#*sinclair hargrave

[congressoutofwedlock]

Some OC art/shitposts/doodles mainly featuring my friend’s OC, Atticus Blackwood & mine, Sinclair Hargrave.

Extras for old man yaoi enjoyers under the cut.

[maniculum]

For anyone who's enjoyed the recent posts about Tarot-as-a-game, in a surprising bit of kismet, our newest episode covers that topic as well as other matters of playing-card history.

We all like TTRPGs, but what about integrating other games into your tabletop play? This week, we're exploring the history of playing cards, their many variations and occult practices, and how you can utilize their unique history for your worldbuilding and campaigns.

Images and list of suits here.

Join our discord community! Check out our Tumblr for even more! Support us on patreon!

Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here!

Socials: Tumblr Website Threads Instagram Facebook

Citations & References:

Berry, John. “Chinese Money-Suited Cards.” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 5, 2003, pp. 230-6.

Caldwell, Ross Sinclair. “The Devil and the Two of Hearts.” The Playing-Card, vol. 37, no. 2, 2008, pp. 126-41.

Caldwell, Ross Sinclair. “The Proto-Historiography of Playing Cards: Early Hypotheses and Beliefs about the Origins of Cards and Card Games in Europe.” The Playing-Card, vol. 38, no. 2, 2009, pp. 92-118.

Chatto, William Andrew. Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards. London, 1848.

Culin, Stewart. Korean Games; with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan. Philadelphia, 1895.

Decker, Ronald, Thierry Depaulis, & Michael Dummett. A Wicked Pack of Cards: the Origins of the Occult Tarot. St. Martin’s Press, 1996.

Dummett, Michael. The Game of Tarot: from Ferrara to Salt Lake City. Duckworth, 1980.

Dummett, Michael. “The History of Card Games.” European Review, vol. 1, no. 2, 1993, pp. 125-35.

Hargrave, Catherine Perry. A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming. Houghton Mifflin, 1980.

Janssen, Han. “The 14th Century and the Introduction of Playing Cards into Europe.” The Playing-Card, vol. 34, no. 3, 2006, pp. 173-80.

Lo, Andrew. “China’s Passion for Pai: Playing Cards, Dominoes, and Mahjong.” Asian Games: the Art of Contest, edited by Irving L. Finkel et al., Asia Society, 2004, 217-32.

Lo, Andrew. “The Game of Leaves: An Inquiry into the Origin of Chinese Playing Cards.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. 63, no. 3, 2000, pp. 389–406.

Lo, Andrew. “The ‘Yezi Pu' (Manual of Leaves): A Card Manual for Games of the Late Ming Period [1368-1644].” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 2, 2002, pp. 86-96.

Maggio, Emilia. “Early Dragons.” The Playing-Card, vol. 45, no. 3, 2017, pp. 131-41.

Pollett, Andrea. “Tȗmȃn, or the Ten Thousand Cups of the Mamluk Cards.” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 1, 2002, pp. 34-41.

Singer, Samuel Weller. Researches into the History of Playing Cards; with Illustrations of the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood. London, 1816.

Taylor, Edward Samuel. The History of Playing Cards, with Anecdotes of Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune-Telling, and Card-Sharping. London, 1865.

van Rensselaer, Mrs. John King. The Devil’s Picture-Books: a History of Playing Cards. New York, 1893.

Wilkinson, W. H. “Chinese Origin of Playing Cards.” The American Anthropologist, vol. 8, no. 1, 1895, pp. 61-78.

[innomineumbra-rp]

¡Muchas gracias a Boadicea de @dailyrol por la mención/recomendación! ♥

Aprovecho la ocasión para invitaros, mis queridas víctimas, a explorar las búsquedas de nuestros usuarios. Son de lo más interesantes y sin duda merecen ser conocidas y, por supuesto, tomadas.

THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE [PERSONAJES] — Amelia Sinclair.

LAS GOTAS DE SANGRE — [TRAMAS] Z. Caleb Townsend.

LA PECULIAR VIDA DE BEAU [TRAMAS] — Beauregard L. Fitzroy

CRIMSON REAPERS [TRAMAS Y PERSONAJES] — Cicely Hargraves.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS [TRAMAS] — Genevieve M. Sailor

EL MERODEADOR [PERSONAJE] — Verity J. Upton

—Jack.

¡Hola! Me gustaría conocer foros más o menos activos de temáticas fantásticas (sobrenaturales, magia, zombies, etc) que no sean los más populares que todos conocemos de cada temática, sino que sean pequeños proyectos por despegar. Gracias.

En estos días están abriendo nuevos foros de ese estilo, así que de los más recientes que se me ocurren están: @innomineumbra-rp que ya está abierto, legendsoftamriel que ha abierto justo hoy y @separate-ways-foro-rol-rpg que pronto anunciarán su fecha de apertura. Espero que te sirvan, aunque quizás alguien puede recomendarte algún otro 😊

Boadicea

[miss-musings]

My List of Top 10 Recurring Blacklisters

For my ongoing "Top 10" lists about different aspects of The Blacklist, today I'm tackling recurring Blacklisters who weren't already included in "My List of Top 10 Blacklisters."

Just for an FYI, I'm also disqualifying Tom Keen and Dembe Zuma, as they both have been regular cast members at different points in the series. I am, however, including non-antagonist entries -- that means that some of these Blacklisters didn't actually end up being 'bad guys,' but instead, either were or later became allies of Red and/or The Task Force.

There actually weren't too many Blacklisters to work with as I'd say about 70 percent of them are one-offs (and I already did a list about them), and many of the better ones who are recurring were already on my other list. But, of the small pool that did qualify, I'm judging them based on:

How much I personally liked them / how compelling I thought the character was

How well the guest star did

How much of a threat they were to Red, the Task Force, the public in general, etc. OR if they were an ally, how much the character adds to Red's or the Task Force's goals

I don't have quite as much time to tackle these entries as I have my previous two lists, so I'm only going to put like a paragraph of explanation for each. Also, no honorable mentions this time.

