. ‘Hey innkeeper who’ve you seen in here that was a bit odd lately? Anyone see anything like that you know of?’

Th boys ‘whose the mountain of misty? Never heard of them before. *sweats* Far away? Probably don’t get a lot of people in them’

“…things in the fog will strip the flesh off your bones before you can run.” -Bartim (innkeep. Lol Bar Tim). What now? You got that mixed up with Shadar Logoth or something?

“Mat snickered.” So probably just wrong then or yes to my guess. Probably.

Yea you wander a lot dude. Back to the point

“Why, the Hunt for the Horn…” -Bartim finally getting to the fucking point.

No. Ya didn’t

“Can you imagine that? Swearing your life to a legend?” -Bartim on Illianers telling people to swear to go on the hunt.

Seems like that sentiment is growing

“In the last, lorn fight // ‘gainst the fall of long night, // the mountains stand guard, // and the dead shall be ward, // for the grave is no bar to my call.” -Thom recites a verse of ‘The Great Hunt of the Horn’

Oh he did not like those descriptions at all

Oh fuck.

Indeed who could it be? (My guess? Padan Fain. Already saw him in Baerlon where he was shady as shit)

A fucking eyeless in town -city- asking questions???

Man. That’s a tough one. But knowing is probably the braver and smarter choice

“…a dream can’t hurt you.” Thom. (Incorrectly, quite possibly)

You should! Then he might get it! (Well he sorta does I learn. Still.)

Lol. The ignorant audacity in believing all the Trollocs died during the Trolloc wars

You fucker Gelb!

It’s compromised now

Split up?! Noooo

No. Just preparing. Smart

Ohh… Owyn.

Mat’s getting paranoid. And tired.

“I’m to scared to be nervous.” -Rand. Lol and ohhh… sadness

Mm. Yup nothing like either one of you

Thoms disguise is a cloak? No way. No (it was. Lol. What can ya do?)

Oh and they are leaving fast and carefully.

Thom MVP!

Well a Fade terrifying everyone also explains the lack of people. Huh?

“Thom growled, “I should never have gotten mixed up with you boys. Should never have.” Oh, that’s gonna leave a scar.

Also. Oh no.

No! He gave his cloak and stuff to Rand. “Take care of that. When I say run, you run and don’t stop until you get to Caemlyn. The Queens Blessing. An inn.” -Thom to Rand and May. No!

That’s gonna lace a scar!

Oh you woolheaded innocent baby. Oh no.

And again. They fight -or someone fights for them. But mostly. THEY RUN.

Thom fights the Fade. Left behind screaming at them to run.

“He tightened his arms around the bundle of Thom’s cloak; the instrument cases were hard lumps inside. “Thom.” ” -Rand, having escaped the fates of Whitebridge exhausted and shocked

“Sometimes Rand looked back, but the road was always empty.”

…and with that I’m half way thru!

#many thoughts on twot teotw #< block or filter to stop seeing these posts #the wheel of time #wheel of time #wot #wot books spoilers #twot book spoilers #twot book #eotw spoilers #eye of the world #the eye of the world

[cesraeborgia]

Hey! This is a cool thing you're doing and thought I'd ask something!

I feel like ur gonna get asked this a lot but, realistically, what do you think is going to happen with keenler in the upcoming eps? Like obviously we'd love them to happily get together, but this is the Blacklist, and nothing is ever that simple.

Thoughts?

Hey!!! I’m happy to say your my first ask :)) !!!  If you want to chat with me about keenler, my fics, send me prompts, or just say hello!! feel free to drop me an ask here

I had a lot to say so I did a keep reading thing haha. Also, warning, spoilers for the last two eps. 

Personally, I think there’s an extremely interesting dynamic at play here that is similar to when Liz was on the run the first time. I can’t help but draw parallels between Ressler’s interactions with Liz in season 3 and his interactions with her now, and I think that Liz’s plot line this season is going to put her at odds with Ressler both professionally and personally. The fact of the matter is (and this might be a rogue opinion) that in the long run, I don’t see this causing issues for them romantically. The thing about Ressler is that he’s already crossed that line for Liz in the past - when pitted against his job and Liz, the choices he makes always boil down to one thing: whether or not the decision he makes keeps Liz safe. Because Ressler is always acting with Liz’s safety in mind, This might prove to be a problem for Liz, who is used to those who love her (Tom, Reddington) dropping everything on a dime to help her in any situation no matter the cost to her personal safety. This is partially why Ressler was at a crossroads in the last episode: he knew that the path Liz was going down was dangerous, and he was unwilling to help her if it affected her safety in a negative way, or if it contributed to her continued progression down a darkened path, which Ressler does not view to be her destiny, like Reddington does. In keeping with this characterization of Ressler (which, Lord knows if the show will actually do that; they are pretty consistent when it comes to him but still not great) I could see them continuing to work together, even if its not to the result that Liz wants. 

I think that Ressler brings out the best of Liz’s humanity (this is why I always use day/sun imagery when writing Ressler, and night/moon imagery when writing Liz) and that eventually Liz is going to be faced with deciding between embracing Reddington’s idea of her ‘destiny’ or embracing what she wanted her life to be like in the pilot. Obviously, going to war with Reddington posits one end of that spectrum, with exploring her relationship with Ressler being on the other side. 

(Real quick sidebar: I don’t like to describe female characters in relation to male characters; I’m not trying to say that Liz has to decide between the two men, I’m just saying that they symbolically represent the decision she’s going to have to make. If I were less tired I would go on a poststructural feminist rant that would make my dear sweet Judith Butler proud, but, alas, I’m exhausted)

I think that there’s three key things that SHOULD (key word being should, seeing as the writers are who the writers are) be factors in keenler’s progression this season. 

1.) Liz is alone on the run this time. This means that she’s most likely going to turn to Ressler for support, seeing as her sister is gone for the moment being, Tom is dead, her mother is dead, Reddington is pretty much dead to her, and the only person left in her life who she really trusts is Ressler. Now, there could be an interesting plot twist here. (this has been marinating in the back of my mind for the last couple of seasons.) Remember in like season 6 (I want to say??) when Liz let that one blacklister go and was starting to collect names for her own blacklist... let’s just say I wouldn’t be shocked if that plot line was unceremoniously picked up again sometime this season. That might be the only real shot she has at having allies besides Ressler or people who want to see Reddington dead. Ask me more on this later, once I watch the next episode in January haha.

2.) The issue of the taskforce and Reddington. As we can all see, Reddington has no qualms using Ressler as a pawn in his scheme to get to Liz, and I can envision Ressler acting in the role of messenger between the two warring sides during the rest of this season, which would allow for Liz and Ressler to continue to explore their developing relationship within this paradigm. I could also see =, however, Reddington using Ressler to gain an audience with Liz, and or threatening Ressler in order to get Liz to comply. 

In this category there is also the issue of the taskforce itself. As we all know, Cooper was pissed that Ressler had been running off without his knowledge to see Liz, and I can assure you that this is going to cause some problems between the rest of the taskforce and Ressler. (Aram may be a sleeper cell, because it’s Aram, but other than that I can see this getting to be extremely painful for Ressler, Cooper, and Park). I can see Cooper either sidelining Ressler, monitoring his phone, or pairing him off with Park so that she can keep an eye on him, or a combination of all three. I think that this dynamic is where we’re going to see the biggest obstacle to their relationship. 

3.) Finally, the trust issues. I can’t say I’m shocked that the blacklist has never confronted the fact that Ressler is blatantly in love with a woman who continuously lies to him (I love both of them to death, I mean this from a good place) and who has never really shown any signs of remorse about it. Now, while its a good thing that Liz opened up to Ressler later last season, it’s still problematic that she won’t share her cards with him when she knows he won’t be happy about what she’s doing. I personally would love to see Ressler confront her about this (I hope to god he does), but again, this will probably get swept under the rug. I have a lot of problems with this, which is why when I write them, I always try to address the imbalance of power between them and try to put them on a more equal playing field. I would be curious to see how the writers do this (if they decide to). 

I’m sorry that this has turned into a novella-length response, but also I’m not because I have had a lot of this stuff simmering in my brain for the last couple of years. I must also apologize for the random rants in the middle of this - that would be due to my raging ADHD and exhaustion. In conclusion, I would say that I can see keenler happening, however, it is not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but, rather, a game which may involve using Ressler as bait. 

I hope that answers your question :))

#chartreuseblueandyellow #answered #sidney speaks #sidneys keenler ask #keenler ask #keenler #elizabeth keen #donald ressler #the blacklist #the blacklist season 8 #i'm sorry for this but also not

[takadasaiko]

Love Me Twice: Chapter Eight

FFN II AO3

Summary: Reddington throws a wrench into their case, Liz chooses to trust Ressler with a secret, and TomJacob demands answers from Gina.

