#in fact.. i don't think rick deserves to be the leader at all!! i think he should sit his ass down and let maggie take control

[letterstotheflre]

rick kills all of those saviour men that escaped from the hilltop (even the ones who were helping him and morgan take out the walkers) with absolutely no remorse whatsoever and then he has the audacity to let negan live? the man who slaughtered glenn, abraham, spencer, olivia?? the man who tortured daryl, his "brother"? the man who coerced women into marrying him and sleeping with him (aka r*ped them)? the man who mutilated people under the guise of 'maintaining the rules'? the man who killed thousands of people and forced the other communities to live under his thumb just because he thought he was better than them? man fuck him

[apollos-forgotten-flower-bf]

Can we talk and rant about Leo valdez and valgrace please

ALWAYS.

Leo is, and has been, my FAVOURITE Heroes of Olympus character since I opened The Lost Hero. The "stupid", impulsive, comedy relief, who also are EXTREMELY relatable characters have ALWAYS been favourites of mine. Many other people like him too — and it's completely deserved! He's funny, he cares for his friends, he's extremely talented, and he's smart! Really, there isn't a "stupid" part about him. Even the negatives to his personality — the jokes made at inappropriate times, imposter syndrome, faking arrogance, etc. — make him feel so much more human! He is so well-written; an amazing character who is easily loveable, and IS loved by the fandom! I think a lot of the people who dislike Leo, and say they dislike him because he's "overrated" are just...wrong. He isn't "overrated", he's a good character receiving the love a good character deserves! Are you going to tell me that Percy is overrated? Or Annabeth? And I'm not saying that you can't dislike Leo for no reason. Though, I personally won't agree, I can't stop you. I'm just saying that, giving a reason like "he's overrated" will just be wrong.

The only part that I don't like about what Rick Riordan did with Leo over the course of H.O.O and T.O.A is pair him with Calypso. Like, really? A 16-year-old with obvious self-esteem issues and a lack of social awareness with an overly-critical, argumentative, 5000-year-old TITANESS? REALLY???? I had liked Calypso at first, in Battle of the Labyrinth, but every time she shows up after that just...pisses me off. And the fact that Leo didn't even need a relationship in the first place. Why could Rick just leave Leo single? Or; make valgrace canon.

Speaking of valgrace (haha), I have been a valgrace shipper since before I even read H.O.O (i saw some of it on tiktok and was just like "yep. That seems about right.") so I have been piling up reasons that they should've been endgame. They obviously care a lot for each other! They had their little Medea-induced fight in TLH, sure, but even afterwards; Jason apologized, and they went back to being friends, so easily! Jason seems to be the only one who can tolerate Leo and his bafoonery at times, much better than Calypso does, and Leo is one of the only people to actually treat Jason like a person, rather than "the Mighty Son of Jupiter" or "the Great Warrior of Camp Jupiter." To Leo, Jason is just Jason. Some guy he met, and who happens to be his best friend. Who cares that he could snap Leo like a twig? He's just a dude. And, even though a lot of characters see Leo as this dumb guy that can only work with machines, Jason knows otherwise. That's why they'd be so good together! They KNOW each other, beyond what their pasts and abilities are. In all of their interactions together throughout the series, they always seemed more comfortable together than with others. Jason never knew how he was supposed to act around the others of the 7, because he knew they saw him as some kind of leader, and expected him to have the answers all the time. But with Leo, he knew Leo didn't set some ridiculously high standards with him. And, they'd be better together than with their canon partners. I shouldn't need to give reasons why caleo sucks, right? And, Jiper (or Jasper) was doomed from the start. Imagine randomly waking up on a bus, no memories, holding a girls hand — and she claims to be your girlfriend. Anybody would be confused. Jason stated multiple times in H.O.O that he didn't know what he was supposed to do in his relationship, with fear of not living up to Piper's expectations of him. Neither of them even asked to be in the relationship! It was completely based on fake-memories caused by Hera, which would be a horrible basis for any relationship. Also, I headcanon them as gay & lesbian, so I also see it as a form of comphet. A really fucked up form of comphet. I think the only reason Valgrace wouldn't work out would be the fact that one was destined to die — "to Storm or Fire", not "and". Which makes the ship even more tragic! The person they knew best, and that knew them best, destined to die before them with no way of getting around it? FUCK, that hurts. The amount of times I've cried over Valrgace could have my tears used to restore rainforests. Finally, this was a great excuse to post my first valgrace fanart, so thank you.

I spent 2½ hours on this, 7—11 am this morning, and ohh my god(s) my back hurts so bad rn. I got the design for Jason and inspo for this overall piece from the tiktok page @miles (meowrales) (one of my fav h.o.o artists AND THEY LIKED THE SPEEDPAINT I POSTED of this SO 🎉🎉🎉)

If requested, I'll upload the picture w/out the text (which are the lyrics of I, Carrion (Icarian) by Hozier.)

Share your rants or favourite headcanons of valgrace, Leo, and/or Jason :) I'd love to hear them!

[desultory-novice]

Question for funsies:

If you had to pick "top 10 Kirby characters that deserve a hug", which 10 would you pick?

I feel the point of a Top 10 list is to MAKE you narrow down your choices and that changing the rules is a cheat but I quickly found while writing I had divided this list into "deserves" a hug and "NEEDS" a hug. So you get two lists. Plus a bonus 3rd one.

None are in any particular order.

[Top 10 Kirby Characters Who Deserve A Hug]

Bandanna Waddle Dee Bandanna Waddle Dee always works so hard: studying, training, doing his best to both keep up with Dream Land's more bombastic residents and be representative of the Waddle Dees at the same time! That's a lot and yet, somehow Waddle Dee manages it!

Sillydillo Okay, well, not so much a hug but a pat on the head? The artistic armadillo needs acknowledgement either way. No one understands you, Sillydillo, and it's hard to say if you understand anyone/anything yourself, but I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about Doing Their Best! Shine on, you crazy diamond! Keep dancing to the beat only you can hear! You're perfect just as is!

Prince Fluff You did it! You got the magic yarn! This little prince has never been anything but flawless. Always generous and understanding with Kirby, even when Kirby has no idea how things work in yarn world. Plus like, he or an ancestor may have some kind of wild planet-saving backstory according to those cave paintings, so yes, Prince Fluff definitely deserves a hug for all that!

Adeleine It doesn't really matter if Adeleine has a traumatic backstory related to the destruction of Earth or not. The simple fact is, she canonically has ONE hit point and yet she's always ready to use it coming to the aid of her friends. Do you ever think she gets tired of painting food and refrigerators? Does she complain? No! She's just that sweet.