So, without further ado, let's begin:

10. ISABELLA STONE

I don't really care for Isabella Stone, but it was either her or the Pavlovich Brothers, and I care about them even less. I don't remember much about Stone, other than she was played by that actress who played Jan on "The Office," and at the end of her namesake episode, Red has her chained up in a walk-in freezer or something. I don't remember what she did, or why she was a threat to the Task Force/Red. I know she was hired by Kaplan to do some bullshit, but I don't remember what it was or how she did it.

9. NICHOLAS T. MOORE

I'm not really one for all the cults that this show does. It seems like they try to have 1-2 per season; but I actually didn't mind this one and thought it might be the best cult we've seen so far. It had kind of a "The Village" vibe to it, although I'm still trying to figure out how Moore convinced all those people to join him out in the woods. Anyway, the only reason I included him is because I like the actor -- he played The Warden on "Shawshank Redemption" -- and I thought the way he tricked Aram into getting him his Bible so he could kill himself was kind of clever.

8. THE MAJOR

I also don't really care for the Major, but I thought the actor did well in his scenes with Spader. Plus, he seemed to create a lot of problems (read: drama) for Tom and Liz, with trying to tempt Tom back into a life of crime when he was trying to go straight in S3b. (Am I remembering that right?) Again, I honestly don't really care for or about him, but I thought he was around enough and played a big enough role in Tom's, Liz's and Red's lives that he deserved a spot.

7. SUSAN HARGRAVE

Another Blacklister I don't really care about. (Almost makes you wonder why I bothered compiling this list.) Don't get me wrong. I think Famke Janssen is an underrated actress, and I enjoyed her weird dynamic with Spader in their scenes. I didn't like how she ended up being Tom's mother; I didn't like her ham-handed way of telling those one random dudes about her backstory. She's so open it's like she might as well be an audio-book version of her character. But, again, I think that's more how she was written than how Janssen played her. Even though I don't care about the whole Hargrave/Tom spin-off with "The Blacklist: Redemption," I still think she was an intimidating enough villain in her own right, as she was responsible for breaking Mathias Solomon out of prison and sic-ing him onto Liz while she and Tom were trying to get married. It's interesting that Hargrave was ultimately responsible for attacking her son's wedding and almost getting him killed, and endangering her future daughter-in-law and granddaughter. It's the kind of irony you'd see in a George R.R. Martin work. So, even while I don't like her, I think she deserves a spot because of the impact she had and the threat she posed at the time. Plus, I did think it was badass when Red shot her in the arm and she barely cared.

6. TOM CONNOLLY

Okay, NOW we're starting to get into "I actually kind of like these people" territory. I mean, I don't actually like Tom Connolly. If he were a real person, I would want to punch him in the face. But, as a character, I think he's more compelling than any of the previous entries on this list. Granted, he became a little cartoonish and over-the-top there at the end, but he posed a serious threat. And even though he was introduced to us as "a little too good to not want something" from Cooper / the Task Force, I appreciate that the writers at least TRIED to make his loyalties a little ambiguous or 'on the side of the angels' when he was first introduced. Granted, I don't think it really worked, but they tried. The actor also did a pretty decent job, and I thought his final confrontation with Liz and Cooper (where Liz ends up shooting and killing Connolly) was well-done. It was certainly the most shocking death of a Blacklister I can think of. As mustache-twirling as he was, he still posed a serious threat for Liz, Red and the Task Force. In threatening to kill them or end their careers, he pushed Liz into a no-win situation where if she shot him in an attempt to stop his machinations, the Cabal won by being able to turn her into a criminal. And if she did nothing, they would still win. Okay, anyway, moving on:

5. SMOKEY PUTNAM

I really like the character of Smokey. He's a little wacky, but cheerful and light -- which is something the show desperately needed after the morbid, dark and depressing S4b. Granted, I think how the show introduced him (as someone for Red to track down as a bounty hunter-type person) was a bit forced. But, oh well. I like what Smokey brings to the show and to Red's crew. I also think the actor does a good job keeping up with Spader while also bringing his own bit of weird flair to the show.

4. MR. RALEIGH SINCLAIR III

So, I really just love John Noble, and appreciated that the show was able to nab him to play one of the Blacklisters. And a pretty unique Blacklister at that. I thought his gimmick was really cool and unique, and while I could've done without him killing off all the people he recruited to be doubles, I guess it makes sense. I actually enjoyed when the show brought him back to turn that one guy into a double of Ian Garvey -- that was a nice little twist. I thought his interaction with Spader at the end of his namesake episode was a little too long, but still a hoot to see those two sharing a screen.

3. GINA ZANETAKOS

Our first-ever female Blacklister on the show, Gina Zanetakos was a serious badass. She was clever, fast, brutal and sexy. She absolutely demolishes both Ressler and Liz in fist-fights and she nearly kills Tom. She was quite a force to be reckoned with, both in her initial appearance and in subsequent episodes, and I really appreciated when the show brought her back in S3b. (Which, side note, did she get killed off on the show? I don't remember.) If she wasn't killed off, I certainly wouldn't mind her making a return appearance.

2. KARAKURT

So, fun fact: Karakurt is actually played by two different actors -- one in S2 and a different guy for S3. Not anything I hold against the character. It’s just interesting. Anyway, Karakurt is probably the most threatening Blacklister on this list for our Post Office crew. He easily manipulated Liz into killing a U.S. Senator and even more easily set up the OREA bombing to make it look like her fault. In comparison with his S2 showings, I think his S3 appearances are less-than. He just kind of hung out as a plot device for Tom to track down, beat up and threaten. Much less intimidating, although I appreciate that he didn’t give up trying to get one over on Tom, et al, and escape whenever he had the chance. Just what I’d expect of a Russian assassin and Blacklister extraordinaire.

