#Liz and Ressler

[v1olent-l1ttle-th1ng]

Alright y’all so I’m someone who likes to associate songs with character relationships so I figured I’d share some of my favourites on here. I have playlists for most of these so if you want more songs let me know!

Violet and Xaden:

Stand By You - Marlissa. This song gives me Onyx Storm vibes so hard. Like I actively squeal every time I listen to it it’s so good. “The hurt in your eyes” “I will stand by you.” Ugh. PERFECTION.

The Last Time - Taylor Swift. Listen to it. Need I say more.

Castles Crumbling - Taylor Swift. Again. Just listen to it. So. Good.

Sinners - Lauren Aquilina. “The world may disapprove but my world is only you.” Um hello. Yes.

Little Do You Know - Alex and Sierra. Pure. Gold.

High, high, high. - Camylio. This one’s from Xaden’s POV for me. “You get me high, high, high oh with just your smile, my love.” I mean ya. Basically all of Xaden’s feeling in summary.

In The End - Beth Crawley

I Did It For You - David Cook

Also, spoiler alert if it wasn’t already obvious, these two are my literally faves so apologies if I have more favourite songs for them than for others. I think my Riorgail playlist is several hours long at this point.

Feyre and Rhys:

Rescue - Lauren Daigle. “I will send out an army to find you, in the middle of the darkest night.” Cassian and Azriel coming to rescue Feyre and Lucian. Like hello. I swear this song was made for them.

You Say - Lauren Daigle. Again, just listen to it.

Right Here, With You - David Cook. Rhys accepting Feyre and her trauma and comforting her. Ugh. Amazing.

Broken - Isak Danielson. Basically how I think Rhys feels towards Feyre about Tamlin.

The Dark - Aracana

Kai and Paedyn:

Just Cause I Love You - Avery Anna. I just get SO MANY kaipae vibes from this. “Just cause I love you, don’t mean I want to.” UGH MY BABIES.

Hurts Like Hell - Fleurie and Tommee Profitt. If you’ve read these books and love these two like I do, seriously listen to this.

Jude and Cardan:

I like TCP, don’t get me wrong, but it’s definitely not my fave. I know it’s pretty popular on here though so I figured I’d add one.

Letting Someone Go - Zach Bryan. Honestly summarizes their feelings for basically the whole series after Cardan’s initial confession in my opinion.

Tris and Tobias:

I don’t know if anyone is still into Divergent, but this series (minus Allegiant because we pretend it doesn’t exist) literally gave me life when it came out. Like I re-read it so many times.

Just Give Me A Reason - Pink. Literally all of Insurgent. Like I don’t even think this requires an explanation.

June and Day:

Last Kiss - Taylor Swift. The ending of Champion absolutely wrecked me when I first read it but after I found out about Rebel (literally only like 2 years ago) I was saved.

I also have several TV show couples that I have playlists for too so buckle up:

Grey’s Anatomy:

I legit have like a 10 hour Grey’s Anatomy playlist so if this is something you want just message me. Early Grey’s Anatomy had me in such a chokehold in high school it’s not even funny.

Once Upon a Time:

I’m a sucker for Emma and Killian. I watched OUAT so much growing up.

Arms - Christina Perri

The Words - Christina Perri

Olivia and Fitz:

I have also been obsessed with Scandal for like ever! I’m also currently rewatching and ugh, Olitz, my babies.

The Only Exception - Paramore

Deep End - Birdy

Elizabeth and Ressler:

I don’t know how popular the Blacklist is on here, but I became OBSESSED with these two during covid lockdown. And no, I have not seen any of the latest seasons because I refuse to watch the last episode of season 8 so that I can pretend it doesn’t exist.

Break My Heart Again - Finneas. If you know these two, you know.

Don’t Give Up On Me - Andy Grammer

Start A Riot - Banners

Anyways, that’s all for now! Message me if you want playlist links :)

[saltandspecter]

rewatching the blacklist from the beginning & the thing that gets me is just how often Liz and Ressler… stare at each other??? like even in the early days when Liz was “happily married” and Ressler quite obviously didn’t trust her — they were always still just looking at each other, observing one another, gauging each other’s reactions to anything and everything. so like, of course Ressler knows immediately when something’s up with Liz’s marriage and of course Liz knows something must be really wrong when Ressler is late to work and has poor reaction time in the field… because they’re always looking at each other!!!

like there is a ridiculous number of throwaway shots of them watching each other in debriefings when neither of them even have any dialogue and aren’t even the focal point of a particular shot. and look, my shipper heart has been here since romeo, the access code is romeo but even I didn’t realize how blatant all the staring was. and now I’m so curious about if that was a director-level decision or if it was a diego/megan decision, because watching it with the benefit of hindsight on how their story ends just makes the evolution of their relationship so much richer.

[aanthonyvb]

Good evening to all 5 Donald Ressler enthusiasts who will come across this in the tags <33

[katarinas-redemption]

the task force

these were in my drafts... might be out of order.

[princehendir]

My brother keeps making fun of the rest of us for not always being able to follow what's happening in Blacklist but to be fair we go through like a whole season's worth of plotlines every three episodes

[katebeckets]

ohhhh Em I just saw this!!! The mood boards are so pretty 😍 Do meeee ✨✨✨

You can probably tell how influenced I was by your header based on this 😂✨♥️

[criminalmindsismyobsession13]

Did you watch the blacklist finale? What did you think of it?

