#Lizzington

[ace-of-spaders]

“You can’t love someone unless you love yourself first” Bullsh*t. I have never loved myself. But you? Oh god, I loved you so much I forgot what hating myself felt like.

#lizzington #raymond reddington #james spader #elizabeth keen #megan boone #tbl quote gifset #tbl 3x10 #lizzington quote gifset #my creations #my gifs #here have some lizzington feels 🥰 🥺 #I might turn this into a series...

[iwouldlovetoeatyourtoast]

#this was not the show that ended last night #i doubt i'll ever wrap my mind around the wasted potential #lizzington #the blacklist for blacklists

[melbob26-blog]

#lizzington #msmeganmonday

[red-lizzie-reddington]

This killing me 🥺❤️

Promo Pics for 10.10 next week!

My heart ❤️‍🔥

#elizabeth keen #james spader #raymond reddington #lizzington #the blacklist #agnesgate #agnes keen #megan boone

[white-flag-ships]

#aziracrow #hameron #hannigram #lizzington #many more

[minp1072]

Peeps just LOOK at this graphic that my bestie @peace-love-on-planet-earth made for my birthday tomorrow! 😍😍😍 It’s so perfect and lovely and my heart is so happy! ❤️💛💙💚

#blacklist #the blacklist #lizzington #raymond reddington #elizabeth keen #the pact #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #lizzingtonfic

[itsclydebitches]

By all means, go off about The Blacklist. What's it about? 👀

Bless you, anon, for indulging my current obsessions :D

OKAY so the premise is great imo. Elizabeth “Liz” Keen’s life is basically perfect. She’s married to a handsome, adoring, successful teacher. They’re very near to finishing the process of adopting their first child. Best of all, Liz is beginning her career as an FBI profiler. Today’s her first day on the job and, other than being a little late rolling out of bed, it’s going to be great!

Except for one teeny, tiny snag. An hour or so before she’s due in the office, Raymond “Red” Reddington, #1 on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, turns himself in. He offers himself up as the FBI’s informant, specifically feeding them info on what he refers to as the blacklist: a list of criminals so heinous, secretive, and downright dangerous that the FBI doesn’t even know they exist, let alone how to catch them. Red will serve up his fellow fugitives on a silver platter. The catch?

He'll only work with Liz.

So the FBI is like, “Why the fuck is the ‘concierge of crime’ interested in a newbie profiler who hasn’t even made it into work yet?” and Liz is also like, “Wtf, I don’t know him, why would Reddington be interested in me?” It’s the mystery at the heart of the whole show, interspersed among the stand-alone episodes where they go after blacklisters: who is Liz to Red? Because he is very protective of her. Accommodating. Downright adoring—or perhaps obsessive. But really, Spader is fantastic in the role and keeps things on the side of charmingly sweet (in a ‘I’ll kill huge swaths of people for you :)’ kinda way) as opposed to creepy, which I really like. Honestly, a good 75% of the show's appeal for me is in Red's characterization and Spader's performance.

The point though is that everyone wants to know why such a powerful, immoral man would go out of his way to not just work with Liz, but bend/break every rule he’s ever made—tear apart years of self-serving contingency plans—just to keep her safe. I mean, the whole thing starts with Red turning himself in, risking disappearing into some dark FBI hole, just for the chance to see her.

So is he in love with her? (Lizzington is a popular ship, despite—or perhaps in part because of—the May/December dynamic and frankly the show does a lot to feed that possibility. It's never going to be canon, but fans aren't just pulling this ship out of thin air either. Trust me. I went in expecting it to just be fans being fans and... it's not. It's really not.) Is he her father? (And now we see why lizzington is controversial lol.) Is he manipulating Liz? Are the two of them in on something together? Theories abound, with each season providing new clues and revelations, nine seasons so far in total… so you can see where I’m going with this. Frankly, it doesn’t add up. I knew as soon as I understood the premise and caught wind of the show’s length that there would be no satisfying resolution. You don’t pose a singular question like that and dole out supposed answers each season without eventually retconning the hell out of previous episodes, or dropping previously important reveals, or just plain making stuff up for the sake of drama rather than logic. It’s inevitable in a form with so many fingers in the writing pie and, having been spoiled for the later seasons, I know that this isn’t magically fixed along the way.