Gooey Gooey, you may not know what you have done to deserve a hug but you deserve a hug nonetheless. You're a wonderful gooey little miracle. You taught us that even the epitome of darkness and negativity is not incapable of becoming a friend. Good Gooey!

Rick I often consider Rick to be the leader/papa of the Animal Friends, and for staying devotedly by Kirby's side, helping him out whenever there is need (and as a married man, too!) Rick absolutely deserves a hug. He's been nothing but good and wholesome for over 25 years! (Ignore the gag manga.) I've said this before and I will say this again but Meta Knight as Kirby's dad? King Dedede as Kirby's dad? ...If that's your preference, but for me, it will always be hamster dad.

Susie I know people are going to argue forever about that Star Allies blurb and whether it's translated correctly or not or whether an alternate translation absolves her of her sins etc but sometimes, to deserve a hug, you just need to have survived a really goddawful time. And that's what earns Susie a place on my "C'mere!" list. She probably deserves a blanket and a warm cup of cocoa too.

King Dedede Not to be outdone by his own Waddle Dees, King Dedede has been working hard almost from the very beginning. Sure, he falls off the wagon sometimes, but when the chips are down, he's always trying to find some way (flawed or not) to make things right. Lazing around?! Never! He's recovering from his heroic sacrifice! Come on and get a hug, big guy! I hope it helps you feel like a hero!

Magolor ...He's going to say he doesn't and even after you deliver the hug, he'll probably playfully question your sanity and try to move the conversation on to getting you and all your friends a Merry Magoland season pass, but inside? He's wibbling like a small animal you rescued from the rain. He knows what he did, the good and the bad, and SOMETHING in him hopes... he really might just deserve this.

Kirby How could Kirby not deserve a hug?! Of course I'd hug Kirby!!

----

[Top 10 Kirby Characters Who NEED A Hug]

Taranza I don't like to woobify Taranza as much as others do. If you dig right down into it, he was basically Queen Sectonia's assassin, irregardless of his turning on her. The reason why Susie is on the "deserves" list and Taranza is on the "needs" list is honestly due to a bunch of what I see as subtle differences with the ways they're processing their own trauma and their responses after the fact.

Pres. Haltmann ...Not because he has particularly done anything to deserve it in recent memory ("memory" being the key word, hint hint) but because little Susie's disappearance was clearly the last time he ever got one. And that's a long time to go without a hug. I think I've mentioned this before, but you can sort of see in the way he laughs during his fight that he was probably a REALLY loving dad. I can't help but feel sorry for everything that happened to him. ...But also, if you're into petty vengeance, you could also do your best to crumple his fancy pressed suit while you're giving him that hug! ^_-

Dark Matter Poor Dark Matter has no friends and no idea how to even ask for them. Dark Matter invaded a whole planet because they were jealous that they couldn't have the fun everyone down on the surface was. (Zero probably forced them to do it also but...) And the result of this invasion was to be destroyed without ever experiencing joy or friendship. Depending on how you read DL3, their story only got worse from their! Dark Matter CLEARLY needs a hug!

Elfilin Quite possibly Elfy deserves a hug as well, but more than anything, he NEEDs a hug. Did you see how traumatized the poor dear was by the end of final fight? It's going to be okay, Elfy... The bonus of hugging Elfilin is that, post-game, you're sort of giving Elfilis a hug too only a) Eliflis won't try to kill you or melt your brain while you do it and b) it might actually have meaning for them now and even contribution to the act of untangling centuries(?) of abuse.

Queen of the Fairies She may be clumsy and scatterbrained but you know what? I think she did the best she possibly could. Even panicking, she sent the right fairy for the job! Given that she was soon after possessed by Zero 2 (...i-in her butt? Y-you know what, let's not go there...) she could probably, no, DEFINITELY use a hug after that.

Whispy Woods Has anyone ever asked what Whispy Woods wants?! No! In the RtDL Novel, Whispy didn't even attack because people were NICE to him! Instead of jumping into battle whenever the old arbor wakes up, maybe you ought to try singing it a lullaby? Put a soft blanket around its roots? Water it with a glass of warm milk?! Poor tree gets no love...

Shadow Kirby Shadow Kirby's record of good deeds versus causing trouble is kinda in the gray zone right now (haha, get it...?) so I can't say in good faith that they necessarily deserve a hug, but it's pretty clear the Mirror Dimension is a messy place. Who knows how much things have improved since they took over as hero(?!) I still think that they ought to have a hug just because of the whole Amazing Mirror fiasco.

Marx In storybook canon, Kirby hugging Marx surprised Marx so bad he fell off his ball!! That shows me that Marx has clearly not been hugged enough, and though the mischievous jester has done nothing to deserve it (Nothing! Not EVEN once!) I can't help but think Kirby's got the right idea here! Show the clown some love. If nothing else, it is effective in stopping his pranks for a time!

Zan Partizanne Franny and Berge seem to have always had each other to confide in, but Zan seems like the type to keep her feelings to herself. Even if Hyness WAS in a place to listen (he most definitely wasn't) she would probably consider it sacrilege to burden him with HER concerns! She's better now, as canon has informed us, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need a little something for all the years she had to bear up with the guilt and doubt and fear of her Jamba fellows...

Void Yes! Hug Void! Fill Void with positivity! Help teach Void love and hugs and naps and food and friendship! Bonus: it will save the planet!

---

Characters I Would Definitely Not Hug

Zero ...I just don't think it's gonna work out, folks? Also...gooshy...

Fecto Forgo ...Haha...that's a "group hug" you don't walk away from...

Galacta ...Possibly deserves it but I am 100% sure they would give me the "Star Dream" treatment before I got close enough to try.

Morpho ...Kumazaki vaguely implied during that Nintendo Dream interview touching Morpho means losing your soul so, uh, pass!

Kracko ...Cause of Death: electrocution. (Also, Kracko is a JERK!)

