#tbl spoilers? not really

[galindathegay]

I was so ready to walk into TBL's audiobook booth and test if it was sound-proof. Overheard co-workers bad-mouthing the library and patrons. I swallowed my gut-reaction to call them both motherfuckers just in time to get to the basement.

On my way, another co-worker in the basement stopped me and asked, "Have you met Irma?"

Irma? No. Who's that?

He didn't know the actual name of the painting, but "she looks like an Irma". But she's been in the basement for the last 5 years, and she makes him happy.

And we chatted until our breaks were over. I walked away smiling. Whether it was from my co-worker's company or the surprise of seeing a gorgeous art piece - or both - it's hard to tell. But I'm happy I didn't have to lose my voice. Even happier that someone as kind as him crossed my path. He really turned my mood around.

(Spoiler: Turns out that the title of this is The Storybook by William-Adolphe Bouguereau.)

[angelosearch]

@gardengalwrites is an amazing writer and she is particularly skilled at writing food descriptions that drive me crazy! When I read about the spicy mascarpone sauce in Death Shall be No More (great fic btw!) I HAD to have it. But it didn't exist in real life! What do???

Well, I decided to make it myself.

It is sweet and spicy with a bleu-cheese sauce-like texture that is meant to be served cold. You're supposed to dip super crispy fried chicken in it, as it is in the story. I haven't been able to try it with chicken yet but I HAD to finalize the recipe because I thought it would go really well with the cornbread I was making. (Spoiler Alert: HELL YEAH it was)

Here is the recipe for anyone who is curious:

1/3 cup Mascarpone Cheese 1 tbl sp. Chili Oil 1 tbl sp. Buttermilk* 1/2 tbl sp. Maple Syrup

Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and you got yourself some Mascarpone's (in-fic restaurant) mascarpone cheese sauce from Death Shall be No More by Garden_Gal! * Or should I say Buttercup? Hehehe...

Bonus on the cornbread shot:

[my-robot-heart]

Hey!! Desperate here, sorry for being so abrupt LOL

I’ll tell my story on how I ended up here, asking a question, but OH MAN, I’ve been a fan of Spader for a while, long while, easy explanation would be his voice to begin with.. but today I decided to finally rewatch The Blacklist again because why not, I’ve watched some episodes in the past but randomly, not knowing a thing about the plot. So today I decided to start from the Pilot, watched some episodes and I immediately got involved, but something I also noticed was the… you could say sexual tension going on with the protagonists, I was sitting on the edge (english isn’t my main language, but I’m 99% sure that’s the expression) feeling so many emotions watching Red and Lizzie, I was going insane like “WHEN ARE THEY KISSING?!!!” so I couldn’t wait and went to google thinking I’d end up spoiling myself on their romance… when I found out there was nothing but confusing headlines about the latest season or something about their real relationship I was so confused I was like “No?! this says nothing at all about them!!” and after googling for a while I came across Tumblr and a tag with their ship name. I was so happy, logged quickly into Tumblr again, spent the last few hours watching gifs and reading what you guys had to say about them and oh… it shattered me in a good and bad way, learned about their ending, and how messy the whole idea of the characters together was because of the producers… I had faith, but instead of leaving disappointed I was craving more and more of this sexy relationship that for SURE was about to be love for me, so I ended up reading some fics and wow… they wasted a whole story of love in here… ISTG the second I started the show I was like “Oh he’s going to manipulate her to fall in love with him and it will be steamy! that has to be the whole plot” and no one can tell me they weren’t into each other… MEANT for each other… this will forever be my newest and craziest ship I lost in the way… but I already know it has a BIG space on my heart.

So my question would be; how would you explain and name their relationship? could you tell me is it worth it to suffer and watch them not kiss for many many seasons? was there ever a chance for romance in their dialogues or the staring once? (such as this scene I think I saw of Red doing that typical sexy Spader face when Lizzie went blonde) or them holding hands?

What even happened? why did they ruin the chances of them being a couple? it was there the whole time! I really wanna learn the thoughts on them from this community and about their best moments and how you know that for sure there was a spark in their scenes that implied what we wanted, and that implied their love which is… clearly not father daughter ??? I also wanna know about those theories but I don’t get anything!! I just wanted them to end together… but now that I know I don’t think I can go through all the seasons and suffer but I can just watch the gifs of them dancing :) but thanks for reading this and if you answer giving me your time :) I swear I feel like a MESS because of them and I only learned about them today, earlier…. save me cs I’m suffering but in love with 2 characters so badly…

Lizzington forever! ❤️❤️ thanks for all your posts I spent hours looking at and enjoying while suffering haha have a nice week :)))

Omgggg I'm so sorry you sweet innocent anon 💀💀💀💀 I was you about five years ago when I got into this fandom for real and started writing Lizzington fics, however at that point the worst we had to worry about was considerably less than it is now.

