#i know liking negan is controversial but i love him so much

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️ Ranking Richonne

#7: How'd I Get So Lucky Finding You (S9E01)

Imagine feeling lucky in a fallen world. 🥹 Losing so much and still feeling like you won because you found the ultimate love of your life. 😭 It’s beautiful and powerful that Richonne’s love is so strong that it has them feeling fortunate even after enduring a series of unfortunate events. And in this stunning scene, we get to see so much of why Rick and Michonne have an everlasting love. This scene is an absolutely heartwarming delight and it features my favorite thing Rick has ever said to Michonne in TWD 😍...

I will forever love the state of Richonne’s relationship in s9. They finally had time to breathe and be a family with Judith, and I loved every moment they got to relish in being together.

I always knew Rick and Michonne wouldn't be the type of couple who were only compatible in fight and survival mode - they're equally compatible in just living and being mode. 

So I appreciate that this scene takes its time to just be as the two cuddle up and showcase yet again why they work so perfectly with each other. They truly belong together and fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. 🥰

Also, I will always like that this scene of Richonne snuggled up in bed takes place in the Sanctuary of all places. Just more proof that nothing, not even the oppressive reign of Negan, was going to break Richonne because now Rick and Michonne are up in that batty man's crib fully immersed in their sweet Richonne bubble. 🤗

They just feel so married with Rick washing up and then getting in bed with Michonne as the two just instinctively get wrapped up in each other. And the way Rick kisses her forehead. 🥹 It’s always so clear that they feel the most safe to completely decompress and let their guard down with each other and are so precious to each other.

And I’m just giddy every time I hear Michonne adorably and playfully call Rick “the famous Rick Grimes” with that shoulder shimmy while resting on his chest. Perfection. 👌🏽

I love their teasing banter and how she’s addressing the way Rick's a legend to the people. As he should be. And Rick’s playful, "don’t you start too" response to hearing her say that is just great. 😊

It’s adorable that she plays with his beard while noting that the reverence people have for him is sweet. She gets it. She says, “just don’t let it get to your head” and Richonne tones for the win once again in this scene. 😍

And again the two bring up Maggie and how they feel for her since she has to deal with losing that Hilltop kid, which is particularly sad too because R&M lost their own teenage son just about a year and a half ago.

Rick and Michonne then have this moment where they both just take a synchronized deep breath and these two seriously always feel like one, especially in the way they breathe in this moment. 

I like how Rick seems tired as he closes his eyes, but then Michonne says his name, and he can always be awake and alert for her when they need to talk.

I really like too how Michonne and Rick both get honest about the fact that they wonder if they should have just killed Negan. To which I was like, yes...

But I appreciate that Michonne says "we" when talking about this choice because she and Rick are a package deal. Saving Negan without consulting the others was Rick’s most controversial move among tf, and it clearly had some tf members feeling understandably upset. But it’s nice that, by saying "we," Michonne doesn’t make Rick feel like he was alone in that choice.

Rick thinks the Saviors just want food, not Negan back in charge, and Michonne reminds him they don’t know that for sure, which is valid, and it’s great they can communicate like this.

And then I love that Michonne lets him know she’s been thinking about an agreement between the communities and that she maps out the idea with her hand over his heart. Their closeness really is unparalleled.

Also the way Rick is looking at his wife throughout this scene is um...it's gold and damn near made me lose my train of thought so let me get myself back on track lol.

I love that Rick affirms Michonne's idea, telling her it’s good and smart, and how he looks right at her while saying it could bring people closer together. And the way Michonne touches him. I love that they really don’t take their hands off each other for pretty much the entire scene. 😊

And then Rick opens up and lets her know what's on his mind as he shares that Daryl isn’t happy, and it makes him worried about things breaking down. Scenes like this are why I believe Michonne is not just Rick's wife but truly his best friend. They always can confide in each other and express everything going on inside - their hopes, ideas, worries, and fears.

It’s sweet that Michonne acknowledges the validity of what Daryl feels. And Rick groans a bit and says Daryl cares too much sometimes. I appreciate that Michonne can sense Rick's headspace so clearly here and doesn’t want a divide to be caused between those two brothers (even tho it ends up being a bit too late sadly).

The way Michonne whispers 'hey' and then gently turns Rick's face towards her, it’s like a visible illustration of how she centers him and reminds him to stay focused on the good and how to move things forward. And of course, Rick is receptive to this redirection as he looks into her eyes. Love it. 😊

Michonne acknowledges that if Daryl is worried then there’s a reason. And again, because R&M are a package deal, she asks, "What do we do about it?" knowing however they handle it, it will be together. 

And then, like a well-oiled machine, Rick says he thinks they need to fix that bridge, and Michonne says she'll get the people to agree to a charter. Look at these leaders making big community decisions all while snuggling in bed together. 🥰

So then it’s Rick’s turn to do some teasing when he asks if it’ll be a "charter or constitution?" Again, I love how lines like these show Rick and Michonne know each other's humor as Michonne amusedly confirms it'll be a charter. And it's just sweet too cuz, while they're playing around, I'm sure Rick fully believes Michonne would be capable of drafting up a whole effective constitution for the new world lol.

Their synchronized smiles at this moment are seriously the best. 🙌🏽And then Rick kissing her three times is even better. The way Michonne smiles at him. The way he always has to come back for more. I live.😍

And I just absolutely love getting to see Rick and Michonne in such a relaxed happy state. Scenes like this make it so clear why Rick and Michonne haven't moved on from each other after all those years apart. You don't move on from a love like this.

Richonne gives each other joy like no other and this whole exchange shows how they work so effortlessly together as leaders and lovers. What a pair. 🤩 As Andy said, they truly are perfect partners in this imperfect world.

Plus it’s just always so sweet that two of the strongest, fiercest, most intimidating warriors in the world find each other so cute and cuddly. 😋

Y'all, Richonne + cars is a thing, and also Richonne + candle-lit scenes too, because they are always A1.

...But then the candles get blown out, and this scene proceeds to reach its peak of perfection. 🤩

As someone who loves a lengthy Richonne scene, I remember first watching this ep live and being so happy that they weren’t cutting away from them once the lights went out. I had no idea it was because we were in for something so heavenly. 😇

Cuz they turn off the lights and then immediately wrap their arms around each other again to go to sleep and it’s always so sweet seeing Rick softly touch her hair. All the little gestures just feel like this person in their arms is their treasure who has their whole heart. #ILoveEveryRichonneDetail

Then....y'all then Rick opens his eyes to utter the greatest thing he's ever said to Michonne thus far - “How’d I get so lucky finding you?”

BEAUTIFUL. Powerful, meaningful, romantic, fitting, perfect. I could go on. 👩🏽‍🍳💋

I love the delivery of the line because it really feels like it’s this reoccurring thought for Rick that, at this moment, his mind was thinking and just had to utter out loud.

It's fitting he’d say this after the convo they just had because it really did capture why Michonne is so perfect for him, and I love that he knows it and vocalizes it. Michonne is a genuinely phenomenal individual, so it makes perfect sense that Rick feels not just happy but lucky to have her.

And just to think about their journey and know that we’d arrive at a point where Rick reflects on when he met Michonne and feels so personally lucky to have found her. 😭 She’s his soulmate, and he knows it wholeheartedly. 

And I love that beyond literally finding each other, there’s something deep about the way Rick and Michonne found each other in their truest form. They saw each other in a deeper way and brought each other back from the lost state they were in. 

Also, I always think it’s sweet how Rick said this with zero other motives - this was just his abundant love for her pouring out. I’m so grateful that in Rick's final season, they didn’t give him and Michonne any tiffs or division, but rather showed that they have only grown closer and more in love since the last season. 

Like after one of the series' longest time jumps, I adore that we return to a Rick and Michonne who have clearly spent the last year and a half strengthening their bond even more, and healing, and fully enjoying their life together. They are really and truly an unbreakable unit who only fall more in love the more time they spend together.

When I think about all Rick and Michonne have been through together and all they’ve built, it’s just the absolute greatest thing to know Rick thinks about his life and feels so sincerely lucky that he found Michonne. We knew that the day they found each other at the prison fence was life-changing, and it's great to see them two know it too.

If you were to tell Season One Rick that he was going to eventually lose his son, Carl, but would still have family that made him feel like a lucky man, he'd probably think you were crazy. And yet, this is the power of Richonne. The family found between Rick and Michonne runs so deep and is so authentic that, even after the most painful loss imaginable, Rick knows he still has so much to live for because he has Michonne and Judith.

Then it’s so sweet that Michonne hears Rick say this heart-bursting line and takes his hand because she feels the same way, and is likely thinking that's the...

#DirectQuoteFromHerMind you already know. 😋

And then Michonne softly tells Rick, "We both lost enough, it’s time we won a little don’t you think?" My heart. 😭 This moment is everything.

And y’all, I had gone back and re-read one of my old Richonne in Retrospect posts from several years ago where I reflected on a s6 scene between Michonne and David, that Alexandrian who got bit in 6.03. In that 6.03 scene, David talks to Michonne about his love story which completely and intentionally mirrors Michonne's own love story with Rick. And in that old post, I wrote this: 

"Rick and Michonne finding each other in all this is really one of the best things that happened to them. And in this type of world people take a whole lot of L’s so it’s cool that they were actually able to find such a big win in finding each other…and if R&M ever verbally imply a similar sentiment to each other about how finding each other in all this was everything, this will literally be me…"

So the fact that over a year after I wrote that, Rick and Michonne express exactly this...😭🙌🏾😭 It is the best ever. And just as I predicted, that gif above was and still is me whenever I watch this scene. It is just so powerful for Rick and Michonne to feel like amid all their loss, they still won big time by finding each other and falling in love. 

And then Michonne so lovingly kisses his hand, and Rick is perfectly content with that exchange as he shuts his eyes. But then, once again, the gift that keeps on giving gives us even more. 🤩

Cuz Michonne turns to look at him and then Rick...y’all, I’ll never get over how he looks at her right here. Like he looks right at Michonne with a breathtaking look that says, “I’m wholly and completely yours” and so clearly shows that she seriously means everything to him.

(also! y'all, I wrote this whole post before that V-day trailer, and so the fact that we've now got to hear Rick directly say, "I am yours," before the show even officially premieres 😍😍😍 my goodness TOWL is just blessings on blessings)

So then they kiss and it wonderfully ramps up with Michonne getting on top of him and reiterating "the famous Rick Grimes." 😏

…except this time, i think sis means he’s famous for reasons only she knows about. and that’s their business. 😋

As Danai has noted before, Rick knows how to make Michonne vulnerable, and Michonne knows how to make Rick laugh, which is just sublime.

And the way Rick laughs at the close of this scene - you know that if there’s one person he likes being "the famous Rick Grimes" to it’s Mrs. Grimes. 😊

Y’all, this whole scene blessed us ten times over. Our ship has it all. And we really do get whatever we want lol. 💅🏽

(Side note: it's also important to note that we don't just get whatever we want as some sort of forced fan service from the show. (Considering Gimple was planting Richonne seeds before viewers had even seen the two on screen together, that fan-service take simply can't be true). The real reason we get what we want is because the very love story we want to see is also the very love story the show wanted to organically craft. These TWD writers, actors, producers, network/production companies etc, fully recognize Rick and Michonne's relationship as a special marriage with crazy love between two tethered soulmates, and we're just in agreement and alignment with that. And I feel fortunate that the canon story being told is as beautiful, romantic, and authentic as we wanted and knew it would be)

I’m so grateful for this tender scene and that these actors are so capable of playing every shade of Richonne perfectly. Like we got serious, playful, romantic, steamy, and utterly heartfelt all in this one scene. 🙌🏾

And while Rick has expressed feeling so lucky to have Michonne in the way he looks at her for many seasons, it was wonderful to hear him also outright verbalize that in finding her he found a true reward. He doesn’t take her for granted, and Michonne doesn’t either, knowing that he is her win in all this too. 