Mistleteinn (Master Crown) ...It's a hug that'll last you ~forever~

[leojurand]

so i'm watching the walking dead (kinda for the first time, i watched the first 3, 3 and a half seasons back in the day, now i'm on s10) and it's taking over my life and the issue with that is that i actively look for opinions, character rankings, analysis etc.

and it's an issue because i've discovered that the fandom really doesn't like maggie. and the reasons why make no sense to me like, at all, and they make me feel crazy

that means ofc that i need to rant about it

first: s1-s6 maggie. i think most people say they like maggie just fine in these seasons, or they just don't care about her that much. everyone complains about her forgetting about beth in 4b-5a but i mean. the general consensus is that that's shitty writing and not maggie being an awful sister (tho i have seen that opinion as well lol).

but the most common complaint i've seen about her character in this era is: maggie and glenn's characters are all about their romance (specifically from s2 to s4 i think). and i agree! i've always liked maggie but this is why i wasn't super invested in her character early on. the problem is when people say "maggie drags glenn down". but not the other way around? it's like they only see her as glenn's love interest, while glenn is a character on his own and he can't have more interesting storylines because he's stuck in this romance (a romance most fans love btw that's not the problem). i guess this is because glenn was introduced first and existed in the story before maggie but like. that was like 6 eps and it's not like he was getting a crazy character arc.

so yeah, it does feel like misogyny when someone blames maggie for this when it's a problem for both characters.

now, post s6 is where most of the maggie hate comes from, and they have plenty of reasons to dislike her, or her arc (and i disagree with most of them):

- "maggie isn't/doesn't deserve to be a leader, maggie's leader arc feels forced": okay this one is genuinely baffling to me because i love this arc. it starts in s7 (arguably 5b, i'd say maggie becoming deanna's counselor is the actual beginning), and that's important because s7-8 are generally agreed upon to be not well-written. in fact, most of my faves from prior seasons get the short stick during this era imo: rick, carol, daryl. that's why maggie was such a highlight to me; i was so invested in her rise to leadership in hilltop. it made complete sense to me because she started getting a more "political" role in 5b, and she was the one who made the deal with gregory in s6, and saw his incompetence first hand. it was not only compelling, but very natural for her character. it also makes sense with the trajectory the rest of the group was taking: once they get to alexandria, several of them start to get placed, or put themselves in, positions of power. it happens with rick, glenn, and abraham. but maggie is the one that feels forced and undeserving... why?

- "maggie is nothing but a widow after 7x01/maggie's character becomes all about negan": obviously i don't see the logic in this statement because she becomes the leader of a community in this era? she cares about people, she makes hilltop a better place, she calls out gregory's bullshit and gives him so many opportunities he doesn't even deserve. she does what needs to be done, but still listens to the people she loves. not once, in all of s7, does maggie mention negan or her need to take revenge. she bonds with sasha over their shared grief (something they'd already done in 5b, the arc that keeps on giving, but their dynamic started in 4b!), and sasha and enid take care of her; she befriends jesus, and he becomes instantly loyal to her because he sees all her qualities; he knows what an incompetent leader is like, and knows that maggie is perfect for the position. maggie never stops mourning, but all of these relationships aren't about glenn or negan. but no one cares about them enough to remember or appreciate them i guess ://

- "maggie betrayed rick": this is actually so stupid and definitely one of those instances when people hate on character for disagreeing with/going against their favourite character. rick was wrong when he spared negan. he was wrong for deciding that on his own, for not consulting anyone, for disregarding the feelings of maggie and daryl and everyone else negan had hurt. and rick did for selfish reasons! he wanted to honour carl, and so he betrayed his friends and he acted like that was the only choice. like what he wanted was what mattered. maggie (and daryl) had every right to go behind his back and try to kill negan. rick didn't respect her wishes, didn't keep his word after he said he wouldn't stop until negan was dead, so why should she obey him? it's crazy that there are people who feel that way. if carl had died during the line up, maggie would never have stopped him from taking revenge, even if for some reason glenn believed that to be right. it was an awful thing to do to her, right when she thought she could finally end it and find some peace of mind. team maggie and daryl for life dpmo!!!

related to that, maggie was also right about not wanting to follow the rules rick and michonne were planning to establish, and doing what she felt was best for her people. she was right when she didn't want to give food to the saviors, she was right when she suspected them, she was right when she let the oceanside women execute arat. no one has ever been more right in the history of television.

and this is kinda related too, but i've seen michonne fans boast about michonne always being calm and collected and always making the right decisions (which is not true, thankfully michonne is more complex than that). i bring it up because unfortunately i often see twd fans use their love for a female character to insult the other women in the show. which is really tragic, but in this case i also can't see why that's something to boast about. i like that maggie is angry and resentful, i like that she makes mistakes and irrational choices because of that anger and grief. i like that she doesn't let go of all those messy feelings in order to be calm and therefore more palatable. yes, fans call her whiny and say she should just move on, get over it (fucked up if you see what she went through, but whatever). but i don't want that. female characters are always expected to get over things quickly, to deal with their problems quietly, because if they don't they're whiny and annoying and insufferable. if they make bad decisions they're useless, they're getting people killed. male characters are allowed to have those ugly feelings, to snap, to be cruel and violent because they're hurting. that makes them more compelling, more layered. but not female characters, not maggie. sure, fans also blame daryl for his impulsive behaviour, but that doesn't stop him from being the most popular character. maggie has many moments when she's super cool (when she makes the deal with hilltop, when she hangs gregory) but those are never hyped like every single small moment when a man is a badass. or when they do the bare minimum tbh, people don't need much to stan a male character.

tl;dr: i absolutely adore maggie, and the fact that she has the best arc during the worst part of the show made me so invested in her story. all the hate she gets, and the reasons people give to justify hating her, are completely nonsensical to me. "we didn't watch the same show" levels of nonsense. i sincerely hope she's as unbearable as everyone says she is when she comes back. i hope she's nasty and i will love her even more for it!

[deathiscoldbatman]

Fine yeah I'm down. 👀

• Deadshot and/or Bronze Tiger - team staples in decades past, probably team co-leader with Rick Flag Jr. Dies towards the end of the run in an unexpected way, probably. "No one is safe" after all.

• Doctor Poison - Princess Maru. Chemistry, toxicology and overall chemical weapons expert, ffs as a Japanese-American KEEP HER JAPANESE DC we will not entertain the idea of white Dr. Poison. Canonically a trained soldier so she's no stranger to combat, but it's clear her strength lies in her mind. I could honestly see her dying whenever, but personally I have a soft spot for poison experts and it shows.

• Celsius - Doom Patrol member that DC kind of forgot about over the years, she is both cryokinetic and pyrokinetic. Canonically trained in martial arts like most DC characters sigh. I mention her specifically as there is some canon precedence to the Doom Patrol and Task Force X having interacted before. Dies but in a way that comes completely out of left field.

• Gaius Grieves Thinker - deserves better than a cameo. You could easily say he faked his canonical death via psychic projection, or say that this is a timeline where he never died. Canon electrokinetic, walking EMP, thinks he's a master of psychological manipulation. Wild card but surprisingly won't get blown to bits as the fear of death is enough to get him to obey and Ben/Floyd's existence is enough to get him to rein it in most of the time.

• The Heckler - Stu Mosley, hero whose literal only superpower is to be annoying as fuck. Bit of a Captain Boomerang stand-in where the joke is that everything should kill him, but somehow he survives. Can also be good comic relief.

