#keenler ask

[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.

[kiss-my-freckle]

For those asking, I’m very much looking forward to S10 of The Blacklist. Let me put this into perspective by covering Raymond's dialogue in 4x17.  

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Kate: This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control. Red: Indeed. I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I’ve built a vast criminal network predicated on that very principal. It’s time to live up to my mission statement.

THIS is why Marvin brought Kate back into the show through her sister. They covered every threat Katarina brought... from the Cabal to to the OUC to Neville Townsend. They covered every threat “Raymond” brought... from Constantin Rostov to Ian Garvey to his treason charges in season 6. They covered Raymond and Katarina so much that they revealed an imposter for each. 

Red: I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her.

Tom Keen is all that’s left aside from Raymond’s reveal. 

Belinda: If you ask me, carnations are the sad flower of weddings past.

The ONLY mistake Red ever made with Liz, was not killing Tom when he had the chance in 1x22. Had he killed Tom in 1x22, Liz would still be alive. I’m predicting serious Tom reveals, and Keenler in a way that no one has seen. And yes, I’m expecting a Keenler sex scene that was filmed back in season 2. 

[cesraeborgia]

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

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

Thoughts?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope that answers your question :))

[matan4il]

You had an anon mention slow burns and also Luke and Lorelie. Firstly I agree with the messiness of S5a and S6a. I wrote to you a few weeks ago its just messy timelines and I hope if they get S7 they stop this pacing. I don't know alot about the other ships but I believe in Luke and Lorelie supremacy. However..... no joke it was torture watching it real time pre-tumblr.

Listen, it took them 5 seasons to get together. Really only one season of drama free being together. They spent more time married to other people then spent together. We got the pay off in the last 5 minutes of the finale. We won, so yeah. But that shit was torture every week. Tumblr posts would have been a mess back then if it was the same now.

And I bring all this up to get to my point. I sustained it all because I was relatively certain that this straight couple would make it, I was supposed to root for them. They were at the basis each other's rocks. Buck and Eddie still are straight or the very least believe the other is. That's not just angst to get over, that's a sexual identity crisis to get over.

And hopefully like Gilmore Girls they will. One day I can rewatch the same way I do now. Spoiler alert, wanted to cry when she married Chris in Paris, now I can throw popcorn at it and laugh. Just kidding, I still FF that part.

But again, I'm like you I can't promise it will go Canon. If it doesn't its because they are cowards. However in alot of ways there is a stronger case for Buck and Eddie being soul mates rather then Luke and Lorelie. Again I love L&L but still they were messy and heartbreaking to watch.

Hi lovely Nonnie! Thank you so much for the ask. As well for keeping up with my blog and repeatedly writing to me. I appreciate the vote of confidence! ;)

As for Gilmore Girls, I have to confess that while I’ve seen an ep here or there (I never got to see them in sequence, as you’re meant to, so I never got into the swing of things. I’ve seen enough to know some basic stuff, but not much more than that). So I can’t comment on Luke and Lorelai’s love story beyond the fact that they were OBVIOUS. I could see them coming from the first sec I saw them in a scene together. They were ALWAYS going to happen. The show couldn’t have been clearer about it. And yeah, this is what a slow burn means, if we’re being honest. A lot of torture along the way, because it’s meant to make the pay off at the end that much sweeter. Does it actually manage to do it? The answer varies between ships, and probably between fans of the same ship, too. But that’s the principal, the road is usually bumpy, some parts of it are delicious angst and pining, and screaming about how these bozos still don’t get it, but yeah, some parts of it are not that fun to travel.

My deepest sympathies for going through all of that for Luke and Lorelai! I hear you, and I hope you still got to enjoy at least some of the pay off at the end of it all. I know how you feel. I went through 8 seasons for Keenler (BEWARE! SPOILERS for The Blacklist), and I can count the moments they were actually together on... let’s be generous and say two hands. But stupidly, it works. I treasure the moments that I did get all the more ‘coz I love how long and patiently and without demand Ressler waited for Liz. They had their messiness as well, but God, he loved her so profoundly. To see her realizing that and reciprocating his feelings was beautiful and worth it, even though I will forever wish they had more time together. But to tell you it was fun along the whole way? No. The parts of the story where Liz got back together with Tom were hell, seeing her re-committing herself to him was awful because HE was awful, in general and to Liz (so it wasn’t just as a Keenler shipper that I couldn’t stand that part of the show), and even when he was gone, there were almost two seasons where I survived on essentially one scene of comforting (but seemingly casual and platonic) touch. Slow burn is NOT for the faint of heart.