Ummmmmm I literally don't know what to tell you 🙃 but I'm honoured you reached out and happy you got so much enjoyment from the great fics out there (would love to hear what some of your faves were!)

So I should say firstly that I watched only til the end of the previous season (8) and literally know nothing about the show for s9 other then my weekly spoilers from @thetwistedargent about Ressler's butt (loll).

Anyway, what DID happen, anon? What happened to Red and Lizzie's chemistry and relationship? I guess the writers decided to fuck with us all, for lack of a better explanation. I'm still sore and bitter about the weird way the show turned into something super different than what it started as.

As far as the show goes, I think Lizzington shippers in general agree that it's worth watching at least seasons 1 through 3. The second half of S3 is where the Lizzington content takes a steep curve downwards, but there's still some sweet episodes in later seasons (Greyson Blaise is popular). If you watch the show til then, and then move to reading fanfic, you can preserve some of that excitement and pure enthusiasm in your heart.

Post season four, what can I say? It is a different and not great show. Post season 7 in my opinion; not even worth your time. But you'll know what feels best, and if you do keep watching til s8 you're welcome to stop by here and let us know what you think.

There's still a pretty engaged fandom here that is refusing to acknowledge anything past s8 lol, so we'll be here if you need us.

Is it worth it to suffer and not see them kiss? I guess it's a personal call. For me, the underlying sexual tension WAS there, and I kind of filled in the blanks with the fics I wrote over the years.

If your heart breaks in the end, was it worth it? Only you will know 💛

Thanks for this heartfelt ask, and I hope you enjoy whatever you do choose to consume xo

[codewordpumpkin]

“But when it comes to family, it’s complicated.”

[imakayak-hearmeroar]

This was the most fun I’ve had watching a season finale since s2 tbh

[fredgolds]

tbh i’m surprised lemony returned to narrate the end. one of the reasons i really liked the tpp ending was that it tied the beginning and end of lemony’s “part” in the baudelaire’s story to the destruction of the denouement, and signalled to me at least that he had come as far as he could. if they were going to go with beatrice letters it would have made more sense to me to have beatrice ii narrate events as explained to her by the baudelaires while she searches for lemony, rather than having lemony waffle poetically for an hour on things he freely admits to know nothing about???? idk just me onions

[snicketstrange]

Where does PFB fit into the ASOUE chronology?

That's a really tough question with a really easy answer. 

PFB is outside the fictional universe of ASOUE. PFB finds itself after the publication of all ASOUE books, simply because in the Poison For Breakfast universe Lemony Snicket created the fictional story that is in the ASOUE fiction books.

Let me be clearer. Daniel Handler (the writer in our universe) created a fictional character called Lemony Snicket. This fictional Lemony Snicket created a fictional universe in which there is Violet, Klaus, Sunny, Beatrice and even a Lemony Snciket. In ASOUE, LSTUA, TBL and ATWQ we find the life story (even if fragmented) of a fictional Lemony Snicket that was created by another fictional Lemony Snicket whose life story is narrated (even if partially and in a fragmented way ) in PFB.

In other words, the PFB narrator was never part of a secret organization that fights fires. This narrator invented this organization, as well as the entire ASOUE story.

I don't think it would be right to cite excerpts from the book directly here, as the book has just been published and I don't want to harm Daniel Handler. But if you've read PFB, (and if you haven't, I recommend you do) you'll easily see evidence from the first chapter that what I'm claiming here is true.

Lemony Snicket has a very different childhood story than what we see on LSTUA. VFD is not directly quoted even once. There are no tattoos, and there aren't even references to Lemony Snicket's brother and sister when he talks about his childhood. Apparently Kit and Jaques Snicket are just fictional characters, without an equivalent in the PFB universe. Lemony from PFB seems to have lived in a wealthy family, even having people who called him "Master Snicket", suggesting that he had servants at his disposal. 

At no time does Lemony appear to have been persecuted for his involvement with a secret organization. On the other hand, Lemony claims that in PFB he will talk about how he creates his books. So we have records on how he goes to libraries and sits in the philosophy section. And then we have a description of how he lost himself in imaginative thoughts during his childhood. Clearly this Lemony Snicket is a fiction writer and not a researcher overly concerned with recording truthful details for the general public about the history of the Baudelaires, (which are not mentioned at any time).

I want to be clear: I'm not complaining about the book. I liked the book. That's a way of understanding how Daniel Handler's mind works, although drawing on his interviews is more effective, I think.

Finally, in chapter 12 we have the solution to the mystery of the book. I won't write here, as it's a really big spoiler. But I can say that you will easily notice that there is a description of the creative process of a fiction book being one of the ATWQ books cited by name as an example of one of the books that came from the ideas of this Lemony Snicket, and not from his life experience.

I can also cite the non-existence of absurdisms found in ASOUE and ATWQ's books. PFB could happen in our universe perfectly, without any kind of weirdness. There are no babies with exceptional abilities, no animals trained for feats that would be impossible in our universe.