1. MARVIN GERARD

A weird choice to put at #1, maybe, but I really like the character of Marvin Gerard. He’s just so different from most of the other Blacklisters that we see, in no part because of the fact that HE WAS ALREADY IN CUSTODY when he was introduced. Instead of Red giving the Task Force a name so they can track them down and put them IN JAIL, Red asked for Gerard to be brought to him so that he could break him OUT OF JAIL. Unlike most Blacklisters, or hell just characters on this show in general, Marvin Gerard is very calm, collected, calculated and can talk sense into Red when few other people can. But, he also feels very grounded in reality. He just kind of seemingly wandered into a hostage situation in 3x02 like “IDK what I’m doing here. WTF is going on?!?!” and then just kind of got back into a groove with helping Red and Liz with their plans -- both in 3x02 and throughout the rest of S3a. And, speaking of: whatever happened to Marvin Gerard? I feel like Red called him in Cape May about shutting down his business or something, but I don’t think we’ve seen him since 3x10. Hopefully he makes another appearance on the show, because I really appreciated how unique he was as a Blacklister and what he brought to the show as a character and to Red’s team as an asset.

[guardianseries]

My Top 5 Favourite Reads of 2019 #Fiction #YA #NonFiction

My Top 5 Favourite Reads of 2019 #Fiction #YA #NonFiction

My Top 5 Favourite Reads of 2019

I’ve struggled with my reading goals for the last couple of years (one of the many annoying side effects of depression). My Goodreads challenge has dropped significantly, and if I manage ten books, it’s worthy of a celebration. Sometimes I’ve started to read but not had the headspace to finish, not because it wasn’t good, but because my brain was too damn…

[conziergearch]

❔

send ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours!

phillip broyles x erin lindsay (which we already have <3)

moa zhao x erin lindsay

maren grim x madison maxwell

helen sharpe x april kepner

helen sharpe x tobias sinclair

scottie hargrave x dana scott

tom keen x david rhodes

[takadasaiko]

Love Me Twice: Chapter Ten

FFN II AO3

Summary: Liz re-introduces Tom to her team and Red and Cooper discuss where it's all heading.

Chapter Ten

When Liz had said that her team was a good resource for intel and backup, Jacob had assumed that had meant for her. He could take leads that she passed along and run them down in ways that a federal agent couldn't. He hadn't expected her to walk him into where she worked to speak to her team directly. At a federal black site. Below ground level with limited escape options. None of this was setting well, but she brushed off every argument that he made.

"They know you."

Jacob bristled at that even as he followed her into the lift that would take them down to what she called the War Room. "But I don't know them."

"You don't remember them. There's a difference." The doors squealed closed and she turned towards him. "I'm not going to let anybody hurt you."

"You know my line of work isn't exactly legal," he pointed out.

"They're not going to arrest you either. They know about St Regis."

Jacob turned to stare at her. "You told them?" he demanded.

"I think Reddington did? It just sort of became common knowledge in our circle after you got out and after… well once you and I figured things out."

The doors opened and Jacob fought the urge to run. What good would it do? He was stuck in a black site with a bunch of federal agents that knew he was a covert operative. Despite Liz's optimism, he had no idea how this could end well.

One of those agents looked up from his desk, eyes focused on Liz and started for them, talking the whole way. "Agent Keen! What's the news you couldn't share over… the… Holy crap. Tom?"

"Hey, Aram. Surprise," Liz offered with a struggling smile.

The other agent - Aram - stood there gaping. "How? When? Why didn't you…. you know what. It doesn't matter." Without warning he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jacob's neck. "You're alive."

Jacob jerked backward at the sudden contact, stiff and ready for a fight. It took a moment for his mind to process that Aram had hugged him. Why a fed was hugging him, he had no idea. All he knew was that he had no interest feeling any more contained than he already was in this place.

"He doesn't remember," Liz explained as Aram startled back, pulling his attention around.

"Doesn't remember… what?"

Liz pursed her lips together thoughtfully, gaze shifting towards the main part of the room. "Let's talk in Cooper's office."

It was surreal as Liz made introductions that her team didn't need. While he only recognized them from the file Tremblay had given him, they knew him. What's more, Aram wasn't the only one that seemed happy to see him. Cooper - an assistant director of the FBI - greeted him with a warm handshake and a promise to both of them to help get to the bottom of all of this. Ressler - one of Liz's partners and the one that had been with her the longest - was more awkward, but managed a quiet "welcome back." The only one without much to say was Park, but as far as Jacob had seen she'd joined the Task Force after his supposed death. She looked as confused by the whole interaction as he felt.

"Have you told Reddington?" Cooper asked, and there was something layered beneath the face value of the question.

"No," Liz murmured, "and for now, I'd like to keep this between us."

"I thought you trusted him," Park popped off.

"It's complicated. He and…. the woman I believed was my mother are locked in some sort of war, and until we find out why, I think my circle of trust extends to the people in this room."

Ressler turned to look at her. "Believed to be? What did I miss?"

"Tom's… employer hired him to protect me and he ran a DNA test on her. It was secure. She matched to Katarina Rostova, but there was no parental match with me."

A quiet settled over the group as they digested the new information before Cooper's gaze landed on Jacob. "The person that hired you must have known who you are."

Jacob pulled in a breath, steadying himself to open up to the feds. "Looks that way. All I have is an alias: Brigitte Tremblay. She's gone dark, though, soon as Liz and I ran across each other. She hadn't returned any of the calls."