I actually haven't seen it- I stopped watching the show just after Liz died because the entire show was about her and her past and the dynamic between her and Red so once that was gone I didn't feel the show wasn't really worth watching but I have heard and read bits about the ending and it sounds interesting but I think the writers tried to make the show a bit too complex and it didn't have as good an ending because of that. I think season 8 should have explained more things and then the show should have ended there but I know other people think differently and that's fine too :)

[itscherrylipsforme]

Every second matters: Donald Ressler x FBI!fem!reader

Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Your teammate’s and "crush-you-are-not-willing-to-admit"s disappearance is definitely one of those times, so you reluctantly have to ask the FBI’s most wanted criminal for help. Surprisingly, Raymond Reddington is also an excellent matchmaker

Warnings: Mentions of kidnapping and small injuries

Requested: yes

Words: 1300

Author rambles: Sorry because this took me ages (how many times have already repeated that?) Thanks to the amazing @zizzlekwum for her request and patience. Had to change the name while editing because this sounded better. Also this was edited late at night with mint tea as fuel and queued on the bus on my way to campus this morning, so blame any mistakes on those...

Masterlist Characters I write for

Likes and reblogs are appreciated ღ

I do not authorize any of my works to be copied, translated or plagiarized ✗

In the time you have been in the unit you have learnt two basic facts.

Fact number 1: There is absolutely no phone number, location or person Aram Mojtabai cannot find.

Fact number 2: You and the team never, I repeat, never go against Reddington’s plan. And that's for your own sake.

Yet, in the last hours everything you knew had come down in pieces. Ruins of the rules and statements you once held to, now they are left broken much as yourself. You look at Aram, clinging at the last straw of hope that remained.

“These guys are completely analogical! No digital footprint. And the last camera which got a glimpse of them only helps to reduce the search to a ten miles radius which is all covered by suburban houses. It just doesn’t make sense, the house’s cameras should have recorded them.”

His hands tangle in his short locks trying to find out a clue, something he is looking pass. Hostages just don’t go missing. Agents just don’t vanish in the air. Ressler can’t have just disappeared.

“What about Reddington?” You finally gather the courage to ask it, voice determined, you not so much inside.

“Still unwilling to talk with us.” Dembe, the gentle giant you have got used to call coworker and even friend in the last months, sights while crossing his arms. You have already seen the look in his eyes, the weight of the decisions you should both had taken as it that could ever change the current situation.

Things were easier when Liz was around, the idea hangs out in the air as if you could nearly capture it. Nobody says it, but all of you know is true. Liz was the only who could talk some sense into him, if someone could ever talk sense into Raymond Reddington. A few years ago, you could trust in Dembe to try it at least too. But since he has become Agent Zuma, the relationship has run cold. A worry for another day, you have more important matters in your hands now.

“Do we know where is him?”

Another question coming from your lips without even realizing, a silent nod the only answer you needed. Before turning to face your unit chief, Harold Copper.

“L/n, you have my permission to go.”

A fancy cocktail bar at six pm on a Monday afternoon. Lately Raymond wasn’t being too careful while choosing his meeting point, but with all you had in mind that was the last of your worries This shouldn’t have happened, nothing of this shouldn’t have happened. If things had been different, now you blamed yourself. Should have told him to stay in the car as Reddington had said, it was a recognition mission after all. But no, Donald Ressler always had to play the hero, and you didn’t have the guts to stop him.

“Y/n, my dear, sit down.” Reddignton retires a chair for you, a far too kind gesture considering how he had acted just an hour ago when Donald went missing in the mission. “Would you join me for a drink?” He pours another glass of a wine, which seems to cost at least a ten percent of your monthly salary, before you could even reply.

“Ressler has disappeared. He is probably being tortured at the moment, maybe even…” That’s another thing you learn in the field. Never say the forbidden word. If you do, you lose any kind of faith in seeing them again. If you lose faith, you lose everything. Even the possibility of them. "And you are thinking about wine?”

“Well, news like that is better taken while tipsy, isn’t it?”

Classical Reddington. Joking in the most inappropriate moments. Well, you also have an habit of storming out when angered. He will have to deal with that.

“You know how much he has lost because of you, right? Liz, his old girlfriend..." That gives you a bitter taste while rolling off your tongue at the same time you stand up. "You know what he has gone through. Don’t you care at least a bit? Once he dedicated his life to see you behind bars you, now he works by your side."

Your words are rushed, agitated. You can't even stop to catch a breath. Not that you want you, not until you are sure Ressler can do the same.

"You should respect that at least, I thought Raymond Reddington cared about his team.”

You see a strange glimmer in his eyes. Not mockery this time, but there was a small smirk in the curve of his thin lips. Laugh? Perhaps a hint of pride?

“First of all, you are well aware I do." He takes a long sip until the glass in empty. " Second, Donald is not in risk. Maybe bruised, but not deeply hurt. Those guys know better than to mess up with my team, as you have put into words.”

“Then why don’t you do something?”