Chapter Eight

Trust was not something that came easily to her these days. Every time she started to put her faith in someone they flipped it around on her, and while Cooper had been known to walk that line professionally with her, she never would have dreamed he was capable of lying to her about something like this.

She'd been over it again and again. Reddington had told her first, and while he was far from a paramount of honesty, she had gone to Cooper directly. He had been there when Tom flatlined and they had taken him back to identify the body. Cooper had been kind and he had been gentle, but there had been no room to misinterpret what he'd said. He had been clear when he had told her that her husband was dead.

But that had been Tom in her mother's custody. Bruised and beaten, sure, but she knew him. She would always know him.

That meant that her boss had lied to her or someone had pulled a very, very convincing one over on him. Either way, someone powerful had made sure Elizabeth Keen had thought her husband was dead and had done something to him to keep him from remembering her. She'd be damned if she didn't find out who, and that trail started with Cooper.

Liz hadn't been able to sleep after getting back home the night before. She'd tossed and turned before finally rolling out of the bed she used to share with him and digging around in her closet. She'd moved nearly everything that reminded her of Tom to storage except a box that she kept in the very back for those dark days. They'd become fewer and fewer the longer she survived without him, but every now and again she needed to hold onto something.

Her fingers touched the lid of the old filing box shoved back behind her clothes and she pulled it out, tossing the various odds and ends that had piled up ontop of it back into the closet and removing the lid. There wasn't much inside. A couple of his favourite books, a jumpdrive with his interview with the adoption agency from their first marriage, a smaller box that held their wedding rings, and a few photos. She reached down, pulling the framed photo from a trip to Boston years before from the top and found herself staring at his smiling face. She missed him. She hadn't stopped missing him.

A sharp buzzing from her phone by the bed shattered the moment and Liz jumped. She shot it a glare before unfolding from her place on the floor, placing the photo back in the box and standing. A text from Ressler was lit up on the lock screen:

Cooper needs us in early.

Good. She needed to talk to Cooper too. If he'd lied to her, if he'd hidden the fact that Tom was alive for any reason, she needed to know.

Mornings at the Keen household were chaotic on a good day, but Liz had a cup of coffee down her throat and breakfast on the table before rousing Agnes a good hour before she normally would have. Her daughter moved sluggishly - late night tea and glitter parties with Uncle Donnie causing her to drag - as Liz made her way through her second cup and put her school bag together for her, reminding her once again that Shelly's mom had been willing to drop by early for carpool so they shouldn't make them wait.

Ten minutes later Agnes was out the door and on her way to school and Liz was speeding towards the Post Office, her focus on the question she needed an answer to.

It was everything Liz could do to stand still as the old, creaking lift sent her down to the basement level of the facility that they worked in, and she was through those faded yellow doors as soon as they started to open.

The Post Office was already buzzing with activity, other agents able to drop their lives and come in more quickly than she was. Liz barely heard Aram's chipper greeting as she barreled past him on her way to their boss' office. She knocked once and opened the door before Cooper had a chance to say if she should or not, halfway through, "Sir, we need to talk about-" before she realized that he wasn't alone. Ressler and Park stood at his desk, Park stopped mid-explanation, and Aram followed up behind her and excused himself as he entered as well. So much for a private conversation before everything started.

"Keen," Cooper greeted, "thank you for coming in early. We've had Krause move the meet to first thing this morning."

"Why?" Liz found herself asking. "Everything was in place."

"Reddington was insistent on being allowed to meet with The Collector before we transferred him in for questioning. A little too insistent."

"Not that he'd ever have an ulterior motive," Ressler grumbled, taking a sip from his to-go coffee cup clutched greedily in his hand. Right. He hadn't gotten a ton more sleep than Liz had.

"Do we know what he wants?" Park asked.

Cooper's dark gaze shifted over to Liz. "I believe it may have something to do with your mother."

"Why?"

"A hunch. Until Krause confirmed his existence, The Collector was a myth in the Cold War-era intelligence community. A man that moved secrets around like currency."

Aram shifted nervously. "So you think Mr Reddington is gonna… what? Use him to hurt Agent Keen's mother?"

"We don't know," Cooper answered. "He's insistent that he has no interest in harming Elizabeth's mother, but I'm not willing to risk it. We couldn't change the location without tipping him off that something was happening, but we were able to move up the time table. That should allow us to get in, take The Collector, and get out before Reddington realizes it."

Liz stared at him. It would have been easier to have just given Reddington whatever time he'd requested with the man rather than risk the whole op, but Cooper was going out of his way to protect her. To protect someone she loved. She swallowed hard, trying to push the guilt down with it. She shouldn't have questioned Cooper on Tom. He would never intentionally hurt her like that. She knew better and she was embarrassed to think that, even for a few hours, she'd questioned that loyalty after everything that they'd been through.

"Agent Keen, was there something that you needed to speak to me about before you roll out?" Cooper asked, pulling her attention back around.

She shook her head. "No sir. It can wait."

He hadn't known. He wouldn't have betrayed her like that, which meant someone else had. Someone with means and motive, but she couldn't think about that now, no matter how much her mind wanted to wander to the new mystery. They had a job to do.

                                                         --------

Jacob had been fourteen years old when he first stepped foot on the St Regis campus. He had been young and angry and bitter at the hands life had dealt him. His first memories were of foster care and no house lasted long. He'd land in one and be gone again in a month or two. Sometimes it was his own choice and other times they shoved him out the door the moment they realized that he didn't fit their image they had cooked up in their minds. And then, when he finally landed in a house that wanted to keep him enough that they made it official, it was all he could do to survive the experience.

Bud has saved him though. He hadn't cared that Jacob couldn't connect, that he couldn't empathize. He had taught him to use it. To outgrow the childish dream that said you had to have a family. He didn't need one. He didn't want one. And even if he had, they wouldn't have wanted him anyway. That's how he knew that Elizabeth Keen had to be lying.

He just didn't know how she'd gotten ahold of the kind of details that she had had. That's where everything fell apart. She was a fed. Maybe she had caught him? Investigated him? He had no way to know with a blaring decade's worth of missing memories, but he knew who would. And that's what had led him back to St Regis' home campus in upstate New York.

Jacob dropped the stolen car off at the gate to have them dispose of it before limping his way in towards Gina's office. He caught a few glances along the way, having only done the bare minimum to clean himself up and not catch attention. Various cuts had reopened on his trip upstate, leaving a newly dried smear of blood down the left side of his face from the cut along his eyebrow. Only the cap he'd snagged from the backseat of the stolen car did anything to shield him from curious eyes.

Gina wasn't in her office. It took some searching, but he finally found her at the far end of the campus on the training grounds. She watched from a secluded spot as students she had recruited ran drills, practiced skills, and were whipped into shape by a former drill sergeant.

It felt familiar. Mostly.

"Whatever happened to old Higgins?" Jacob asked by way of greeting. "You remember he used to run us into the ground when we were kids. I thought he'd never leave."

Gina turned, surprise clear for the barest of moments. "You look like shit. What happened?"

"Hit a snag."

She stood, motioning for him to follow her. "What kind of snag? I haven't heard from you or Tremblay since you left."

"She pay you?"

Gina's brows drew together questioningly and she led him into an old shed and out of the way of prying eyes. She turned towards him, her voice sharp. "What happened?"

"Tremblay knew a hell of a lot more than she was saying."

That didn't seem to help clear it up. "So what? Clients lie all the time. She pays and she-"

"Elizabeth Keen." The name stopped her mid sentence. "You know her? Because that's who Tremblay's been having me watch. Some fed on a task force that uses Raymond Reddington as her CI. And get this: the woman says she knew me. Married me."

"Tremblay said that?" Gina asked carefully.

"Keen. I got pinched by a woman she's been meeting with. Maddie Tolliver." That name didn't seem to ring any bells. "Had a chat-" he motioned to the cuts and bruises on his face - "and Keen showed up. Who is she?"

Gina cleared her throat. "A job. She was a job."

"She knew things."

"It was deep cover. You made her believe she was…. everything." She reached forward, fingers surprisingly gentle against his face. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"No, you don't get it. When I say she knew things, I mean real things. Things a mark couldn't have known. Did she investigate me?"

"Yes," Gina said a little too quickly and leaned forward, pressing her lips against him. "Forget about Keen and about Tremblay. I'll take care of it. Let's-"

"Why are you lying to me?"

A pair of soft brown eyes blinked hard. "I'm not."

"C'mon, Gina. I know every tell you've got." Little lies between them weren't unusual, but they were honest when it counted. They could trust each other even if the whole world was against them. That had always been the deal. "What the hell happened?"