"I can trace the number," Aram offered. "Might give us something."

"It's a place to start," Cooper agreed. "Aram, work with Tom to get any information he has that might get us a lead on Brigitte Tremblay. If she's slipped up in any way, I want you to use it to ID her. Ressler, Park, catch Keen up on what we uncovered on The Collector."

Jacob watched as Liz perked up at that. The name obviously meant something to her. "You found something with him?"

Park flashed her a grin. "More than something. It's good."

"Let's go." Liz started out the door, but paused, turning towards Jacob. He must have looked like a deer in the headlights for the way her expression softened and she reached out, her touch against his arm gentle. "I trust them. You can too. I promise."

"I've never known cops to have my back," he confessed softly. "Especially feds."

"Well this fed saved your life a few years ago and you still owe him a favour," Ressler chuckled, halfway out the door. "Don't think I'm not calling it in sooner or later now that you're back."

Liz smiled and let her hand drop. It brushed Jacob's and he felt a shiver pass through him. His fingers started to close, holding her hand there, but in the last second he stopped. She didn't, though, and her fingers closed around his, giving a reassuring squeeze and held his gaze.

"I trust you," he whispered and her lips quirked up.

"Don't let Aram get sidetracked with Doctor Who." One more quick squeeze and she was gone, following her partners out the door and down the stairs.

Jacob turned to Aram. "Like the British scifi show?"

"We totally marathoned the Fourth Doctor one time when we were waiting on some intel to come in a few years ago. There was the one where K-9…" He grinned sheepishly past Jacob at his boss. "Right… We can, uh, cover that some time when we're not trying to find the mystery woman that knows where you've been the last two and a half years. Of course. Just, uh… follow me. We'll get started."

Jacob nodded numbly, not bothering to correct him. He knew where he'd been the last two and a half years. It was the previous ten he was worried about.

                                                    ----------------

"Before we get started," Park said as she paused at her work station, turning to look directly at Liz, "did you know? Because last I heard your husband had been brutally stabbed to death in a home invasion that turned out to be Federal Marshall after some secret of Reddington's. Didn't Cooper ID him?"

Liz did her best to push down the instinctive desire to go on the defensive at Park's tone. "I found out the night before last. He's been… trying to come to terms with the fact that he was married… had a family and a life that he doesn't even remember."

"Sounds rough."

"It has been. And yes, Cooper ID'd him."

"Not just that, but we all saw him flatline," Ressler pointed out. "Hell of an accomplishment to fake all of that."

"It is, but we've seen doubles before. Sinclair manages it pretty convincingly. Tom told me about a Russian-based program he came across during his time with Halcyon that surgically altered people to look like their targets. It does happen."

She didn't like the look Ressler gave her, almost like he thought she was stretching it.

"Yeah, but who would have those kinds of connections and resources to put it together so fast?" Park asked, shaking her head.

That, Liz had an answer to. One that had been battering around inside her mind since she saw Tom hanging in Katarina Rostova's warehouse, but she hadn't dared to admit out loud yet. "Scottie Hargrave."

Ressler blinked at that. "Tom's mom? Why would she?"

Liz risked a glance over to make sure Tom was distracted with Aram. "She has means and motive."

Ressler didn't look convinced. "Motive for faking his death?"

"If she thought it kept him safe, yeah. I could see it. She thrives on control and there was something…. strangely resolved when she took Agnes a coupe of years ago. She said she'd already mourned him once. I didn't… catch it then, but it was weird."

"That's screwed up," Park managed and Ressler snorted.

"Welcome to the Keen family drama."

Liz shook her head, unable to deny the statement. "Tell me what you guys found on the Collector."

Park lit up at that. "Michael Kowlaski was actually Viktor Petrov. While his paperwork says that he was American-born to Polish immigrants, the identity for Michael Kowlaski was farmed. All the paperwork, the credit history, everything was manufactured."

"Like a shelf company for a person," Liz murmured and Park nodded.

"Exactly like that."

"How did we get to the name Petrov?"

"Aram worked through the night going through photos linked to the Kowlaski ID," Ressler explained. "Cooper recognized one and was able to confirm that it was actually Victor Petrov, a KGB officer known for his intelligence work. Everything started to fall into place."

Liz leaned back against Park's desk. "Okay, so we've got the who and the why -"

"You mentioned that in the debrief," Park said. "The Sikorsky Archive. Petrov's last words. Do you know what it means?"

"All I know is what I've been told. It's a blackmail file that the woman that posed as my mother says she's being blamed for stealing and that she thinks Reddington knows who really has it."

"So another dead end?"

"No… maybe not. I had a PI follow Ilya Koslov -"

"Not Reddington, by the way," Ressler offered and Liz tried to ignore Park's confused look.

"- and she found that Koslov was obsessed with the Archive."

"So he's our next best lead?" Park asked, shaking the confusion from her expression.

"Seems to be." Liz closed her eyes, working through the pieces of the puzzle that made up this case. It was huge. Expansive. Pieces looked like they'd fit and then were part of a completely different puzzle altogether. This, though… she thought they were onto something with this. "The Collector always has two demands: a new secret to carry on and a favour. I know we recovered a jumpdrive on him. Has Aram cracked that yet?"

Ressler shook his head. "He's still working on it, but I think that's what had him here all night. His program's cracked pieces."

"It's German… Something about Bonn, but other than that, we don't know yet," Park agreed.

Liz risked another glance over to Aram and Tom, the tech genius looking like he was in the middle of a long-winded explanation of something that probably could have been said a fraction of the words he was using. Tom, to his credit, was patiently nodding along that he was following. The two had always gotten along well, so it was good to see that even with his missing memories Tom was able and willing to listen through.

"Then I say we focus on Ilya," Liz finally said.