Is it then possible that this Lemony Snicket was actually Daniel Handler himself just using a different name? This is possible, but I still think it's important to point out that PFB is a fictional story, and contains a fictional protagonist. This protagonist reflects Daniel Handler's way of thinking and worldview. However, this fictional character has a life story of his own and a way of expressing himself. One of the most notorious members of the Dark Avenue 667: Answering Questions Wrong forum asked me something important about this point:

"I would like to know what specifically you find to be the difference between DH's "real" personality and the one in this book. I don't see a difference beyond some very superficial snickety stylings like "a word which here means..."

I think my answer was appropriate: "I think the biggest difference between Lemony and Daniel Handler is not what can be found in PFB, but what is not in PFB. If Daniel Handler hadn't put on his Lemony hat, it wouldn't be nearly suitable for children to read. Lemony is more sensitive to certain factors and to people. And if Daniel Handler had written it (having himself as the protagonist), I'm sure there wouldn't be several descriptions of how to prepare eggs but rather how to prepare alcoholic cocktails."

I would really like to read more about this Lemony Snicket and the series of unfortunate events an author can experience. As I've said before, I think Daniel Handler wants to leave the ASOUE universe intact, protected against himself. I think he found a way to do that by creating this universe in which Lemony is just an author of fiction books, and so Daniel Handler has the freedom to write whatever he wants without hurting ASOUE's canon or giving us room to discover some of the secrets of ASOUE that make it so special.

I think with PFB we can officially welcome Snicketmultiverse. 

[matan4il]

I saw your posts about buddie and blacklist. What happened in the blacklist season 8 finale? I was wondering if you could explain how things wrapped up because the articles I read are confusing and some don't think it was done well.

Hi Nonnie! I hope you enjoyed those posts! :D

OK, I'll give a vague answer and, if after reading it , you wanna progress, there's more UNDER THE CUT, with the warning there will be TBL SPOILERS, including the solution to the show's main mystery (who Red is to Liz) spelled out explicitly, as well as GENDER discussion. Be sure you wanna read before you click the cut!

So my vague answer is, IMO the s8 finale was really well executed. The reason why the articles seem confusing is because the mystery solution wasn't spelled out, it was hinted at. IMO, it was hinted at with such thick hints that it was impossible to miss the solution (and from what I can tell, even people who reject the solution still had to entertain it), but as long as the show didn't come out and say, "Red is... [redacted]", the articles can't either, plus I imagine they think they'll have more readership if they continue to write about the mystery in speculative terms, as if it hadn't been solved.

But the solution is awesome. It's awesome in the sense that it makes all the puzzle pieces fit together right, it's awesome in the sense that it highlights the amazing meaning of the entire show, it's awesome in that you can go back to s1, watch it and catch throwaway lines that suddenly make so much more sense or mean so much more...

That doesn't mean everything that happened in 822 is happy. If that were the case, there'd probably be no s9 (which is currently airing). But 822 IS a really good and (in terms of storytelling) satisfying conclusion to an 8 season mystery. I personally would recommend it to anyone who liked The Blacklist in general...

OK, so before I spell out what I believe is the solution, I wanna point out some of the puzzle pieces. Red, the notorious crime lord, one day hands himself over to the FBI, willing to work as their informant on the condition that he gets to work with Liz. That sole condition makes us wonder why, what's his interest in her. Pretty quickly he makes it clear he knows very intimate info about her, meaning he's been watching and following her. This could be SO creepy, except it also quickly becomes evident that he cares about her and her well being, warning her about her husband, Tom (and she later discovers Tom has stashed tons of money, a gun and fake passports under their home's floorboards, meaning what Red is telling her turns out to be truthful pretty early on). By the end of ep 110, we also see Red calling Dembe, whose life is being threatened, "my brother". It's clear Red means it, as he seems to have tried everything in his power to save Dembe. But then we see the threat being shifted to Liz, and as much as Red tried to save Dembe, we see him go absolutely bonkers trying to save Liz and going further than he did even for Dembe.

At this point, to me, it was clear that Red's love for Liz is the protective, parental kind. Who's the one person you would try to protect and save even more than your own brother? Your own child. So whoever Red was to her, the solution had to explain why he has a parent's love for her.

The immediate option we're drawn to is that he's Liz's bio dad (we learn she was adopted pretty early on). But she asks him directly about it at the end of 110, and Red, albeit taking a moment to answer, says no. Later, he states he's never lied to her (and looking back after the first 8 seasons, as far as we know, he never has. He sometimes didn't tell her the whole truth or corrected mistakes and other people's lies, meaning he sometimes let her believe things that aren't true, but he never himself lied to her).

So who was Red to Liz, why did he love her like his own daughter? An adoptive parent CAN love the child they raise as their own, that's what we see in Sam, Liz's adoptive father. But Red didn't raise Liz, he wasn't her adoptive parent. Why did he love her so much?