Now there is a full grin on his face as he stands up takes his jacket from the hanger, not without leaving a generous tip on the table.

“I was waiting for you to ask me. And you did, half an hour earlier than I had bet by the way. This case may be even worse than I thought.”

“Cut out the riddles, Reddington.”

“You know he’s in love with you, right?”

How could he say it so blatantly, sweeping his fedora with such a calm manner while you had lost all your words? Mouth hanging and unable to stammer something coherent.

“He what?”

“And it seems pretty mutual to me” With that he puts the hat on and opens the door for both of you. Still trying to process everything you can't help following him in silence.

The rest of the rescue passes bluring infront of your eyes. Reddington telling you the exact location. Entering the housing development which had been carefully built as a cover for the criminal network (only a few houses were actually being used by its members). Dembe and Siya watching your back as the suspects were aiming at you. Clearing the area. Immobilizing the suspects. And finally arriving to Ressler's side.

You try to be gentle as you untie him from ropes which are holding him to a chair. However, your attempts are futile, hands to clumsy and brain dulled by all the emotions coming for you at once. You can't even recall when a few timid tears have started rolling down your cheeks, but you don't mind either. Donald is an equal mess right now, it's the first time you have seen him like these. Vulnerable. Human. And it only adds to the feeling you don't dare to voice. Not yet.

As soon as his free you wrap your arms around him. His nose in your hair as an anchor to remind him you are finally here. A considerable bruise under his eye and his bloody knuckles would usually worry to death (yes, even considering your field). But now you can't bring yourself to care, just wanting to hold him close. An urge to kiss his lips until you are both restless reaches your mind, yet the need for this. Just a hug. Just a simple gesture to assure you he won't be leaving anytime soon is enough for the moment.

"I think you have some things to discuss. I will leave you to it.”

Raymond's words take you by surprise, and between the falling tears you and Donald start laughing at the situation.

"Maybe we should talk about this" You whisper as you try to calm down and reluctantly pull away from him.

Too bad he has no intention of moving, but neitheir of saying what is really going through his mind.

"Maybe. Later. Not now. Just..."

Without further ado he rests his face on the crock of your neck. He had always been a man of action, not too good words. You didn't mind. As long as you could feel his breath on your skin, his warm body relaxing. Working in the unit every second matters. And you will treasure these and enjoy them as long as you can.

[writingbyshiloh]

Part 6

Parts 1-5

CW: Reader gets injured on the job!,(TBH it could be either hand as long as you have a weird handshake),Making out in a closet. Flashbacks to when Ressler walked in on R and Red having sex (part 2) and Liz and the earring (part 3)

WC: 2.3 (!!!!)

AN: Reader did work with a mob team, Flashback to when Ressler slept with Samar in season 4. I’ve never broken a bone so I tried to google as best as I could :) It ends a but abrutly, but I tried for an hour to work out a better ending and nada

Thank you to everyone who read the series, esp those who provided kind comments/feedback/let me bounce ideas off of them!! Whether you read just half of a chapter or all 6 I truly appreciate it. 7 months later we are done!!! 

“And how is the happy couple doing?” Reddington asks, sliding up next to you at the bar. 

“Oh, you know. Hopefully going to get into a huge argument in 10 minutes,” you reply. 

The task force was undercover at a cocktail party, to which a known member of the Blacklist was invited. Red and Liz are paired up, same with you and Ressler, while Samar and Aram are in the van, monitoring everyone. 

The first part of the plan was for Reddington and you to point out the mob member - Sonny Someone or other. Raymond knew them through business, while you knew him from trying to take him down while on a mob squad. 

Part two was you and your “husband” of the evening get into a fight, giving a reasonable excuse to not be mingling with others hoping to let Ressler bond with some of the other criminals. 

Currently, it's part three. You’re slinking around the halls of the event while not being outed as an FBI agent. Your bigger task is making sure you and Reddington are safe from any mob-connected individuals who may want him dead.

You’re both out of sight, being tucked into a storage room with your back uncomfortable against a shelf with a first aid kit next to you, while his hands gently squeeze your hips.

“We shouldn’t. Everyone here is suspicious!” you hiss, weakly protesting his advances, knowing you’re going to give in. He looks too good and you haven’t spent any time with him in the past two weeks outside of work.  

“Personally, I’ve always found the threat of death an aphrodisiac. Don’t you?” 

You rest your forehead on his shoulder, trying to hide your smile. What do you possibly say to that? You let out a small snort of laughter.

His lips dropped to your neck, kissing any exposed skin. You sigh, not daring to make a louder noise. Your arms, however, pulled him closer. 

Dipping your head, you tried to catch his lips with your own. He understands and brings his lips to yours, gently tugging your bottom lip with his teeth as a suggestion of you opening your mouth.

The squeaking of hurried dress shoes caused you to break apart, both leaning closer to the door to hear what's happening. 

You can hear Ressler's voice, strained as if he is jogging, saying, “They said they’re going down this hall, I just don’t see them!” 

On instinct, you flinch back, knocking the first aid kit off the shelf. You wince hearing the dull smack of the kit hitting the floor, then wince harder at the steps before the door. 

You barely hear the end of Donald's phone call, the opening of the door distracting you. Raymond positions his body in front of you, in case of the possibility that it's not Ressler on the other side of the door, but an attacker. 