• Ms. Clay or Black Orchid [any] - Black Orchid was already part of the 1980's series but I personally found her to be underutilized. Point being, both are canonically masters of disguise and not too shabby in combat. Plus I specifically mention Ms. Clay as she was literally created for a Suicide Squad comic, in fact the Hell to Pay tie-in. A lot of people don't realize there's another female Clayface other than Sondra Fuller. Mixed on whether they die or not, and when.

• Insect Queen [alternate universe Lana Lang] - literally her superpower is being Ratcatcher but with bugs. Also telepathy, making for great synergy with Thinker. Aside from the Legion of Superheroes version of her she's a fairly obscure character, and likely to be cannon fodder.

I’ll go first…

1. Captain Cold (Team Leader)

(✅SURVIVES) = Amanda Waller makes him the team leader because he follows direction and willing to sacrifice any of his teammates in order to complete the mission. His only concerned with completing the mission and keeping himself alive.

2. Poison Ivy [Human plant hybrid Version] (Chemical weapons expert)

(✅SURVIVES) = Gets shot up by a hell of bullets. Midway of the mission regrows herself like Groot or slime thing.

3. Bane (Muscle / Strategic)

(💀DIES) = Injects too much venom to his system that triggers the bomb in his neck. His head explodes instantly.

4. Cheetah (Stealth / Hand to hand fighter)

(💀DIES) = Tries to sneak behind enemy lines. She gets caught because one of the guards happens to be allergic to cats. They released A whole bunch of Vicious guard Dogs, which brutally attacked her to death.

5. Snow Flame (Super alert look out guy)

(💀DIES) = Does a bunch of cocaine then gets eaten by King Shark

6. King Shark (Extra Muscle)

(✅SURVIVES) = Not realizing that Snow Flame super powers are from cocaine. Becomes ridiculously high after eating Snow Flame. Then goes ballistic on the rest of the team. Captain Cold shoots him with his freeze gun, but fish don’t die when they freeze. So throughout the rest of the mission he’s in a frozen block of ice until the mission is done.

7. Creeper (Acrobatic skills / Comedic relief)

(✅SURVIVES) = Despite countless close calls somehow survive towards the end of the mission. But then after Amanda Waller sits off the bomb in his head anyway. It’s because the whole time he was creeping on all the women, making them uncomfortable by sexually harassing them. So no big loss when he’s gone, good riddance. (💀DIES)

[thebisexualdogdad]

Second chances - Cindy Burman x gn reader

"There is no way Cindy Burman is joining the JSA," Yolanda states firmly. 

You and the others are standing around the Dugan-Whitmore living room, discussing the fact that the former leader of the ISA 2.0 currently wanted to switch sides and play for the good guys. 

"And why not, after what happened with Eclipso we could use her on our team," you retort. 

"She's the one who released Eclipso in the first place!" Yolanda shouts.

"And she apologized!" you shout back. 

"Alright, alright let's stay calm and rational," Courtney says stepping in between you two. 

"Y/N the only reason you are sticking up for her is because you have a crush on her," Yolanda taunts. 

Rick and Beth look at each other in surprise, both being oblivious to your newfound fondness for Cindy but what none of you knew was that Cindy was on the other side of the front door having stopped by to see if any decision had been made on her superhero team status and was hearing everything.

"My feelings for Cindy have nothing to do with this," you tell her, "you forgave Henry so why can't you forgive her?" 

"Because Henry died trying to save me," Yolanda replies, "and Cindy is a horrible person."

Okay well that one hurt Cindy thought to herself. 

"Cindy was a literal science experiment for her sociopath of a father and made to be a weapon for his own personal gain, how can you not feel any sort of empathy for her?"��

"That's kind of a good point Yolanda," Courtney says. 

"Cindy says she wants to be a better person and I believe her," Beth adds.

"I'm with Yolanda on this one, I still don't trust her," Rick mutters. 

"Says the guy who left bags full of burgers in the woods for Grundy all summer, he was manipulated into killing your parents yet you changed your mind on him," you say. 

"Also a good point," Rick shrugs. 

"Look, we've all made mistakes and you of all people should know about wanting forgiveness considering the amount of time you've spent at church trying to repent and sure maybe I have feelings for Cindy but that doesn't take away from the fact that she deserves a second chance and could be a real asset to the team," you tell Yolanda. 

Cindy smiles, grateful for how hard you are fighting for her. 

"So what do you say Yolanda, can we give Cindy a shot?" Courtney asks.

"I'll think about it," Yolanda sighs.

"That's good enough for now I guess," you say, "I'm gonna go, my parents will be expecting me home for dinner soon."

You head for the door and are shocked to see Cindy standing on the porch.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" You ask shutting the door behind you.

"I was just stopping by but guess I don't need to anymore," she says with a smile. 

"I don't know what that means but do you need a ride home?" You laugh.

"Yeah that would be great." 

The car ride to Cindy's house is silent, you're still fuming from your conservation with Yolanda. 

"So are you really living here all by yourself?" You ask pulling into her driveway. 

"Yeah but it's okay, it's not like my dad was around even when he was alive," Cindy states. 

"I'm sorry Cindy, I can't even imagine how much this must suck," you tell her. 

"You don't have to be sorry, I probably deserve it." 

"No you don't, no one does," you say, "I'm serious Cindy I know you and I know the person you can be and if Yolanda can't see that than it's the JSA's loss." 

"Thank you Y/N, I may have overheard everything you said earlier at Courtney's house," Cindy says. 

"Like everything, everything?" You ask nervously. 

"Yeah everything, everything," she chuckles. 

"Well that's embarrassing," you gulp. 

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," she smiles, leaning in to kiss you. 

[deadsaigon]

Kindred spirits || Carl Grimes

Summary: In a parallel universe where Carl is still alive, he experiences the events during the 9x15.

Warnings: Death, and yeah, a lot of cuteness and sadness. All at the same time.

Note: The flashbacks are in italics. Gif is not mine.

A/n: I've been working on this for a while, I hope you like it. Honoring my baby Carl, he deserved to live longer in the series. Requests are open. Sorry if it's too long, but I think is worthy to read. Hope you like it.