All sorts of possible solutions come up over the seasons, and each one seems like we have to dismiss it. Was Red her bio dad? Or a man so in love with her mom, Katarina, that he came to see and love Liz as his own? Katarina's husband? A love-sick childhood friend? All sorts of options come up and don't seem to fit for one reason or another. Meeting Katarina in the s6 finale and seeing her reactions to Red, that only thickens the mystery, because nothing seems to fit.

As more characters from Katarina's past are unveiled over the season, I was hesitant to try to resolve the mystery, because I kept wondering whether I had enough pieces of the puzzle to do so. You can't solve a 1000 pieces puzzle if you only have 32, right? But somewhere in s7 I think, I tossed out the idea that maybe Red is actually Katarina. Something about the Katarina we met seemed off. So... I had that thought. Then I dismissed it. "Stop making everything queer!" I told myself. A mainstream US show would never be that courageous, I thought. Especially not when Red, our protagonist, is the "manly" wet dream! Charming, smart, powerful, always ahead of everyone else by at least three moves, a survivor who can come back from all sorts of impossible situations (an FBI manhunt in s3, his crime empire destroyed at the end of s4, being put on trial in s6 are notable examples), and we see him "charming the pants off" so many women... He's not the typical alpha male, but he IS an alpha male, and no mainstream US show would take that kind of protagonist and reveal that they were actually born a woman, all the sexist viewers would rage, and no mainstream network would want that reaction.

So imagine my surprise when we get to the start of 821, and I realize that's the ep where we're gonna get the solution! Because it means we've been handed all the pieces of the puzzle. Whoever Red is, he HAS to be one of the gallery of characters from Liz's background we had already met.

And since nothing else fits, and since Red once told Liz in passing that Katarina is not her mom, it suddenly clicked for me. Red IS Katarina! He HAD to be, there was no one else left in the story that Red could be. The "Katarina" we met in the s6 finale must have been an imposter. And as the story unfolded, that's exactly what we learned, that that woman was actually Tatiana Petrova, and we discover how she came to assume Katarina's identity.

The story unfolds, Katarina's story, we watch it in flashbacks as if Katarina is telling it, but we know that this is how Liz sees it in her mind, so when we remember that the person ACTUALLY telling her all this is Red... There are even moments when Red's voice and words in the present and Katarina in Liz's mind overlap. Or separate moments, in which they say the exact same thing ("I had been with men and women").

TBH, even that last line was more than I expected TBL to dare have Red say! It means that the show's biggest alpha male seems to have confessed to being bisexual. That, in itself, is still (sadly) HUGE for a mainstream US show.

So the fact that there's only one last logical conclusion to the story, (as I said, Katarina is the ONLY one in TBL's gallery of characters who can still fit and be Red), that Red and Katarina speaking is intertwined in more than one way, that Red knows Katarina's story so intimately, that Liz poses two questions one right after the other when she insists on hearing the story to its end and those two questions are who is Red and where is the real Katarina, that even the musical choice for the end of the story fits this solution (playing out the lyrics, "This is a man's world... but it's nothing without a woman"), it all works. IMO, there's no doubt that the show was saying Katarina IS Red. It also fits early s1 lines, like when Red introduces Luli and says about her, "She hates all men," but then proceeds to have a steamy kiss with her. We THINK it's meant to show how irresistible the manly Red is, but in fact it's a hint, Luli doesn't hate him because she knows he wasn't born a man. When Red says therapy had helped him become "someone else"! Or whenever Red talks/hears talk about mothers and motherhood and maternity, what he says and how he reacts suddenly makes more sense or becomes more meaningful.

So yeah, this is the solution IMO, that, recognizing the danger to Liz's life, Katarina is the person who underwent a series of plastic surgeries in order to become Red. In this way, she both protected Liz from Katarina's enemies, making it seem as if Katarina was gone, and at the same time, as Red, she was able to build a crime empire whose sole purpose was to procure enough power and information to always keep Liz safe from those enemies.

And this is what I maybe love the most about this solution... That it turns TBL from yet another crime fighting procedural with one mystery at its core, into a love song to mothers and to motherhood. About how strong mothers are when they are determined to protect their children, a strength that comes from how strong their love is. It takes this show, which seems to be in love with the "manly" protagonist and turn it into a hymn to what women are capable of.

And there is so much sacrifice there, in Katarina's choice! Among other things, because of her dad, Dom. His reactions and anger and even moments of despise for Red take on a whole different meaning once we know it's because Dom could never accept that Katarina, his daughter, had become his son. He never accepts Red or this choice. Which is very interesting, because Dom himself ended up betraying his own country (and he was DEVOTED to it and to its cause, and made many sacrifices for it) for Katarina and Liz's sake. He gets what it means, to love your child so much that you would do anything for them. But he still can't accept THAT specific choice. Which I think is where this solution is also important to trans people!