This moment is also beautiful because Rick and Michonne are two selfless individuals who have been put through the wringer on their individual and shared journeys yet still remained dedicated to giving their all to protect their people - And then the universe sent them each other and said ♡ you deserve to be taken care of too, ♡ you deserve to be held too, ♡ you deserve a gift that's just for you too. ♡ oh and also the gift that we're sending you is...

Rick and Michonne are each other's blessing. This scene solidified that beautifully.

They won because of each other, and we won with special scenes like this that contribute so much to Richonne’s perfect love story. 😌

[theteasetwrites]

Well I just watched episode 23. Here are my thoughts. 🥲

Spoilers for TWD season 11 episode 23. Don’t read if you haven’t watched it because some shit goes down.

Love that they’re all heading for commonwealth to fuck shit up

Ok I am actually pissed tf off about Daryl letting Judith come with them. Daryl she’s like 11 years old. Idc how “tough” she is, she should not be allowed to fight in a literal warzone where there are automatic rifles being shot at your people. I absolutely HATE how they’ve written Daryl to allow that. They’re making him make such a stupid ass decision that I feel like he would never make (another OOC moment because the writers don’t know Daryl as a character anymore). Daryl makes stupid decisions sometimes, but this is beyond stupid. Daryl, I know you would be a better parent than that and yet they’ve written you like you have the common sense of a potato

Also Judith begging to go with them all the time is so annoying to me like girl you are a literal child know your place read the room and stop trying to be an adult it’s just annoying at this point we get it your parents were Rick and Michonne pls shut up about it🙄

Hi when am I supposed to start caring about Annie or her and Negan’s stupid unborn baby I think I missed the memo

NOT LYDIA. NOT LYDIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I gasped. When I tell you I sat up in my bed at 3am and GASPED. I love Lydia so much. But at least it was just her arm and Aaron was with her and helped amputate, but still. Also when Aaron said “you are so loved Lydia” 🥹 I love this man so much you don’t understand he is actually the best character right next to Daryl don’t @ me I’m right also I cared more about Lydia than I did Judith in this ep 🫣

I hope Elijah and Jerry make it in the herd, but tbh I am not going to get my hopes up because they are both fair game at this point unfortunately 😔 who is going to take care of Jerry’s 20 kids

I love that Mercer is helping them out now! He really is a great character I think. It’s just so frustrating that he got snitched on but you know what they say about snitches

Ezekiel pls you don’t have to be nice to Negan it’s ok (I love him for that tho, we stan a bigger person) also if they kill Ezekiel I will stab someone anyway

I really really hope Rosita finds her baby. I wonder why Coco wasn’t at Alexandria like the other kids??

Connie is so sweet to that guy idk his name but you know. That guy. Too bad he DIES

Oh yeah and Judith gets shot. Um so I am not a big Judith fan at all so like obviously I am slightly sad but also… I mostly just care about how Daryl is going to deal with it because he is totally going to blame himself (as he should bc WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN BESTIE 😭). Daryl has lost so many people and he always blames himself for it and idk it just really bothers me that they’re doing this to him AGAIN like let my man have ONE DAY where someone’s death isn’t indirectly his fault and/or affects him greatly. We don’t even know if Judith is gonna die but yeah it’s not looking good. I mean they’re not going to get great medical care in the middle of a full-blown war AND a walker attack (with the advanced updated DLC version of walkers thrown in too)

I honestly don’t care that much if Judith dies but I also don’t want Daryl to have to deal with that because DAMN he is going to be devastated he has lost so much man it’s really not fair. I think he has suffered more than any character on this show and I don’t think it is controversial to say that because just considering the sheer amount of shit he has dealt with and seen is insane. I would say he is going to need therapy after this but apocalypse 😔

But also Daryl you dumb bitch lol ofc this was going to happen you should have never let a CHILD into a WARZONE you big himbo

I’d still give him a blowjob tho he’s gonna need one after this

Anyway

Also Pamela suck the fattest cock you are such an asshole I hate you and I can’t wait to watch you die I hope Daryl kills you too 😘

Ok that’s all I think?? Idk this episode was a whirlwind. I am scared for the next one (esp since Daryl is laying on the ground?!?! HELP)

[allthegothihopgirls]

!!!TWD 11x14 SPOILERS!!!

my take on the latest episodes of twd:

!!! heavy spoilers for twd 11x14 ahead !!!

before i get started, sorry for being inactive, i got caught up in school stuff and then got covid on friday. doing a lot better now though. rlly missed doing this :)

its been a while since i’ve done one of these, mainly due to the fact that i didn’t actually watch the latest three episodes until today. but now i’ve had lots of free time to catch up. i did consider making individual posts for each episode but decided against it as i’ve found myself not as interested in these episodes compared to the first couple of 11b, so take this post as a general take rather than strictly for 11x14.

anyways, enough about me, let’s discuss

i’m not too sure if it’s just me, but i’ve found myself a lot less interested in 11b compared to when the trailers were released, not because it’s boring (imo it’s been excellent so far) but because it’s missing something. i couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but i came to the conclusion that it’s because of how wide-spread everything is becoming. i feel as though all the characters are becoming absurdly distant and hard to keep up with, especially with all the side characters there are nowadays, and although relevant to the plot it still annoyed me, that was until i realised it was all intentional.

what has happened every other time like this? although this example is miniscule in comparison, remember when the prison group took in the woodbury citizens? it was short-lived, and made the characters quite hard to keep up with for a little, but it was all relevant. 

we then saw the governers final attack, which took out the filler characters and left the core group closer than ever. the plot needed that “wow factor” to give the group another reason to trust each other like family. imagine if the governer had attacked in a circumstance where they hadn’t taken in extras and it was just the core group to begin with, there’s multiple flaws:

1. it wouldn’t have set up for the realistic amount of character deaths, ultimately leaving a mc to die, which in turn sets up for an unnecessary grief period

2. the core group’s main bond is over the fact that even though they’ve come from many different periods in the plot, all from different backgrounds, they all survived. they’ve survived against all odds, even though almost everyone else they’ve been with haven’t made it. not having those filler characters die to accentuate the fact doesn’t bring in the same sentiment.

you get the point

i’m currently under the impression that we are going to see history repeat itself one final time in this regard. the characters being distant right now is still very frustrating, but it keeps me hopeful for what’s to come. (especially about how big that event that brings them back must be, they’re more distant than we’ve ever seen, and former repercussions of that have been massive, what could be in store this time??)

at the moment though i do dearly miss the closeness of the characters that we saw in moments such as the lead up to terminus where there was only a core group of characters with no side pieces to distract them.

in terms of 11x14:

(fore-warning most of this is about negan lmfao, absolutely in love with him atm) point 1 OMG THE LYDIA  AND NEGAN REUNION!!! almost had me in tears “hey kiddo” fdosjdfds WITH THE HEAD MOVEMENT TOO, enough to make a grown man cry :’) point 2 i really liked the scene between annie and maggie, annie was saying everything the viewers wanted to say. i truly do believe that negan has changed, and what she said has really confirmed to me that he is a different person canonically. it was also really refreshing to see someone actually tell maggie that she can’t hold onto who negan was forever. i understand her pain, and i do understand that she shouldn’t have to forgive just because negan wants to, but it’s dragging on too far. maggie needs to realise that she’s just as wrong as negan has been.

i think maggie has finally realised that she’s holding a grudge against a changed man. negan has so much loyalty to her that is completely disregarded. maggie’s reaction to negan telling her that “it’d have to happen to me first” before he would let hershel get hurt was really heartwarming as well, it was like a switch just flicked.

point 3 sebastian can die.

point 4 “are you a bad man?” “i was” THE WHOLE SCENE MAN, SO AWESOME negans monologue was really reminiscent as well, what he said about just because he might deserve to die for being a bad man doesn’t mean that everyone else deserves to die (because if hershel killed him they would all be found out and killed) really hit hard. it reminded me of the line up, negan killed glenn (ik abe died to but this is about glenn) because he was associated with who he thought to be the “bad man in charge” which wasn’t right. further proving my point that negan is a changed man.

point 5 daryl and rosita man. so wholesome how much they’re willing to give up for their kids. i hope daryl kills sebastian.

i knew from the second guns started firing that it was mercer, which was relieving because i knew he would understand what was going on. i also loved how daryl didn’t even have to defend himself when mercer told him he was under the impression they were stealing money. man, mercer didn’t even believe what he was saying lmfao

point 6 “it’s that goddamn priest again” captured absolutely everyone’s reaction to a tee, in a good way though. when the guy (forgot his name lol) said that, i was celebrating behind the screen because i knew gabe and aaron were about to pull some epic shit. aaron got me so happy though. i was celebrating so hard when elijah came out with his weapon and again when aaron shot the bitch off the roof. amazing scene visually.

point 7 i was going to go on about how carol’s back on her badass era shit, but then hornsby pulled out the walkie and i figured that he knows.

however, i still want to believe that carol is 10 steps ahead and ready to serve him some cookies. also that look she gave when she turned away?? actually terrifying. i hope hornsby’s ready to look at the flowers.

point 8 negan with kids. i really appreciate the way negan interacts with the kids, it’s the gym teacher coming out in him. we saw it with judith, we saw it with lydia, and now hershel. it’s really refreshing to see him treat them as equals, like when he got down on his knees to be at hershels level, or when he said to judith “i like to swear in front of my friends”

i’m a little confused on where hershel stands with negan now though, especially after the last scene where he death-stared him. point 9 for the love of god i’m done with leah.

now let’s talk predictions/questions:

- april (the woman in the office) was connected to tyler davis. reddit user u/mistertrouble189 pointed out that in the promo for 11x15, the name on the sheet of paper (the one from a few episodes ago with all the names of people connected to tyler) changed from april kelly in the original episode to april marten in the promo. take that how you will - stephanie. i called it. i deadass called it straight up in my 11x09 analysis.

- where are the others? the only downside to 11b so far has been the distance between characters. i just wanna know where characters like gracie, princess, jude’s friend, and connie and kelly are and what they’re doing. and luke! we saw oceanside but no luke, it’s so confusing

- one of my original predictions was hershel jr being in some kind of danger, and i am now being led to believe that him being hurt/kidnapped will be the premise of the negan and maggie spin off.

- i also predicted aaron’s death, and a lot of people are saying that he’s going to take rick’s comic death, which i can definitely see happening

-death predictions include:

1. gabriel i feel like his story is over. if he dies i don’t think i’ll even care that much (plot-wise, emotionally i’ll be destroyed, i love gabe sm)

2. mercer (maybe idk) with him it’s a 50/50, they’ll either leave him to live, or kill him to send a message that not standing out for the wrong will get you killed. we’re already seeing this a bit, with daryl standing up for himself in front of seb, but mercer still giving him the money

3. aaron will prolly get rick’s comic death

4. NOT rosita will be crushed if she dies, but they are setting her up as a “main” main character this season, i have hope for her.

5. sebastian i don’t care how he dies, but i need him dead.

6 months later scene

i’m beginning to see how it’s all supposed to seem at the hilltop scene. the way i see it, daryl, rosita, and co are oblivious to the outside corruption in the commonwealth, whereas aaron, gabe, maggie, etc are oblivious to the inside corruption in the commonwealth. it all adds up for a midseason finale that leaves the audience conflicted as to who’s the good people, because everyone is in the right, just unknowing to some things. i’m open to any ideas you guys have

~

on another note

are we going to talk about sarah callies new ig post?? actually sobbing 

i told my dad about it bc he watches twd and i was complaining about how swc does not have the right to tug on my heartstrings like that, and he’s like “but how does that work? carl’s dead” THATS THE WHOLE POINT, he forgot that lori was dead for a solid 30 seconds though lmfao. i think he understood me after he remembered that

excited for next weeks episode! until next time friends :) (also i NEED a negan and jude reunion by the end of the season)

[bloodybigshiplucille]

The Ghost of Her

Chapter 4: I’d Leave It All Behind If I Could Follow

Maggie and Negan have to let go off each other but will they actually be able to stay away from each other?