"I stand before you today at the start of a new tomorrow. A tomorrow made possible by the sacrifice of many over the years. Among them a man whose mission was to build community and strengthen the bonds between us. A man who had to destroy the very thing that connected us in order to save us. It took us far too long to fulfill the promise of what Rick Grimes and his son Carl, who is here with us, envisioned" King Ezekiel stoped his speech, due to the ovation that the people started when they heard the name of 'Carl', Carl was a living legend. He and Amunet were between the crowd. One of his arms was around her waist and her head was over his shoulder. When the people around them began to applaud him, Carl blushed a little and he thanked them with his hand. "The same promise, Paul Rovia, better known the most as Jesus believed in when he brought us all together those many years ago. We've always been bound to each other. We always will be. We fought our way back to each other. We've grown. The crossing over the river may be gone, but we rebuilt a bridge nonetheless. Today is the proof that we can unite, not against a common enemy but for the common good. So eat, drink, trade and be merry, cause we got a lot of lost time to make up for" Ezekiel ended his speech.

Jerry stood in front of all the people. "That the first Annual Inter-community Reunification Fair begins" He said.

"Jerry, we changed that" Ezekiel told him with a little smile. All the people laughed. "Carl, could you make me the honor to say some words and inaugurate this?" The King asked him. "Amunet, you can pass, too". Carl blushed again, but Amunet encouraged him. They hold hands and passed to the front.

"Mmm, hello" He said, he was so nervous but Amunet pressed harder his hand, trying to calm him down. "I would like to thank you all, for not abandoning my dad's dream, the dream he worked so hard for so many years, the dream he gave his life for: the dream of being a big and unite family." Carl reached the cage of the white doves. "That the Fair or the New Beginning begins" He finished by setting free the doves. The people started to applaud again, and yeah, Carl blushed, once more.

Once the people got disperse, Carl and Amunet started walking around the Fair. "You're so cute when you blush" Amunet said.

"Stop it" He answered.

"It's the true, you are adorable" She laughed. Carl take her from her waist, pulled her close to him and kissed her.

"I love you, Amunet"

"I love you too, Carl" Amunet and Carl met each other since the beginning of the chaos. They were friends in the Atlanta camp, in the Hershel's farm, in the prison, and they started dating when they arrived to Alexandria. They had been a couple for 8 years approximately. They had always support each other.

.

"Alexandria is granted to give asylum to Lydia" Carl spoke. The leaders of each community, Tara for The Hilltop, Carol and Ezekiel for The Kingdom, Rachel for OceanSide, and Carl and Michonne for Alexandria, were discussing about the fact of Lydia forming part of the communities now. Henry, Lydia, Judith and Amunet were also there.

"If her mother retaliates it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria" Tara said, she didn't seem to be happy with Lydia being around.

"Tara, remember when you stood in the prison with the Governor? You were our enemy. But Glenn saved you, and brought you with him. At the start, people didn't trust you, obviously, but we gave you the doubt benefit, and look how it come, now, you become part of the family" Carl told her and Tara seemed to understand what he was trying to say. "That's why we propose a mutual protection pact. If her mother wants to attack Hilltop, it won't be easy, cause she is going to have to fight the four communities. They mess with one, they mess with us all" Carl continued talking. Everyone in the place agreed.

"How do we seal it? A blood pact? Do we cross the pinkies?" Tara said making everyone laugh.

"I just got an idea" King Ezekiel said and searched for something. Finally, he found the agreement that Rick had made so many years ago.

"How do you have it?" Michonne asked.

"Maybe I took some things when I left Alexandria" Tara answered.

The first who signed it were King Ezekiel and Queen Carol, then Tara, it continued Rachel, and then, it was the turn of Alexandria. Michonne took the pen in her hand, but extended it to Carl. "It should be the Rick Grimes son" She said. Carl took the pen and signed the paper with 'Carl Grimes'. It was it, the mutual protection pact was signed.

Amunet and Judith stood next to Carl. "Carl you did it amazing!" The little girl said and give him a hug.

"Thank you Judith" Carl took the body of his little sister in his arms and carried her.

"Thank you, Carl. Thank you so much" Lydia said.

"It's okay Lydia, I couldn't let you alone. You are one of us now. Also, Henry needs you" Lydia and Henry laughed. When Henry went for Lydia, after Alpha took her from The Hilltop, Carl, Daryl and Connie searched for him. Daryl and Connie didn't understand Henry, but Carl did.

.

"So, that's how you make CPR to a person" Enid finished her explication. "Who wants to pass and do it with the doll?" Judith raised her hand. "Okay, Judith, let's see how you do it" The doctor said her. Judith stood near to the doll, and started to do the steps that Enid had explained before. "You did it very well, congratulations! Take a lollipop. That's all, thank you"

The people dispersed, and Carl walked to Enid. "Hey, my favourite cowboy is here" They hugged each other. "How are you doing? Did Amunet came?"

"Cool, I'm pretty cool. Yeah, Amunet is here too. How are you Enid? Or I should say 'doctor Enid'?"

"I always call you 'cowboy', you have the right to call me 'doctor'" Both laughed.

"I'm happy to see you, Enid"

"I'm happy too, Carl. It's been a long since the last time we see each other"

"But we saw us in The Hilltop, when Rosita and Eugene got in trouble"

"I know, but I refer, to see each other like this, like family, not like two strangers. I'm sorry for never had get back to Alexandria, but Maggie needed me here"

"And I'm sorry for never have go to Hilltop to visit you, but you know what happened with Michonne, I needed to stay in Alexandria taking care of Judith and Rick Jr."

"Maybe we can be the same best friends that we were"

"I'd love that"

"It's gonna be a little different, I'm not the same depressive Enid that used to hate everything and used to sneak out the walls"

"That Enid was pretty cool, tho"

"It was cool for the emo Carl you were in that time. The antique Enid doesn't fit with the famous leader Carl you are now. But the doctor Enid, she fits perfect"

"I'm not famous" "Of course you are. You know that the adults tell about 'the Grimes' to their children?"

"I've heard about that, but I didn't think it was true"

"It's true, Carl, everybody knows your story, and I'm so proud of you"

"Heeeeyyyy, you're talking without me? I feel betrayed" Amunet got into the conversation.

"We were about to look for you" Carl said.

"I'm gonna pretend that I believe you. Enid! I've missed you so much" Both women hugged each other.

"I've missed you too. What have you being doing in Alexandria?"

"I'm in charge of the hydraulic system that provides water to the community. Also, I'm in charge of the maintenance of the solar panels, and the power generators. If they don't work, I fix them" Amunet said proudly.

"Woah, did Eugene teach you that?" "Who more could it be? The dude is a freaking genie. I'm glad to say that Siddiq did a good job training you, doctor"

"Can you believe it? Six year ago we were only teenagers trying to survive in the end of the world, and now, look at us" Enid said.

"This shit is crazy"

"Language, Carl!"

"Judith, what are you doing here?"

"I want a caramel apple, can we get one?"