And you know what I love the most, Nonnie? Is that bit you threw in about Luke and Lorelai still having less in the way of ‘soulmate material’ than Buddie. Because I can actually make a LONG list of CANON couples that I absolutely ADORE that this is true for. And that’s exactly why we keep saying that if Buck or Eddie were a woman, they’d be inevitable, right?

Thank you again, have a great day! As always, here’s my ask tag. xoxox

[love-is-fiction]

in which Liz’s eyes say ‘I love you’ before she does

[aussieokie]

As someone who was a HUUUGE fan of your Conversations fanfics, i wonder (or rather hope) if thats a concept you might still want to continue. Or maybe something more like a fix it fic that gives keenler a proper happy ending. You’re an incredibly talented writer and I feel like you’d knock that out of the park.

Obviously I respect if you no longer wish to write about TBL and im grateful for what you wrote over the years. Just thought i’d let you know if you do decide to ever post something again, i would personally be thrilled.

Much love❤️

Hi, thanks for the kind words! I really loved writing the Conversations series, and adding in 'scenes between scenes' that we got on the show. I was SO into the episodes that I couldn't think of anything else during the early years and wrote so much.

But after a few years, that desire wasn't as strong to keep writing Ressler and Keenler fics. I also felt like I'd pretty much written every way possible of hurting Ressler in my fics! Yes, I was shameless.

I slowly resorted to about one fic a year for the Blacklist Secret Santa, mostly Red and Ressler whump fics.

But I DID actually write a post 822 Keenler fix it fic! It's here on AO3 and on FFN. Thanks again!

[resslerhatesmagicians]

all i ask before the end of this season is for one cute happy scene in which liz and ressler do something normal and not dangerous like go on a date at a beach or take a romantic walk in the park together without having to be on the run, just ONE SCENE </3

[meetmeatthecoda]

It's funny to me that people ship Liz

with Tom, who lied to her, manipulated her, held her at gunpoint (on numerous occasions), beat her up (on numerous occasions), said that he pitied her but not loved her, told her their marriage and his desire to adopt a baby was "just a job" for him, took her to the man he knew was going to kill her aka fake Berlin, used her as a shield and generally made it abundantly clear that he would always - and I mean always - put himself first, even and, especially, over her and that he had no qualms about hurting her emotionally and physically for his own benefit ( as opposed to Red, who's never intentionally hurt her or put her in harm's way, who would rather die than hurt her, who would always - and I mean always - put his Lizzy first, even and, especially, over himself, who traded his freedom, his well-being, his life for hers on a number of occasions, who devotedly waited ten months for her to wake up from her coma, barely leaving her side, I imagine, who always forgave and staid by her side no matter how much she hurt and/or betrayed him, who was more worried about Liz's mental and emotional state than his own life when she made her repeated attempts to kill him... should I continue? )

or

with Ressler, who's always been like a brother for Liz more than anything - which shows in the way they supported each other when they had problems with their respective partners, in the way Ressler asked Liz's advice about his relationship with Audrey, in the way Ressler offered to beat Tom up for her, in the way they always looked out for each other in a completely platonical way - ( as opposed to Red, who repeatedly told Liz that he is not her father - and he never lies to her, that much is unquestionable - and who is clearly not her mother for a number of reasons I don't feel like it's necessary to list ).

Yet they call us - Lizzingtons, the fans of the most healthy relationship in the whole show - hurtful words like perverts etc.

Just... isn't it obvious how utterly ridiculous it is?

In other words, anon? It's 1000% obvious... At least to us 😒😒😒 You summed things up really perfectly, I'm not sure what else I can add honestly... T*m was unhealthy & dangerous for Liz, R*ssler is brotherly at best, & we're still the disgusting ones 😐 I know the lines have always been blurred with this show (& that's TPTB's fault btw) but the fact that we receive so much hate for shipping Liz with the ONE male character that loves & protects her with his whole self & NOT the abuser OR the mannequin? K 🙄 Long story short, anon, I agree with you, & thank you for this 🥺 Much love to you, my friend!! ❤️

[lizicia]

hi. i’ve recently started watching the blacklist and fell into the keenler hellhole (im only on s2 but i can feel it in my bones they’re never going to be canon as this is just my luck), anyway i’ve read some of your fics (amazing!) and then i went to your profile and saw that you also wrote snowells. ive been away from the fandom for a long time but i used to be so obsessed with this ship ;__;those were the good times. anyway just wanted to say thank you for your great work for the niche ships!