(Disclaimer: Neggie is a very controversial ship. If you don't like it, don't read it, just be kind to each other :) )

It’s ecstasy. It’s pure bliss. The slight pressure of Negan’s lips against Maggie’s. The gentle movement of his mouth against hers. His tongue that’s slowly tracing the seam of her lips asking for entrance. It’s so intoxicating that Maggie forgets who’s lips she’s kissing. She forgets her argument with Hershel and why she didn’t wanted to come to Negan’s house in the first place. Only when he can’t help himself anymore and lets out a moan against Maggie’s lips and she feels his hands on her hips, she remembers. She remembers that only a few days ago his wife was still alive and expecting their first baby. She remembers the rage in her son’s eyes when he realized that his mother was seeing the man that murdered his father and for the first time in along time she remembers a barbwire baseball bat. Maggie places one hand on Negan’s chest and gently pushes him away from her. „What’s wrong? Are you okay?“ Negan quickly asks obviously taken aback. „I… Negan we can’t do this. You lost your wife a couple of days ago, you’re not thinking right at the moment.“ „Maggie, please…“ But Maggie doesn’t listen. She quickly gets up from the sofa and grabs her jacket. „I’m sorry Negan but I have to go.“ And just like that Negan is left on his sofa alone. Despite having just kissed the woman he had been pining after for longer than he wants to admit, he’s feeling a lot worse than before. Maggie’s right. He just lost his wife, they shouldn’t be doing this and even though Annie and Lucille are gone he feels like he’s betraying both of them. Fuck, he needs to stay away from her.

When Maggie walks through the door of her own home she hasn’t even realized that tears started escaping her eyes. How is it fair that the first man she’s kissed in over 10 years is the one man on this planet that she should definitely not be kissing? How is it fair that of all men on this planet, well at least of all still existing men, she has to decide to develop feelings for the murder of her husband? „Mom?“ As Maggie turns around she spots Hershel coming from their kitchen. Maggie quickly wipes her eyes with her sleeve hoping Hershel didn’t see it. „Are you okay, Mom?“ „I’m okay, honey, don’t worry,“ Maggie quickly assures her son. „Is it because of how I acted yesterday? I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me,“ Tears start rising in Hershel’s eyes as he blames himself for making his mother cry. „Hershel, baby, no,“ Maggie walks towards her now crying son and quickly takes him in her arms. Hershel clings onto his mother like his life depends on it. Even though her son’s obviously having a breakdown over their argument Maggie can’t help but feel relieved. She’s relieved that she can at least stop worrying about one thing in her life. „It’s fine, Hershel, I’m not mad at you. I just want to you talk to me from now on when something’s bothering you so we can discuss it like adults, okay? I know the past years weren’t easy for us but as long as we stick together I know that we’ll be fine.“

The next couple of days things pretty much went back to normal, at least between Maggie and Hershel. Dinner time wasn’t awkward as hell anymore and Hershel went back to his humorous self that Maggie loves so much. But while things at home seem to be back to normal and Maggie starts working in the community again she can’t help but yearn for a part of her that’s missing. Ever since her and Negan’s kiss she’s been avoiding his house like it’s going to swallow her whole the second she even looks at it. Despite knowing that keeping away from Negan is the right thing to do, it’s almost unbearable. Whenever she’s not occupied enough her mind starts slipping to their shared kiss. To the way his stubble graced her skin, the way his hands held her close and the taste of his lips against her. When she’s alone at night she catches herself imagining what else would have happened if she hadn’t pushed him away. The sound of his moan still lingers in her ears causing her to relieve the constant tingle between her legs on her own. She also misses Jodie a lot. The little bundle of joy really grew on her and she constantly worries about the little girl being fine. She’s praying every night that Negan is doing okay with her.

The other night Maggie is preparing dinner while Hershel is doing his homework (something Maggie hasn’t ever seen coming) when there’s a knock on the door. „I got it, Mom,“ Hershel quickly gets up from his chair by the dinner table, obviously glad about getting a chance to neglect his homework. Maggie continues cutting a pepper when Hershel calls out for her. „Mom, I think you should come to the door.“ Hershel’s mood shifted and he suddenly sounds stern. Maggie quickly drops her knife and heads over to their front door to check on what or who disorientated her son. It’s him. Of course it’s him. Maggie looks at the man with the handsome face and the salt and pepper beard she’s been obsessing over in the dead of night. In his arms he’s holding his daughter. „I’m sorry, Maggie, I wouldn’t have come if I had another choice but I don’t know where else to go,“ Negan explains Maggie with tired eyes. He looks as drained as he did the day he found out about Annie’s passing. His hair is disheveled and the bags under his eyes have gotten deeper. Despite knowing that Hershel is probably eavesdropping on them at the moment her mother instincts are kicking in as soon as she spots the little baby in her father’s arms. „It’s fine, what’s going on?“ Maggie asks Negan while opening the door wider, inviting them in. „She refuses to sleep. No matter what I try, she just doesn’t sleep. She naps for maybe 5 minutes and then starts whining immediately. She doesn’t sleep, I don’t sleep. Now we’re both cranky and I just… I don’t know what to do anymore,“ Negan pours his heart out as soon as he stepped into Maggie’s home. „You should have come earlier, this isn’t healthy for neither of you,“ Maggie immediately takes Jodie from Negan’s arms and starts cradling her. „C’mon, let’s go upstairs.“ Negan follows Maggie to her bedroom on the second floor. „Lay down,“ Maggie orders him pointing at her bed. Negan studies the flowery bedding for a second before looking at Maggie quizzically. „Jodie needs to sleep, I’m fine…“ Negan tries arguing but Maggie places her hand on Negan’s chest and pushes him effortlessly down onto her bed. „You need to sleep, too, I’m not going to deal with both of you suffering from sleep deprivation.“ „But what about…“ „Your daughter is already asleep,“ She’s right. Negan spots his little girl peacefully slumbering in Maggie’s arms and feels the weight of endless sleepless nights lifted from him. „Thank god,“ He groans out and falls back onto the bed. „C’mon, under the covers you go,“ Maggie can’t help but smile at the man in her bed. She gently lays Jodie next to Negan and tucks both father and daughter in. „I’ll go and continue preparing dinner. I’ll leave some for you for when you wake up.“ As soon as Maggie starts heading out of the door she notices Negan’s eyes getting heavy and he already starts drifting into a deep sleep. The second Maggie hits the final step of the stairs Hershel is already blocking her way. „Why is he here?“ Hershel asks reproachful. „They needed help,“ Maggie walks past Hershel already knowing that he won’t be satisfied with the answer. „Couldn’t they have found help elsewhere? Why are you helping him?" „Hershel, I’m not helping Negan, I’m helping Jodie. She and you aren’t too different, you know? Don’t just look at her as Negan’s child. Consider her a kid that lost a parent very early on. Should we really not help her?“ Maggie watches Hershel’s features getting softer, her words clearly getting to him until he nods his head. „Okay, I’m fine with helping her but don’t expect me to be fine with him in our house.“ „I don’t. This is really mature of you, I’m really proud of you, my son,“ Maggie can’t help but smile at Hershel and give him a huge kiss on his cheek which Hershel reluctantly accepts.

Two hours later Maggie decides to check on her guests in her bedroom. Negan has shifted Jodie from her sleeping position next to him so she’s now lying on his chest. While her father is still asleep Jodie’s big brown eyes have started checking her surroundings, clearly irritated by the unknown room she's in. As soon as she spots Maggie leaning against the door frame her eyes widen and she starts smiling at the clearly familiar face. „Hi, sweetheart,“ Maggie whispers hoping she won’t wake Negan but of course Jodie starts wiggling in Negan’s arms as soon as Maggie’s attention lays on her. Negan stirs awake when he notices his daughter shifting. When he notices the mattress dipping next to him he fully blinks the sleep in his eyes away. „Shhh, I got her, sleep on,“ Maggie whispers, takes Jodie and lays her down on her own chest. Negan shifts and turns onto his side so he has a better view on Maggie and his daughter. He gently strokes over Jodie’s head while paying attention that he’s not touching Maggie inappropriately. „Are you feeling better?“ Maggie asks the sleepy man next to her. „A lot, thank you, you saved my ass. Again,“ Negan chuckles. „How can I thank you?“„You don’t need to thank me.“ „If there’s ever something you need, feel free to ask me, okay?“ „Okay,“ Maggie smiles at him genuinely. „You two can stay the night if you want to.“ „I can’t accept that, you’ve already done way to much and,“ „Shut up! You’re staying or I’ll pin you down on this mattress.“ „Well, I’m not stopping you from that,“ Negan grins cheekily. „Oh, stop it,“ Maggie laughs and hits Negan gently in the arm. He quickly grabs her hand and hold it tightly so she can’t continue hitting him, however instead of letting go once she stops fighting him he lays her hand on his chest and gently strokes over her fingers. The now familiar tingle starts settling in Maggie’s stomach once more and starts spreading downwards. She clandestinely squeezes her legs together, hoping Negan wouldn’t notice the effect he has on her. Maggie’s heart almost sets out when Negan lowers his head, however shortly before their lips have the chance to collide his head goes even lower and he gently presses a kiss against his daughter’s head who’s now peacefully sleeping on Maggie’s chest. Maggie’s breathing intensifies with Negan being so close to her. „Good night, Maggie,“ He whispers as his head lifts towards her once more. „Good night, Negan“ Maggie answers almost inaudibly. Negan lays his head back down on his side of the bed and slightly nuzzles his head against Maggie’s right arm. Maggie’s heart is about to beat out of her chest, her entire body has stiffen. If one thing’s for sure it’s that she won’t get any sleep tonight.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

[kissing-monsters]

11 + 12, and 22 + 23 for the salty ask list, any fandom you wanna talk about.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I guess Griffith (Berserk) comes to mind (probably because you're the person asking ha), but I know he's generally deeply hated in the wider Berserk fandom. I think the why of that is generally just Straight People in some venn diagram crossover with Media Must Be Morally Acceptable people.

Within fandoms that are... gayer? I guess I don't tend to have any super controversial favourites that I can think of. I tend to like fairly main characters and apart from occasionally I do tend to like not nice characters who do horrible things, so that has some awkwardness (usually from the Media Must Be Morally Acceptable brigade, but this time the Gay Side).

Since I've been into Walking Dead recently, I have seen a lot of very painful and dull arguments about Negan being irredeemable (because of course, if you do bad things, you can never ever ever do good and people are morally obliged to hate you for all eternity and you can't REALLY change or grow), so I guess I'll also say Negan to an extent, but he's also incredibly popular at the same time so. Hm.

Oh and from back in the day, there was a tiny little fandom for Hard Core Logo (it's still around I'm sure, just very quiet now), and there was quite a strong divide between people who hated Billy or Joe more, and I definitely am firmly on side I Love Joe Dick, which could get you shouted at because he's more loudly an awful person.

OH and Kylo Ren. TBH fandom is largely right to hate him, but I don't. I love him. He's horrible.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I actually have no idea, I'm sure as soon as I post this I'll think of an answer ha.

22. Popular character you hate?

I hate Steve Rodgers and Black Widow and like 50% of all Marvel movie characters and I'm painfully indifferent to almost all the rest (I like Harley Quinn and like Loki and Thor occasionally).

I don't HATE Castiel, but I DEEPLY hate the portion of fandom that's desperately into Dean/Cas and bayed for it to be canon, and that's kind of annoyed me to an extent that poor Cas is sort of tainted for me.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Griffith again? Hm. I enjoy Quark on DS9 and I think he's pretty polarising, ha.

I super love Trapper John from M*A*S*H, and he's also definitely one some people loath (especially in comparison to BJ, which is hilarious to me because you don't have to choose but like go off).

I also liked Shane from Walking Dead, who is definitely polarising or unpopular.

I think I tend to like a lot of controversial or unpopular ships (good luck y'all when you find out how much I love Johnny/Archie ahem), but as far as individual characters go I'm pretty conventional and tend to be a Main Character kind of enjoyer of media (I think because I'm so uncomfortable watching things when I don't like prominent characters I just don't watch them, so I tend to be pretty much on trend with who I like most).

Mind you, all those answers answered, I am A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE I forgot characters/fandoms I could have talked about, ha.