He didn't like the look in her eyes. Indecision. Pain. Fear. "You married her," she said at last, her voice more unsteady than he'd ever heard it.

"As a job?"

She didn't answer, but the way her eyes darted said everything.

"I married her… for real? A fed? Bud would have…" his chest tightened dangerously and Jacob staggered back. "No."

"It doesn't matter."

"Bud gone, the new staff…. Did I-?"

"No," Gina cut him off, stepping closer again.

"Did she?"

That struck a nerve. "All she did was get you into trouble. I bailed you out. When the Major came for you, she wasn't even there. I was. I protected you, not her, and you still-" She sucked in a deep breath to steady herself. "It doesn't matter. You don't even remember her."

"Why is that?" Jacob managed, his tone more desperate than he would have liked.

"I don't know."

He studied her for a long moment. "How the hell am I supposed to believe anything you tell me? You lied to me."

"I protected you."

"No…." He winced, looking at the woman he'd grown up with, the only person he thought he could trust. "You got what you wanted, however you had to get it. It's my turn."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I want answers."

"Jacob…"

"I need answers, Gina, and I don't trust them coming from you. You're gonna let me walk."

"You can't just-"

"Watch me." He turned, leaving her standing in the shed alone. He'd given her more than two years of loyalty with nothing to show for it and he was done. He needed to know what happened in those missing years.

Jacob pulled his burner phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial. "Tremblay, it’s Phelps. We need to talk."

                                                        --------

It was early, but sleep was difficult to come by these days anyway. Dr Clemons had managed to regulate his new dose of medication to keep the tremors at bay. The side effects were troublesome though, a particularly irksome one leaving him with the most vivid dreams he'd ever had, and that was a high bar to reach. Some were good dreams. Bubbles and laughter and gentle touches. Red hair tickled his cheek and a pair of blue eyes that he hadn't seen in too many years peering into his. Then others, often more frequent than the more kinder dreams, left his heart racing. Death and destruction and failure. He didn't dare try to sleep again after those.

So Dembe found him awake, despite the orders to rest more. He had had Chuck and Morgan shadowing Bruno Krause as best they could and it had paid off. He'd hoped Harold would be willing to work with him, to trust him, but hopes weren't all meant to pan out. Instead the assistant director thought he was pulling a clever one over on them by switching up the time table.

"Cooper is not going to allow you to meet with him," Dembe mused as Reddington handed the phone back to him after giving Morgan their instructions.

Reddington sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "No, and that does complicate the matter. I'd hoped for a better outcome than this."

"I'll make the call and have Bernard meet them at the site."

"Yes," Reddington agreed. "Call me when it's done."

                                                        --------

"Everything okay this morning?" Ressler asked as they pulled up to meet Park and a handful of other undercover agents onsite. "You just about took Cooper's door off the hinges when you got there."

Liz glanced over from the driver's seat. "It was…." She pulled in a steadying breath. She wasn't very good at friendships. She knew that. It was easier for her to express that she cared by helping a friend hide a body than it was to admit to something personal when she wasn't backed into a corner. This was Ressler though. If anyone had proven himself trustworthy it was him. He was a steady voice of sound reason. An island of calm in the midst of her chaos. He could help her if she'd let him. He wanted to help her.

A tap on the window made her jump and Park stood there, waiting impatiently. Liz motioned to her and turned back to her partner. "Let's get this guy, then I'll tell you."

"I'm holding you to that, Keen."

She offered him the barest of smiles before piling out of the SUV to be met by the Metro PD officer that was explaining where his men were set up and, in turn, were ready to take orders to better assist the FBI.

His people were set up in a perimeter with two undercover inside to watch Krause. The plan was to have him signal them when he spotted The Collector. They would approach The Collector outside, arresting him before he ever made it into the coffee shop that Krause was sitting in. Simple enough.

"Hey? Hey guys?" Aram's hesitant voice came over their closed comm system. "Mr Reddington is not involved with this, right? No one told him or anything?"

Liz pushes a frustrated breath through her nose. "Why would we have?"

"I'm looked into their security cameras inside and Chuck is in line to get coffee."

"No way that's a coincidence," Ressler huffed.

"You think he'd try to take him?" Park asked.

Liz pursed her lips, frustration pulling at her. "Wouldn't be the first time. Captain Reynolds? We need to make sure that-"

"There's our signal," Reynolds said and Liz turned to see a man approaching. He fit the vague description of the former KGB officer that could have been The Collector. "Move in to-"

A gunshot rang out and the man dropped on the sidewalk.

Liz didn't wait as she sprang forward, even as others dove for cover. She knew who had taken that shot, even if his finger hadn't been on the trigger, and she wouldn't catch a bullet from the sniper.

The bullet had struck him in the chest, but hadn't killed him upon impact. He lay there, choking on his own blood as Liz skidded to his side on her knees. She reached forward, palms pressed against the wound uselessly. He didn't have long.

"Look at me," she demanded and his attention swiveled to her. "I know who you are. Why would someone try to kill you?"

He blinked heavily at her. "Don't know," he gasped, coughing hard and Liz winced as she felt the blood leaking through her fingers. "So many secrets."

"Only one. What secret would Raymond Reddington kill you for?" His eyes widened a little at that and Liz's narrowed. "Answer me. Please."

There was a long moment, sirens sounding in the distance, and she thought he would take the secret to his grave. Finally, he drew in one painful breath and loosed a single word on it: "Sikorsky."

And then he was gone.

                                                        --------

It had been a hell of a day. Metro PD had helped with corralling the civilians and they had been able to at least ID the name that The Collector had been living under: Michael Kowlaski, though it didn't take a lot of digging to find that that was an alias. Until Aram uncovered more, it was the name they had.

Liz had shared the word that Kowlaski had given her with his dying breath, and while it meant nothing to Ressler it clearly meant something to her. It was a blackmail file, she explained. One that her mother had been accused of stealing. Had she? She said she hadn't. She also said that Reddington knew who had and that he refused to give the name up to save her life. Looked like they had their motive, even if all they could really do about it was unleash Liz and let her see if she could get Reddington to reveal even the slightest piece of information that might be helpful.

He hadn't and she returned to the Post Office as Ressler was finishing up a call with Metro PD and half collapsed into the seat at her desk across from his. She looked exhausted. Worn. As he hung up the phone, he wrestled with if he should ask her again what had happened the night before that had bothered her so much.

"Tom's alive," his partner whispered from her place, her voice so quiet that he thought he'd misunderstood her at first.

"Come again?"

She cleared her throat. "Can you close the door?"

"Yeah." He stood, swiveling around to close the door behind him and turned back to find her staring at him. "Did you say that Tom's alive?"

Liz nodded tiredly. "Last night when my mother called… her people had found a man outside my apartment building. He'd planted a bug in her hotel room and had followed Simms to my place. They'd taken him to her and she was questioning him. When I got there…."

"Holy shit," Ressler breathed. "How?"

"I have… no idea. He doesn't remember me. He doesn't remember us or anything that…."

"But somehow he ended up after your mother? That's a hell of a coincidence."

"It can't be, no, but I have no idea what's going on. He said he was missing time and working for some woman. I don't know who and he didn't stick around long enough for me to really find out."

"He's gone?"

"Wouldn't you be if some woman you didn't know said that you'd had a life together?" She reached up, hands against her face and Ressler had no idea how to help her. "He ran. That's what he was good at… before me. He said he spent his whole life running, so he ran from me." She swallowed hard and tears started to build. "I don't even know where he -"

Ressler stood at that and circled their desks. Liz was on her feet in a second and latched around him. He pulled her in, at a loss. Wasn't this just their lives though? The most bizarre, horrible things happened to her. The last seven years of her life had been… what had she called it? A FEMA disaster of a life? That was about right. "Liz," he tried, hoping he was saying something that would help more than hurt. "We'll find him, if that's what you want. We can find him."

She pulled back. "I want to, but he doesn't know me. It's like he never met me. Even if we did find him, what good would it do?" She sniffed hard, running the heel of her hand under her eyes and she cleared her throat. "It's late. I need to go pick Agnes up."

He watched her as she circled around, grabbing her purse out of her desk drawer with practiced stoicity. "Liz, if you need anything…."

"I know," she cut him off. "Thank you. Just… Let's keep it between us for now?"

"Done."

She tried for a smile and started out the door, leaving Ressler standing in their office with the weight of the new knowledge barreling down on him.

                                                        --------

The storm outside fit her mood. It was everything Liz could do to plaster a smile on her face when she picked Agnes up and nod and uh-huh wow at all the right times as Agnes babbled on about her day in jumbled sentences and excited rambles. By the time they pulled into the garage at the apartment building thunder was rolling overhead and Liz was glad that, if nothing else, they could go straight from the garage up to the apartment and they wouldn't get drenched. It was the single saving grace of the entire day.