Ressler quirked a ginger eyebrow. "Hasn't he gone into hiding?"

"We'll find him," Liz answered confidently. "We have to."

Park shifted where she was. "If Rostova isn't your mother and Reddington isn't… whatever the latest thing you thought he was… why?"

Liz pursed her lips, working through each word as she let them fall. "Because Reddington used us to get to here. He used us to get to The Collector to kill him. He tried to steer me away from this woman, but he never gave me a clear reason why. He uses us, and just once, I'd like to have more pieces of the puzzle than he does."

There was a moment of silence between the three partners before Ressler nodded. "Okay. Let's find Koslov."

"Uh, guys?" Aram called over. "Mr Cooper just called down. Mr Reddington is supposed to be coming by with intel on The Collector. I know you said…"

"Guess that's my queue to leave," Tom said and his gaze shifted around to Liz. "How about this: give me a lead to track down on this Koslov guy and I'll start in on the groundwork."

"Tom…"

He gave her a small, lopsided smile. "I promise I'll come back. Here, gimme your phone?" He reached a hand out and she held it out to him. He punched in a number. "Saved just above the pizza delivery guy."

Liz found herself echoing the smile. "Good. Let's get you out of here."

                                                   ----------------

They walked a thin line with Reddington. That wasn't new, and for the most part Cooper had reconciled himself to it. There was give and take. He gave them terrible people that needed to be taken off the streets and that they wouldn't have had access to without him. In return, he took what he wanted. Sometimes it was a piece of information or access, and then sometimes the price was higher. Sometimes he used them in ways that Cooper found very difficult to see as anything but a betrayal to the very woman that Reddington had surrendered himself for. His actions had forced her into more compromising positions, put people she loved at risk, and consistently left her in the dark on issues that directly affected her without even a hope that he'd reveal the answers to her someday.

Despite all Reddington had done - and for every veiled motive, every secret he had kept about Elizabeth's past, he had quite literally saved her life and career time and time again - Cooper couldn't blame Elizabeth for not wanting to offer up the fact that Tom was alive. Reddington's secrets had, they had thought, cost her husband his life two and a half years before. He was alive, but far from whole, and her wish to protect him from the chaos that Reddington brought into her life was understandable. It was the reason that Cooper had given them a good headstart before calling Reddington into the Post Office.

Reddington didn't like being summoned, that much was clear. He helped them at his leisure and on his terms, despite the fact that, theoretically, he worked for them, but that afternoon Cooper had no patience for his antics. He'd used them to lure a Blacklister out and, when Cooper had refused to hand him over blindly, Reddington had had him shot down in the street.

It was nearly time for Cooper to pack it up and call it a night when Reddington finally strolled into the Post Office with a reminder that he's not at the FBI's beck and call, even though his immunity agreement did have some wording that leaned heavily in that direction. He continued on and on, casually taking a seat across from Cooper with his hat in his hand and Dembe lingering at the door. Cooper lost track of exactly what the point of the story was, but it had something to do with a woman from Beijing that he'd met while smuggling political refugees out of the country. By the time the story wound down, Cooper had already had to send Charlene an apologetic text and a promise to pick up dinner of her choosing on his way home.

"I'm sorry, Harold, was there a reason you called me in when I should be at Marcel's having the most exquisite Lobster Timbale that I've ever tasted?"

"Victor Petrov," Cooper said simply, not bothering to point out that if Reddington had come when he'd called that he could have been out long before his reservations.

"Ah," their often complicated CI managed. "You've put a name to the legend."

"I'm not going to waste both our times asking you exactly what you thought you'd keep Elizabeth from finding out about her mother," he stated firmly, "but I do need to know what Petrov was trying to move through Mr Krause. Aram's working on the encryption, but so far we've only gotten pieces. You said that Petrov was connected to the Cabal."

"He was," Reddington answered, his voice serious now.

"I'm not a fool. We may have decimated their stronghold in the United States, but my guess is that they have a further reach. You handed us this Blacklister and so far, without details of what was being transferred, we've gotten nothing from it other than a dead former KGB operative and another dead end." He paused, taking a risk. "Does Bonn mean anything to you?"

"Is that Krause's final destination?"

"We believe so."

Reddington tilted his head to the side and Cooper straightened his spine. He was already asking for less than they'd been promised on this. Finally, the other man relented. "I already suspected that Petrov had re-aligned himself with his old allies in the Cabal. If he's orchestrating deliveries to Bonn, then it's not just a smaller faction he's trying to reach out to."

"How many factions are you aware of?"

Reddington sighed, and for a moment Cooper thought he was going to try to slip around this. Apparently it wasn't worth the effort. "Originally? Many, but there were key players housed in the United States, Russia, China, and two in Germany: one for the East and another for the West."

"So Petrov was trying to make contact with one of the factions in Germany?"

"There's only one left. With the fall of communism in Germany, the Cabal lost its foothold in Berlin. Bonn is all that's left, but Harold -" he caught Cooper's gaze and held it, and in that moment his voice was deadly serious - "if this is more than an attempt to make contact, if the faction in Bonn is using someone like Petrov to move information Stateside, this is bigger than either of us could have assumed."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have killed the man with the answers then."

"What's done is done. Aram mustcrack that encryption and he must do so quickly."

"Or what?"

"If we wait to find out, it will already be too late."

                                                   ----------------

TBC

Notes: ** insert dramatic music here **  

I feel bad for poor Tom right now. Everybody in this story knows more than him and he's just not okay with that.

Next Time: When Tom's search for Ilya continues to run into dead ends, Liz takes matters into her own hands.

[archivorpg-yc]

ㅤ

DINA SINCLAIR & Liam Hargrave.

MY MEMORIES WON’T COME BACK.