Also popular (widely in nerd culture + mainstream culture) and popular (fandom) are wildly different, this has made me realise.

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Too Smart for Your Own Good: Part 2

Pairings: Machine Gun Kelly x Reader, (Past and Future) Henry Cavill x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, one night stand, unprotected sex

Word Count: 2,129

A/N: Doesn’t have a completed end yet, but just giving you more content to try to get myself out of a writing funk.

Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Your father, Negan, chuckled as you got off the golf cart in front of the trailer you’d be celebrating Christmas in again, like you had for three of the past ten years, at the Los Angeles County State Prison.

“Hi, daddy.” You breathed in relief, grateful to spend any amount of time with the only family member that you could completely trust. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry fucking Christmas to you, too, Princess. Fuck you, give ‘em.” He barked as he pulled the bags of food and your clothes off the back of the cart before you could even think to reach for them. You simply rolled your eyes and grabbed your guitar case before thanking the officer and heading inside the family visit trailer. “So what kinda trouble did you get into this week?”

“Well…” You sighed as you sat down at the small table in the kitchen. “… I went to Cleveland on Saturday and flew back yesterday morning. Pretty sure I got pregnant, too.”

“You fucking what?!” Your dad roared as he slammed a box of Mac and Cheese down on the counter. “Fucking Henry?”

“Henry is not coming back!” You shouted back, defensively. “And does it fucking matter? I made a choice, two choices actually, to sleep with some douche bag and not take Plan B after. It is what it fucking is.”

“So what, you're just gunna throw away your fucking life…” He started as he went back to throwing groceries in the cabinets, angrily. 

“No, I made the choice to not be fucking alone any more!” You interrupted as you looked over at him. You couldn't hide the hurt in your eyes when he turned around to stare at you, shocked that you were actually talking about your emotions.

“Sweetheart…” He breathed as he abandoned his task and came over to sit down in front of you. “You are not fucking alone…”

“I am alone, daddy.” You nearly whispered as you put your feet up on your chair and wrapped your arms around your legs. “Mom’s dead, and you're in here for who knows how much longer. And Henry…” You scoffed and shook your head. “Henry isn't coming back. He loves being some hit shot doc the Army more than he ever loved me. So other than my research, which I've all but abandoned anyways out of sheer boredom, I have nothing. I have no one, daddy. Just the occasional visit from Ashleigh and some of the harlots from the club. Maybe a once a month lunch date with some of the people from UCLA. But that's it. So I made a choice not to get the morning after pill after I stared at the box for over an hour and weighed out the pros and cons. And I would much rather raise a sperm donor baby than be alone in that house anymore.”

“OK.” Negan whispered with a nod as he rested his hand on your bent knee. “OK. I don't fucking like it, but I will get on that train all the fucking same.” Tears welled in your eyes as you rested your cheek on the back of his hand, and you closed your eyes to hide them. “So I'm gunna be a grandpa?”

“Maybe.” You choked the slightest bit as you opened your eyes to look at him again. “It just happened but I know I'm ovulating…”

“Eww fucking gross.” He fake gagged to get you to smile as he pulled his hand free and got up to finish putting groceries away. “I don't wanna hear that shit.”

“That's what you get for raising a daughter with no filter.” You pointed out as you propped your chin between your still bent knees.

“Fucking gross.” He repeated with a laugh. “So the fuck was in Cleveland? This fuckin guy?”

“Ashleigh’s client. He’s a rock rapper that needed someone that could learn music fast and played the guitar well. So Ash landed on me. But dude is a total self absorbed prick. B minus in… well in the broom closet.”

“I'll have Simon kill him.” He said almost 100% seriously.

“You are not going to kill this idiot for being bad at sex.”

“No, I'm gunna fucking kill him for laying a Goddamn hand on my daughter.” He responded with a smile as he balled up the last empty grocery bag and put it in the recycling bin.

“You're an idiot.” You laughed as you grabbed your guitar and got up to sit outside for a while.

“Hey, be nice to your old man.” He huffed as he grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a pack of matches off the table and followed you out front to enjoy the California sun. “And go easy on me today.”

“Yea fucking right.” You laughed as you sat down on one of the plastic lawn chairs and pulled out your guitar, which took you almost a year of bribery to be able to get it into the jail it now lived in in the first place. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Pain in my Goddamn ass.” He grumbled around his cigarette as he moved his chair out off the shade and pulled off his blue prison issue shirt for as long as he could get away with it. “Alright… rock music from the 70’s.” You nodded at the category and tuned your guitar before picking an easy AC/DC song to start with. Which is pretty much how you always spent your days when you visited your father in prison.

——

Your office hadn’t looked so chaotic since you were working on a regular basis, but as of that morning, every available surface was covered in every single medical textbook, (with a focus on pregnancy and pediatrics) and motherhood book you could get your hands on. The dry erase board that usually had your equations to see if your Milky Way black hole theory was a possibility, had been wiped clean and replaced with columns upon columns of notes, to separate the ridiculous from the actual facts you would need to go through a pregnancy and raise a child.

You were blazing through the ‘Essential Neonatal Textbook’, when your house phone rang, startling you the slightest bit and forcing you to pull your attention away from a long list of the benefits of cord blood. You sighed and snatched up your headset as you set the book down to work through all of the information and pick out the more important bits and pieces to make the best informed decision.

“Ms. (Y/L/N)? I have a Colson Baker here to see you.” Your fingers froze with the cap of the marker in one hand and the marker itself in the other.

“You can let him in.” You sighed as you took a step forward and started a new list under the newborn column in the middle of the board. You heard the line click in your ear and you wrote quickly, trying to get some of the information down so you knew where to pick up when you came back inside. You got a short start and reluctantly forced yourself away from your research  to let your guest in. You started to work out your ideas vocally as you opened up the two gates and watched his purple Lamborghini pull into your driveway. You waited just long enough for him to make it half way to you, before you turned and headed inside to add more to your cord blood list with him following behind you.

“Umm… what the fuck is this?” Kels asked as he looked at the board over your shoulder in shock.

“Did you vaccinate Casie?” You asked as you continued to write.

“You’re fucking pregnant?!” He shouted over you as you capped your marker and set it back down on the easel.

“I am pregnant.” You said evenly as you walked over to find the ‘The Umbilical Cord Blood Controversies in Medical Law’ book to cross reference the former textbook. “Did you vaccinate Casie?”

“Were you gunna fucking tell me?” He shouted as you flipped through the pages, easily reading 20,000 words a minutes despite the distraction of your visitor.

“I was neither planning on telling you, nor keeping it from you.” You said simply. “I want nothing from you, Mr. Baker. I don’t need money, and I don’t need you to step up to be a father. You were a one night stand that I chose to not take Plan B after. My choice, my child, my body, my life.” He looked at you completely lost for words as you set your finished book down and headed back to the white board to add and change notes. “I would like your family medical history, though. I could easily do a diagnostics test and an MSS while I’m pregnant but…”

“Oh, I’m gunna be fucking sick.” He groaned behind you as you finished your idea and turned to move on to the next section. You grabbed the trash can and handed it to him on the way past as you tried to keep your thoughts as straight as possible, relatively unsuccessfully.

“I don’t wanna be alone.” You sighed as you looked over at him for a moment. “And after the way you treated me that night, the way you just used me and threw me away like I didn’t mean a Goddamn thing…” You exhaled through your nose and shook your head as you looked away from him and out the back door to the ocean. 

“I don’t care that you’re not happy here, Mr. Baker. I don’t care if you want to be in this child’s life or not. I don’t care if you see me or this child as a mistake, or what you see us as at all. I just don’t care. What I care about is having a calm, healthy pregnancy, and becoming a mother. And I will not tolerate having someone come into our lives to walk in and out of it because he never wanted us in the first place. Nor will I tolerate someone treating me like I’m worthless trash in front of my child.” Kels didn’t say a single word as you shook your head and turned back around to go back to work. “Stay as long as you want. I have work to do.” 

As Colson sat and thought, you went over to find a book about banking cord blood so you could round out that column. The next column was pros and cons of breastfeeding verses formula, which was a lot more extensive than you originally expected due to the varying opinions on length and benefits, but after reading through seven different books, and writing and erasing conflicting notes, he finally spoke up.

“Breastfeed for a year.” He almost whispered as he watched you work. “That’s what we did with Casie. And yea, we vaccinated her.” You nodded your head as you erased the idea you were writing and stood up to make a note in the vaccines column. “I don’t turn my back on my kids.”

“OK.”

“I’m sorry.” He continued as you capped your marker “It’s no excuse but I was high as fuck and running on adrenaline. I used you and that was shitty as fuck.”

“Yes it was.” You agreed with a nod as you leaned against the front of your desk and crossed your arms over your chest.

“Well I’m fucking sorry.” He said a little harshly. “And I’m sorry for knocking you up.”

“Pregnancy happens, Colson.” You breathed with a shrug of your shoulders. “I’m obviously a little more prepared since I actually made the decision…”

“Yea, that’s a fucking understatement.”

“OK, you can fucking leave and I can file a restraining order.” You snapped. “What’s done is done. I’m pregnant, you’re the father, your kid and my kid have a new sibling. You’re not going to have to pay child support, I’m taking primary custody with open visitations. And no, I am not going to date you. Not now, not ever. You left a sour taste in my mouth and I want nothing to do with you or your crazy lifestyle.”

“You’re just making this super fucking easy, aren’t you?” He asked as he pushed himself out of his chair. “I’m outta here. I’ll get your number from Ash and I’ll be in touch.” You rolled your eyes and gestured toward the door behind him.

“You can see yourself out.”

“Such a fucking bitch.” He muttered as he stormed out the doors and through the atrium to leave. You let out a huff and shook your head as you went back to your research.

“Idiot fucking sperm donor.”

Part 3

[justjessame]

A Little Ass and A Lotta Sass Chapter 40: Of All the Pigheaded Men...

I had to hand it to my husband.  He marked me in all the places that could be covered easily by my clothes.  Apparently Negan was teachable.  Too bad I didn't have the same luck convincing him that I would be USEFUL in talking Maggie down from murdering him.  

“Callie, I’m not going to put you in her cross-hairs.”  He’d say, effectively cutting off my argument every single time.

Until finally, I was pushed to do something.  I was FORCED to do it.  Honestly what did he expect?  I had to keep him safe.  To keep our family safe.  And he was being pigheaded.  

I knew the frequency that Alexandria was on the walkie talkies.  I used it now and then, since we still hadn’t found a chance to visit with Kiara.  While Negan was closeted away with his soldiers, I took the walkie in my shaking hand, and called up Dad.

We chatted about mild and non-controversial topics at first.  How well Kiara was growing.  How dark her hair was turning.  How her eyes really were just like Negan’s.  I asked about Judith.  How was she?  Did she miss me?  Once the ‘how are theys’ were exhausted, I finally had to get to the reason for my ‘call’.

“Dad, I need to be there.”  I heard him sigh, but I knew he understood.  “Negan is being too protective.  You know that.  I know that.  Maggie and I were close once.”

“Callie,” Dad started to say, but I heard Michonne in the background.  Their side of the conversation went silent as Dad took his finger off the button, but then he came back.  “Maybe you have a point.  Maggie is still grieving, and Hershel’s birth didn’t really alleviate it.”

I felt my chest clench at the thought of her having their baby without Glenn next to her.  “Of course it didn’t.  He should have been there.”  I knew that that meant that I was saying that Negan had done something inexcusable, but in this case he had.  Glenn had been collateral damage, I knew that, but it was hit that was one too far.  “I want to talk to her, mother to mother, Dad.  I want her to see Kiara.  I want to see Hershel.  If everything hadn’t happened the way it  had-”

“Do you think you and Negan would have met if things hadn’t gone like they had?”  He asked, and I knew he was asking it for two different reasons.  He was curious, and he wanted me to THINK about it logically.  

“Yes.” I said it without hesitation.  “We were meant to meet, Dad.  Just like Glenn and Maggie would have met somehow without the dead coming back to life.”  I was certain of it.  “Just like, you and Michonne would have come across one another, sooner or later.”  We all were meant to find one another and there was a saying ‘love finds a way’.  