Dinner, bath time, and a story later, Agnes was finally in bed and the storm still raged on outside. Liz spoke to her mother briefly, filling her in, before she poured herself a glass of wine and slumped onto the couch. Part of her thought she'd start crying again, but she was too exhausted. Too spent to work up the emotional energy to do more than stare blankly towards the kitchen, which only held her gaze because it was in her direct line of sight.

Kowlaski could have led her to answers - for mother and then eventually for herself - but Reddington hadn't dared let her have that. When Cooper wouldn't hand him over he'd sent a man to shoot him dead in the street. Whatever the Sikorsky Archive really was he didn't want her anywhere near it. He didn't want her saving her mother's life. Even when people came back to her they left again. Tom didn't remember her and while Ressler had been sweet in offering to help her look for him it wouldn't matter anyway. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. He was gone. She'd never see him again, and if she couldn't find out who really stole the Archive, her mother wouldn't be far behind him.

A sharp knock at the front door made her jump and Liz drew a breath, surprised at how unsteady it was. She blinked hard, clearing tears that had somehow crept up on her despite the exhaustion, and started for the door. She tipped up on her toes to peek out of the peephole, eyes widening at the sight.

Liz stepped back and quickly undid the deadbolt, throwing the door open to see Tom standing there. He was drenched, eyes rimmed red like he'd been crying too, and he looked worn down and terrified. "I…. didn't know where else to go," he managed, voice trembling and rough. "Can I come in?"

She nodded, sure if she spoke she would wake up to find it was a dream. So instead she reached out and carefully took his hand. He didn't pull away, but let her guide him inside and close the door behind him. They stood there in the hallway for a long moment and he was shaking. "She lied to me."

"Who?" Liz managed, but he was still there after the world left her lips.

"Gina. She said she didn't know how, but she knew… She knew your name." He swallowed hard. "I don't know who to trust."

"Me," she breathed, holding his gaze. "You can trust me."

Tom nodded and suddenly he was folding into her, her arms wrapped around his neck. They stood there for a long moment, frozen in place. It felt real. Solid. His breath against her ear and the way that his fingers wrapped into the fabric of the back of her shirt. He choked on a sob and she whispered soft encouragements. She had him. He could trust her. He was safe.

Outside the storm raged on, but in their home she held onto him like she might never let go again.

                                                        --------

TBC

Notes: Well, at least you didn't have to wait as long as you usually do for the Keens to be reunited?

This is where we're really going to hit the ground running. I've always preferred a 'them against the world' approach with the Keens (and, really, any badass couple like them), so watch out, world. By the end of it, all the cards will be out on the table, but it'll be a hell of a ride getting there.

Next Time: Tom re-meets Agnes, the Keens track down some information, and Liz gets hit with by an unexpected emotional blow.

#the blacklist #Tom Keen #Elizabeth Keen #Donald Ressler #Raymond Reddington #Gina Zanetakos #Aram Mojtabai #Dembe Zuma

[miss-musings]

Four episodes into this season and The Blacklist is already in a slump

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed getting these Aram-centric and Cooper-centric episodes back-to-back, but I sadly feel like it’s too little, too late. The show has punted these characters to the side for so long to focus on the Red/Liz drama, that now that we’re actually getting some character development out of them it’s like ????

I guess the Aram thing kind of made sense, since the big thing for him last season was losing Samar. So, as annoying as it was, I guess it made sense to see him starting to get over her and get a little adventure of his own, since Liz and Ressler have to do so much of the heavylifting when it comes to undercover work, etc.

But, the Cooper thing is just so hard to handle. I really liked his little bits of development in early Season 6, when Red was in prison, and Cooper was having to decide whether it was worth trying to save his life. That’s the kind of introspection that really worked to give him a personality and a character, given that he’s been shunted into the background so much since ... ever. Harry Lennix is so vastly underused on this show, and I really appreciate that he got a chance to shine in tonight’s “Kuwait,” but I feel like it’s a hack way to give him some character development. It was so out of the blue and so forced. Ugh.

Here’s maybe a good way to describe it:

Earlier today, I went to the grocery store to get a few things. Since it’s been getting colder, I’ve been making hot chocolate a lot lately, but I never buy milk, because I don’t really drink it. So, I use water, which isn’t as good for cocoa-making. When I went shopping I decided to get a half-gallon of milk, which -- as I said -- is unusual for me. It’s like “Oh, I have milk in the house now..... okay.” I have it so rarely, that when I do, it’s really an adjustment.

That’s what Cooper’s character development was tonight. We get it so rarely, that it’s kind of like “Okay.... what do I do with this???”

Again, I wish Lennix got more to work with than just bland nonsense most weeks, but this is not the best way to give Cooper character development.

Also, I gotta say that I saw the whole “Hutton is the Simoon” thing a mile away. The minute Hutton said “the Simoon” and Cooper said “He’s been an intel leak in the Middle East for years,” I swear I did a ‘look into the camera like I’m Jim on the Office’ maneuver, because that was super obvious.

The whole ‘Katarina as Liz’s neighbor’ thing continues to bug the eff out of me. It’d be great if we had a sense that the show will eventually go the ‘Liz knew it was KR all along route,’ but I think we all know that isn’t going to be the case. No hate toward Laila Robbins, who seems to be a great actress, but I do hate KR so much in the present-day appearances we’ve had from her so far. I enjoy the KR in the flashbacks infinitely more, but Robbins’ KR -- IDK what it is, but I can’t stand the character. I think it’s partly because she’s so disingenuous and is never sincere. The few times I’ve thought “Okay, maybe she’s not so bad” is whenever she’s talking to Liz about wanting to reach out to her daughter. THAT’s the only part that seems sincere, but even that appears to come and go. I felt like when KR first met Liz and Agnes in the hallway in 7x02 that she really didn’t care about them, and almost looked at them with contempt. But, who knows. I’m sure it’s all mega-complicated, and we’ll get some bullshit explanation as to why in the mid/season finale and/or premiere.

One last little bit of food-for-thought is that I’ve been rewatching Once Upon a Time recently, which is a show that I watched the pilot when it first aired in 2011, and basically watched Seasons 1-5 as they were airing. I fell off after the Season 5 finale, and never really watched Seasons 6 or 7. And, as I’ve been rewatching Season 1 and now Season 2 on Netflix, I’ve been going back and re-reading Lily Sparks’ reviews on TV.com, which I read as the episodes were first airing in 2011 onward.

And, I have to say that my viewing experience at the time the episodes first aired -- which Lily captures in her reviews -- is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO different than rewatching the series now. It’s partly because I already know where the show is going -- even if I don’t remember all the little plot points and small details from episode-to-episode. But it’s also because NOW I’m able to watch them 2 or 3 or 4 episodes at a time, in a single day, and watch another few episodes the next day or a few days later. I’m not having to wait for a new one every single week.

And, as I’ve learned from re-reading Lily’s reviews, that makes a HUGE difference. Lily often complains about how the show moves at a snail’s pace, and we have to wait forever to get little crumbs of backstory or revelation or how annoying it is that the characters continue to point to a bigger story arc that hasn’t been revealed to us, the audience, yet. (ie, plot coupons). And she often half-jokingly, half-serious says that nothing happens on the show outside of mid/season premieres and finales. (Sound familiar?)

I honestly wonder whether I would feel this way if five years from now, I started rewatching The Blacklist from the very beginning in 2-4 episode increments. Would I also feel that the show was dragging its knuckles and treading water in between finales and premieres? Or would watching more episodes in a single sitting and with shorter intervals in between help me overlook so many of the flaws I believe it has?

TBL, I think, is a show that seems to lend itself better to multiple episodes in a sitting. Whenever we had those back-to-back episodes in the latter half of S6 this winter, I thought that was a much more enjoyable watching experience than something like tonight’s eyeroll fest. If it was a show that was like Stranger Things, where Netflix dropped all the episodes at once, so people could watch it at their own pace, I think it would help us to see more of the good and less of the bad. But, because we have to wait an entire week in between episodes, sometimes we’re more prone to be disappointed than satisfied when that Friday’s episode is over and we have to wait ANOTHER week for the next one. In a manner of speaking, it feels like we’re living off breadcrumbs that we get a week at a time.

I have a friend who binge-watches the Blacklist whenever a new season is uploaded to Netflix, and while he is also frustrated with the show, he seems to less frustrated than I am with it. I feel like I’m constantly complaining about it between September/October and May, and he gets a three-week span in August or whatever where he’s like “Yeah, this show is really weird.”