Agosto 2011, sábado 12.

⠀⠀⠀—¡Te suplico que me digas qué hacer para no perderte! La desesperación me consume las entrañas. El calor que siento recorrer mi cuerpo entero me está quemando. Ardo de dolor, Liam. Ardo con el fuego más abrasador que he sentido en mi existencia entera. —El llanto cesó sólo por un momento. Dina se asfixiaba con el propio dolor que experimentaba. Sus piernas, temblorosas, le empezaban a fallar y su cuerpo, tan débil y roto, se escurría hasta llegar al piso, deshecho—. No te puedo perder. Me rehúso a dejarte ir. ¡Me oyes! ¡ME OYES! Me niego a la idea de que pueda existir un resto de mi vida sin ti. —Cerró sus ojos, rojos y empapados, volviendo a romper en un llanto desconsolado. ⠀⠀⠀Liam miró a Dina con una pena que caló hasta sus huesos. Había algo en su corazón que lo incitaba a caer de rodillas ante ella para cubrir su cuerpo desprotegido y brindarle la fuerza que necesitaba. Pero había, también, algo en su corazón que se lo impedía. Liam no la conocía, o, mejor dicho, no la reconocía; miraba en el suelo a una mujer que se había vuelto familiar en su vida debido al tiempo compartido en las últimas semanas, pero no era capaz de encontrar en ella al amor de su vida. La pena y el deseo de querer detener su estado tan triste y sentimental crecía del aprecio que había nacido en la reciente convivencia, y no más. ⠀⠀⠀—Dina… —susurró lamentable—. No sé qué decirte. Lo he intentado. Créeme que lo he intentado —empezó a hablar añadiendo más intensidad a sus palabras, pues Liam anhelaba que ella pudiera comprenderlo, y no culparlo—. Sólo, no puedo. ⠀⠀⠀—¡No digas que no puedes! —le gritó ella, desgarrada, y lo miró con un ardor en los ojos—. ¡Sí puedes! Sólo… no lo estás intentando lo suficiente. ⠀⠀⠀Él, en silencio, ladeó la cabeza, apretó los labios, y negó con latitud reteniéndole la mirada. No podía hacer más que intentar comprenderla, porque tal vez eso era lo más justo de su parte. ⠀⠀⠀—Tratamos todo —musitó con pesar y lentamente se puso de cuclillas para estar a su nivel—. No logro recordarte, y tienes que creerme… —El sollozo profundo y doloroso de Dina lo interrumpió, pero Liam prosiguió—. Tienes que creerme, Dina, que todo este tiempo estuve viendo fotos, escuchando historias, escarbando en los últimos años de mi vida, pero ese hombre, ese Liam que tú conoces, yo no lo conozco. No sé quién es. No sé quién eres tú. Y no me cabe duda de lo especial que eres. En ningún momento podría dudar de cómo lo amas, pero no soy yo, Dina. ¡No soy yo! ¡Y diablos! —Sus brazos se agitaron en el aire con impotencia al mismo tiempo en el que su rostro miraba hacia el cielo nocturno, con los ojos cerrados— ¡Quisiera ser él! De verdad, pero… —De sus labios salió un suspiro pesado y sus brazos cayeron en sus costados—… los doctores dijeron… ⠀⠀⠀—Por favor, no sigas. No sigas, no sigas. Yo no puedo soportarlo. ⠀⠀⠀Dina se llevó una mano al corazón y ejerció presión. Era el dolor de un corazón roto, pero muy fácilmente podría haber sido un infarto. Acalorada, cansada, exhausta, su espalda se recargó en el muro detrás y sus piernas se encogieron de modo que, cuando sus brazos las rodearon con fuerza, ella casi se hizo bolita. ¿Qué si el vestido de seda que llevaba puesto se arruinaba? No importaba. Todo había dejado de hacerlo. Liam la miró con el mismo dolor profundo, pero el de él nacía del no poder responder a su amor de la manera en la que ella lo merecía. ⠀⠀⠀—Tienes que dejarme ir —susurró otra vez. Sus manos se alzaron y se colocaron sobre las rodillas de la pelirroja, las cuales él apretó—. No puedo imaginar cómo te sientes, ni puedo adivinar tu dolor. Lo único que puedo hacer es pedirte perdón y lamentar, con todo mi corazón, tu perdida. Desearía amarte como tú me amas. Si pudiera hacer cualquier cosa que me hiciera sentir lo mismo que sientes por mí, y que me hiciera recordar nuestros dos años juntos, lo haría, sin pensarlo. Pero no hay forma, y lo siento, lo siento como no tienes una idea, porque está claro todo lo que tú harías por ese Liam del que te enamoraste. Me has dedicado tu vida entera en estas semanas, has sido buena, dulce, paciente. Me has cuidado, y me has dado mi espacio… ⠀⠀⠀—Y no ha sido suficiente —añadió Dina con el mismo tono y ritmo que adquiere un atleta cuando se encuentra descansando tras un gran agotamiento—. No estoy lista para rendirme —dijo en un tono aún más bajo y dejó caer su cabeza hacia adelante. Al cerrar los ojos sus lágrimas gotearon hasta mojar la tela de vestido—. No es justo, nada de esto es justo. ⠀⠀⠀—No lo es, pero es la realidad. 𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, Dina. Eres una extraña para mí, en muchas maneras, y yo… yo estoy cansado de decepcionarte —Las manos de Liam se deslizaron hasta los muslos femeninos, y luego la soltó con lentitud—. Tienes que vivir tu vida, y yo tengo que seguir con la mía. ⠀⠀⠀Dina levantó la cabeza y pegó la nuca en el muro. Se mantuvo viéndolo, en silencio, con los ojos entrecerrados e hinchados, y las pupilas vacías e inexpresivas. ⠀⠀⠀—Sólo dime una cosa —dijo entonces, sin saber de dónde le nacía la fuerza para hablar—. ¿Estás enamorado de Rachel? ⠀⠀⠀—¿Qué? ⠀⠀⠀—Rachel. ¿La amas? —repitió. No supo en qué momento había sido, pero sus lágrimas se habían secado, o tal vez, para ser más certeros, se habían drenado—. He visto cómo la miras. Lo sé, porque así me mirabas a mí, con ese brillo y esa devoción. ⠀⠀⠀Liam movió la cabeza lentamente, como si estuviera negando, aunque no era eso exactamente. ⠀⠀⠀—Es… —miró a otro lado—. Es complicado, ¿sabes? —¿Qué si sabía? ¡Dina lo sabía todo de él! —. Ella y yo tenemos historia. ⠀⠀⠀¡𝑁𝑜! Quiso decirle. ¡𝘜𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢! ⠀⠀⠀Dina se levantó del suelo, como pudo, usando la pared como soporte todo el tiempo hasta sentir que sus piernas le respondían. Sus dedos limpiaron las lágrimas de sus mejillas, y entonces, mientras Liam se ponía de pie frente a ella, ella comprendía que el final había llegado. ⠀⠀⠀—Las cosas cambian demasiado si sientes algo por ella. ⠀⠀⠀La pelirroja emprendió su camino hacia la salida, esforzándose en cada paso por mantenerse unida. ⠀⠀⠀—Dina. —Liam la llamó. Dina se volvió con una esperanza que le volcó el corazón—. Espero que puedas encontrar a alguien que te ame tanto como tú eres capaz de amar. ⠀⠀⠀La joven negó y sonrió con una inmensa tristeza mientras sus hombros se encogían. Toda la esperanza se fue a la basura. ⠀⠀⠀—No quiero otro amor.

