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Indie Raymond "Red" Reddington from NBC's Blacklist. Private. Selective. Mun/Muse 21+. Dark Themes present. Please read rules/bio before following/interacting. Written by Erick
Nick considers a powerless Red to be about a 2 on the intimidation scale. Powered Red... probably a 7. Which is damn impressive, since it doesn't go higher than that lol

Red, who has been almost completely absent since the HORRENDOUS season finale, just popped in to laugh and say “I’m both impressed and flattered.” 

Powerless Red can’t really do much that would actually HURT Nick so that’s pretty accurate lmao

youstolemycoat:

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“How nice for you. I suggest you keep future observations to yourself. For your healths sake.“

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“Are you threatening me?” he couldn’t help continuing to chuckle. “Do tell what you’re thinking of doing to me, I’m absolutely giddy with anticipation.”

Mercy. That's a good topic for a meta.

sonofabitch. That is a good topic. 

OKAY. SO. 

The amount of mercy Raymond Reddington has is directly related to whom said mercy is expected to be directed to. Liz, of course, is the most complicated person, as he has unending mercy for her, but there are secrets he’s still keeping from her. 

Innocents, by in large, have done nothing wrong, and he will not go out of his way to harm them. He’s been shown to be a huge patron of the arts(funding the DC Ballet company enough that they’ll shut down the theatre and do a show of Swan Lake for him–and him alone–every year; he funds a homeless shelter, he defended a domestic violence victim from her husband, etc). 

The problem, and the quickest way for him to revoke any and all mercy you may have been afforded is to hurt him or those he holds dear. Even if you’re otherwise innocent, there are few things that will get you out of whatever fate he’s deemed to be yours if you’ve hurt him personally. There’s an EMT that digs a tracking chip out of his neck, who was strong-armed by a bigger Bad Guy, forced to help him. Red still kills her because she was part of the conspiracy to get to him, the conspiracy which cost him one of his closest people, nearly cost him the person he considers a son, as well as his actual daughter. That was enough to cost her her life. 

He finds most government officials to be immoral, but can still use them for his needs. If they cross a line–one that I’m not entirely sure what the limits are–then they become the enemy. The world places checkers with their allegiances and connections, and Raymond plays something approaching to 3D Chess. If any of his connections are still in play, it’s because they serve a purpose. If they’re considered ‘bad’, but they’re useful for him, then they’re okay. Example: He gets a serial arsonist out of prison just to recruit him and use him for his own plans, plans that aren’t even a twinkle in the audience’s eyes until at least two episodes later in show-canon. His contingencies have contingencies, which have contingencies of their own. 

He’s surprisingly liberal for an old, rich white man, he thinks the government takes too much of his money in taxes that only go to build a wall or put more Black people in prisons. He finds it abhorrent that a Muslim man decided to give his gay son a sex change, because being a woman was better than being a gay man (regardless of how problematic this is as a piece of MEDIA, this is an actual storyline), and tells him, at length, just how terrible of a person he is for mutilating his son. 

At the end of the day, if you hurt innocents, especially children and minorities, don’t be surprised if one day, you wake up and Red’s sitting on your bed, gun in hand, and that’s one of the last things you ever see. 

youstolemycoat:

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“Nick Necro. King of Magic.”

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Red laughed so hard he almost forgot how to breathe. “I’ve met many kings and various assorted royalty. You, my dear human, don’t fit the description.” Why bother hiding anything about himself now? 

youstolemycoat:

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“I’ll have to keep that to myself. And tell me, friend, who are you?“ 

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“Where’s the fun in that?” Red asked, “We’re both adults here, there’s no need to play childish games, or hide things.” He sipped from a flask that appeared out of nowhere. “Call me Red. And you, mage? What do they call you?”

youstolemycoat:

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“Oh, good. Normal is terribly boring.“

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“So, what is it that makes you so special? You smell like a mage to me, and mages–despite what they might like to believe–aren’t special.” 

youstolemycoat:

“It’s important to remember…“

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“There’s always a greater power. And it’s usually me.“

Red smirked. “Usually.” 

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He cocked his head and simply looked at the mage. “You’ll find I’m nothing if not unusual.”