“What the fuck.” is the only thing Donald can manage. 

You understand how bad the situation looks, Raymond Reddington looking flushed, and you standing behind. You see emotions flit across his face, not quite sure what to say. You squeeze past Reddington to go closer to Ressler. 

Your motion spurs Ressler into action. 

“Are you out of your mind? He's a criminal!” Ressler hisses at you, trying to keep his voice down. 

Reddington wants to correct him, pointing out that he is one of the most wanted criminals but the look you shoot at him makes him close his mouth. 

“It's not that bad!” you protest trying to save face. 

“It is!” 

“It's not!” 

“Does Cooper know?” Ressler lets out a small huff of a laugh “Does Liz know?”

“NO! You’re the first to know. But you can’t tell anyone. Please.” you beg.

“What's stopping me?” 

“I never told a soul about you sleeping with a subordinate! I planned to take that shit to the grave!” 

“A subordinate? I never knew you had it in you, Donald.” Reddington chimes in from behind.

A new voice around the corner makes you all freeze. You’re certain it's Sonny from listening to his voice through surveillance plans. 

Ressler’s comments and discovery have your nerves set ablaze but you still have enough sense to get your work weapon out and ready. You see Ressler do the same. 

Catching Reddington's eye, you jerk your head to the side, trying to get him to go behind you and Donald. He returns with a bewildered look as if you thought he’d willingly place you in danger. 

All three of you are pressed against the wall, trying to figure out what to do next. Ressler is in front of you, Reddington close behind. 

The voice is nearer, talking but no one is answering. Ressler uses his free hand to make the sign of a phone using his thumb and pinky. You nod in agreement. 

Your stress-addled brain tells you this is the best time to get your man. 

Rounding the l-shaped corner you smack into Sonny, trying to come across as a distracted and drunk partygoer, not an FBI agent on the verge of losing their job. 

“I’m sorry! I should watch where I’m going.” You apologize, trying to buy some time for Ressler and Reddington to understand your plan. 

“It is okay. Sonny.” He introduces himself. His hand is extended for a handshake but you would know him without the introduction. You spent months trying to get a lead on the racketeering he's done. 

You take his hand without thinking, glad he doesn’t recognize you. His left hand is on your right, patting your hand. You want to pull your arm away but can’t, wanting to stay in partygoer character. 

It's too fast for you to react until your index and middle fingers are bent back and you're gasping out in pain. 

Your surprise shouting alerts the two men behind you. With your half-baked plan ruined, they round the corner to come and find you and Sonny. 

With the mob member gone, you hold your hand in shock, telling Ressler to go after the mob guy. Instead of following your order, Ressler communicates with Samar and Aram in the van, telling them that Sonny ran towards the exit. 

The combined adrenaline of undercover, being found out, and having at least one finger broken is what keeps you from crying. Or at least what you tell yourself. 

 ----

Hospitals are never your favourite place, but it's exceptionally awkward now. Reddington is off doing something (he sent someone from his team to pay the leftover medical bills) to save some face. You have two broken fingers and want nothing more than to go home. 

Ressler is keeping you company (you suspect he's also the reason a nurse has checked in on you twice in the past 15 minutes). He only left briefly for Cooper to call you to say you’re not fired, but one out of the three weeks off (suggested by the doctor) was a suspension. Inappropriate relationship with a CI. But with the black site, nothing will stay on your file. 

Outside the room, you hear the voices from your team, most of them hushed, one angry. 

Aram being on the verge of tears is not what you expected to see when. You expected anger, or arguing, but not this level of upset from your close friend. Knowing Aram’s tendency to talk when nervous you’re sure he's going to tell you what's going on. 

“Why would you cheat on Dembe with Mr. Reddington?” The hurt in his voice is obvious. 

You can't control the way your jaw drops in shock or the way that your eyes widen. The doctor only gave you regular painkillers, but now you’re wondering if they’re making you loopy. You make eye contact with Ressler, who slowly shakes his head, not wanting to be part of this. 

“Cheat? On Dembe! What does Dembe have to do with this?” you can only hope that no one else can hear the conversation. 

“Dembe! Your boyfriend?” Aram fills you in.

“My who?”

“You’re dating Dembe. The evidence adds up.” Samar chips in. 

“What evidence do you even have?” 

“What about the earrings you left at the safe house? You and Dembe kept looking at each other and the earrings.” Liz supplies.

“Who remembers things like that?” Fucking profilers apparently. 

“What about how you light up when Dembe comes into the post office?” 

Okay. Maybe you’re not as subtle as you think you are. In your defence, however, that would be because he walks in with Raymond. 

“It's even more messed up that it’s with his boss!” 

You suppose it is a good thing your coworkers are so sharp, trying to tease information from your personal life to fit into their theory. 

“What if I told you I’m not actually dating Dembe. So your theory sucks.” 

Maybe you are getting a bit worked up. You watch the wheels spin in their head, trying to figure out. 

Aram is the first to put the pieces together “Mr. Reddington? He's like 60!” 

“That's why you dropped your coffee when Aram asked how things are with Mr. Right! You heard Mr. R and jumped to the conclusion. ” Liz supplies. It takes everything in you not to ask if this is the hospital where her ex-fiancé works. 