Now, admittedly IDK that I would classify Katarina/Red as trans. The show very much frames Katarina's choice as being driven solely by her love for her daughter. There are lines in s6, during the scene where Red invites Liz to join him for his last meal on death row, that could fit this possibility (he says he saw himself one way and the world saw him another... but his mom understood), but I do have to point out, they could also fit another interpretation, they might be about what Katarina recounts in 821 (that Dom and his social circle had always prepared her to be a spy and she never had any other choice, her fate was sealed by them). But even without those lines, even if the show was clearer in saying Katarina/Red wasn't trans, I still think this experience of being rejected due to her father being unable to shake off society's limiting ideas about gender, it speaks volume about the trans experience. Just go and watch some of the things Dom says to Red and tell me they don't echo what some trans kids have heard their parents say to them! It's heartbreaking. And it's even more impactful because it's clear that, despite everything, Dom and Red continue to love each other to the end. Katarina/Red doesn't have to be trans in order to expose society's bias that makes life so much harder for trans people. And even the people who reject the "Redarina" solution have to entertain it. Which means that whether they like it or not, they have to pause and consider this and what does being a woman or a man or transitioning between the two mean, and I love that the show does this...

The end of 822 is also heartbreaking because (another spoiler warning, because this next part is no longer about the main mystery, it spoils what happens at the end of the s8 finale) after all of this, Red failed in his main mission in life, to protect Liz. She dies in his arms at the end of the ep. Lies had surrounded her from... even before her conception. We learn in 821 that Raymond, Liz's dad, was the man Dom chose for Katarina to have an affair with. According to her journal, she did fall for him, but nothing about Katarina's life was truthful, and so Liz was tangled up in lies before she even drew one breath. And as much as Katarina struggled to keep Liz safe, she felt she couldn't tell her the truth about who Red is due to Katarina's enemies. The more anyone knew, the more Liz was in danger. Red wasn't wrong about that...

But it meant that Liz was surrounded by people who were lying to her, not all of them for reasons as noble as Red's (*cough* Tom *cough), so over the seasons, she loses her trust in people, in love, in her own ability to understand the world around her, the lies also caused her to lose many loved ones over the years, losses whose meaning she couldn't fully understand until 821/2. Which is why what we see is a woman who's slowly driven half-mad by the need to find out the truth or avenge what she thinks is the truth. Up to a certain point, Red was right in not telling Liz everything about himself. From a certain point on, Liz really needed to know. But it's the nature of lies that it's hard to know when's the right moment to stop lying, especially if the lies are ones that someone sacrifices so much for (and Red had suffered his own losses of loved ones, too). That's why these 8 seasons of TBL are also the tragedy of Liz's life, which is made possible through lies and when she finally learns the truth, when she finally learns to trust people and love (hi, Ressler!) and herself again, when she finally can have the normal, happy life she had always dreamed of (with her daughter Agnes, with Red, with the man she realized she was in love with), that's when her life ends.

And because the show didn't explicitly say whether Liz figured out the last piece of the puzzle, that her mother was Red, it becomes so meaningful that in the moment when she dies, we see her look up at Red and we get a glimpse of how, in her mind's eye, she sees Katarina. Liz knows she died in her mother's arms (later confirmed in s9, when we realize Dembe had given her Red's letter with the final confession). Thematically, the show comes full circle, and Liz's death right after she learned the truth about "Redarina" serves to both highlight that Red was right (Katarina's enemies did end up killing her daughter) and that he was wrong at the same exact time (Liz not knowing the truth means a lot of the choices she makes, she doesn't understand their real meaning, for example she doesn't realize how off the mark she is when she hates Red for killing "her mom" and so she ends up putting herself in harm's way even when she thinks she's trying to get herself and Agnes away from danger)...

I love the show, and as sad as Liz dying at the end of 822 was, I don’t regret watching TBL and getting to see the many awesome things it did. I also get exactly why they chose to end the show that way (it also means the story can continue even after Liz’s actress, Megan Boone, left the show, as we see Red, Ressler and the team dealing with the aftermath of Liz’s death). And as much as the ending makes me hella sad, I also have to admit that because TBL is the kind of show where many people who we thought had died ended up coming back “from the dead”, a show where what we perceive as reality isn't always that, I can comfort myself over Liz's death by constructing a continuation of the story where it turns out she's actually alive, and she gets to have that life with her loved ones that she always deserved to have, without ignoring that theme of “this is how lies protect us... and here is how they hurt us”. I have one scenario in my head from Ressler's POV, another different one from Liz's, and the fact that there's more than one way (which makes sense and is true to the spirit of the show) that could give us Liz alive and with a happy ending, it makes it feel like it's not just a headcanon. Who knows, maybe one day I'll write those two fics.