So that’s a definite flaw in the show, though one I fully expected and thus am pretty indifferent to. The far bigger issue I have is that, as said in my tag rant, poor Liz is barely allowed to be a character anymore. She’s treated as a plot device, with her emotions serving whatever the current conflict is, rather than occurring as a result of her experiences. As you can imagine, Liz has some complicated feelings about Red, but they’re far from logical or consistent. I’m not joking when I say that she’ll despise him at the start of one episode, be hugging him by the end, and then be back to wanting him cut from her life at the start of the next episode with no explanation as to why this change occurred. Much like RWBY, the viewer is forced to decide for themselves why Liz is constantly on an emotional roller coaster that defies gravity and though yes, there are PLENTY of potential explanations in the show—I think this woman has been through enough to have earned a blanket ‘You think she’s emotionally stable??’ justification—but from a writing perspective it’s less than satisfying to continually do the writer’s work for them. In some episodes things won't stay consistent between scenes and I want to kick down the responsible party's door to ask what the actual hell they were thinking.

It's the kind of show with a few key, GLARING problems and if you’re hoping for something tightly written that will neatly wrap up all your questions and presumed inconsistencies with a pretty bow… keep waiting. But I’m used to shows like that—it happens with most long-form action stories, frankly, especially if they’ve got a core mystery like Blacklist—so I’ve learned to prioritize other aspects. Like the cast of characters? Top notch. Liz and Red’s dynamic is obviously the heart of the show and as much as I prefer them getting along, Liz’s cyclical anger is compelling too, in large part because Red remains completely devoted to her, no matter what she throws at him or how badly she treats him. Not to overshare on main, but I cannot possibly emphasize enough what a sucker I am for a sophisticated bad guy who would burn the world for his loved one even when she hates him. Actually, especially when she hates him because oh no, no one can hate him more than he already hates himself.

We’ve got Dembe, Red’s right-hand man and all around badass with a marshmallow center. Ressler who I’m usually pretty meh about because he’s the boring by-the-book cop, but every once in a while he pulls some chaotic move out of left field that makes me cheer. Samar who is even more of a badass than Dembe and that’s REALLY saying something. Aram, easily one of my favorite quirky tech characters of all time: literal ball of sunshine who will nevertheless cut you if you threaten his found family. Their boss, Cooper, who seems like a hardass but ultimately treats his team like his kids (letting them get away with shit included). Tom, Liz’s husband, who is… complicated. Mr. Kaplan who you just need to watch to fully appreciate. The cast is A+

Which means I’m watching the stupidest plot-line man ever devised, or a character suddenly did a 180 with no explanation, and yeah that makes the meta-writing part of my brain seethe and bite her imaginary pillow to muffle screams of rage… but then the characters have A Moment™, or there’s an actually well done twist, or we get an action sequence that yeah, is pretty silly when all is said and done, but it’s fun and I remember why I want to watch this show through to the end. Not because I think the big mystery will have a satisfying conclusion and not even because I like a lot of the major plot-lines coming up (I don’t) but because I still like the characters and so long as they’re interacting together in interesting ways, I’ll keep tuning in.

Particularly when it comes to Liz and Red. For however badly their relationship is written at times, the underlying dynamic itself remains stellar: successful FBI agent vs. renowned criminal. Poetic charmer vs. down-to-earth realist. Answers vs. questions. Is she making him better? Is he making her worse? What are they to each other and, even if the show did define that clearly on some level, can it really be answered so easily? I don’t think so. The fact that some days my brain goes, “God they have such a good father-daughter-esque relationship” and other days it’s going, “I ship it 👀” and other days it’s just, “You two need to stay FAR AWAY from each other. I mean, I’m digging the dysfunction, but if you were real people holy shit” just speaks to the complexity here. As frustrating as it can be, the messiness is kinda fun too? They’re compelling and they make my brain go brrrr with possibilities and sometimes that’s all you need in a show!

At least for the first three seasons. Lets see how I feel after 3 times that lol

Thus ends my 1k+, mostly non-spoilery Blacklist ramble ✌️

#Blacklist #The Blacklist #Lizzington #mymetas

[dana-is-snax]

"that's polaris. the north star. that's how sailors used to find their way home. when i look at you, that's what i see. i see my way home."

damn.