In any case, it’s just food for thought. As much as I’d like to, I don’t think I can wait until August or whenever for S7 to be uploaded to Netflix. I’d tear my hair out wondering what’s been going on with the show, and plus, being on Tumblr is just asking for spoilers, even with blacklisting tags.

And, for the record, I really hope S7 is the last. I don’t want this show to get an eighth season (or if it does, maybe it could be an abbreviated 13-episode one). It’s already overstayed its welcome, I feel like it’s a vampire or some other monster -- draining the life-force out of me until I’m old and tired and don’t have the energy to invest in a stupid hour-long drama on network television anymore.

I mean, it really says a lot that -- earlier today -- I was more excited about next week’s Good Place episode than I was about tonight’s Blacklist one. My interest in this show is taking a sharp nose-dive, and “Kuwait” honestly didn’t help much with that. And, the promos for next week look equally snooze-worthy.

I guess I really just need to find something better to do with my Friday nights and then just watch the episodes on the NBC app later, since this show seems determined to slump only four episodes into the season.

#the blacklist #nbc the blacklist #lizzington #raymond reddington #masha rostova #liz keen #elizabeth keen #reddington #katarina rostova #donald ressler #harold cooper #aram mojtabai #tbl #tbl spoilers #the blacklist spoiers #nbc the blacklist spoilers #blacklist #james spader

[alyblacklist]

Hi Aly, So I’m sure you heard JB say that “...[The Blacklist] is not a relationship...” show, and maybe he has said this before, so apologies if this has been covered, but, in light of that, how might you envision Keenler manifest itself in canon?

Hi - yes, I listened to his most recent end-of-season 6 interview with The Blacklist Exposed.  He’s said similar things before about the show not being very good at romance (and I’ve put some examples below the jump) and it’s hard to disagree with the truth of that based on what we’ve seen on screen with Tom/Liz and Samar/Aram.  So I don’t think this latest comment is substantively different from what he’s said in the past or anything to read into too deeply.  Nor does it change anything about how I view the prospects of Keenler by the end of the series.

The line you’re referencing came up in response to a question about Mozhan’s departure and Samar and Aram’s relationship:

AP: How did it feel to say goodbye to Mozhan this year?

JB: Ah, that’s a great question. It was hard. I’m conflicted about it because Mozhan was — ultimately this was her choice, right? She came to us early in season 6 and look — she has other opportunities. She wanted to act in other stuff, she has since. She wants to direct, she’s incredibly talented behind the camera as well. She has directed and written and I think she just felt like it was time to try other stuff and so we sort of — this is one of those things where I say, as much as we sort of lay out where we want to go, things happen in the storytelling and in the — you sort of find it as you go along. And when she said that she wanted out, we thought well, god, how are we going to do that? And how do we lose her and not have it feel like business? And let her out of her contract to go do other great things? We were lucky that we had this story where she had been underwater and one of our writers in the room has a father who has aphasia and goes through this sort of this crazy deep struggle with memory and sort of a version of dementia and we thought well, let’s try to embrace that. Let’s like lean into a more of mystery of her and what’s going on with her. And then let’s try to really lean into the love story, which we’re not good at doing. We’re not a relationship show. But let’s really lean into the Aram/Samar story and bring them as close as we can and then break them up in the episode before we know she’s going to have to leave so they can come back together and when she leaves it has to be as painful as possible for both of them. 

Jon has made similar comments before about the show not being good at romance.  For example, back in 2017, at the end of S4 when Saram first became a couple, he told EW:

Will Aram and Samar officially be a couple next season on The Blacklist? — CasaWith everything the Task Force is about to face, romance may be the last thing on their mind, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try. “It just felt like time,” EP Jon Bokenkamp says of getting the two together in the finale. “That story had been teased as much as we could tease it, but we also wanted the win, we wanted the good guy to get the girl. The way in which Janet played out within this season was interesting, the bad girl opening Aram’s mind in the way that he thinks and operates, and yet he comes back to Samar. There’s a great dynamic between them that’s a little unusual. Our show has never been great at playing romance, so it’s a little bit of new territory for us, about it’s a great story and one that’s been fun to watch unfold.”

And again, at the beginning of season 6 to TVLine:

“She’s a tough cookie, and he’s a big marshmallow. They’re an odd couple, but there’s something warm about their relationship that I really like,” Bokenkamp reveals. “And yet, this is The Blacklist, so weddings don’t typically go great. Romances are often rocky.”

It’s hard to argue with any of these statements.  The show doesn’t have a great history of playing romance (though I do think it is, at its core, a show about “relationships” – just not necessarily in the strictly romantic sense).  But that doesn’t mean that romance is off the table for the characters.   I’ve never expected a Keenler romance to play out extensively on screen.  What I love about their relationship is that - as frustrating as it is at times - it’s a very genuine evolution between two people thrust together under extraordinary circumstances who have to learn to trust one another and that trust has slowly built over the years into a genuine friendship – I’d even say a certain kind of love – and, most importantly, continues to evolve.  As Jon said earlier this season to TVInsider:

Here’s what’s interesting about those two. Donald Ressler was the most suspicious person that Elizabeth Keen could have met in the pilot. He thought she was shady, had an agenda, didn’t trust her. Their relationship has evolved over six years. Are they falling into bed next week? No. But is it a relationship that is changing and sometimes feels a little warmer than it is cold? Perhaps.

And to TVGuide:

“All emotional relationships are a little bit on hold with her while she’s trying to figure out what this relationship is with this imposter that has come into her life,” Bokenkamp said. “But yes, I would acknowledge that there was something over that weekend episode. That episode that took place sort of over the weekend, where they were cleaning up her mess and a number of dead bodies, that did feel rather flirty.”

I ultimately want to see Liz and Ressler find a new beginning with each other at the end of the series because I think it would be a beautiful story of second chances, but I’m not expecting them to suddenly move in together and play out a relationship on screen for a full season.  So in terms of how Keenler might manifest itself in canon?  I’m looking for more “moments” next season that hopefully build to something concrete by the final episodes of the series, whenever that comes.  Thanks for the ask!    

#keenler #jon bokenkamp #steeleinspired

[friendshiptothemax]

Hey guys! Sorry for taking a while to get back to this! Spent time hanging out with my fam, but now I’m back. My episode party in LA was pretty sweet except that the grill caught on fire and we had to extinguish it out! My parents’ party in Texas was also awesome. My dad didn’t know I was coming, and when my best friend and I pulled up, he started to tease her for being early before he saw me and he got all choked up!! Also my high school creative writer came, and my dad’s best friend showed up in Red cosplay (and when we opened the door he was down on his knees facing away with his hands behind his head and said he’ll only talk with Elizabeth Keen, which was v. funny). An awesome episode weekend all around! I also loved the reception from you guys – I got a lot of really sweet comments from you that I really appreciated. You guys are the best!

Now a few little BTS details that I promised:

The thing I’m most proud of that made it into episode 618 is the Weepies song at the end. Something a lot of people know The Blacklist for is our music – JB loves to pick out the perfect songs for each episode. I put The Weepies in my very first draft and was delighted to see them make it all the way to the final cut – it’s actually quite a high honor from JB, that he likes my taste in music!

My other favorite thing is the Ms. Pac-Man stuff. When I started writing the outline, all that was written there from Aram when Ressler gives him the quarters is “What’s this?” I think Aram is a really fun character, and I wanted to give him something more distinct to say, so I put Aram saying he used to hold the high score in Ms. Pac-Man. What is really cool about that is the second part, at the end of the scene, where Ressler calls it back, was added by the Johns later. It was a fun “yes-and” – they saw my original joke, and they liked it enough to build on it! Even more flattering? They’ve shot a callback to it in another scene this season! I’ve created a part of Aram’s character, y’all!

So a few notes on the development of the episode. Typically, when lower-level writers/assistants pitch for the show, we don’t know the specifics of where the plot will be in that episode. We might know the general arc, but not exactly what the B/C/D stories in the episode will be, and I was no exception. My idea was specifically that there was a true-crime podcaster who was killing people to make it look like the crime was resurfacing. The seed of this idea was my love for this true crime explosion that’s going on right now (if you love Serial, Making a Murderer, the Keepers, etc, my go-to recommendation is Criminal, which is a really excellent podcast). What intrigued me is that you listen to a true crime podcast, you are putting an extreme amount of trust the podcaster to give you all of the facts – when they might have biases you don’t realize.

My original idea had what I called the “wrong things for the right reasons” ending, where in the end, we find out that Tobias is innocent, the professor is guilty of the original murders, and Kimberly has been committing the new ones because she fervently believes the police got the wrong guy and is willing to go vigilante to correct their mistake. This is what I pitched in the room, BUT, from pretty much that first pitch, JB got really excited by what I call the “spiderman-pointing-at-spiderman.jpg” ending, where Kimberly kills people because she believes Tobias is innocent, but after she gets him out, she learns that he really did do the original murders.