—— #𝖽𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗋 #𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗆𝗁𝖺𝗋𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗏𝖾 —— ㅤ

[ethyreal]

❔<3

send  ❔  meme,     italic  is  your  muse  +  bold  is  mine.

raymond reddington and minerva carlysle.

tom keen and aryana asare.

scottie hargrave and jane smith.

helen sharpe and paige barlow.

tom kirkman and regina mills.

moa zhao and arsyn.

kua hale and aryana asare.

maren grim and louisa sinclair.

david budd and regina mills.

tom keen and vanessa castro.

iggy frome and helen sharpe.

john smith and jane smith.

[congressoutofwedlock]

Emeralite Evenings (OCs, 1 2)

[congressoutofwedlock]

Sinclair Hargrave OC Splash Art for Artfight

[congressoutofwedlock]

Despite everything, it's still you

[maniculum]

I think I forgot to post a link to this one when it came out, so here it is now.

We're back with part two of the history of cards! As we delve into the sheer variety of cards that blossomed throughout Europe, we begin to see the ripple effects that they had -- both impacting and reflecting world cultures. Why not use cards similarly in your TTRPGs? We'll show you how!

Images and list of suits here.

Join our discord community! Check out our Tumblr for even more! Support us on patreon!

Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here!

Socials: Tumblr Website Threads Instagram Facebook

Citations & References: Berry, John. “Chinese Money-Suited Cards.” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 5, 2003, pp. 230-6. Caldwell, Ross Sinclair. “The Devil and the Two of Hearts.” The Playing-Card, vol. 37, no. 2, 2008, pp. 126-41. Caldwell, Ross Sinclair. “The Proto-Historiography of Playing Cards: Early Hypotheses and Beliefs about the Origins of Cards and Card Games in Europe.” The Playing-Card, vol. 38, no. 2, 2009, pp. 92-118. Chatto, William Andrew. Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards. London, 1848. Culin, Stewart. Korean Games; with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan. Philadelphia, 1895. Decker, Ronald, Thierry Depaulis, & Michael Dummett. A Wicked Pack of Cards: the Origins of the Occult Tarot. St. Martin’s Press, 1996. Dummett, Michael. The Game of Tarot: from Ferrara to Salt Lake City. Duckworth, 1980. Dummett, Michael. “The History of Card Games.” European Review, vol. 1, no. 2, 1993, pp. 125-35. Hargrave, Catherine Perry. A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming. Houghton Mifflin, 1980. Janssen, Han. “The 14th Century and the Introduction of Playing Cards into Europe.” The Playing-Card, vol. 34, no. 3, 2006, pp. 173-80. Lo, Andrew. “China’s Passion for Pai: Playing Cards, Dominoes, and Mahjong.” Asian Games: the Art of Contest, edited by Irving L. Finkel et al., Asia Society, 2004, 217-32. Lo, Andrew. “The Game of Leaves: An Inquiry into the Origin of Chinese Playing Cards.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. 63, no. 3, 2000, pp. 389–406. Lo, Andrew. “The ‘Yezi Pu' (Manual of Leaves): A Card Manual for Games of the Late Ming Period [1368-1644].” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 2, 2002, pp. 86-96. Maggio, Emilia. “Early Dragons.” The Playing-Card, vol. 45, no. 3, 2017, pp. 131-41. Pollett, Andrea. “Tȗmȃn, or the Ten Thousand Cups of the Mamluk Cards.” The Playing-Card, vol. 31, no. 1, 2002, pp. 34-41. Singer, Samuel Weller. Researches into the History of Playing Cards; with Illustrations of the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood. London, 1816. Taylor, Edward Samuel. The History of Playing Cards, with Anecdotes of Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune-Telling, and Card-Sharping. London, 1865. van Rensselaer, Mrs. John King. The Devil’s Picture-Books: a History of Playing Cards. New York, 1893. Wilkinson, W. H. “Chinese Origin of Playing Cards.” The American Anthropologist, vol. 8, no. 1, 1895, pp. 61-78.