Anyhow, I really hope I helped, Nonnie! Please don't hesitate to let me know, and also to tell me whether you chose to watch all the way to 822. Thank you for sending this ask! Lots of love to you! xoxox

[windfalling]

it’s been like four days since i watched the last cr episode and i’m still immediately tearing up at any mention of vax & gilmore

[meetmeatthecoda]

Like you I’m absolutely done with The Blacklist; I swore up and down back in June that I was done and that nothing I heard about s9 would even be canon for me (spoiler alert it has NOT been hard). However, that being said....I may (just this once!) have to make an exception. For Liz’s letter. Have you seen/heard what she said about Red?? 🥺🥺🥺

Hey there, anon 😊 Ah, yes... the most recent ep. I'd like to re-iterate that, yes, I'm absolutely done with TBL, will never watch an episode past hmmm probably season 3A, so help me god, amen. However, I refused to unfollow my remaining TBL viewing friends bc I will NOT allow that shit show to take BOTH my ship AND the friends I made away from me goddammit so it is unfortunately inevitable that I see an inkling or two of what's happening post the Finale From Hell. I also low-key keep up with @imyourplusone's live tweets every week bc she expresses my exact brand of lovelorn shipping & utter hate-watching, so s/o to her ✌️ That being said, all I know AND CARE TO KNOW about the most recent ep, is that Agnes & Red had a particularly heart-wrenching conversation... & I may have watched a short clip on twitter 😒 And I have a lot of mixed, complicated feelings, which I will attempt to express below for you, anon, & anyone else who cares to wade through my bitter, bitter bullshit. Godspeed.

My initial reaction? What a fucking slap in the face. At reading the dialogue, I just felt a visceral hatred & anger at them continuing to tease what could have been, what we could have had, after how they fucking ruined the entire show & ship. To me, it really just felt like pouring a hefty salt shaker directly into my still weeping Lizzington wound. Like, if they think some vague ship-worthy comments are gonna bring all us shippers flocking back with tears in our eyes like we have so many times in the past? They couldn't be more wrong. Because the difference is? It doesn't matter now. Liz is dead, & any potential for Lizzington moving forward died with her, so any half-hearted, off-handed comments or references to it after the fact... just hurt. To me, it's akin to trying to fix a gaping gunshot wound (much like Liz's, in fact lmfao fml) with an old, dirty, used Spongebob band-aid. It just doesn't do the job. And frankly, it's a bit of an insult to even bother with it after you've been ruthlessly shot. And while it tugs at my heartstrings in a bittersweet-mostly-unpleasant-but-still-heart-wrenchingly-beautiful-way to see Red & Agnes together, I hate to say it... but I'm petty & bitter enough to not even want that wholesome Red & Agnes content without Liz. Because it's not as it should be 😭😭😭 That whole scene in the most recent ep could only help or matter or make any semblance of a difference if they were going to bring Liz back, which they certainly will not be doing, at least not with MB as Liz, which would be the only acceptable version for me. But tbh, I don't really have enough context for this letter of Liz's, other than she called Red "the most important person in her life", to which I was just like... yes??? 🥺🥺🥺 That was already fully established to us, I thought & while it was amazing to hear it explicitly said once again... it was rather tainted by... well, all the above things. But, don't misunderstand me, anon, it did feel good to hear. Even if it's not from Liz's own mouth. To Red. In person. Cause she's dead. UGH 😓😓😓 But the only actual screentime from the ep I have seen AND CARE TO SEE with mine own two eyes is Agnes' comments in her scene with Red & I'm honestly not sure if this "letter" she's reciting from is the letter Red gave Liz in the finale from Liz's mother or some letter they've made up that Liz left for Agnes or some other letter they've made up that Liz left for Red??? Either way, it seems mighty convenient for where they are right now - considering we never saw Liz physically writing anything & I highly doubt she had time to between the events of reading her mother's letter (which we also never saw her do lolz) & getting fucking shot, but I digress - & I absolutely DO NOT trust TPTB to not also throw some stupid, R*derina bullshit in there to balance out the Lizzington sentiments or eventually use the contents to turn Agnes into Liz 2.0 & have her backstab Red or some other stupid shit. Cause, ya know, they love their Stupid Shit™.