“How would this work?”  Dad wasn’t saying no, he wanted logistics. “How are you going to meet with Maggie, mother to mother?”

Sighing, I closed my eyes.  “I don’t know.  I just know that this is what needs to happen, Daddy.  I need to see her.  I need her to SEE me.  To see that I’m still me.”

Our conversation lasted a few more minutes, and we had a less than fleshed out plan.  He promised to try to talk Negan around to my way of thinking, but admitted that I had a better chance of that than him.  Then, after a promise to kiss my angel for each of my family members, and getting a promise in return to have them kiss my baby sister for me, I said goodbye.  

Kiara was ready for lunch by that point, and I knew that Negan would be up to see us both.  He seemed to need to reassure himself that we were safe and healthy more and more often.  And I hoped that I could talk sense into him.  

I was just settling into my rocking chair when I heard our door open.  Looking up I saw Negan looking like a thundercloud.  Shit.  Luckily, Kiara had just latched onto my chest and so he was blocked from his rampage, for now.  

“Hey, honey,” I offered, trying to sound as normal and unconcerned as I could.

“Sweetheart,” he bit out and I flinched.  “You and Rick have a nice chat?”  Fuck, suspicion proven.  I looked down at Kiara and watched her nurse, gathering my thoughts, and honestly somewhat glad he knew.  

“Yep.”  I answered, rubbing her soft curls.  “You’re hungry today, aren’t you, Pooh-Bear?”  Her eyes were locked on mine as she suckled and I smiled down at her as her daddy threw himself onto the sofa in front of me.  “Daddy’s like a big grizzly bear right now, isn’t he?”  She smiled around my boob, but kept drinking.  “He is funny, isn’t he?”

“Funny?”  I broke away from our daughter’s sweet face to look up and find him still glaring, but the heat was partially gone.  “Is Daddy really funny?”  A test, or a dare I knew.  

“Yes, he is.”  I nodded.  “If he wasn’t so funny, Mommy would think that he assumed that he knew Maggie better than she did.  That he ASSUMED that Mommy wasn’t as much of a warrior as he was.  And that wouldn’t be funny, it would be stupid.”  

His glare was back to full force now.  “Careful, princess.”  A warning?  Honestly, this man should know me better than that.

“Careful?”  I knew my own tone had gone just as dangerous as his could be, and I saw a slight widening of his eyes at the change.  “You think I should be careful?”  Deadly, that’s what my dad had called the tone I’d dropped into, which was apt, because right now I felt pretty fucking deadly.  “You know what I think, Negan?  I think you should be very fucking careful in thinking that you’re lord on high with me, because I promise you this, it will not end well for you.”  And with that, I ignored him while I fed our daughter.

Once Kiara was finished, I handed her to him carefully, making sure to not let my skin touch his.  If Negan thought that he would be the one making all the rules in our house, well he was about to learn that that was NOT going to fly with me.

After he burped her and changed her diaper, I told him his lunch was on the table.  Then I took Kiara to her nursery and put her down for a nap.  When I came back I saw him studying his food with more interest than he had in a long time.

“I didn’t poison it,” I rolled my eyes and grabbed my own plate.  Sitting across from him, I picked up my fork and began to eat.  He mirrored me and we ate in silence for a few minutes.  

“You don’t understand,” he broke the quiet first, score one for me.  

I raised an eyebrow daring him to continue.  He swallowed another forkful of his lunch and studied me.  “I think YOU don’t understand, Negan.”  He shot me a look.  “Did you listen in or did someone else?”  

“I have all the frequencies being monitored, when Simon,” of course it was that little fucking weasel, “heard your talk with Rick go from updates about Jade, he came to me.”

“Snitch.” I muttered, glaring at my husband.  “Don’t you trust me?”  He looked at me like I lost my mind.  “Why else would you have someone listening in on my private conversations HOME?”

“Considering what I heard-”  I knew he stopped because of the look that crossed my face.  I knew because I’d had many different people stop when they insinuated that their eavesdropping was justified by what they’d heard shut up when I gave the same look.

“Are you trying to make listening in on my private conversations reasonable because THIS time you caught me discussing something that involves ALL of us?”  My voice was barely a whisper, but it held all the ire and danger of a scream.  

“Sweetheart,” he tried, clearly thinking that if he gave me the term of endearment he often used it would diffuse the situation.  Wrong.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”  I warned.  And was gratified to see him gulp.  “I admitted when I was wrong.  I apologized for not telling you about Maggie’s survival.  I let you-”  I took a deep breath to steady myself before I went full on screaming banshee.  “You took me in that shower, all lord and mighty, and I didn’t fucking argue.  Now it’s my turn.”  His eyes were almost saucers, clearly he hadn’t met this version of me.  “I KNOW Maggie Rhee.  We were FRIENDS.  IF things had been different, then we would be RAISING OUR CHILDREN together.  You fucked up and made her an enemy.  Now you have to let ME fix it. Do you get that, Mr. Sanctuary Savior?  Can that reality pierce that thick fucking skull of yours?”  He was staring at me like his father had finally made an appearance in all his pitchforked glory.  “You trying to negotiate with a mother who YOU made a widow isn’t going to work, don’t you get that?  So you have to let me, NO, let me rephrase that.  I demand to do this.  You want people to kneel for me?  Why can’t I show that I deserve it first?”

He stared at me as I gestured toward his lunch, silently urging him to finish it.  Then I laid out the plan that had started to form as I had ranted to him.  A plan that I wasn’t sure would work, but that I hoped would give us some sort of peace.  Because I’d hate to be proven wrong, especially since being wrong in this case would mean being dead.

[boltsandashes]

send me a fandom/ship/character and I’ll tell you... | accepting

@nebraskaseemsnice​ said: TWD ( thats all i know we have in common lol )

Favorite character: Daryl. (Obviously XD) There are a lot of characters on this show that would make my favorites list, honestly, but Daryl’s easily one of my top five of all time.

Least Favorite character: I think.... it’s gotta be Eugene. There’ve been a handful of points in this show where he’s really gotten me rooting for him, where I’ve thought he’d turned himself around or really grown as a person, but every single time he ends up disappointing me. I think maybe he’s a realistic character, some people do just have sparks of bravery or selflessness and then fall back into their coward/selfish ways, maybe that’s human. But it’s not something I enjoy watching.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): And here’s where my Daryl shipping trash side is exposed I guess. Desus, Daaron, Rickyl, aaand... (I wanna include some non-Daryl ones here XD) Maglenn (I refuse to acknowledge Gleggie as the official ship name when Maglenn’s right there) was such a strong and beautiful relationship, and Enid/Alden stole my heart completely and shattered it in about the episode and a half we saw of them.

Character I find most attractive: toooough. Maybe Rick?

Character I would marry: Oh Glenn for sure.

Character I would be best friends with: I think Aaron would be an amazing, supportive friend. I almost put him down for marriage but like. He’s a gay man and I am sadly not so that could make things tricky XD Tara would also be a lot of fun to hang out with, She’s straightforward and real and I appreciate the hell out of that, but also really upbeat and playful. I think we’d have fun together (and she’d keep me from getting too gloomy sometimes XD )

a random thought: Whenever I see an RV on this show I still think of Dale immediately.

An unpopular opinion: I honestly just... didn’t love Negan for a really long time. The awful writing through his war arc and his rabid fans turned me off him for a while, and I only really started appreciating him as a character in season nine.

My Canon OTP: pops lips thoughtfully I mean. I guess if you look back at my top five list I’ve really gotta go with Maggie/Glenn, right?

My Non-canon OTP: It varies so much depending on my mood. Probably at the moment... I’d say Daaron. There’s still time, show, you can do it! (Unless I can pull in an OC from my RPing experience ‘cause then it might be Daryl and @memoryhallowed​‘s Ben XD)

Most Badass Character: Daryl. Moving on.

Most Epic Villain: I’m gonna be kind of controversial and say Shane. He wasn’t a classic villain and I’m really sort of tentative to put him in that category, but that’s also what makes me love him so much. We saw the struggle, we saw the push and pull between loving Rick and wanting him gone, how he was so sure he was doing what was right the whole time as the stress of the world slowly broke him. And that’s when this show’s at its best, I think. When it’s showing the complexities of human nature and how these extreme situations tear at people, and either bring out the best sides of them or warp them into villains.

Pairing I am not a fan of: So this isn’t canon at the moment so this is just me screaming PLEASE DON’T into the void, but Rosita/Eugene. Just. Please, don’t. Also I didn’t like Abraham/Sasha at all.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): A lot of them at various points, they’ve all fallen off-track here and there. I think I’m pretty ok with where everyone is at the moment, though, so I just want to focus on that and hope.

Favourite Friendship: Overall, probably Daryl & Carol. Even if it’s in a rough state rn, I believe in them.

Character I most identify with: Daryl

Character I wish I could be: Maybe Michonne? I feel like she and Daryl are similar in a lot of ways, just personality-wise, but she’d a little more socially savvy and confident/driven and it’d be nice to pull in some of that. (plus? Sword skills, A+)

[asagimeta]

Ok I'll admit I was hesitant about the Red Daughter plot because A. The "Evil Version Of Supergirl Causing An Inevitable Misunderstanding Of The Public That Causes A War To Be Declared On Supergirl" plot is older than my very first fanfiction and B. Nazi!Supergirl is a really controversial figure for a reason, particularly in the Arrowverse because they didn't develop that concept much outside of "She was raised as a nazi so she is", I've read some opinions, particularly from Jewish fans, who were pretty upset by this not only because of the obvious but because it made Supergirl seem like a very shallow figure, "if a charector I look up to so much for being brave and kind can turn into a monster just because of the condition they were raised in then that cheapens her" is someting I've read, and I worried that they just wanted to use Red Daughter as another shock-value figure

But I can now say that atleast my second hesitation has been completely cleared (though my first still stands, please let this plot fuckin' DIE)

Red Daughter is very clearly not a merciless nazi who was raised to be evil and therefore is, she's the same kind, brave, heroic Kara Zor-El that Supergirl is (atleast on Supergirl, I assume she's the same Red Daughter from Crisis On Earth X as 1. She remembers Alex and 2. it would make sense with the merged universes after Elseworlds, Supergirl is just handling her alot better) and literally the only thing turning her "evil" is Lex manipulating her and conditioning her at such a core level that she legitimately believes what she's doing is good, and when she wavers and believes she might be wrong- because she's SO GOOD that even spending a few days in America has her thinking she may be wrong because she just wants to help people- the only way Lex can put her back under control is by making her believe that the Americans ruthlessly murdered an innocent child, that's it, that's literally all he could do, and that's AMAZING

And even now, she isn't a nazi (like she was in Crisis On Earth X), she's a communist, but only because she legitimately believes it's the only way to save innocent people, and she clearly has nothing against any particular religion/race/minority, she's got something against Americans specifically, but I really highly doubt she'd take any issue at all with a Kaznian person of any descent if they weren't, you know, a literal murderer

God, THIS is how Red Daughter should have been in Earth X, THIS is nuanced and speaks so clearly to Kara's very core being and THIS makes it a real plot worth exploring and not just shock value, I mean, I wish they'd handled the confrontation differently than "Red Daughter makes everyone believe Supergirl is evil" but hey, small victories, the point is, instead of a shock value charector, Red Daughter helps to cement that Kara Zor-El is more than her upbringing, and dispells the argument that her core beleif system is influenced only by how she was raised

Her alleigance to a certain country or military can be changed, her understanding of politics and concepts like freedom can be changed, but her core values of helping people who need her, being kind and generous and a person made of LOVE and compassion for all people, is so deeply woven into her DNA that not even Lex fucking Luthor can erase that from her, he can only manipulate it into being expressed through negative means by making her believe that the only way to protect people is by destroying other people of his choice and THAT is a concept worth exploring, THAT is where "evil superheros" is a plotline worth noticing, because it further cements the inherent goodness of the hero in question, rather than make the argument that basic morality comes down only to nurture rather than nature

It's the opposite of the "Rick Grimes vs Negan" argument where certain people claim that Rick fans would have followed Negan and praised his choices if The Walking Dead had started with him, boiling sentiments of heroism down to who the main charector is instead of respecting that people, you know, wouldn't support someone who's inherently misogynistic and abusive just because he started off the series, and as that argument has been made alot lately in various media sources (there's a very similar argument about Thanos floating around, for example) I appreciate that Supergirl is blatantly bucking against it and it furthers the discussion of good vs bad as people vs politics that Supergirl has been making this season, that some people CAN change- for better or worse- based on political veiws and/or being fed certain information by a source they trust, or going through certain experiences, whereas some people are simply, by nature, good or bad, and wile their politics may reflect differently, the core of who they are will not change, wich is an argument that's being demonstrated both successfully and unsucessfully- successfully by the Luthor stories, unsuccessfully by Ben Lockwood, who I think was supposed to be a sympathetic figure shown as "a good person making bad choices" but is flopping a little there, Red Daughter is another example of success for this argument though, and I finally see why they included her this season

I really hope Red Daughter sticks around, or is atleast shipped off to another Earth, maybe where she can have her own Alex and Lena, where she can be happy and possibly return someday in the future

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling In Richonne

#169: “What If They Needed To Be Saved From Me?” (10x13)

Question number four of these “saved” questions is, “What if TF needed to be saved from me?”. And it is illustrated in the trippiest of ways.