#the blacklist #raymond reddington #elizabeth keen #lizzington #s3 ep2 #queue

[phantomstatistician]

Fandom: The Blacklist

Sample Size: 2,766 stories

Source: AO3

#elizabeth keen #raymond reddington #donald ressler #tom keen #jacob phelps #aram mojtabai #samar navabi #henry prescott #mitchell hatley #dembe zuma #edgar reade #tasha zapata #the blacklist #fanfiction #ao3 #statistics #phantom statistician #lizzington

[ace-of-spaders]

When I was young, I loved fairy tales. I was always partial to shapeshifters, who seemed good and sweet, but they were full of unimaginable darkness.

+ bonus (because adorable Red is adorable)

#lizzington #raymond reddington #james spader #elizabeth keen #megan boone #tbl 3x14 #tbl lady ambrosia #my creations #my gifs #just... imagine them reading bedtime stories to Agnes (and any other kids they have) together #taking turns #doing voices #their back and forth so seamless and effortless because they are just so in tune #*sighs dreamily* #the things we deserved to see 🥺

[iwouldlovetoeatyourtoast]

#the blacklist #lizzington

[melbob26-blog]

#lizzington #msmeganmonday

[meetmeatthecoda]

Can you believe it’s been two years since The Terrible Awful? Idk about you, but I still find myself feeling bitter and sad about the treatment of Liz’s character. As if it wasn’t bad enough that they completely f’d up the core relationship of the show 😔

*stares in shock, mouth agape, at the tiny number one in my ask box* It's been 84 years 🥹🥹🥹

HELLO, ANON!!! 😍😍 I'll get to the actual content of your lovely ask in just a sec, but first I just have to say my heart skipped a beat to see that I actually received a Lizzington ask in the year of our lord 2023!! It's been... a long-ass time, but asks were one of my favorite ways to participate in the fandom... so suffice it to say that this is a very welcome throwback. Thank you for taking the time 🥲

ANYWAY enough YAMMERING from CODA bc NO, anon, NO. I CANNOT believe it's been two years since The Terrible Awful. I mean, in some ways it feels like it & in others it most definitely does not, but most of all... I'm just sad so much time has passed & we've gone so long without Lizzington & the fandom has largely moved on... it's a desperately sad, nostalgic, yearning feeling & it sucks 😭 And omg, I too absolutely still feel bitter about how they treated Liz AND the core relationship of the show, you're definitely not alone there, anon!! I think it has something to do with the fact that the show is technically still going (although not for much longer whoop lolz) & I still occasionally see/hear things about the current state & it's pretty laughable. Plus, the impending end of the show (although it ended for us 2 years ago lolol) brings about - at least in me - some bittersweet feelings in a secondhand, disinterested kind of way... well, mostly bitter lmfao 🙃 So yeah, long story short (as if), I 1000% feel you, anon!! The wounds may have healed over with time, but the scars are still there... which sounds dramatic AF for a TV show but... sometimes it do be like that 🫠 Anyway, thank you so much for dropping by to leave this ask, anon!! As sad as it was, I was very happy to see it & know that someone out there still thinks of Lizzington occasionally & still thought enough of me & my stupid blog to send an ask my way!! I hope my commiserating made you feel a tad better & - if it helps at all - know that I'm working hard on a big, new Lizzington fic at the moment... because I'm not ready to let them go yet!! So, thanks again, anon, take care, & much love to you, my friend!! ❤️

#The Blacklist #Lizzington #Elizabeth Keen #Raymond Reddington #fanfic #Halcyon #mine #ask #anon #thank you for dropping by anon!! #my ask box is always open!! #much love!! #:) #<3

[minp1072]

I…I…🥺

#fanfic #writing #oh no this doesn’t remind me of anyone in particular #blacklist #the blacklist #raymond reddington #elizabeth keen #lizzington

[my-robot-heart]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: The Blacklist (US TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Elizabeth Keen/Raymond Reddington Characters: Elizabeth Keen, Raymond Reddington, Dembe Zuma, Harold Cooper Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, The entire premise of this story is just Lizzie wanting to undress Red, Knife Wounds, safe house, Random Unimportant Blacklister, Exasperated Liz, Too Many Walls Red Summary:

Why does Red need to wear like 1000 layers of suiting at all times? Wouldn't Lizzie go insane wondering what it would be like to just... undo the layers one by one?

--

Red gets hurt and in order to help him, Lizzie needs to take his clothes off.

Initially intended to be one chapter but turns out I have more to write, so expect around 2 or 3 to complete the story.

#lizzington #fic #hi it's me #robot #okay enjoy

[yeikdont]

-Agent Keen, what a pleasure

-...

#reddington #raymond reddington #the blacklist #lizzington