Ah thanks! I'm out of those fandoms now - or really any fandoms - but nice to know people are still reading and appreciating my fics :)

[fancycaroline]

Hi @fancycaroline!! I hope you and your beloved ones be safe and healthy. Can you draw how should be the wedding of Keenler??

Hi Anon! My family and I are very well and enjoying the long-awaited summer!!! ☀️🐝🌿🌻. Thankyou for your well wishes 🥰

I am deeply honoured to be asked to draw such a delightful scenario. I just wanted to give you a preview of my vision for a Keenler wedding without giving away everything, but also to let you know that I’m on the job! I truly hope you like the finished product whenever it will be ready. This is just one possible scenario, more on the traditional and romantic side...

This drawing will require A LOT of tweaking and, since it’s AU, completely from my imagination, which scares me, cuz I like to get the faces just right. Anyways, stay-tuned for the final draft!

Thanks for the Ask!

FancyCaroline

[piketrickfeet]

Hey I love reading your fics! I'd love it if you could write one about prompt 15 about Keenler :)

“I didn’t know you could dance like that!” 

*****

Liz had known Ressler for almost a decade at this point and somehow he still managed to surprise her.  She knew quite a few things about him, more now that they were dating, things like that he didn’t like most hot liquid foods, preferred black coffee, and laid out his clothes the night before so that Agnes could help him pick out a tie.  And still, he was able to surprise her.  

Take now, for example.  They were guests at the wedding of one of Ressler’s old college buddies, both of them warm and content from the flowing champagne and friendly atmosphere.  At one point, Ressler had pulled her up by her hand, sliding his other around her waist and leading her out to the dance floor, twirling her around to make her laugh before pulling her close again. 

They’ve been dancing for several songs now, joining up with some of Ressler’s friends during the fast songs and standing chest to chest for the slow ones.  

“Are you ready for this?” one of his friends asks during one song.

“Ready for what?” Ressler responds from over Liz’s shoulder.  

“Connie requested ‘Sing, Sing, Sing,” his friend says, a shit-eating grin on his face.  Liz glances between them with a look of confusion on her face.  

“Oh no,” Ressler groans, pressing his forehead into Liz’s shoulder, just as the song starts playing over the speakers.  Around him, his friends cheer and he watches as several of them break away from their dates and partner up.  Ressler cups Liz’s cheeks and smiles before pressing a kiss to her lips.  “Please don’t think differently of me.” 

Liz watches as Ressler catches Connie in a spin and then the whole group starts a moving quickly, their feet moving in rhythm with the song, spinning partners back and forth, lifting them in unison.  It becomes pretty apparent pretty quickly to Liz that they are all experienced with swing dancing.  

She can’t take her eyes off of him.  Ressler keeps catching her eye as he twirls around, laughing with his dance partner and the grin on Liz’s face grows until she’s throwing her head back in laughter.  

The song is over quickly and Ressler makes his way over to her, face flushed and grin wide, pulling her into his embrace.  

“I didn’t know you could dance like that!” Liz says with a laugh, flinging her arms around his shoulders.  “I’m very impressed, sir.” 

“Yeah, we were all part of a swing dancing club in college,” he explains, finally catching his breath.  

“Ballet, swing dancing.  Is there any other types of dances do you know?” Liz asks incredulously.  

Ressler pretends to think for a moment and then swings her around back onto the dance floor.  “I took several years of salsa as a kid,” he whispers before maneuvering her through a quick set of steps and she throws her head back laughing again.  

“You never cease to surprise me.”  

“Gotta keep you on your toes,” he replies, spinning her out quickly before pulling her back in and kissing her soundly.  

prompts

[kiss-my-freckle]

At this point, Hudson has Jonathon looking into Ressler, so if anyone does a DNA test between Ressler and Agnes... it'll be Jonathon, which is every bit what I've been predicting since his character was first introduced. He's gonna be the one to help Ressler connect to his daughter just as Ressler helped protect Lauren and her son in season 9. 