Starting with a callback to 6.12. And y’all we get Glenn back on our screen for the first time since 7.01. 😭 Even with these being old clips, it literally felt so nice and moving to see these beloved characters back on our screens.

We’re taken back to the day TF made their most controversial decision; to kill saviors in their sleep. And, even more significant, we’re taken back to the moment of Glenn’s first human kill.

However, it doesn’t last long cuz Michonne wakes up as a savior , and shoots Glenn and Heath. 😳 This psychedelic trip was already crazy to me but this is when I realized oh we bout to get crazy-crazy up in these dark dimensions lol.

It was insane thinking about Michonne being on the other end of that fateful night. It also again added some perspective to the idea that these Saviors were in fact people and there could have been some “Michonnes” that TF killed that night. Something I wouldn’t be surprised that Michonne thinks about because she’s mentioned often the way in which people can change and be brought back.

We see Michonne dodging the gunfire in that outpost. Particularly, her hiding from shots being fired by Rick Grimes himself. 🤭

The visual of R&M in the same scene low key made me so happy cuz we hadn’t seen them both in a scene in a long while. I know we were supposed to be like dang that’s crazy Rick and Michonne are on opposing sides of the fight. And that was definitely wild. But my first thought was definitely “look at my babies together again” lol. #Can’tHelpIt 😋

@spacecarols

And then the craziest of it all in this trauma trip...We’re taken back to the freaking line-up.

To date, 7.01 is Walking Dead’s most profoundly intense and brutal hour of television if you ask me. And it’s so surreal to see it play out again, starting it off with Rick on his knees looking dazed as it sinks in that there is no way around the major loss they’re in for.

Seeing just that initial clip of Andy’s stellar acting just pulls me right back into that moment all these seasons later.

And then Negan’s doing the eenie meanie miney moe torture and we’re seeing all our beloved character’s faces. Many for the first time in a long time. It’s interesting this episode definitely had the most non-cameo cameos. And even though our line-up family wasn’t really there I’m glad we got to see them show up in Michonne’s final episode because all of them loved Michonne and she loved them too.

But when Negan can’t decide who to bludgeon, he instead looks to his right hand woman, Michonne to make the choice. Again, I know this is all a hypothetical scenario, but it’s low key fitting that Michonne would be Negan’s confidant and go-to person cuz that’s who she was to Rick. And whichever side has Michonne has the advantage. Period. 💯

@hughxjackman

Then Michonne lurks around TF letting them know they made a mistake by killing their people in their sleep.

So far each scene in this trip has spoke to a very significant part of Michonne’s life. The day she saved Andrea, the day she became forever bonded with her Grimes boys, the day they took the lives of sleeping Saviors, and now of course the day (will come when you won’t be) Negan’s reign of terror began.

As she scolds TF for what they did to the Saviors, and how they didn’t know anything about them but still took their lives, it again speaks to the way Michonne can carry the weight of the lives they’ve taken over the years. When you feel called to save, it makes sense to feel heavy over those you couldn’t or didn’t save.

Especially since they did eventually take Saviors in and try to coexist with them so there is perhaps the added guilt of thinking “could some of these sleeping Saviors we killed have changed or been redeemed?”. My vote is probably not for a lot of them, but I’m sure Michonne can’t help but wonder.

Michonne has always been so aware of who she was and the dark space she could’ve stayed in and that has fueled this certain empathy she’s able to have with others when they’re falling down the rabbit hole.

It’s why she understood Rick in his haze in “The Distance” and at Alexandria. It’s why she made an effort to be kind to Father Gabriel and Spencer and King Ezekiel in their low moments. Cuz when people are going through trauma she gets it and tries to help. But during that season six moment there wasn’t exactly time to think like that with the saviors they killed at that outpost.

“Wild” is my word of the day for these posts cuz it really is such a wild sight to see Michonne standing above everyone else on their knees. There’s a moment where she gets directly in Rick’s face and intensely stares at him. I hate to keep using the word “crazy” too but it’s legitimately crazy to see the two of them like that. A husband and wife so at odds in this hellish dimension.

@spacecarols

And of course my Richonne brain was like “they still look cute together”. 😍🤷🏽‍♀️ But that’s besides the point. And then it breaks my heart when they cut to Carl “looking” at Michonne. The Michonne and Carl bond was always so special, so it’s painful to think of those two never having that connection and even being at odds.

What’s so trippy about this trip is that we know just how deep rooted Michonne, Rick, and Carl’s bond was. How much love they shared and how they were tried and true family. So to see them like this is just otherworldly and heartbreaking.

Plus, I felt it’s interesting to see sort of the parallel positioning of Michonne facing Rick in her hallucination as opposed to when Michonne faces Rick in Rick’s hallucination.

@michonnegrimes

Like the one in this episode is just cold and opposing while the other in s9 is so loving and warm. And for me, it emphasized how nice it is that Michonne got to live out the warm and loving reality with her man, instead of this dark and depressing one.

Michonne may have feared what horrors she could be capable of had things gone differently, but in the mind of her husband she is a complete symbol of love and hope and happiness. Cuz good is what she truly is at her core.

As Michonne waves the bat around to decide who to take out, I was super curious who it would be and I felt it was a really significant thing for her to have chosen herself.

Again, I think it ties into this idea of blaming herself for things, as though she’s the one that deserves the punishment cuz of the “blood on her hands”.

It also made me think about how everyone said Negan probably chose Abraham first because he could tell Abe would pose the biggest threat to him. And I’d say Michonne chose Michonne for the same reason.

So there’s layers to this decision to choose herself cuz by saying to herself “I see you as the threat” it also says “I see you as someone who can be game-changing in saving your people”.

And Michonne most certainly was game-changing in fighting back against the Saviors. I liked the reveal that she too was in the line-up cuz, even in this distorted drugged state, there is still apart of her that would be with her family. #always 😌👌🏽

@michonnegrimes

[hadloss]

@lordnegan     //     starter  call  !  (  accepting )

     ‘‘     I     NEED     A     FAVOR.       ’’     joel     blurted     out,     a     look     of     instant     regret     drowning     his     features.

      when     joel     was     a     hunter,     the     two     of     them     would     do      ‘‘     business      ’’     together     all     the     time,     so    this     wasn’t     anything     surprising     or      new.     however--     one     very     minor     difference     between     then     and     now.     he’s     no     longer     a     hunter,     and     negan     had     every     right     to     kill     him     for     trespassing.

     ‘‘     i     need     gas                ’’     why     not     ask     him     for      a      little     bit     of     everything,      joel     ?     maybe     some     weapons,     some     medications,     hell,     maybe     some     tools,     or     even     a     car     would     be     nice.     you     just     know     how     much     hunters     (     especially     negan     )     love     to     share.     ‘‘                i     need     to     get     across     the     country.      i’m     willing     to     trade     ammo,     medications         nearly     anything     for     a     tank     of     gas.     just     enough     to     get     a     little     further.     ’’

    ah,     yes,     joel.     ask     the     most     controversial,     most     dangerous     man     you    know     to     a     favor     for     you.     especially     when     you’re     being     confined.     excellent.     perfect.     outstanding.     it’s     not     like     you’re     life     is     at     risk     or     anything.

[awareslaura]

As much as I despise all the hate in tags I have to say all the debates that go on surrounding consent, and the role of fiction in establishing our own morals and beliefs is super interesting. I always seem to ship the unhealthy/smaller ships as I view fiction as a way of exploring relationships that I’d never be part of in real life. So I’ve never really considered it as abnormal or strange until I started shipping cegan. I’ve never seen such a rise in people that hate on it, even when I was in the Snarry fandom which is so much more controversial than cegan. So it got me wondering why this ship in particular gets so much hate. Is it because of a immaturity in the haters who see things are very one dimensional and who themselves can’t distinguish between fiction and reality? Or is it because it’s a smaller ship so it’s easier to shout and be heard. I only ask because I don’t see half as much hate on ships like Aria/Ezra tags even though it’s 1000x more damaging. Also is there hate on the Enid/Carl tag? Are they all perverts for shipping two underage characters? Is it not weird to sit at home and be happy that two 16 (I’m saying 16 as I have no idea what the real age of the characters is supposed to be) are kissing? Is that not endorsing child pornography?

I feel like there’s a significant lack of appreciation that the age of consent changes depending on country. So for me someone older dating a 16 year old isn’t disgusting it’s just weird and unrealistic. My country believes that you can make educated decisions about sex at the age of 16 and that is in a world where there isn't a zombie apocalypse happening (I feel like that would make a person mature a little bit)

I also don’t believe that it’s the responsibility of the media and fiction writers, whether they be fan-fiction or TV show writers, to uphold a certain moral standard. Surely more emphasis should be on informing people that these relationships in real life aren’t healthy rather than telling people not to write about them. It’s comparable to people that enjoy certain fantasies i.e lots of people enjoy rape fantasies but I sincerely doubt anyone would want to be raped in real life. So why isn’t it acceptable for people to fantasize and talk about these ships in a semi-private sphere?

Why hold writers accountable for 'promoting unhealthy relationships' when they are merely using writing as a creative outlet?

And this whole critique of aging up characters is super strange because arguably we’re all just waiting for people to be legal 😂 Why is it such a problem to age up characters? Sometimes characters have a super interesting dynamic (like Carl and negan) due to their personalities (not their physical appearance) which makes it more fun to ship them.

The whole reason I ship Carl and Negan is because I love the older/younger partner dynamic it's something I like in my own private life and I enjoy seeing it in fanfiction. It's also incredibly fucking hot that Carl is Negan's enemy son, I find rough sex/hate sex a huge turn on (sorry for the tmi guys but I can't shut up now) and there's nothing wrong with wanting to read about it or enjoying that dynamic within any sort of pairing where the characters are of age. What doesn't turn me on is an older person having sex with a underage person. To reiterate my earlier point 16, for me, is the age of consent (blame English law guys) so as long as the characters are above that then it's OK in a sexual context. I do know that a lot of people complain because they see shipping Cegan with shipping Chandler with Jeff but that is a big assumption to make. Firstly it assumes that a person is using those images when reading fan fiction which isn't always the case. Secondly Chandler is now 17 I believe which again makes him more than legal over here so why the hell not.

Moreover you’ve got all the general issues about the show like what kind of people are we that would enjoy a show that shows characters being beheaded or beaten to death? Or that would have a kid shoot his mom? Given the argument that fiction like cegan encourages abusive relationships would that mean that the show endorses killing people? How is that not worse?