*heavy breathing* ALL THAT BEING SAID, ANON... is anyone still reading? God I hope not, I'm barely conscious myself at this point lmfao That last little bit of the Red & Agnes scene, where Agnes reaches out & takes his hand, sees his inquiring look & casually explains, "She said you like to hold hands." CLEAVED MY POORLY BANDAGED LIZZINGTON HEART CLEANLY IN TWO, CAUSE YEAH AGGIE, HE SURE FUCKING DOES, HIS FAVORITE MEMORY ON EARTH IS WALKING AROUND A PARK HOLDING HANDS WITH YOUR MOM & THE WOULD-BE CASUAL REMINDER OF THAT JUST DESTROYED HIM ON THE SPOT & - SPEAKING OF - RED'S ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED EXPRESSION COMPLETELY DESTROYED ME AS WELL & HIS IMMEDIATE SIDESTEP DIVERSION TACTIC TO URGE AGNES OUT OF THE ROOM SO HE CAN FALL TO PIECES IN PRIVATE OVER THE LOSS OF THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE KILLED ME, BC HE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT HER A S E X P L I C I T L Y S T A T E D & S H O W N I N C A N O N & ANY ATTEMPT TO PRETEND OTHERWISE IS EQUAL PARTS HILARIOUS & DEVASTATING, THAT TINY, ONE MINUTE SCENE WAS ABSOLUTE TORTURE TO WATCH, DEAR GOD WHY - *ahem* ...anddd this is why I can't watch this show anymore. But in conclusion, anon, what I've heard & all the things I feel about the recent ep basically just make me want to write fic & the real-life opportunity for that is fast approaching, so I would just advise... buckle up lmfao 😂🥲🙃 Anywayyy, this is fine, I'm fine, & thank you for this ask - in all seriousness, anon, I really appreciate the low-key season 9 Lizzington update delivered with total respect for my stance on the show, I really do!! Please don't mistake my negative feelings about the show for any anger or frustration with YOU, bc that was not my intent!! 😍🥰 I hope this reply was somewhat coherent (although I very much doubt it) & much, much love to you, kind anon!! ❤️

[immegod]

This would be at least 1000% better if they weren't having so much fun just bc liz thinks he's her dad

[misterlords]

So, here’s me - again - giving my unasked opinion lol. Spoilers for TBL ahead!!

I’m grieving. Not for Liz particularly, this show has made her very hard to like for the past few seasons, which is a shame because of all the character potential they threw away. I’m grieving for Red who had also a huge character potential, who had so many opportunities to a redemption arc - a good one at that. I’m grieving for Ressler and Diego to be quite frank. The one person who got just as much shit as Liz (and Megan), was him. Tossed around and treated as the would-be for years. Would-be a main character, would-be a love interest, would-be relevant. Honestly I feel like I was promised so many things regarding him and never got to see it. I’m grieving for all the half written fanfics on my drafts for fuck sake! Lol

This show has been a disappointment for some time now and I wish (not really) it had disappointed me beyond what I guessed but really, no. It was pathetic and pointless but also I saw it coming miles away (I think we all did). As I said the thing that hurts the most is all the wasted potential. I’ve been with this show for six years now, six years waiting for Keenler, six years waiting for answers, waiting for Liz to get the fucking answers, waiting to see who Red was to her and blablablabla…

I still haven’t made up my mind if I’ll continue to watch the show, part of me wants to because I love Ressler so much, but I’m honestly not willing to go through all the shit the writers put us through.

A bit of a Ressler-related rant now: what in the actual FUCK??? Why did I have to watch my baby go through that shit AGAIN??? After Audrey, after the addiction oh my God I’m so mad I can’t even put it in words. He didn’t get to say goodbye, all he did was kneel over her dead body. Fuck you, Jons. Sincerely.

I’m still hoping a little though (after all that crap I know I’m an idiot) they wont make Ressler a fucking nanny. Fuck that. They better giving him a fucking decent arc, a great one. The arc he deserves and not make him some lap dog for Liz or Reddington at that.

That’s it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. And to all my TBL fellow idiots (I’m just kidding guys we’re all in this together we’ve been played over and over but we’re survivors) I hope to see you again in new fandoms, with better prospects thank you very much and I mean, where are we decreeing The Blacklist ended? If I get a vote I’ll say season 3A lol (but then we wouldn’t have Keenler sex so I’m not sure).

[imyourplusone]

Wouldn’t it be great if Anne died (not bc of Liz) and, after realizing how upset Red is, Liz remarks to someone (Dembe or the TF) that he must have really loved her and then she’s **finally** told what went down after she “died”? How much worse that was for Red? Bc #sorrynotsorry, there’s no way his feelings for Anne could ever hold a candle to what he’s felt for Liz all these years.

In regards to Anne and I’ll leave shipping out of it here but no I really don’t want her to die. I’m tired Anon. Really exhausted with not being able to enjoy a new character or story because I’m waiting for tptb to kill them, ruin it or make it Red’s fault. WE GET IT. One of the central themes of TBL is loss but good lord haven’t we all suffered enough. Red would say hell yes we have.

So while I’m obviously not a Red and Anne shipper, I wouldn’t mind the writers closing out this arc in a new adult way that doesn’t involve her untimely death. She isn’t KR after all who I’m 1000% glad is gone. Going off the spoilers tho I guess Anne is in big time peril. Shocker!