Dembe: Will you still think of him that way if he’s the reason your life falls apart? Red: So what if he is? Who am I to hold up my life and work against his life and his work? After what I heard yesterday, hell, I’d vote for the guy.

The task force will have an issue with Hudson because Red doesn’t give a shit what happens. Red told Dembe this when he had his conversation with him. That’s why I think the series will end with two blondes... Rederina and Blair Foster. Red will have a problem with Blair Foster because Red is Katarina. 

My guess... Jonathon will be first to side with Red and the task force, Hudson will be next. Blair Foster will be the one to die. 

If the person taking Agnes’ photo at the ballet is a secret last minute inclusion. I’m going with Scottie. It would be to Cooper's belief she's the only grandparent Agnes has left since Howard's in prison and Cooper thinks Tatiana was the real Katarina. With Cooper and Charlene not being there, I could see him calling Scottie to send photos. If it were someone other than Scottie, Cooper would have no problem telling Red about having received photos on his phone. He doesn't, which makes me believe this is someone they both know, but not someone Red gets along with. Also, Scottie is the only person I know of that would be comfortable texting Cooper a photo of Agnes, and not bother with Red despite him being there. They completely let him be, so they're neither a friend or foe of Red’s.

"You should have seen Agnes. She was heaven. Absolute heaven." 

Loved the Romeo and Juliet theme, loved Hudson’s comment about Liz being Ressler’s lover, loved Agnes' purple flowers, and loved Red's comment here. Stairway to Heaven. These Keenler & KeenlerBaby bits are nice.

I think Cooper breaking into Red's place was done to introduce the idea of Jonathon breaking into Red's or Cooper's. And if he does, he's gonna get Agnes' DNA and compare it to Ressler’s. Hudson asked for proof. Being Agnes' father would directly tie Ressler to fugitive Liz Keen. That's how Jonathon would see it.

If one really wants to get technical, Ressler was the one who let Liz escape the Post Office, which allowed her to come back and shoot the AG. That could be Jonathon's angle too. He's the one who brought up the death of the AG, and Agnes was conceived around that time lol.

[cesraeborgia]

hi i’ve read all your keenler stories on tumblr and there was a few in particular(incomplete) that i just wanted to know if you were ever going to finish or if i need to think out an ending in my head. -We’re so beautiful(and so broken) -Endgame Thanks, also I love your stories, do you maybe take keenler prompts?

Hi there!! Thanks for stopping by!!!!! I am notorious for not completing fics, however, this is something that I’ve been working on!!! I’m happy to say that Endgame does have an ending, and I am literally in the process of editing the last chapter as we speak, so that should be up within the next couple of days!! I got behind on the updating process this fall due to my coursework, but I’m happy to say that for once in my life I actually wrote a complete fic. 

As for We’re so Beautiful (and so broken), I currently do not have an ending for this; this particular fic I think was initially written in like 2016? (god I’m old) and is not particularly reflective of my writing style now. I have, however, toyed with the idea of taking it down and editing it / completing it sometime in the future. My laptop is full of half-written blacklist fics, and I actually recently resurfaced one that was about 5,000 words deep two and a half years ago which I’m currently trying to string into some grand plot. As with everything I say when it comes to planning, take this with a grain of salt; as much as I want to be more consistent with you guys, the insanity (and perhaps beauty) of my writing is that I often times abruptly stop what I’m working on to write something else (this is precisely how both Endgame and Dive in at the Deep End came about). I’ll try to keep you guys updated as things progress!!

And I most definitely take prompts!! Though, it may be a hot minute before you see them written. (Again, I’m so sorry). I actually finished a prompt from two years ago a couple of months ago, but I was assured that it was worth the weight. The way in which I go about writing these prompts is not contingent upon when they were sent, I pretty much write them whenever I think I actually can contribute something meaningful to the lore / when I love them. Don’t let this dissuade you from sending me stuff though, especially because I am trying to do a lot more writing in the next couple of weeks. I hope that answered your questions :)))

If you want to chat with me about keenler, my fics, send me prompts, or just say hello!! feel free to drop me an ask here

[matan4il]

Hi!! First love all your meta! It’s so fascinating to read and as a film student a lot of your analysis is how I’ve analyzed it though there’s always something I didn’t notice that you did!