The Spiderman ending stayed for a really long time! We were well into breaking the episode when we realized it didn’t really work – it made the final two acts SO CLUNKY. There had to be a scene where they each realized the other was a murderer, learned why the other did it, and we got their perspective on how they felt about the other being a murderer. Which was A LOT. It also left us without an innocent person for the FBI to be rushing to save (we call this the “muffin”).

At one point earlier on we had discussed the version where Kimberly had been the killer all along, which I hated when we initially discussed it. I couldn’t get my head around why, if she’d gotten away with it all of those years ago, she would not only return to her old ways, but also make a podcast about it? It seemed like a very broad villain move to me. But then, when we were banging our heads against the wall trying to get the Spiderman ending to work, someone suggested that she had done all of this, from the very beginning, out of love for Tobias and suddenly it was like *angels singing sound effect* and everything fell into place!! It’s funny how that works sometimes – I’m sure some of you fic writers can relate! Sometimes it seems really hard until just one little puzzle piece makes it all work. And thus you got the ending you saw on screen.

In my position as script coordinator, I name probably about a quarter of the characters on the show, so I didn’t have a ton of names in the bank that I really, really wanted to use, but I did get a few special ones in there. Tobias is for Tobias the Animorph, who I knew I was going to get a tattoo of to celebrate my first episode (he doesn’t have a canon last name, but I have used Tobias Carlyle in fic before). Kimberly is for my college roommate, who has done some radio work. I wish I could have used her full name, but her last name is REALLY FUCKING METAL. Imagine that her name is, like, Kimberly Swordsteel. It’s not quite that, but you get the idea. I knew the Johns would never let me get away with using it, so I just gave her a random last name (she was still honored!). I wish I could have named the professor after one of my faves, but since he was a creepo obviously that would not be a compliment, so I named him after Anne McCaffrey, the author of Dragonriders of Pern. Everyone else is just a jumble of first and last names from my Facebook feed.

Anyway, I hope you liked it! I had a great time writing it and an even better time watching it on the TV! I decided I wanted to be a TV writer back in 2007 when I was in the height of my Heroes fandom, so that I can say I wrote an episode of something on NBC twelve years later is pretty fucking surreal! As I’ve said in other places, James Spader is a master of his craft, and it was an absolute honor to have him perform words I wrote. I couldn’t have been luckier for my first episode.

I’m also really excited because I’ve been asked to record DVD commentary for this episode, which I’m looking forward to! :)

#the blacklist #the blacklist script coordinator #the blacklist episode writer #episode 618

[ryqoshay]

FemslashFeb2022: TA Side Story: Model Sub

Primary Pairing Trio: EmmaKanaKarin Words: 978 Rating: G Fandom: Love Live Nijigasaki Prompt: Fashion Parent Fic: Tri-Arame Time Frame: At least a year after the trio graduated high school

---------

Author’s Note: Entry for the 18th

Summary: Emma and Kanata come to watch Karin at a fashion show

---------

Karin couldn’t help smiling as she heard Emma humming to herself beside her.

“Someone is happy today…” Kanata drawled from Karin’s other side.

“Yup!” Emma confirmed. “It’s been far too long since I’ve been able to see Karin-chan walk the runway at a fashion show.”

“Mmm… And it will be a first for Kanata-chan.” The sleepy girl replied. “I’ll have to make sure I’m awake when the star of the show is on stage.”

“I’m not really the star.” Karin pointed out.

Emma laughed lightly. “Karin-chan is our star, though.”

Karin smiled as she appreciated the affectionate affirmation.

“No, no, that’s fine.” A voice caught the trio’s attention. “Just so long as you’re all alright. … Yes… We’ll figure something out, I guess. Take care. Goodbye.”

“Kacho.” Karin said, stepping ahead of her girlfriends to approach her manager who was just hanging up the phone. “Is everything alright?”

“Ah, Asaka-san, thank goodness you made it here alright.”

“Mm?” Karin questioned.

“That was Ishioka-san, she and Sugiyama-san were in an accident just now.” The manager explained. “They’re fine, just some minor cuts and bruises, but they’re also quite shaken up and in no condition to participate today.”

“So, does that mean I’m on my own to represent our line?” Karin asked.

The company with which Karin was currently contracted was tiny, only a handful of models, a couple photographers, a couple designers, some assistants and a manager. Karin liked the work, but sometimes, trying to schedule time off was difficult with the limited staff. And of course, in more disastrous situations like this…

“That may end up being the case.” The manager sighed. “I’ll reach out to Sawai-san and Mochizuki-san to see if either are willing, or even able to come in on their day off. I think Sawai-san is in Kyoto…” Her gaze moved past Karin. “Oh, hello.” She bowed a greeting to the young women behind her employee. “You must be Verde-san and Konoe-san that Asaka-san talks so much about.”

“K-Kacho…” Karin protested, feeling heat rise in her cheeks as her girlfriends giggled behind her.

“That’s us.” Kanata confirmed.

“Please, Emma is fine.” Emma added.

“Hrm…” The manager appeared to be inspecting Emma and Kanata for a moment. “Have either of you two considered careers in modeling?”

“I’ve asked.” Karin replied. “But these days, Kanata’s got her hands full running the house for the all of us. And Emma is happy as a professional idol.”

Kanata chuckled. “You said that like Kanata-chan isn’t happy taking care of the house.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” Karin cut off when she spotted Kanata’s teasing smirk.

“Although Emma-chan does pose for a lot of photoshoots, so she’s kind of like a model in that regard.” Kanata pointed out. “Though the products she is promoting aren’t the outfits, rather her next Live or event.”

“And Kanata-chan also participated in photoshoots when we were all school idols together.” Emma added.

“Tru~e.”

“Ah, yes,” the manager nodded “Verde-san is an idol, I believe I have seen some of your photos in magazines Asaka-san keeps in her area.”

“Kacho…” Karin felt herself deflate a little.

It wasn’t like Emma didn’t already know Karin had magazines with her in them. In fact, she was often the one to give them to Karin, and Kanata, in the first place. And of course the reverse applied whenever Karin did a shoot. But having it pointed out by a third party felt… odd.

“So you both have experience in front of cameras and audiences…” the manager thought aloud. “Would you, perchance, consider filling in this afternoon?”

“Eh?” Emma uttered while Kanata hummed neutrally.

“I’ll pay you Asaka-san’s rate for the event, plus a bonus as thanks.”

“Would you not need to alter your outfits so they would fit Kanata-chan and I?” Emma inquired.

“We would have to make some last minute alterations for them to fit Sawai-san and Mochizuki-san anyway.”

“I see.”

“It’s up to you two.” Karin turned her head to acknowledge each of her girlfriends. “I know you just came to watch me…”

Emma shook her head and smiled. “We came to support you, Karin-chan, not just watch.”

“And it sounds like you need our support in other ways than just sitting in the audience.” Kanata added.

“You guys…” Karin smiled as she realized what they were about to say.

“We’ll do it.” Emma and Kanata said in unison.

“Excellent.” The manager clapped. “Let’s get you two to the designers so we can get your measurements and start on the alterations right away. Asaka-san, could you show them the way while I inform those who need to know about the changes?”

“Will do.” Karin nodded.

“Thank you. All three of you, thank you.” The manager smiled before turning and hurrying off. “I’ll bring some temporary badges to you two in a bit.” She called over her shoulder.

“I should thank you two as well.” Karin said as the three women made their way toward her company’s preparation area. “I’m not sure I could have been able to wear everything we intend to show today.”

“I think it will be fun to try on some different outfits.” Emma said. “It will be like helping the costume club again.”

“Ne, do you think Haruka-chan could take my seat in the audience?” Kanata asked.

“If she can get here in time, I don’t see why not.” Karin replied.

“Then Himeno-chan can take my ticket if she wants.” Emma added.

“I’ll message them.” Katana pulled out her phone and started typing. The reply came almost instantaneously. “They’re on their way.” She grinned.

Karin smiled in return. It seemed like everyone from the household would be with her today. Perhaps they could do something together afterward as well. That would be fun. While Karin usually looked forward to modeling events in general, today’s was shaping up to be more exciting than usual.

---------

Author’s Note Continued: Fashion -> Karin. That was the bulk of my thought process in deciding the theme for this prompt. And Tri-Arame was also a given, as Karin doesn’t do modelling in either PoH or MA, at least not currently.