Where is all the ranting on that? Another point to consider because my brain is clearly not done with this topic is the type of relationships these characters have. I know a lot of the antis like to say that shipping cegan romanticises abuses romantics relationships but can I just point out that a lot of the fiction out there isn't about them being in a relationship? Most of the time it's about sex. Any romantic fiction that exists (and trust me I've read all of them) places the characters as over 18 and in an alternative reality setting. All the fiction I've read has never appeared to suggest that their relationship is a healthy one. This ship thrives on the fact that it's unhealthy and problematic, I don't think a single shipper out there would ever say it's a good example of a perfect relationship. It is however a good example of an interesting dynamic and I find it fascinating to see how people bring the couple to life.

OK I’m done ranting now 😂 feel free to reply to this post I’m not siding one way or another these are more my thoughts from several years of being in fandoms and shipping weird ships. I’m genuinely interested to hear what people say on the topic. Personally I’m a very liberal person. I don’t care who ships as long as long as you do it in the privacy of your own tag.

Oh and don’t bother replying if all you’re going to do is stick to one line hate or whatever. I’m actually looking to learn about more sides of this argument not just read shit.

[clonecaptains]

kastle~~? and if you got that, then shane walsh!

kastle

when I started shipping it if I did: “i’ve gone over these a hundred times” “yeah but you’ve never done it w/ me”

my thoughts: SO MANY THOUGHTS

What makes me happy about them: they both have been through so much and they balance each other, and karen understands frank and i love it

What makes me sad about them: that they will NEVER have a “normal” relationship

things done in fanfic that annoys me: when frank is REALLY jealous over her

things I look for in fanfic: WHEN THEY ARE BOTH SHY AROUND EACH OTHER and anything domestic kills me

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: karen and foggy tbh, and tbh i don’t know about frank i just want him to be safe and happy 

My happily ever after for them: THEY LEAVE HELL’S KITCHEN AND GO LIVE IN A LIL RUSTIC CABIN TYPE PLACE AND HAVE A BUNCH OF KIDS

who is the big spoon/little spoon: FRANK IS THE BIG SPOON THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION 

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: pls they love working cases together

shane

How I feel about this character: MY BOY HE DESERVED SO MUCH

All the people I ship romantically with this character: lol me (and i think sharol is cute)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: RICK!!!!!!

My unpopular opinion about this character: ohh boy shane has so much controversy surrounding him and like i don’t agree w/ all of his choices but i think he was a good man and so many people just write him off as being completely terrible, and listen he isn’t ok 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: OH SO MANY THINGS like i would have loved to see him interact w/ other characters that came on the show after he left and all this business w/ negan would’ve been interesting

my OTP: IDK HIM BEING ALIVE and also me because i’m trash and have no control over my life or my shane feelings

my cross over ship: man idk this is hard

a headcanon fact: he’s actually a sweetheart you just have to pay attention

send me a ship/character/characters

[layce2015]

My thoughts on The Last of Us pt. 2

Sooooooo.....the most controversial game and the sequel to a game that many consider a masterpiece. And it's one of my, if not my favorite game of all time. As you guys know, I was really hyped for this game.

Then those leaks happened and everyone turned against the game. I didn't read the leaks as I wanted to find out for myself when I got to play the game. 

Now that I've played it and beat the game, y'all are probably wondering what my thoughts were. Well....I thought the game was okay. 

Let me explain, there are parts I loved about this game and there are parts I really didn't like in this game (I'm sure one moment you guys know which one I really didn't like). I don't think it's a Masterpiece as those game reviewers gave it but I don't think it's total garbage either. I think it's kinda in the middle.

Sad thing is, I can see a good story in this but I think the execution was off and the pacing was off as well. I don't think the game should have been as long as it was, it should've been at least 15-18 hours long, like the 1st game.

And the ending to this game....honestly, I expected worse. And I will say as I was getting closer to the ending I had a feeling that that was gonna happen. It kinda reminded me of the All Out War in Walking Dead with Negan and Rick. So the ending didn't upset me as much as everyone else was.

So, all in all, I think the game is decent and I might go back to play parts of the game but it is not a Masterpiece like the 1st game was.

The combat and Gameplay, I will say I had a lot of fun with. I feel like that part was better than the first game. And the animation of Ellie working on her guns on the workbench was so cool to see. The bow and arrows were probably among my favorite weapons, which is funny as it was my least favorite in the first game.

This is kinda hard to say without spoiling the game, so here we go!

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT 

If you haven't played this game or watched your favorite YouTubers play it all the way to the end DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT!!

Okay, we good? Good.

MY MAN JOEL DESERVED BETTER!!!

Sorry, I had to say that but Joel's death, I REALLY didn't like it. Not that he died, but the way he died and that he died so early in the game I really didn't like. I had some inkling that he would die in this game but just not that way or so soon.

It felt more like it was for shock value than to tell a good story.

And I hate Abby so much as a character. And I want to say Fuck you Neil for trying to get me to sympathize with her while playing the second half of the game as her. I don't care about her at all! And fuck you, Neil, for also having me play as Abby and beating Ellie up.

Also is it bad everytime I got Abby killed I was happy and kept saying That's for Joel?! I'm sorry if I'm happy about the character I'm playing as dying, something is wrong.

I think if we cut out all that stuff with playing as Abby and just mainly focused as Ellie and got a different ending, this would've been a better game maybe a Masterpiece like the 1st game.

Also the flashbacks with Joel were my favorite parts of the game. It was just heartbreaking on playing those and seeing Joel again.

As for the whole SJW crazy leftist thing people complained about, I don't think it was that bad or in your face. I mean, it wasn't like shoved in your face. It felt like it was said then not really brought up again.

As for the new characters, the only ones I really liked was Jesse, Dina and, to some extent, Owen. Jesse and Dina I thought were pretty likeable, I thought Dina and Ellie's relationship felt real and was pretty good. Jesse was also a decent character. 

Also I want to shout out to Tommy for being a badass and going on that one man army fight to Seattle. 

Owen was the only one of the bad guy group, I kinda liked as it felt that he was reluctant to help Abby with her revenge mission against Joel. And he was pretty likeable

Oh yeah, the reason Abby kills Joel is because her dad was the Doctor that was gonna work on Ellie to extract a cure from her. So yeah, Joel killed him and that's why she goes after him.

Also the infamous sex scene in this game, I don't think was that bad. I was thinking it was gonna be waaaay worse from what I've heard people saying how they thought it was awful. I think that was another scene to be used for shock value.

And now let's talk about the ending. So after going through all of this, killing all these people, getting leads on where Abby is, Ellie finally catches up to her and her and Abby have a fight. Ellie gets the upper hand and is about to drown Abby until she gets a small flashback of Joel then stops and let's Abby go.

I understand that people are very upset with this ending, but the reason I'm not as upset as everyone else is that, I kinda had a small feeling that that's the ending they were gonna go with. Also I was expecting a much worse ending, like Ellie does something stupid and Abby kills her and leaves or something else. 

But like you guys I would've preferred a different ending, like her killing Abby. And then maybe have her realize that, this changed nothing that she feels nothing. She doesn't feel satisfied or whatever.

I also think they went with this ending cause they wanted to be controversial just like the ending of the 1st game was to alot of people.

But that's just my theory.

But like I said, there are parts I like about this game and other parts I didn't like and it's sad cause I can see the potential for this being an amazing game. And it's just an decent game. I don't regret getting the game and I'll probably go back and play it but probably not all the way through. Probably the first half and then that epilogue ending, just skip that whole Abby section.

All in all, that's my opinion. Let me know if you guys liked the game or not! And please let's be civilized about it! And if my opinion about the game makes you upset, then I'm sorry that's your problem not mine. This is MY opinion! If you didn't like the game, I understand. But me personally, I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it, I'm just in the middle of it.

And to be clear, I don't love it as much as the 1st game. The Last of Us will always be my favorite game.

As for my fan fic, I'm sure everyone is wondering if I'm gonna follow the game. I can assure you that I will NOT follow the game. There are some aspects I'll keep but not all of it, I'm gonna kinda rewrite the story and make it more satisfying, hopefully.

[devils-gatemedia]

Proving that hard work (along with killer tunes) does actually pay off, Halestorm have the “sold out” signs posted outside the largest venues that they have headlined in the UK. The current tour takes in some impressive venues, including Brixton Academy in London, which will shoehorn in nearly 5,000 punters. Tonight’s show is in the 2,500 capacity O2 Academy, and like the other dates, has been sold out for months. 2,500 punters witnessing not only one of the hardest working bands around today, but also one of the most eclectic bills that you are likely to encounter on the busy live rock circuit.

Opening the show are London/Belfast based alt-rock duo – Rews. The duo comprise of guitarist/vocalist Shauna Tohill with drummer/vocalist Collette Williams, and like most duos out there, what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in spirit and energy. Debut album, ‘Pyro’, has (rightly) been praised by outlets as varied as BBC6 Music and Kerrang Radio, and after the first few songs from their short and well received set, it’s easy to see why. ‘Shine’ and the foot-stomping joy that is ‘Miss You In The Dark’ give the rapidly filling hall a shot of adrenaline, and people can be seen dancing… actual, real dancing, especially on the aforementioned hypnotic ‘Miss You In The Dark’. With a lot of the crowd checking them out for the first time, Rews can afford to chuck in a brand new track. ‘Can You Feel It’ is a little belter that features the ethos that everyone should live by..“Let’s dance like no one’s watching, sing like no one’s listening”. Couple that thought with a hugely infectious chorus, and you have three minutes of sheer delight. A band worthy of further investigating.

And now for something completely different… Avatar.

What a show! From the minute Rews left the stage, Big Top music was piped into the venue. A massive sign with ‘Avatar’ spelt out in white light bulbs was raised into place, as Avatar crew, dressed in smart uniforms, readied the stage for the arrival of his majesty, the King. Avatar file onto the stage one at a time, with The Greatest Showman (up yours, Jackman!) Johannes making his grand appearance last. The King himself, guitarist Kungen, sets the evening in motion with some fine windmilling and we are off on the crazy train! Did you ever watch Batman Returns and wonder what happened to The Penguin’s circus performers/gang members once he croaked? Well, four of them are here in Avatar (Five if you count bassist Henrik Sandelin, who is on a leave of absence due to family matters). “The resident stage ghost will play invisible bass for the time being.”

Jaws drop amongst the crowd as those unfamiliar with the Swedes wonder what the hell they are witnessing. Johannes himself points out the faces that those watching Avatar for the first time are making. What they are witnessing is Vaudeville meets Hammer Horror at a party over at Tim Burton’s house, where Johnny Depp has cracked open the Absinthe. Couple that with fast, melodic death metal playing at full volume, and sweet baby Jesus, what a full on assault of the senses!

An Avatar show works best in the dark. As good a festival band they are, as soon as you put them in a darkened theatre, the show takes on new meanings. Everything is gloriously over the top, right down to the choreographed role of the uniformed crew member who carefully waits on the King as he changes his tunic before launching into ‘The King Welcomes You To Avatar Country’… or when he brings on a solitary effects pedal for fellow guitarist Tim Öhrström, places it down like he was placing Cinderella’s glass slipper for her to try, stands to attention as Öhrström pulls off a face-melting solo, then carefully picks it up and retreats to his post in the wings. An incredible show, and one that provided a hot topic of conversation afterwards in the bastion of thought-provoking debate… the gent’s lav.

Oh Halestorm, how the UK has missed thee. Unless my maths are wrong, it’s been three years since Halestorm last played a headlining tour in the UK. Sure there have been festival slots, the “Carnival Of Madness” dates, and the astonishing “Evening With Halestorm” shows, but this is the first run of headlining dates since March 2015, and the place is heaving!

With the incredible new album ‘Vicious’ making waves everywhere, Halestorm are on fire right now. After what seems like an eternity since Avatar left the stage, the house lights drop and the noise level rises considerably. Halestorm have been mixing up the set on these dates, so much so that they could open with anything. It is funny, however, when the guy in front of me closes the page on his phone that is set to Setlist FM. Yep, it’s a totally different opener from the previous night. Here, the band crash into the title track of the new album, and we’re off and running.