"Okay, come on. Ladies, I'll see you later" Carl kissed Amunet before going with his sister.

.

"You don't have to go. They can patrol the surroundings by themselves" Amunet said to Carl.

"It's okay. I'm gonna be fine. Daryl is going too"

"Yeah girl, I'll take care of him, even if he doesn't need it anymore" Daryl said.

"You should reconsider it" Michonne said.

"Mom, you are worrying to much"

"Mom is right, Carl, it's too dangerous. What if something bad happens to you?" Judith said sadly.

Carl kneeled to be at the same height that his sister and put his hands in her cheeks. "Judy, do you trust me?" The girl nodded. "I'm going out there because I want to help. I can't stay here pretending that everything is fine with those crazy people with skin masks around. I want to guarantee the safety of you three" He said to Amunet, Michonne and Judith. "I have to do it"

Judith jumped into Carl's arms. "Just be careful Carl, please" The girl said.

"Be prudent. And do what Daryl says, Okay?" Michonne told.

"The last time I listen to Daryl I was fifteen, but sure, I will" Michonne, Carl and Judith involved themselves into a warm hugged.

Amunet was the only left to say goodbye. "Promise me you'll get back"

"I do. I always get back to you"

"I can't loose you, don't make me get through that"

"You are not going to loose me. I'll be back" The couple shared a kiss full of love and hope.

"I love you so much" Amunet said.

"I love you more. I'll see you later. Don't forget that you have my heart and that you are the fucking love of my life"

"Carl! Language"

"Sorry, Judith"

"It's time to go" Daryl said.

"Daryl, please, protect him"

"I will. But you have to understand that he's not a kid anymore Michonne" The man said before the group conformed by Magna, Yumiko, Carol, Kal, Marco, Dianne, he and Carl left.

.

"What the hell is that?" Carl asked.

The group had meet with DJ, Alek and Ozzy. They had found a destroyed carriage and dead horses. "We don't know. The bodies that were in here are missing. They must had been going to the Fair" DJ said.

"Do you think they were them?" Carl asked again, making reference to the people with masks.

"I'd like to say no, but you are not dumb"

"We should separate. Daryl, Carol, Yumiko and I will follow the rast of the bodies, and try to find them. Magna, Dianne, Marco and Kal, get to The Hilltop, and make sure everything is okay. DJ, Ozzy, Alek, keep patrolling around here. Let's go" Carl ordered.

When Carl's group moved, Carol and Daryl kept watching at Carl. "What's wrong guys?" He asked them.

"You did it pretty well in there. Being a leader is your thing, kid" Carol said with a little smile.

"Your dad would be so proud" Daryl told.

"Please, stop. People have been saying stuff like that all day"

"You shouldn't be ashamed of that, Carl" Yumiko said.

"Can we just keep going?" Carl ended the conversation.

.

The day turned into night. Carl's group was still searching for the bodies of the people from the carriage. Suddenly, some walkers appeared in their way. "Take care, watch their hands, they could have knives" Carl said.

Walkers grew in number, and then, a body of 2 meters of height appeared in front of them. Carl, Yumiko, Carol and Dary prepared their weapons. "Drop them. I won't ask twice" Beta ordered. The four obeyed him, and the tall guy directed his voice at Carl. "You just had to give me the girl. Now that deal is over. You are coming with us"

Beta took them to the Whisperer camp, and tied them to a tree. Then, Alpha appeared. "You, one-eyed, come" She said and unleashed Carl. Ponting at him with a gun, she took him to a pit, where a big horde of walkers was in. "I hope I'm wrong saying that you can't take care of my daughter" Alpha said.

"You are. We will be the family that Lydia never had. She is better with us" Carl answered her.

"You and your people are alive because I let you live. But I'm done with you all. If you cross into my land, once more, I'll guide the horde to the communities. I've mark the border to the North, you see it as you leave. Now, reunite with the rest of your group and get away from my sight".

.

After Alpha let go Carl, Daryl, Carol and Yumiko, they found Siddiq roofed to a tree, he had some injuries and the eyes bended.

"Siddiq! What are you doing here?" Carl asked him.

Siddiq wasn't able to answer him, so Carl helped him to get up and to keep walking.

During the way back home, they saw it, they saw the final warning that Alpha was talking about: some heads in pikes, marking the border of the Whisperers' lands.

Ten heads. Ten reanimated heads. Ten reanimated heads of people they loved and cared about. Ten people that were gone. Ten people that had died in a horrible way.

Once Yumiko, Daryl, Carol, Siddiq and Carl were close enough to the heads, they could finally saw who they were. And that only disturbed them more.

First head.

Ozzy.

Ozzy was the leader of the Highway men. He was working with his men to get to chance to watch a movie, and he didn't was capable to do that.

Ozzy was working only a few hours, and now, his head was the first of ten.

Second head.

Alek.

Alek was the right hand of Ozzy, and a member of the Highway men.

He was working with Ozzy for a benefit for him and their people only a few hours ago, and now, his head was the second of ten.

Third head.

DJ.

DJ was a reformed Savior that rebuilt his life six years ago when he redeemed himself and took the invitation of living in Alexandria. Since then, he had shown his effort by making sure that the surroundings of the community were safe. And Carl appreciated that.

Carl felt sorry seeing his head, cause he had live and worked with him for a long time. DJ was the proof that a person can actually change for good.

DJ was talking with Carl about his concern about the possibility of the Whisperers were killing people only a few hours ago, and now, his head was the third of ten.

Fourth head.

Frankie.

"Hey, Nabila, have you seen Frankie?" Eugene asked to the woman. He and Frankie's daughter were looking for her, there had been a long time since the last time they had saw her.

But Nabila hadn't seen her, cause Frankie wasn't in the fair anymore.

Frankie used to be one of Negan's wives. After the Saviors' defeat, she was accepted in Alexandria, where she adopted a girl and became in a great mom.

Carl felt sorry too. Judith sometimes used to play with Frankie's daughter and some others kids, and Frankie had always watch them. Frankie had take care of Judith on several occasions and he was thankful for that.

She was hugging her daughter and enjoying the fair only a few hours ago, and now, her head was the fourth of ten.

Fifth head.

Tammy Rose.

"Have you seen Tammy?" Earl asked Connie and Kelly, with his son in his arms.

Kelly repeated the question with sign language, so Connie could understand.

The answer was no. The sisters hadn't seen her, Tammy wasn't near.

Tammy was an old lady that lived in Hilltop with his husband Earl. They had lost his son Ken six years ago. But life had give them happiness again with the arrived of a baby that Connie had rescue from The Whisperers.

Tammy was talking with Earl about how they should name their son only a few hours ago, and now, her head was the fifth of ten.