I’m not honestly sure if I’ll come back and write more about the show itself, as I honestly know very little about them. I’ve tried to focus my photoshoot chapters and scenes to mainly be about the character interactions rather than the photoshoot itself, with obvious exception to making sure to mention certain important outfits and backgrounds or overall themes. So, perhaps I could do the same with a fashion show? Maybe. We’ll see.

#EmmaKanaKarin #Konoe Kanata #Asaka Karin #Emma Verde #femslashfeb2022 #Tri-Arame #Love Live Nijigasaki #fanfic

[meetmeatthecoda]

Just here to say I 100% agree with your tags that Lizzington would be a huge twist for the general audience at this point. Like gigantic. Enormous. Probably the biggest twist they could throw out at this point with any actual cannon support.

I think it’s easy for us to forget sometimes that the online fandom is a tiny fraction of the show’s general viewership, and shippers are an even smaller subset. And everyone else, well, they probably haven’t even ruled out Lizzington so much as never-in-a-thousand-years-considered it.

As an experiment I thought I’d consult the biggest non-fandom TBL fan I know, who just happens to be my mom. (She’s binged it multiple times and just started another rewatch, but as much as she loves it, it’s just a fun drama/crime procedural to her.) So I asked her, given that Tom’s dead, does she see any other potential love interests for Liz? (She watches on Netflix so she hasn’t seen S8 yet.) She paused for a sec then answered:

Ressler, I guess..? There aren't really any other options.

And yeah, I mean, he really is the only guy on the show who fits the mold of what a typical, generic romantic partner of Liz’s would be expected to look like. I didn't ask about Red, but I suspect my mom’s reaction would have been surprise, then he's too old for her, and then and she thought he was her father at one point!

So there you go, TBTB. You want a wild, ShOcKiNg TwIsT?? It's Lizzington. (Throw in Angesgate and they'd have fucking heart attacks on their hands.)

THANK you, my friend 👏👏👏 As odd as it feels to us, you're right - we are a very small (though very strong 💪) subset of the fandom & Lizzington has never even really been brought up outside of our circles or in interviews or anything like that... making it the perfect tWiSt for TPTB to pull. If only they were brave enough 😒 And omg, I think your experiment was great!! It's so funny how people just kind of reluctantly put Liz together with R*ssler cause he's the only "age appropriate" male on the team left (other than Aram, not sure why he gets ignored, I mean, I think they're like siblings, but I've also always thought that about Liz & R*ssler so LOL) I think the biggest problem your mom (she sounds lovely btw ❤️)/the GA would have with canon Lizzington is the age gap (ridiculous, it happens every day) but more so the faux familial ties. While that's ultimately a matter of interpretation, TPTB also dug themselves into that hole when they opened that can of worms in season 1 & continued to bait & run with it in subsequent seasons. If they wanted a Lizzington endgame (which I firmly believe they did) they never should have gone down that road. Period 😠 BUT I completely agree with you, my friend!! The tWiStIeSt tWiSt of all??? Lizzington & Agnesgate, end of story ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ugh, thank you for sharing this, my friend, it made me feel a little better in the hours leading up to the Terrible Awful. Fingers crossed for Lizzington, much love to you, & see you on the other side!! ❤️

#The Blacklist #Lizzington #Agnesgate #anti-Keenler #anti-Ressler #thoughts #theories #speculation #headcanons #8.22 #mine #ask #therazorsedges #thank you my friend!! #you are 1000% right!! #idk about tonight #ugh #much love to you!! #<3

[fakesurprise]

Gifts of Peace

Nothing changes the world so much as two weeks of not travelling with Jay. Everything isn’t quieter, because the world is never quiet. But the world feels less driven, less focused entire on adventures. Even with Anya and Noah wanting to help others, we find some quiet days. I spend the first one convinced something terrible is going to happen, the second looking for threats as paranoid as if I was the President surrounded by truth. By the third, and the bemused silence of Anya, it occurred to me that this is just how most people try to live. Quiet, but not too quiet. Interesting, but not chasing adventures. Rewarding without being demanding.

Noah knocks on the door to my hotel room. Last night we spent trying to stop some gremlins from infesting the Christmas lights of a town, and yesterday morning I helped a god find a new place to settle down in. Two adventures were an entire day; I’m still getting used to that, too. I get out of bed and head over, opening the door.  

He is holding a large Starbucks coffee in one hand, wary and hesitant as he stares at me.

“Want in?” He nods, and follows me into my room after I take the coffee. The hotel rooms are all the same; queen-sized bed, dresser with a TV on it, tiny bathroom with a shower possibly not meant for human use. The kid looks around it even so before sitting across from my on the bed, cross-legged without even thinking about it.

“So?” I sip the coffee and wait. Noah has got a little less shy around me, but that’s like saying the rain gets a little less wet. Between way too many freckles and parents who yanked him from school to become something not quite human, shy isn’t a surprise. Anya claims his acne is better than when she met him, which is a little astonishing.

“You’re – okay?” he says softly.

“Any reason I shouldn’t be?”

He squirms visibly, but at least doesn’t look away. “I just –. You know about Aram?”

I nod. His step-dad is ex-Weird Secret Agent Type, his step-mom apparently an ex-magician. I get the feeling he’s pretty much left school to travel just because he was scared he might turn his mother back into a magician even if the town they’re from has one already. I haven’t pressed him on it; often we never know the real reasons behind anything we do; Jay definitely taught me that.

“You just – remind me if him, a little, sometimes? The – the – the watching, the way you...” he trails off. I sip coffee, wait. “The way you think everything is dangerous?”

I stare at him. Noah’s talent is to push and pull things. He is strong enough in his one talent to hold against a magician, and probably level a small town. “Maybe I’m just thinking about you.”

He jerks back a little as if I struck him, eyes widening a little.

“Joke. Mostly. You are dangerous, Noah.”

“I know. I try not to be,” he mumbles.

“Sorry. I’m just – used to Jay. He never understood that he was dangerous.”

Noah’s gaze snaps up to me. “What?” he says, and for him it’s so loud it’s his shout.

He’s only met Jay twice, but the reaction is warranted. Jay is, after all, both eleven and from far Outside the universe. And capable of doing things with bindings that nothing else in the universe can even attempt. All power and innocence and helping friendship wrapped around – a lot of other things. “Jay isn’t a monster, because he refuses to be one. If he’s scared of anything, it’s his friends thinking it is one. He’s not nasty, not at all. You?”

Noah is quiet for a good ten seconds. “I try not to be? Anya is, when she wants to be? Wilbur wasn’t, often. Are you?”

“I honestly have no idea. Travel with Jay and you get pulled into how he sees the world. Become part of that. Accept facts that aren’t facts, because no one wants to worry Jay.” I think I pull off a grin. “Everything is still about him even when I’m not with him.”

Noah’s smile is small, hesitant as well. “It’s like that with Wilbur, too. Anya can cause pain with her talent; I can break things. Wilbur could do magic with his ghost magician stuff. He had more tools what we did, made it a lot easier to help. Now everything is –.” He shakes his head. “I want him back with us because he’s our friend, not because of what he could do. But that’s part of it too.”

I sip coffee and relax a little. “It is. Another part is that this is the only way you can grow your own talents. I can eat gods. It’s not the best term for what I am, but it fits for what I do. I’ve learned to eat most every other kind of energy, if I need to. Because I had to, when there was no one else. And I think you’re right, about Aram. About me that way. I’ve had to learn under fire for so long it feels like the only way I know how to learn. Or to teach. And that won’t work.”

He lets out a relieved breath at that.

“I don’t know what kind of teacher I’ll be, or what kind of students you really are. We can learn from each other, and probably do a lot, but I am Charlie. Jay’s Charlie, and there will be stories he tells about me, and stories about me long after I die that no one will ever believe. Despite all that, I am human. Anya has part of something from Outside in her. People notice that. And people definitely notice you.”

Noah is quiet again for a little bit, watching me, waiting. “Can you – help me? You can eat things, and acne is a thing?” he asks. “I’d like to keep the rest of me just fine, though, please?”

“There are those who would say it’s dangerous to get what you’ve never earned.”

“I never earned this,” he says, gesturing a bit sharply to his face. “And creams and everything is helping, but you could – help more?”

“Maybe. Your parents tried to make you into a god, I think?”

“I’m not sure?”

“It feels like that, a little. I eat the energy of gods, Noah. I could take your acne, but I’m not sure what might happen to your talent. I might change it; I’ve no way of knowing I wouldn’t, so I’d rather not if we can avoid it.”

He licks his lips. “Jay could? He calls you; he could – help?”

I snort at that. “Not in the way you mean. Jay would love your acne. He’s show you all the lines and figured he could draw on you. For hours. And then ask if you want more, since you’re clearly best friends with your face and demand that you give him lots of freckles too.” Noah says nothing, his silence one I’m used to when explaining jaysome. “Jay really doesn’t see the world the way humans do. And bindings never do at all.”