Quick question - you mentioned waiting 8 seasons for a ship where one married and had a kid then they got together and one died…and it sounds just so familiar but I can’t put my finger on it. What show / ship was that?? (Btw I agree with everything else in that post lol)

Hi, lovely Nonnie! Awwww, thank you so much for the kind words! :D Ooooh, you're a film student, I'm sure you're kicking ass at your studies, and I hope you're enjoying it, too! Please never hesitate to come talk to me about anything film related if you feel like it, I love TV and films in general. And I'm so glad we analyze Buddie the same way, and thrilled I can still add something new to the mix! *hugs big*

Oooh. OK, IDK if there's more than one show out there that fits that description, though I suspect the answer is sadly yes, 'coz TV showrunners can be pricks, but in my case, I was referring to The Blacklist, and the ship is Ressler and Liz (aka Keenler).

I wasn't gonna ramble about them, 'coz while I've watched the entire show, I was never an active part of the fandom, but since I got this ask... Let me just preface this by saying I think TBL is an excellent show, but it IS set in a dark world, so it’s not necessarily for everyone, unlike 911. Also, I will ramble for a sec, but I promise everything I’ll say will relate to Buddie at the end.

So, one of the things that makes TBL excellent is it's a show built around a central mystery, that they manage to make complex enough in order to stretch the mystery over 8 years, and yet the solution we learn in eps 821/822 (the finale of s8) is so organic that it actually fits EVERYTHING, all the little clues, insanely well, down to what seems like nonsensical throwaway comments in s1, and making even clues that seemed to contradict each other finally make sense and fit together. But that requires A LOT of planning ahead. I'm not saying things didn't change along the road when it comes to the exact sequence of steps that led to solving the mystery, some things did, like Liz's actress getting pregnant and that being written into the show, but the end goal of what the solution was and how all the pieces of the mystery puzzle fit together, and what elements would be necessary to get us there, they clearly had that goal in mind and it never changed, allowing them to plant hints, partial reveals and promises in such an effective manner along the way.

This amount of planning ahead is also relevant to Keenler. 'Coz when I watched s1, at first I didn't notice Ressler and Liz. TBL built such a mystery around Tom for Liz to decipher, it didn't look like she was even noticing anyone else, while Ressler had a laser focus on Red (after all, he's been chasing Red for 5 years). But by ep 104, it's Ressler's arms that Liz allows herself to fall apart in, and it's clear he probably already liked her to some degree (the way he checks up on her a little earlier in that ep is SO tender), but when Liz lets go, you can tell that this really managed to break through the walls he had built around himself. Still, what sealed things for me, that the show was planning on doing something with Liz and Ressler at some point, was ep 105. Because it seems to be keeping Liz completely preoccupied with the Tom mystery, yet you can tell she's taken a real interest in Ressler, unlike anything she was showing towards any other Task Force member at that point. It made the special attention they're paying to each other mutual, and highlighted their bond. So 105 is when I became convinced something is coming for these two. I just didn't know when.

Lemme tell you, I did not expect the show to drag out things with Tom - when he's clearly implied to be the wrong guy for Liz from the start - for as long as they did, and to throw in a wedding and a baby, too. Seriously, everyone shipping Keenler deserves a medal. And if you think we only have crumbs with Buddie at times, with Keenler we had microscopic ones. I once went an entire season on the way Liz looked at the spot on her arm that Ressler touched while he tried to comfort and reassure her. But I kept in mind that by ep 301, Ressler's feelings for Liz were kinda canon in my book. Red, whose devoted parental love for Liz is one of the reasons I kept watching, mentions the importance of Ressler's feelings for Liz (though he doesn't explicitly call those feelings love, which means that it's still not technically canon, the way Red words it when he could have talked about the importance of Ressler's friendship or loyalty to Liz, that's why I think it is subtextually canon from this point on). So what I took from this was that Ressler is already in love with Liz, that Red knows (and quietly approves, which is echoed in the talk he and Ressler have in ep 901), and that if Ressler wasn't aware of his own feelings before, he had to be aware of them after Red's words.

And yet, we still had to wait until 717 for Liz to explicitly express how much Ressler means to her, that she can't live without him, and until 801 for them to even kiss.