Sixth head.

Rodney

Rodney was a teenager that lived in Hilltop. He was trying to have a normal teenager life.

He was hanging around with his friends only a few hours ago, and now, his head was the sixth of ten.

Seventh head.

Addy.

Addy was other teenager from Hilltop. She had worries about the walkers, but also, she had some teenager worries, like, trying to make the guy you like to like you.

She was talking with Henry only a few hours ago, and now, her head was the seventh of ten.

Eighth head.

Enid.

"It feels so sweet" Alden and Luke were singing on the stage. They had a large audience, but still, Alden noticed that someone was missing. Someone special. Had she forgotten? of course not. she was eager to see her boyfriend sing and be able to make fun of it. If Enid wasn't there, it was because she wasn't in this world either.

Enid was a resident of Alexandria when Carl met her. She was mysterious and mature, things that made Carl to got interested in her, an also, to liked her. Both had a realistic perspective of the world, and they became best friends cause of that.

Now, Enid was a doctor. She had something worth to work for. She was an important member of her community. She was living the happy life that she always had deserved.

When Carl saw her, something cracked inside of him, his heart for sure. He couldn't deal with the fact of seeing his best friend's head on a pike. So, a tear fell down his cheek.

"No" He mumbled. "Not you".

Carl was being Siddiq's support, but at that moment, the roles got changed. Carl's legs shaked like he was about to fall. " It's okay, Carl, it's okay. Stay with me, please" Siddiq said.

"Hey, my favourite cowboy is here"

"I always call you 'cowboy', you have the right to call me 'doctor'"

"I know, but I refer, to see each other like this, like family, not like two strangers. I'm sorry for never had get back to Alexandria, but Maggie needed me here"

"Maybe we can be the same best friends that we were"

"It's true, Carl, everybody knows your story, and I'm so proud of you"

Memories of her didn't leave his mind. Memories of Enid being happy. Memories of his best friend for all life.

He remembered the first time she saw her, on that abandoned house at the entrance of Alexandria. He remembered the times that he followed in the woods and lost her from his sight. He remembered when they used to sneak out the walls and go into the woods to read comics. He remembered all the times that she gave him advices about his relationship. He remembered when they skated in their way to Hilltop. He remembered a lot of things that they could never do again.

He had lost his best friend and he couldn't get her back.

Enid was teaching people how to do CPR only a few hours ago. Enid was eating caramel apples with his boyfriend only a few hours ago. Enid was getting back the lost time with her best friend only a few hours ago, and now, her head was the eighth of ten.

Ninth head.

Tara.

"If you happen to see her, could you tell her I need to speak with her?" Gabriel asked Eugene.

"I haven't seen her in a while, but she must be around" Eugene said. Sadly, he was wrong. Tara wasn't around, not anymore.

When the prison got under attack, Tara was in the Governor's army, she was with the guy who killed Hershel, she was the enemy. But things changed. Glenn needed her help, and, Tara needed to help Glenn, she needed to help him so the guilt she was feeling could disappear. It was when she was ready to die in that tunnel full of walkers, so Glenn could live and continue searching for his wife, that Tara stop being the enemy, and became family.

She was Hilltop's leader since Jesus' death, she was capable to lead, and she was ready to. She was supposed to be a great leader.

Carol, Daryl and Carl looked at her head with melancholy. They had survived with her during a lot time, and now, that girl with an incredible sense of humor that used to brigthen their days didn't exist anymore. She had been reduced to a sad walker.

"If her mother retaliates it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria"

That thought arrived at Carl's mind. Tara was protecting her people, but she must have protected herself.

Tara was thinking about what was the the best for her people only a few hours ago. Tara was signing the mutual protection pact only a few hours ago. Tara was being the leader that the Hilltop needed only a few hours ago, and now, her head was the ninth of ten.

Tenth head.

"Where could she be? She's not the kind of people that disappear without telling someone where she is going" Rosita told to Eugene.

"Maybe she wanted to be alone. She wasn't happy about Carl going out there. Maybe she wanted to distract herself"

"Eugene, she wouldn't do that. If she didn't tell anyone what she was going to do, it's because she is going out there and look for him. She care so much about him"

"In that case, I hope she is still in here. She can get hurt if she goes alone"

"Come on, we need to find her. Carl is going to kill us if something happens to her" Rosita commanded.

Even though Rosita and Eugene went to look for her as soon as they realized that she was missing, someone else had already found her.

And then, Carl saw the last pike. With his eye wide open, he unconsciously left Siddiq alone. He dropped the Colt Phyton that he had in his hand. He couldn't take his sight apart from the head. He approached to the pike a little more, he was wishing that his sight was playing tricks on him, because in case it wasn't, and the head was of the person he was thinking it was, he couldn't stand that.

He was about to get close enough when Daryl got between his sight and the pike. "No! No!" Daryl shouted, while he was holding Carl of his shoulders. "Don't look at it. Don't look"

Carl's legs shaked again, but this time, he fell on his knees. Daryl got on his knees too, to comfort him. "Kid, please, don't look at her, don't do that".

Carl's cry was making him look so vulnerable and so broken that even Yumiko felt the need of hug him. But nobody dare to do it, except of Daryl, who was already with him.

Daryl was speaking to him, but he wasn't listening. His heart was so broken and he was so submerge on his memories that everything around him didn't seem to be important.

Inside of Carl, it was like his mind wanted to live again all the moments that he had shared with her, like he needed to remember everything he had done with Amunet.

Cause, yeah, the head that was on that pike was hers.

"Hi, my name is Carl, what's yours?"

"I'm Amunet" The little girl answered. They were in the outsides of Atlanta, in a camp.

"Do you wanna play with me and Sophia? She wants to meet you"

"I would like to"

"Great! Follow me" Carl took her hand and guided her to where the other girl was. They played all morning and all afternoon, that when the sun hid, the three kids could barely stay awake.

The memorie of the first time they talked arrived. Carl felt like he was just being stabbed in the heart, so he let out a heartbreaking scream, toring apart his lungs.

"Carl! You woke up" Amunet had been waiting to him to wake up since Hershel operated him. She was happy that his friend was okay.

"Hello, Amunet. How's Sophia?"

"We hadn't find her" She said, sadly. But at least you are okay, I've missed you"

"We'll find her. I promise. I've missed you too. My dad gave my his hat, cool, no?"

"Yeah, now you are a cowboy"

"You can try it on, it must look great on you" Carl put the hat on Amunet's head. Both kids were laughing, but Carl started to cough.

"Carl, are you okay?" The girl asked worried.