I finish the coffee, and study my wallet on the table beside me. “There is another option though. My wallet has a credit card from the fae.” He nods, and waits in turn. “I can call the fae, and they could work glamour on the both of you to hide you. I don’t want to, but that’s more because I don’t like the fae. And we can do a lot more to help people without you both being – noticed too much in the wrong ways.”

“That feels like cheating?” Noah asks.

“Most gifts are, in the end. But this one might not be, because the fae will make sure you pay for it.” And,” I add slowly, “I think – I think if destiny is anything, it’s a record of the ways we cheat the universe to make things better. And not just for us.” I’m not a magician, but travel with one long enough and you pick up some things.

He thinks that over, then nods. “I could try it?” I nod; no question about the fae or why I don’t like them. “Thank you,” he says softly, and slips off the bed.

“Back at you,” I say.

“Me?”

“We help each other; that’s how the world works, and I do need to – find more ways to relax. Travelling with Jay was a parade of adventures, and you don’t realize it’s more being in a war zone until you’re out of it. So thank you, and keep reminding me about it. Okay?”

He nods, and heads out and to his room. Not to Anya’s, not to tell her. Trusting me to do that, the way humans do. Or texting her about it. Could just do that. I rub my forehead as I reach for my phone to call the fae. Everything is becoming slower, more normal, and part of me isn’t sure who I will be by the time everything does settle down. Another part of me wants to find out.

Most of me is just afraid, but it’s a good kind of fear.

#writing #prose #magician series #poetryriotprompt #gifts

[laravenus]

Silly things that make me unique

I haven’t written a blog in a long time. I used to do it quite often and I do it instead of a diary. (I keep repeating myself I know). But today I want to write about my uniqueness.

People who know my real age, often say I don’t show it, that I don’t look close to the number that’s safely hidden on my ID and my passport. Basically if I think about my real age I get nausiated because I know some women my age who already have ADULT kids at my age ... and there are also some women my age, who are already grandmothers (not many ofcourse but if they had kids early and those kids had a child early it would be possible).

But I look like a kid and I feel like a kid because I never had a need to grow up. Ok, I am responsible and I take things like my job seriously (because my job enables me to do things that I like) but other than that, I am still a child at heart.

So yeah, I work really hard but as soon as I get home, I turn into a big child. I spent most of my afternoons either sleeping or playing video games. At the moment (while I am writing this ...) I am playing League of Legends... and since I got distracted with something on net (probably some cute rocker posted a photo and I just had to comment) I have a 20 min waiting penalty so I am not able to enter a game and play it. Oh yeah, I play that game a lot. Maybe 5 - 10 aram games per day and I love every second of it. It lowers my pulse (I have high pulse but low blood pressure ... I wonder if that’s connected). I used to play serious games on my pc also, but lately I don’t have time to remember where I was left and what do I have to do, so I only keep up with #League of Legends.

I also have an innate obsession with skulls and pirates. I used to love those things when I was a child. My cousin used to tease me that he saw a pirate captain running around our house, and I believed him ... and he was so mean that he covered my eyes and said if I could see the pirate captain. I still have a skull ring (which I would totally wear even to work, but I have to remain at least a little bit serious, that’s why I don’t).

I like astrology, I don’t believe in horoscopes, and also not that everything is already written in advance but I believe that time of birth gives you certain traits which might influence your decissions in life (and that is the only way time of birth can write your future). I mean if you’re impulsive you might take the wrong decission or do something you’ll regret later. Since I work with children, I can see certain characteristics. Especially if I consider chinese zodiac. There are a whole generations of kids which can be wild or easy going ... depending on their year of birth. Right now I must say that I had the most fun (and I was also able to teach them the most) with generation of rabbits, snakes, horses (but they are loud and sometimes lazy) and monkeys. Maybe it depends on a certain personal traits, but here I am speaking about the whole generation. Oh, the goats are kind of lost in space, and I even dated a guy born in the year of a goat (and even though he is at least 24 years older than the kids I teach, he is also lost in space, so I guess there is some truth in chinese horoscope).

Oh and tarot cards. I usually like to consult them when I am feeling stressed or upset ... hahahaha, they always correspond to my mood. If I am stressed the answer will be no, if I am happy, the answer will be yes. (Even if I asked about marrying some famous actor who doesn’t even know I exist). Damn, but at least getting answer like that makes me grin for few minutes.

Oh yeah, and my obsession with twitter. Looong story. Basically when I was 14 I saw one taiga drama and I became obsessed with Japan. Like really obsessed. I even told my mother I am going to marry a Japanese man and so on. (She told me ofcourse  I would never be able to handle all of the rules and norms there because I really am an individualist, I am not even a good team player, I work in a team only if there is no other way.) Anyway this obsession went on and off, when somewhere in my late 20ties and early 30ties it returned and since now I had an internet I decided that I want to learn Japanese. So I checked some sites where to start and  I read that the best way to learn japanese is that while learning the language you should also watch anime and listen to japanese music. Anime ... no problem ... I have always been a child by heart. But music ... hmmm... how to find music if you don’t even know one single musician. But that wasn’t so hard at all ... I guess one the first songs that I looked for on the internet was anime theme by band Aucifer. And then somehow I found (probably through youtube suggestions some VKei bands). Amazing ... lool, I always loved androgenous looking people and this was like a dream come true for me. Fast forward since I really liked music by some bands I noticed that someone (I don’t remember who) from one of the Japanese VKei bands got a twitter account. I wasn’t so obsessed with social media at that time (I got FB only because one of my friends had it, and she wanted me as a friend) and reluctantly I got twitter account too just because of that guy. I didn’t comment so much on twitter at first, because I was too shy ... and I worried about what people will think (unlike today, when I don’t give a damn about what people think) but slowly it has developed into an obsession. Right now I love twitter and I comment just about every silly thing. I like if the people respond and I feel like those people are special, but most of the time (especially famous people don’t answer or respond). I must admit that it really makes my day if someone likes my comment or even really rarely responds ... and I smile and grin all the time like a giggly teenager. Ok I don’t really make a big deal about it, because those guys respond to 10000000 people, but still it’s a nice feeling. I like it. But still I know they are deep inside normal people like all of us. But maybe with different talent. And unique. And so am I. In my own crazy way.

[kiss-my-freckle]

Raymond Reddington Week - Day 4 - Favorite Ship

I do have favorite ships, but I feel all ships are important, so in choosing my favorite- I choose all of them. And I choose them for what each has to offer. I love the way ships show one's character, the love-and hate they're capable of. How two people strengthen- and sometimes weaken each other. I love the conflict and resolution. The laughter, the tears. The anger... and even the betrayal. 

"But anger and fear and a certain amount of hatred are all normal in a family. And that’s what we are. And I’m not gonna walk away from that."

I love daddygate. The biological father returning after over twenty years. Not to be that father he was, but to do as he can for the daughter he feels he had failed all those years ago.

"Oh, come now, Donald. Think how much smarter you’ll be afterwards."

I love the in-law relationship that I find with Red and Ressler. Both men loving and fighting for Elizabeth. I get a kick out of the random insults Red cracks at Ressler. 

“Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

I love the mutual respect and understanding that I find with Red and Samar. The honesty and loyalty. Their badassery.  

"Harold, don’t look so glum."

I love the history behind Red and Harold, the background we get between the two of them. Their care for one another- despite their differences and unwillingness to express that to each other. 

"I'm forever in your debt."

I love how Aram sees the good in everyone, which makes his relationship with Red just as important to me. It offsets the bad others see in Red. 

"This is what you want- to see me get all lathered up! You’re pathological."

I love how Glen gets Red all worked up while knowing he can get away with it. 

"Ours is a friendship forged once in this life and again in the next."

I love the brotherhood of Red and Dembe. How they give and take from one another- all that one should find in a friendship. Dembe is the one person who I feel speaks to Red’s character most. To have a man like Dembe fighting beside Red.... I feel that tells a great deal about Red as a man. 

"I wish I’d been the person you wanted me to be."

Another in-law relationship that I find with Red and Dom, but in a different light. I love seeing how one blames while the other tries to make amends. 

“I came to watch you.”

As for romance, it’s Red and Maddie. Because they’re delicious. Not as delicious as Red and Samar would’ve been, but then again... I love the care these two criminals have for one another.

Sorry, it’s a little longer than I’d hoped, but I often post my gifs without text just in case anyone wants to use them for future posts. Because it's not only about supporting our favorite ships, it's also about sharing our love for The Blacklist.

#Raymond Reddington #raymondreddington #reddingtonweek