You meet Samar’s eye and she frowns in a way that says not too bad. You make a mental note to ask her what the fuck that means. 

“Does Cooper know?” 

“Do I know what?” The man himself asks, entering your hospital room, a bottle of juice from the vending machine for you tucked under his arm. 

If it didn't make you want to crawl into a hole, his timing would be comedic. His appearance still makes you pleased, he can't be that mad if he is visiting you, and bringing you a gift.

“Yes! Can we stop talking about it now?” you plead. 

Your idea is shot down to a chorus of “no!”s. 

“Hand me my drink, I will answer one question each. Choose wisely.” You say. Might as well get something out of this situation. 

---

“If you clench your jaw any harder we'll have to turn back.” you joke to Ressler, his knuckles white with how hard he is gripping the steering wheel. It was nice of him to drive you home, but his anger for you is coming and going in waves.

“You know, it's a shame how you never managed to catch Reddington before the task force started.” you notice his back stiffen at the mention of the FBI most wanted. You pretend to study your splint before continuing. “And do you remember when you wanted to drop off the files at my apartment? At literally the worst possible time?” 

For the first time since being in the car, he looks at you. 

“I bet you're the first FBI agent to walk in on the most wanted having s-” 

“Stop talking.”

---

It's a rarity to see Reddington unsure of himself. Even when you’re alone with him, he carries himself with confidence. Now he looks torn between making sure you’re okay and leaving you alone. 

“You can ask, you know,” you say, putting down your phone. The news about your fingers has spread to non-FBI friends, but typing with one hand is getting exhausting. 

“How did it go?” He’s sitting next to you, as close as he dared reading his newspaper. 

“Better than expected. No more broken limbs, everyone still talking to me, I’m still employed.” 

You shift the bag of frozen strawberries on your hand to get more of the cold. 

“Cooper called me on the way to the hospital, I was slapped with inappropriate relationships with a CI, much better than with a wanted criminal.” You smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Cooper also said he wouldn’t tell the team if he didn't want me to.” 

“But you did. Liz called, and let's just say your friends care about you.” 

Your chest feels warm at the idea of your friends fighting on your behalf. 

“I didn’t, they figured it out. I think all Ressler told them was he found us in a closet. It's whatever. I don’t think I could figure out another reason why it's so funny when he offs to beat up the mystery man.” 

“Yes, he always is a real go-getter, isn't he?” Raymond agrees. 

You press your lips together to hide your guilty expression. Reddington notices and his hand creeps up to the back of your neck, trying to be reassuring. You lean your body weight into him trying to get comfortable. 

“The next time you see Ressler one-on-one” at least you hope he respects you enough to not talk about your sex life with everyone “he's going to have some choice words.” 

You twist your head to look at Reddington's face, eyebrows raised slightly, tongue between his teeth as he tries to understand what you’re going to say. 

“I may have brought up how he, um, interrupted us one time,” you say. Now is not the time to bring up what other sexy details you shared with the team while he was unnamed. 

“Is that why he ran as soon as your door opened?” 

“Yeah, I think I traumatized him in the car.” 

 “He’s a strong man, he’ll live.” 

[blacklist-notary]

Episode 1: Pilot

Synopsis: Raymond Reddington is one of the most sought criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Since the early nineties, he's been brokering deals in the criminal underworld and involving himself in the affairs of spies and terrorists all over the world, regardless of what side they're on. The man is like a ghost; the most that the FBI can find on him are whispers on the wind, long after whatever business he conducts has been concluded.

In the first scene of this episode, Raymond Reddington walks into the central FBI building, gives his name and asks to speak to the head of counter-terrorism. He then takes off his hat, then his coat, then kneels to the ground with his hands behind his head.

Seconds later, alarms start blaring. A small army's worth of armed guards storm the lobby, guns trained on the kneeling man. The building's facial recognition technology has confirmed his identity. Raymond Reddington, considered to be one of the most dangerous criminals on the planet, has just offered himself to the United States government on a silver platter.

And he wants to speak to Elizabeth Keen.

Elizabeth Keen is starting her first day at the FBI as a criminal profiler. She wakes up late, she hurriedly makes plans with her boyfriend for that afternoon, and as she goes to get in the car - she's swarmed by black cars. All This, Just For Being Late? 🤷‍♀️

She's taken directly to Reddington. She doesn't know who Raymond Reddington is, but he knows who she is. And with his curiosity sated, he talks. A dead man isn't actually dead, he's entered the country to kidnap the daughter of an American army general, and Raymond knows all of this because he is the person who facilitated his arrival into the country. Sure enough, man's not dead like the FBI suspected. So this ragtag team of Elizabeth Keen, First Day On The Job; Donald Ressler, Hardnosed No-Nonsense Fed; and Harold Cooper, the Chief of the Counter-Terrorism unit of the entire FBI, have to band together to stop a large-scale terrorist threat being perpetuated by a dead man walking.

There's a shoot-out, there's a large-scale terrorist attack at the heart of the plot, and when the day is saved, Raymond springs his final surprise. This criminal he served up for the feds was only the first. He has a whole list of names - crooks the FBI don't even know about, because these are people the FBI don't even know exist.