Anyways about Liz. I just....don’t know where to start. She’s already been told many things about Red, good and bad, some true and maybe not so true. She has witnessed even more, good and bad. He has shown her unparalleled kindness, empathy, forgiveness and has done unspeakable things to protect her life. She has Agnes because of him (for a lot of reasons hehe that’s the shipper I can’t contain). So yeah if someone wants to point out to Liz that her unbelievable cruelty inflicted a lot of harm then great, but I’d like her to reach some of those conclusions on her own after all it’s not that big of a stretch given she’s a profiler. Right? That’s what we’ve been told. The problem we run into is today’s Liz with understanding and clarity is tomorrow’s oblivious Liz that acts like she just met the number four most wanted five seconds ago. They also have a real talent for writing her as an unfeeling narcissist so I’m not at all convinced she’d care about Red’s suffering. I’ve earned this skepticism the hard way Anon and I really don’t care who tells her what why how etc at this point🤷🏻‍♀️ Sorry

And not to blather on like I usually do but yes I agree that there is no comparison between Anne and Liz and how Red feels about them. It is two completely different relationships tho. Liz is surprising, unattainable, challenging, fierce and fiery. She was unexpected as was that fist in his stomach when he saw her walk down those steps toward him that first day. She threw him into a tailspin and he’s never recovered his balance. I do believe he loves her. I definitely believe he is IN love with her but he gets nothing in return and expects nothing. He’d never even overtly act on it. I think he just wears it like that three piece suit. It’s a part of him he can’t shake so he moves thru life carrying it behind all those protective layers, loving her quietly and deeply. Forgiving the unforgivable. It is beautiful and painful and just a bit tragic because he deserves better. Even this hardened criminal with a heart of gold deserves better which is why I understand his diversion to Kansas and desire to escape into a fantasy life that’s emotionally/physically fulfilling with a woman who is safe and steady. And with a woman he can be himself with or at least the self he’d like to be if he wasn’t a criminal spy. He is tho and that is a darkness Anne will never understand. Only Liz could find him there and pull him back. This is the love story of TBL. Red and Liz saving each other from their demons. The wonky writing aside, and I do mean wonky which would require a separate rant, I don’t fault Red for 8.13. I get it but Lizzington owns my soul and I will always believe it would have been unique and beautifully brave to see play out. That’s not The Blacklist these days therefore Liz is Liz and Red’s escape became a bloody mess but god I’d love nothing more than to watch them surrender to what is driving them apart because that collision of feeling would set this show on fire. As you say Anon, nothing would compare.

For now I’ll go on believing in Red’s unrequited romantic unspoken love for Liz and will know he paid a very high price for it. I also think he would do it a thousand times again...as the song once said. Cheers

[my-robot-heart]

Same anon again, hi! Thank you for your replies, you're Very nice and cool. I agree with you 100% what a MESS lol! And I feel you,I can't see the point of me continuing to watch post s8 either, I'll just pretend the early seasons were all we ever got. Also I took a look at your fics, you're an excellent writer! I really like your style and characterization, it's very good. Keep writing whatever your heart desires, you rock at it! Happy new years! I hope you've had an awesome start to the year :)

Hi same anon! Yeah it's a weird situation to not want to watch what used to be a favourite show but like... what else can we literally do at this point 😅🤷‍♀️? I've gone so far as to block TBL tags from showing here because I was getting too upset seeing gifs from s8 and s9 spoilers.

Um thank you for the kind words about my fics, I write what I want to read which usually happens to be sweet sweet fluffy fluff. Thank you for letting me know what you thought! Writing is basically therapy at this point, so I'd have a hard time giving it up.

My new year started pretty well and I hope it just continues to be very gentle to us all 💛 I'm knitting a scarf right now and that's about all the excitement I need lol.

[glowstar826]

Okay, just finished TBL 8.12. Spoilers ahead.

Rakitin is dead. Red has an endgame. Cooper is fully against Red and thinks Red is a traitor.

My favorite scene was when Red confronted the Russian. The intensity of Red’s emotions as well as the fact that he was trying so damn hard not to cry speaks volumes of the nature of what Red is doing. He spoke of an “end.” I wonder if that end is taking down the Cabal for killing his family. The theory that our Red’s family was killed by the Cabal is becoming more plausible.

I wasn’t a fan of how Red manipulated Park, but I guess it was necessary to his endgame (and honestly, Rakitin was annoying asf). Rakitin’s death scene was very shocking, but I somehow felt relieved by it. I like how Red was trying to keep the task force safe because he had formed an emotional connection to them.

I found it very funny that Panabaker voiced the fandom’s thoughts when she shouted, “Are you Harold Cooper or Elizabeth Keen?!” Cooper really is the new Liz lmao.

The most important thing, however, is THAT TEASER AT THE END!! Oh my god, RayAnne is REEEEEEEEEEAL! They’re making it happen! The way Red and Anne’s foreheads and noses were touching, about to kiss! And oh god they’re targeting her. ANNE MUST NOT DIE!

Anyways, can’t wait for some RayAnne in two weeks!

(No, seriously, I’m SO STOKED!!!)

[iwouldlovetoeatyourtoast]

i took a peek at my casual tP/tbl crossover wip and...

...i’ve obviously spent a lot of time committing the various eras of fakob backstory to memory