But the reason why we had to wait so long is a part of what makes this ship so good! Because the first 8 seasons of TBL are about the tragedy of Liz, whose fate is to a great degree shaped by the lies and manipulations of key people in her life. Some lie to her because they believe they're protecting her (like Red and Dom), while others lie to her 'coz they want something from her (like Tom and Tatiana Petrova). But as Liz says when she finally confesses her love in 819, Ressler was the one person who didn't lie to her, who was just there for her. That makes him truly stand out in her life. But it's more than that. What Tom wanted from Liz was her love and he didn't care what he had to do in order to get it, he was willing to lie, manipulate, kill and even put Liz in harm's way in order to be with her. Ressler, in contrast, never wants anything from Liz. He never demands anything from her, not even her love. He's content to be in her life and love her while being 'just a friend'. He loves her so long and so quietly, so unassuming and undemanding, it breaks my heart. He's made aware of his own feelings by 301 at the latest, and yet at the end of s3 he has to watch Liz marry another man. More than that, Ressler physically put himself between her and a rain of bullets so she could marry that other man. Just think about those levels of quiet devotion and love, not once complaining or asking for things to be different.

And it's exactly why he's the right man for Liz. Those literal YEARS of the ship being nothing more than hints and subtextual promises for something at some point in the vague future, they happen for a reason (as much as I wish Ressler and Liz got more time together before her actress left the show).

Ressler is in love with Liz for years, and when they finally happen, it's because she's finally ready for it. He's the one person who lets her decide her own fate. So even then, after Liz first kisses him, Ressler makes no demands or assumptions, he lets her decide what step to take next and when. To me, that makes their love story even more beautiful, as short and as tragic as their canon time ends up being. Because you just get how much it means, and you also know that to Ressler every moment they spent together counted, even before Liz kissed him. I am never gonna be normal about how much those two love each other (Liz too, even before she figured it out. The way she was there for Ressler and cared about him long before she worked out what it means and what they could have together).

And now I'm gonna circle back to Buddie, 'coz here's the thing. After roughly 3.5 years of Buddie, we CANONICALLY have more explicitly deep and meaningful moments between Buck and Eddie (I mean, the legal guardian talk ALONE, I wail) than we ever got with Keenler during the first 7 seasons of TBL. And the other Love Interests that Buddie got so far have been far less impactful or developed than Tom was. So if TBL could make good on its own promises and hints along the years, and let Keenler go canon as a couple, by all accounts Buddie should as well. I'm saying, I'm actually weirdly good with calling out ships early on. When the two characters are each canonically attracted to the gender of the other one, I almost never miss, no matter how long it takes for the ship to go canon and what they have to go through in order to get there. And those ships usually end up being the endgame ones, too. Here and there, I even managed to correctly call out a ship that went canon even though this entailed a same-sex attraction reveal. I've also had same-sex ships that I knew would never go canon, but I could usually tell the show would only ever hint at the couple and play around with the subtext, but it would never actually go there (for example, Supernatural). So really, if Buck and Eddie were canonically queer, or an opposite sex couple, I would have had no doubt that they would happen. And when comparing them to canon ships like Keenler, I also have no doubt Buddie should happen. And that they could, even after years of appearing as if they never would and in spite of many other LIs, even seemingly really significant ones. Will they? That's a mystery I can't solve, not yet, though I CAN tell you that I don't have that sense I had with SPN that there's no way the show would ever go there. We just gotta wait, watch and find out. But this is another little piece from me to all of you, about why I have faith and why Buddie def are the right fit for each other (as I mentioned repeatedly in my seasons 1 to 3a Buddie meta).

Sorry for the length, thank you for the ask and please have a look at my ask tag if you're looking for another ask reply. xoxox

[aomine-dajki]

[aussieokie]

Dear Aussieokie - I've just finished reading "I Got You" prompt and felt the need of leaving this comment. This story was everything I needed after last week. I see you wrote this years ago, when we were far from the S8 finale. I am happy I haven't seen it in the past because this is the ending I wanted. Or needed, I can only wish for some other AU stories of yours soon. If not - I will probably keep on reading these ones to mend my broken heart. All the love, IVA

Thanks, Anon, for the kind words. I just reread it myself because even though I write them, I do 'forget' my stories after a few years, and it's almost like reading it for the first time when I visit them again.

It was like a foreshadowing. I wrote this 6 years ago in S2, yet it's what should have happened after Liz was shot this time, I agree.... It wasn't to be though.

I do feel the need to write a very angsty Ressler story following the events of 822, and fix what happened. Once my head is clearer, I'll do that.

Link to the story, if anyone needs a '6 year old Liz gets shot fix it fic'