He calls it The Blacklist. And sure enough, just about every single episode of this show is predicated on the concept that every new episode stars a new entry on the titular Blacklist. That's the show. Go watch episode two.

Thoughts: This is arguably a perfect pilot episode.

The Blacklist has three running plotlines. First is the A-plot, or the episodic plot at the heart of each individual episode. Who is this week's entry on the Blacklist? What do they want? What carnage are they going to cause if they aren't stopped - what are the stakes? Then you have the B-plot, which is Elizabeth Keen's life. She's happily married, she's adopting a kid with her husband, and she's going to be a criminal profiler while her husband teaches grade school students. How is she going to balance her two lives - the scuzzy underbelly of the criminal underworld, which she has been thrown headfirst into, and the domestic life she's worked to build with her husband?

And then there's the C-plot, which is a series-spanning affair: what the fuck is the deal with Raymond Reddington? This includes all the scenes where he has a long, rambling monologue about the nature of evil and how he's lower than even the lowest imaginable bottom-feeder, or when he pulls whatever disappearing act he needs to pull to be where he needs to be.

This episode strongly establishes all three plotlines. Here's the criminal of the week, watch how their actions play out and how they're foiled in the end. Here's Liz living her life, and here's the first wrinkle in her work/life split that's gonna cause drama down the line. And here's Raymond Reddington being an absolute fucking card, with his motives and ethics entirely up in the air. It's a very entertaining mix.

The Blacklist is at its best when it's following this formula. You have a short-form, episodic plot, then you have a personal character-driven plot, then you have something resembling a myth arc. I used to hate the whole J.J. Abrams "mystery box" thing because I had a friend who was a massive J.J. nuthugger and I was so sick of it past a certain point, but Raymond Reddington is ostensibly a mystery box - the intrigue stemming from who he is and what his lofty, unknown ambitions are is what spices up the show.

Scrubs is another show that benefits from a strong adherence to formula. Every episode has three running storylines that are linked by a central theme - sometimes the stories themselves are connected, other times they play on a central theme but are otherwise unconnected. Pretty much every episode is constructed that way, and the plotting and the humour is pitch-perfect - it's held up so well because the formula is airtight.

These two shows adhere to different formulas, but they both benefit from adhering to a coherent, airtight formula that works for the show in question. Scrubs is mostly an episodic show, and every episode is a play on that three-arc episode structure. The Blacklist is at its best when it maintains a strong episodic storyline, a strong character-driven storyline (whether it be Elizabeth's struggles with Reddington, or Aram's relationship with another character) and a strong myth arc centred around Raymond Reddington and the numerous mysteries surrounding his character and his actions over the course of the series.

And by those parameters, the pilot episode of The Blacklist is one of the better episodes of the show. One of the best episodes, maybe, because it has its whole ten year run ahead of it and all the potential that comes with that. It's a perfect distillation of the Blacklist concept, it's a great example of how its A, B and C-plots are going to intersect, and it's overall just a very tightly produced episode of television. It's peak.

There are weak points. I think Liz stabbing someone in the neck is pretty out of character compared to what her character would become, even if I sympathize with her freak-out that leads to the aforementioned incident. The show isn't quite as snazzy as it would eventually become; the camera work is a bit slow in the second half of the episode. But overall, I think it's a fine episode of television.

Oh god, and I didn't even mention the huge plexiglass cube prop they keep Reddington in!! That shit looks like it cost THOUSANDS of dollars to make, and I always love seeing it appear in the show.

I'm in two minds about the pilot. A part of me wants to say it's one of the best episodes of the show, while another part is kinda wistful because the show is gonna get so much juicier from here. It's nostalgic to go back to season one after how convoluted later seasons get, but by that same token, season four is gonna go so crazy when I get to it. But either way - I have a soft spot in my heart for the pilot. I think it's an excellent representation of what the show is, I think it does a perfect job establishing the episodic component of the show - the titular Blacklist - and I think the plot at the heart of the episode is a great teaser for what the show has to offer going forward.

[bg-sparrow]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Possession

"I've got it."

Rating: M || Genre: Romance, Angst, Whump, Hurt/Comfort || Summary: Reddington's latest Blacklister is the face of a successful cruise line — and a former competitor in the luxury goods smuggling business. To obtain Albert Sconce's ledger, Liz and Ressler will have to go undercover as newlywed, prospective clients for an extended cruise on Sconce's newest ship. As they blur the lines they'd otherwise never cross, danger unfolds at every turn, threatening to sink their op and take them down with it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57831091/chapters/160498684

[probablyevilrpgideas]

Raymond Reddington is a great example of an evil character working with good characters

Raymond "Red" Reddington (played by James Spader) is the primary protagonist of the show The Blacklist. He is a notorious criminal who turns himself into the FBI (in amazing style, walking in and giving his name and asking to speak to Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Harold Cooper, then assuming the position to be cuffed while they look him up).

Once in front of Cooper, Red basically pitches the premise of the show- he has a list of criminals that he offers to help the FBI pursue, criminals that span the world and are so good at what they do, the FBI doesn't even know about them. Each episode (or occasional two parter) is about another one of these criminals who Red tells the task force about.