Lzzy Hale will always get the loudest screams no matter what, and when she appears front and centre, the screams are deafening. Male, female, young, old, Mz Hyde herself has that instant appeal to all demographics. Wearing a fuzzy red jacket that oozes Marc Bolan, she begins to unleash the almighty voice that his her trademark.

The new material sounds killer and, as you would expect, the vast majority of the set is culled from ‘Vicious’. ‘Black Vultures’, ‘Skulls’ and the “controversial” ‘Do Not Disturb’ are all greeted with loud approval. The vinyl version of the album finally gets released later this week, and as Hale points out, it has four extra tracks on it. As they are mixing up the setlist each night, tonight we get treated to the first live performance of ‘Golden’, and what do you know, cellphones are lighting up the room with people going live on Facebook. The guy in front of me started off the evening on Setlist FM and has now progressed to Facebook live. Me? I’m watching bassist Josh Smith and thinking that if only he was wearing a red scarf, we all would be Negan.

Mixed in with the new material, are what you could call Halestorm staples. ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’, ‘Amen’, ‘Mz Hyde’, ‘Freak Like Me’, and an incredible version of ‘I Am The Fire’. Nothing from the debut album, but to be honest, airing ‘Familiar Taste Of Poison’ might have caused the intensity to drop down a notch or two. Arejay Hale still manages to make a drum solo fun and interesting. No golf umbrellas this time, just the oversized drum sticks.

Then there is the guitar work from Joe Hottinger and Lzzy Hale. Halestorm are a guitar band first and foremost, and this pair treat the crowd to some fretboard fireworks. When they get together and go for some improvisation and spread out the songs, the results are real standout moments. The solo that Hottinger unleashes on the highlight of the evening, ‘Killing Ourselves To Live’, further cements his reputation as a guitarist who grows in stature by the day. The pair appear on the edge of the stage for the encore, with Hottinger clasping an acoustic guitar. Hale sits down next to him as they peel off a stunning rendition of ‘The Silence’ from the new album. Stripped back and bare, it proves that sometimes the best moments are the quietest.

With the clock quickly ticking towards the dreaded 11pm curfew, the rest of the band come back on for ‘I Miss The Misery’ and the traditional set closer; ‘Here’s To Us’. The latter features tour manager Detroit coming on with four cups with what looks like Jägermeister, and in true Halestorm fashion, the band toast the crowd and neck the booze. This one time in Glasgow, they used Buckfast for the toast… I use that to clean my drains!

Halestorm, meet the big league. Big league, meet Halestorm. You two will be seeing a great deal of each other.

Halestorm finish up this UK run in Bristol on September 29th before heading over for European dates throughout October. All dates can be found here.

Review: Dave S

Images: Dave J

  Review: Halestorm – O2 Academy, Glasgow Proving that hard work (along with killer tunes) does actually pay off, Halestorm have the “sold out” signs posted outside the largest venues that they have headlined in the UK.

[ultralifehackerguru-blog]

New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/walking-dead-star-says-theres-just-attraction-jadis-rick/

'Walking Dead' star says 'there's more than just an attraction' between Jadis and Rick

Is Jadis “The Walking Dead’s” most misunderstood character?

Gene Page/AMC

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for AMC’S “The Walking Dead,” “Still Gotta Mean Something.”

Jadis is starting to become one of “The Walking Dead’s” most interesting characters.

After kidnapping Negan — and frustratingly letting him go — the Scavenger leader showed that she has a few secrets up her sleeve. Yes, she can speak in full sentences, she has an awesome eye for home decorating, and she just may flee the Rick/Negan party in a helicopter to safer pastures.

INSIDER spoke with Pollyanna McIntosh about the return of the mysterious chopper, Jadis’ odd infatuation with Rick, and how she’s happy she can finally stop answering “that stupid question” about why the Scavengers spoke in broken English.

Why Jadis lets Negan go

She had him right where she wanted him!

Gene Page/AMC

After Rick dropped the ball on killing Negan, Jadis had her chance when she took him back to the Scavengers’ hideout.

But then she went and blew it by letting him off easy and head back to the Sanctuary. She even gave him a car. Everyone’s giving this guy so much slack! And McIntosh gets it. She originally wanted to see Negan dead, too.

“That was a real bummer to for me. I was, like, ‘Oh, no. We gotta take him down!'” said McIntosh of how Jadis originally reacted. “But of course that’s the point in all this. [Negan] has to challenge Simon now and he might even have to challenge Dwight and I hope that Rick is the one who gets to do that [kill Negan].”

Ultimately, after Negan opened up to her about his bat Lucille and revealed he wasn’t the one behind the mass murder of the Heapster group, she found her vengeance wouldn’t be well served if she took out Negan.

Simon is the one Jadis really has a problem with.

Gene Page/AMC

Her revenge would almost be pointless. Instead, Negan will hopefully do her dirty work.

“He reveals himself to be a human being when he shares with her and they connect over this idea of loss and holding onto the history of those that meant the most to them,” McIntosh explains of going easy on Negan. “She really can’t do it and I think she also recognizes that Negan’s probably telling the truth that it was not something he chose to do and this way he goes and get the revenge for her.”

Jadis, ever the resourceful woman, is also thinking ahead.

“She’s also got a strong ally around in case she needs him because she doesn’t really know how she’s gonna find safety at this point. But she doesn’t want to go with him, so that made me happy.”

Who Jadis thinks is driving that helicopter

Jadis and Negan look up at the helicopter hovering over the junkyard.

Gene Page/AMC

“This seems to be some other situation out there. Is it an extension of the Heapster community? Is it another community? Is it a single person? Is it a group? I don’t wanna give too much away,” McIntosh said.

You can read more on her thoughts about the mysterious helicopter here.

McIntosh is glad she doesn’t need to answer anymore questions about the Scavengers’ controversial broken speech

Pollyanna McIntosh always hoped the show would reveal more of Jadis’ character.

Gene Page/AMC

After the death of the Scavengers, some fans were surprised to see Jadis start speaking in full sentences. Up until that point, her group was only seen speaking in short, broken sentences.

As a result, Jadis and the Scavenger group became easy fodder for jokes because of the puzzling manner in which they spoke. It turned out the Scavenger leader has been putting on as much of a facade as Negan and Ezekiel in the zombie apocalypse.

“I’m still getting used to it. It was a plan that worked very well. It was a motive that suited at the time,” McIntosh said of Jadis speaking normally. “She had steps for not wasting anything, which was a big hallmark of that community by not even wasting words. She had a military to control.”

Without a group to follow her, everything has changed for Jadis.

AMC

“I enjoyed it. It was a playful thing to do but now I just love the possibility of her speaking full sentences and with more connection and more understanding we can have with where she’s really coming from,” she added.

McIntosh said it’s an added relief fans finally know Jadis is capable of articulating her thoughts just as well — if not better — than the likes of Rick and Daryl. She doesn’t have to field questions from fans anymore on why the Scavengers speak in such a strange manner.

“I’m really glad for people to know. Some people thought that they [the Scavengers] had forgotten how to speak or that the time period in which they lost their ability to speak full sentences was ridiculous and I thought that was a bit ridiculous to be honest,” she said. “So I’m just glad not to have to answer that stupid question.”

What’s up with her relationship with Rick

One moment Jadis wants to sleep with him. The next? She’s holding a gun to his face. It’s complicated.

Gene Page/AMC

Jadis and Rick have a weird relationship. Since they’ve known each other, she has made Rick strip down to his boxers and photograph him, has asked to sleep with him in front of Michonne, and has shot him.

What’s going on there?

“When I did my Rick in the box work he did walk into my place and say, ‘Hey, we’re cool, right?'” McIntosh said of Rick popping up at the junkyard on season seven, episode six. “And that’s not the experience, normally — that people are just gonna forgive you and everything’s gonna be great. While she’s taking care of business, I think she’s a character that likes to have a bit of fun, and he’s apparently not a bad choice that she wants to hook up some with him. Make more little scavengers. I think it’s about more than just an attraction. I think there’s more going on here and all will be revealed.”

Michonne would not be OK with any of this. Or Richonne.

Gene Page/AMC

Since Rick left her trapped at the dump among her zombified Scavengers, McIntosh says the two have some healing to do before they’re on the same side again.

“They’re not exactly allies at the moment so I don’t know who needs to forgive more,” said McIntosh. “Were they to meet again who would need to do the forgiving?”

It may be a stalemate.

Does Jadis feel like she’s more #TeamRick or #TeamNegan or does that even matter?

RIP Brion and Tamiel.

Gene Page/AMC

“I don’t think it matters right now for her,” said McIntosh of aligning herself with Rick or Negan. “She knows that Rick is more trustworthy for sure. She sees in people the truth and their true selves and she definitely makes a very pointed remark to Negan when he says you can come join us in this disparaging way and so I think she has her opinion about Negan, she has her opinion about Rick … but she is a survivalist in the truest sense of the word so where she’d need him in the future I think that she would do what she needed to do.”

McIntosh designed T-shirts with her “Walking Dead” character on them for a worthy cause.

The shirt comes in black and white.

AMC

McIntosh wore a T-shirt with her character’s silhouette on Sunday’s “Talking Dead” after-show with the words, “Trash Queen,” a loving moniker for her character. If you were a fan, it’s something you can buy.

“All the money goes to the Joshua Nolan Foundation, which is a suicide prevention charity, which is very close to my heart and not only do they provide free counseling for folks who need it who are at risk, also they bring the conversation about mental health awareness in schools and other institutions so we can get rid of the stigma.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pollyanna McIntosh (@pollyannamcintosh)

  “I met Laura Nolan, the founder and runner of the foundation who lost her son to suicide, and her story just really moved me,” she added. “It’s an emotional thing and it’s an emotional thing for me and I’m so proud of Laura for creating a charity out of such tragedy that’s really helping people in a very, very solid way.”

The shirts will be available until the middle of April on represent.com. You can find the Trash Queen shirt here and read more about the Joshua Nolan Foundation here.

McIntosh is working on a movie with some other stars from “The Walking Dead.”

McIntosh couldn’t talk about the project much — she couldn’t even say its name — but she’s eager to show it off to fans.

“I’m in the middle of post-production of my first feature that I directed so I’m excited to get that out there and get the fans to see that later on the year. We’re hoping to premiere it at the Toronto Film Festival and I can’t say much more than that,” she said. “There’s a couple of other cast members from the show in it and I’m excited. Feeling good about that.”

What she’s looking forward to on the final two episodes of the season

If Negan doesn’t take care of Simon, there are going to be some problems.

Gene Page/AMC

“[Jadis] hopes that Simon’s been taken care of and that’s what I’m excited to see — that great confrontation between Negan and Simon coming up and how that’s gonna go down,” said McIntosh. “I’m looking forward to seeing who’s in that car with Negan and whether it’s gonna be trouble for Dwight. I’m rather fond of Dwight now. And, I wanna see what’s in Carl’s letter. I wanna see if Rick is gonna step up and be the man we know and love again.”

“I don’t like this Rick the d— guy,” she added.

That’s one name for him.

Last Sunday’s episode, Rick took a dark turn. After breaking out the murder coat, he gave a group of Saviors his word they could return safely to the Hilltop. But Rick and Morgan changed their minds, killing every last one of the Saviors brutally.

Rick becomes a different person when the murder coat goes on.

Gene Page/AMC

Right about now, he’s not looking much better than Simon.

Fans won’t have to wait long to find out what’s inside Carl’s letter to Rick. It will be included on Sunday’s episode. You can read his full letter here, but only if you want to be spoiled.

As for Negan, the big mystery is who he picked up on his way home to the Sanctuary. We’re thinking it can be one of two people. You can read our thoughts on Negan’s passenger here.

We’ll see more of Jadis before the season’s end

Jadis’ story isn’t over yet.

Gene Page/AMC

“I know that there’s more in store for her in this season and I think that people will be kind of excited by the results,” said McIntosh.

Hopefully, the helicopter isn’t far behind.

You can follow along with our “Walking Dead” coverage here and sign up for our weekly “TWD” newsletter throughout the rest of the season here.

(C)