[congressoutofwedlock]

An Alex Raymond penwork study with my OC, Sinclair Hargrave.

Reference material under the cut

[crimsoncityhq]

Welcome, one and all, to the Chicago Day of Giving, hosted by the ever benevolent Washington family. Treat yourself to a night of luxury with wine tastings, an art and people auction, gift bags, photo booths, dancing, and, of course, a four-course meal catered by Alinea on North Halsted. Naturally, this night is all about giving, so feel free to offer donations online or at the door. As for the dress code, this is a black tie only event, so don your most expensive gowns and that suit you’ve been saving for a special occasion. Let’s make sure tonight will be a night to remember !

( Feel free to create a moodboard for your character’s outfit and post it on the dash, as well as the gala chat on Discord. )

It’s time to be an upstanding citizen by providing support for your city, and the Vasiles, Fausts, and O’Sheas all have some standing up to do. Each family has contributed a hefty donation in hopes of turning the Washingtons to their favor so they may be de-demonized in the crimson city. It’s time to play well with others. Your characters will be free to roam where they please until 10 p.m. EST, when it’s time to settle down for dinner. During dinner, characters will be randomly assigned a seat at a table that could be packed with enemies. Keep smiling, though, the cameras are watching.

Part one of the Chicago Day of Giving starts now and ends on Wednesday at midnight EST. Challenge yourself to write with everyone at your table, and let’s spread the love a little bit ! You know, before...never mind.

Under the cut, you’ll find your groupings for dinner. Reminder, dinner starts at 10 p.m. EST tonight and will end at midnight on Wednesday, May 27th, at 11:59PM EST.

TABLE 1 — Audric Noire, Christian Yi, Fletcher Hargrave,  Rosalie 'Rosie' Halliday, Jacob ‘Thorne’ Louthorne

TABLE 2 — Andrea Reed, Christopher 'Chris' Evans, Griffin Dyer,  Kitty O’Shea, Xavier Harris

TABLE 3 — Alon McCarthy, Daniel Adler, Gerald O’Shea, Nova Devereaux, Rosalia Leon

TABLE 4 — Allegra Cooper, Darren Murphy, Joel Maddison, Orion Anderson, Shawn Morgan

TABLE 5 — Asher Vasile, Esmeray Demir, Hana Faust, Koa Naihe, Sebastian Hargrave

TABLE 6 — Adrian Brooks, Davut Demir, Juliet Leon, Levi Bohan, Roman Guerra

TABLE 7 — Audrey Rousseau, Celeste Leon, Irina Koshkin, Oliver Faust, Zedekiah Vasile

TABLE 8 — Amelia O’Shea, Effie Faust, Grayson Beckett, Ophelia O’Shea, Veronica Pierce

TABLE 9 — Angelique Calore, Edith Cohen, Hayden Dixon, Kian Hannigan, Peyton Bridges

TABLE 10 — Angelo Madden, Clara Davila, Isaak Peters, Tia Valentine, Tyson Kane, Milena Washington

TABLE 11 — August Brooks, Calliope Lane, Ingrid Vasile, Logan Washington, Travis Vasile

TABLE 12 — Autumn Dawson, Cecilia 'Cee' Cavendish, Igor Vasile, Milo Arrington, Teagan Michaels

TABLE 13 — Amara Ricci, Eli Vogel, Evelyn "Eevee" Navarro, Katarina Vasile, Summer Moore

TABLE 14 — Caleb Duval, Eva Clarke, Faith Williams, Leslie Adal Galahad, Richie O’Shea,

TABLE 15 — Calhoun O'Farrell, Erin Cerci, Gemma Faust, Nathan Anderson, Sasha Vasile

TABLE 16 — Asli Demur, Charlotte O'Day, Gabriel Hill, Maisie Kane,  Samuel O’Shea

TABLE 17 — Arielle Hernandez, Diamond Washington, Holden Mercer, Penelope 'Poppy' Levenberg, Ren Daae, 

TABLE 18 — Blair Faust, Edgar Ortega, Giovanni Rossi, Mikhail Morosov, Vivian Sinclair

TABLE 19 — Brayden Adler, Darcy Faust, Evvie Martin, Liam O’Shea, Sawyer Nichols, Maggie Lee

TABLE 20 — Blake Faust, Evander 'Evan' Montague, Henry Davis, Mathias Attano, Wynter Ellis

TABLE 21 — Barnaby Eaton, Rylin Dixon, Harley Kincaid, Maeve O’Connell, Teddy Cohen

TABLE 22 — Alexander Washington, Dawn Montgomery, Isabella Rossi, Lev Vasile, Andromeda O’Shea

TABLE 23 — Andrew Whitmore, David Sharpe, Jace Dubois, Lenny Navarro, Rahi Kumar

TABLE 24 — Abel McCoy, Dominic Murphy, Julianne Hellthorpe, Katia Vasile, Sloan Washington, Wesley ‘Wes’ Ahn

TABLE 25 — Aurora O’Shea, Caroline Shepherd, Jesse Valencia, Titus Lei, Zoe Washington

TABLE 26 — Avery Simmons, Constansia Fournier, Genevieve Bisset, Monika Adler, Vitomir Kipriyanov

TABLE 27 — Birdie Mendoza, Chaeyoung Moon,  Lorenzo Blackshaw, Zane Washington, Alaina Castillo

TABLE 28 — Blue Daniels, Cassandra Harris, Jackson Marston,  Marizia di Greco, Violet Madden

[congressoutofwedlock]

I have wonderful news (and art) for you in that case!

Please enjoy him in a corset:

And him with his husband who is doing exactly what we all wish to do:

Sinclair Hargrave OC Splash Art for Artfight