He's not gone soft or turned a new leaf of anything, tho, he is still a cold blooded killer who makes frequent use of his many criminal contacts and isn't interested in playing by the FBI's rules. He is in fact using the task force to his own ends and has made the case to the task force that he's more useful when he has his autonomy and cover, that they can't do anything with the names he gives them if he isn't allowed to "keep up appearances."

Red is a very nuanced portrayal of a cold blooded, ruthless criminal. He has loved ones, such as his assistant and heavy Dembe Zuma, whom he rescued from a life of child slavery, whether as a sex slave or child soldier, and he shows genuine care for Elizabeth Keene, who is essentially his handler in his roll as a criminal informant, and Mr. Kaplan, an older woman (and a lesbian) who runs body disposal and evidence cleanup for Red. It is clear that Red sees his closest associates as some form of family.

And if that bond is betrayed, well, he is still a ruthless criminal and has certain ideas about how things should go. The surest way to end up dead is to get in his way (actually, rather than whatever way he assumed you would as part of his Xanatos gambit).

The task force he works with are broadly characters I would place as good-aligned in D&D- Lawful Good, by the book, stick up his ass hero field agent Donald Ressler, Neutral Good, emotions on his sleeve computer specialist Aram Mojtebai, "somewhere in the intersection of Chaotic Good and Chaotic Neutral" profiler with a heart of gold but circumstances of shit Liz Keene, and Neutralish Good leaning Chaotic or Lawful from situation to situation team dad Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Harold Cooper, but also with True Neutral agent on loan from the CIA Meera Malik and Neutral *Something* Mossad Agent on loan Samar Navabi.

Samar and Meera do their share of questionable or outright immoral things, but mostly in that 24-style of "if I don't do this bad thing, innocents could die". Tho, Meera cheerfully informs a suspect in her first episode what the difference between FBI and CIA is, namely, that she's allowed to prod at the open wound on his leg to get him to talk.

But Raymond is the Big Evil Teammate. Meera will take advantage of a suspect's wounds to get information. Samar's specialty in Mossad is actually torture, and has on occasion pulled a "do what you want with him." But Raymond has a torture specialist on speed dial and is pretty quick with summary executions with no feelings of regret.

But the Task Force works with him because he largely targets criminals with his own crimes and he's useful.

He is a perfect example of the evil teammate, which some of the good guys even like (or at least have respect for)

[meetmeatthecoda]

Halcyon by meetmeatthecoda Fandoms: The Blacklist (US TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Chapters: 7/7 (complete) Words: 117,335 Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply, Elizabeth Keen/Raymond Reddington, Elizabeth Keen, Raymond Reddington, Agnes Keen, Dembe Zuma, Harold Cooper, Charlene Cooper, Alina Park, Donald Ressler, Aram Mojtabai, various OCs, Lizzington - Freeform, Agnesgate, AU, post-8.22, Fix-it fic, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Angst, Lots of Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Suicidal Thoughts, briefly, in the start of chapter 3, and an equally brief discussion of them in chapter 5, some sexual content, Nothing too explicit, and last but not least, no Redarina, no relation at all ever between red & liz, obviously

Summary:

Halcyon - adjective:

denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.

noun:

a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly colored plumage.

a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.

origin:

from Greek alkuōn ‘kingfisher’ (also halkuōn, by association with hals ‘sea’ and kuōn ‘conceiving’).

An AU post-8.22 fix-it fic, wherein Liz survives her shooting - unbeknownst to everyone - & flees the country in an effort to protect those dear to her, living a solitary, lonely existence on a loch in Scotland & coping with the only outlet she has, a hobby begun as a coping mechanism during a traumatic childhood & kept since then as a closely-guarded secret: art.

“As with all things in her life, it was born from fire.”

☕️ Buy Me a Coffee ☕️

🎶 Playlist below the cut! 🎶

Meant To Be by Ber & Charlie Oriain

Rockland by Gracie Abrams

Walking On The Moon by Ruelle

graves by Purity Ring

32 Floors by Lapsley

Rolling Like a Ball by Ludovico Einaudi

Brush Fire by Gracie Abrams

Much Too Much by Lennon Stella

You Hold Me Up by The Bones of J.R. Jones

As The World Caves In by Matt Maltese (cover by Sarah Cothran)

Men On The Moon by Chelsea Cutler

you broke me first by Tate McRae

Games by Lennon Stella

Save Us by Lennon Stella

Takeaway by The Chainsmokers, ILLENIUM feat. Lennon Stella

Best by Gracie Abrams

Where do we go now? by Gracie Abrams

Amelie by Gracie Abrams

85mm by Ludovico Einaudi

ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine

Through the Eyes of a Child by AURORA

Edge of the Dark by Emmit Fenn

Blinded by Emmit Fenn

Memories by Emmit Fenn

Spectrum by Andrew Belle

I Can’t Believe I Had You by Emmit Fenn

Far from Here by Emmit Fenn

In Between Breaths by SYML

Two people by Gracie Abrams

[aeliana-882]

Just started it a few months ago, on season 6 episode 11 starting tomorrow 😊

is anyone still in the blacklist fandom in 2022? if you're not pls go watch it but if you are repost :)

[den-kah]

Milagro de Navidad 🎄

Rating: General Audiences

Fandom: The Blacklist (US TV)

Relationships: Keenler, Elizabeth Keen/Donald Ressler

Characters: Elizabeth Keen, Donald Ressler, Raymond Reddington

Additional Tags: Fandom Secrets Secret Santa 2020, Secret Santa. The Blacklist Secret Santa, Adopted Children, Established Relationship

Language: English

Words:1,097

Summary: Liz and Ressler receive a Christmas miracle and a new member arrives in the family.

AO3

Christmas miracle 🎄🎁

Liz and Ressler had been married for almost two years. About six months ago, they went to an adoption agency, filled out the paperwork and everything, but there was almost always a problem. When the appointment was available, they had work. When they were available, the mother had already found other parents. Therefore the couple remained on hold.

Reddington offered to help them with the papers and the whole process, but Liz didn't want Red to interfere in the process, she and Ressler wanted to do things correctly and legally.

A month ago, Liz and Ressler were in an operation and rescued many people who were victims of kidnapping and human trafficking. There were children working who were passing merchandise through tunnels, there were women who had been abused, and there were some women who were pregnant.

And there was a woman who was in charge of a little 1 year old baby. Unfortunately her friend had died in childbirth and she was taking care of the baby.

Liz was horrified by what she was seeing. They rescued the people and gave them the necessary medical care.

Both Liz and Ressler had grown fond of the baby. And Reddington didn't let it pass.

It was Christmas time. And the team had made a Christmas dinner a few days before, since some agents were going to travel to spend Christmas with their relatives. In this case, Liz and Ressler were planning to spend Christmas with the Ressler family.

A week before, the couple received a notification advising them that they had been approved to adopt, and that for now they would remain on the waiting list.

They were happy for the news and for that same reason they wanted to spend Christmas at Ressler's house to be able to break the news to them.

On the other hand Reddington kept thinking about the little girl they had rescued weeks ago. He saw how adorable she looked in the couple's arms. When he learned that the couple had been approved to adopt, he decided to give them a little help.

Red pulled strings so that the girl was in the system and more than anything, so that the girl reached the couple. Reddington found the girl and began reviewing her documents so that she would be approved and could be turned over to her future parents.

The agency received a notification that a couple had been approved and a girl was also available. The documents matched the interests of the parents.

The little baby had already found parents who would adopt her.

Reddington made sure all the documents were in order and most of all, he made sure everything was legal as the couple wanted.

When Liz and Ressler arrived in Detroit they received a notification telling them that they had found a girl for them. And that they could now take her home with them.

They both got excited and asked about the girl. The lady said that she was in a family home in Detroit and they could stop by that same day or the next day.

Liz was surprised that she was in Detroit, right where they were.

They arrived at Ressler's house, left their things, and with few explanations given to the family, they went looking for the baby.

When they arrived at the family home, they were surprised that it was the girl they had rescued months ago. Liz cried with emotion when she saw that she would be her daughter. She was thrilled to know that now she would have a family and she would no longer suffer.

"She's beautiful, I can't believe it." Ressler said.

"She's a girl, we have a girl," Liz yelled with excitement.

Ressler and Liz hugged, filled out and signed some papers and now it was official. They would be parents to a girl. On the way home, the couple got a call, it was Reddington.

"Merry Christmas Lizzy and Ressler. I found out that they are already parents of a girl."

"Please tell me you didn't do anything illegal. We told you not to interfere in the process."

"Calm Donald. Everything was completely legal. I promise. I saw that they had both grown fond of little Catalina, I checked the system and she was available to adopt her. All I did was make sure she had you as parents. She needs a family and you want one. Now she will have love and she will lack nothing because you will be great parents."

"Thank you Red. We appreciate your help." Liz said

"Thank you Reddington, for helping us with this process. But seriously, please don't interfere again, we want to do it the right way." said Ressler

"And I promise you that it was and it will be. You can review the stationery and the whole process. I promise you that everything was completely legal and correct. I wouldn't risk this opportunity being lost because of me."

"Thank you very much and merry christmas."

When they got home, Ressler's family was happy and also very excited because they had already been able to complete all the documents and finally, they had the opportunity to be parents.

"She is a beautiful girl. I'm already a grandmother." Ressler's mother said.

"And I already have a little niece, oh dear. I am very happy that you are already a father." Ressler's aunt said.

Everyone excited, hugged and held the baby.

"This is a Christmas miracle." Ressler's mother said.

"Yes, this is definitely a miracle," Liz said.

The family had dinner, photographs were taken and they did not stop giving love to Catalina.

"I can not believe it. We are already parents. Don, this is really happening, we are officially parents." Liz said crying with emotion.

"Yes Liz. We have a daughter. A little baby who will need a lot of love. And we have love to spare. She will grow up in good hands. She will be alright."

Liz and Ressler hugged and kissed. They were both happy to have a girl and to be parents.

They took a picture with the girl at the Christmas tree. The family continued to laugh and celebrate the happiness of having one more member in the family.

And from that day on, Christmas was never the same again. This Christmas was a very special Christmas because it was the day Catalina came home. And it was the day that Liz and Ressler officially became parents. And now they had a way to go in the company of her daughter, Catalina.

[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