"Yes, I shouldn't laugh too much, it hurts"

"You should get some sleep. Hershel said you're still weak"

"Could you stay here? I don't like to be alone"

"Sure"

The boy made a space in the bed, so Amunet could lay on it. "Sweet dreams, Amunet"

"Sweet dreams, Carl"

The sound of Carl's sobs were mixing with the sound of the moans that Amunet's head was doing. It was a brutal and depressive mix.

When a walker Sophia appeared out of the barn, Carl and Amunet started crying. They hugged each other and stayed like that for a while. After Rick put her down, and the adults began to move the bodies, they were the only ones that were near the barn.

"I thought we would find her" Carl said.

"I did it too. I'm gonna miss her" Amunet started to cry again.

"Hey, don't worry, we are you and me now, okay? You and me, together"

"Forever?"

"Forever"

Carl scratched the dirt under his hands, like the only way he had to express his anger. He could felt the Daryl's arms around him, but he didn't feel comforted.

"My mom's dead, Amunet. I killed her"

"You did what you needed to do. You couldn't just leave her, you know what would've happen"

"I'm a killer. The last moments I had with her I acted like an idiot"

"You were a great son, your mom loved you. And you are going to be a great big brother. Big brother Carl, remember that?"

"Can you give me a hug?"

"You don't have to ask for one"

"We should put them down" Daryl said, and his arms left Carl's body.

"Left Enid and Amunet, please, I'll do it" Carl said, standing up. Daryl moved his head in approval.

Carl got in the wagon that Garet told him. It was dark, but he could see that there were more people in there. A familiar silhouette appeared.

"Carl?" A voice that he knew perfectly asked.

"Amunet!" He said with joy. Both kids got together in a lovely hug, with tears in their cheeks.

"I thought you were dead" Amunet said crying. "When we were running out of the prison and you covered me from the walkers cause I didn't have ammo, I lost you, I looked for you but you weren't there"

"I had to get away from other way. Sorry"

"Don't you ever left me like that again"

"I won't"

Carl finally stood up, with his hands still shaking, he took the knife that Amunet had got for him in one of the running supplies that she did in Alexandria.

Carl opened his eye for the first time since he had get shot by Ron. The first thing he saw after had defeat the death again was Amunet, who was sat next to him. Amunet was submerged in her mind, she didn't notice that he was awake.

"Hi" He said.

Amunet made eye contact with him, and she smiled. She was showing him that beautiful smile and seeing him with those precious grey eyes that had him hypnotized.

She didn't said anything. She just stood up, got near to Carl and kissed him on his lips. "Thanks for wake up. I was losing my mind"

"I just lost mine with that kiss" He joked.

"I should've done that a long time ago"

Carl reached Enid's head.

"Why did you come to get me to The Hilltop?" Enid asked.

"I was worried about you. You didn't take any knife with you"

"I can take care of myself"

"I know, but..."

"But what?"

"You are my best friend. I needed to know you were going to be fine"

Enid hugged Carl and talked to his ear. "And you are my best friend, too. Thank you for made me company"

He raised the knife and buried it in the skull.

"I'm so sorry, Enid. Go to rest, it's time"

The head stopped moaning and Carl felt a little relieved. His best friend was resting now, in a place without suffer, that was what she deserved.

What Carl did next wasn't easy. He was in front of Amunet's head. It was the only left to put down. Everyone was waiting for Cark to do it.

Carl raised his hand, but this was shaking a lot that he dropped the knife.

"Carl, I could do it" Daryl said.

"I have to do this, please" Carl took again the knife. He looked at the walker's eyes. They were grey, but not the beautiful grey that Amunet's eyes used to be. And that was because that walker wasn't Amunet anymore, Amunet wasn't a sad head, Amunet was a shimmering start that guided Carl's life during so many years, and that wasn't going to change. A last memory appeared before Carl had put down the walker.

Amunet and Carl hugged after Carl almost got killed by Lucille. "I love you, Carl, I love you so much"

"I love you too, Amunet. I love you too" That was the first time they said 'I love you' to each other.

"I will always love you, Amunet" Carl said before he buried the knife, making the moans stopped. Amunet was now a free soul. Amunet loved Carl until the ended of her life. Amunet died thinking about Carl. And Amunet would always be with Carl.

Amunet and Carl were kindred spirits.

[fikfreak]

Hey Marie how are u on this snowy Monday ( for me I don't know for u if it's the case ). Anyways I just wanted your thoughts on Sunday episode ? I want to watch it, look like it's not that bad but the fact that Nicotero cuted the Richonne scene I'm pissed. Can he stop direct episodes ? He's not that good and I don't know what is his problem with Danai he can't even hide the fact that he doesn't like her,how can you talk abt this episode and not talking abt her ????!

Hello! Nah it’s not snowing here, thank God! the weather is pretty mild today, and for that i am thankful, but bummed that you are still dealing with snow (i hate snow!).

Anyway on the episode…

I gotta say, i didn’t hate it, which is a major improvement for S8 so far. So here’s the breakdown of my thoughts…

Highs:

- Michonne. I love her. I admire her. Even when her emotions are probably still very raw from losing her best friend (HER SON! cause i have to rant each and every time i can about how stupid it was that they had them call each other best friends when the truth is she was his MOTHER and he was her SON…but whatever), she is using that grief and Carl’s last words to help guide her.

1) she was willing to risk her life and go found out what this new thing they found might be about…even if Rick was gonna be mad at her…which i loved cause she’s grown…Rick doesn’t own her and quite honestly i’m not feeling the Richonne love right now so who cares what Rick thinks?

2) when Enid thought she was gonna disrespect Carl’s legacy she had to remind her that she is not a white mother…she is a black mother, and you DO NOT POP OFF and run your mouth to a black mother…that’s black mothering 101 right there…she had to let this little chick know that her son was brave, and that before she had to murk her dumb ass she needed to…”STEP BACK…”

3) Her reasoning with Maggie about not just fighting the saviors now, but also how to work towards a future after the fight for later, was the wise guidance that is needed right now. Everyone wants blood…they want to kill…and Michonne is with that…but she’s also not stupid, she knows that what Carl was saying isn’t that they stop fighting, he’s realistic, but that they do so keeping in mind that there has to be something after the fight…and that’s building for the future. This is honestly the ONLY  time that this show has been clear about what they were trying to do with the Carl death thing (it was stupid nonsense, and he could have said the same damn thing and still been alive…but i guess). Michonne deserves all of the love and respect for being the REAL leader here..though of course…this show is pretty shitty now so let’s keep our expectations hella low folks…

- Rick went kinda gangster, rogue and crazy (which made my nipples hard if i’m being honest here…don’t judge)…when he decided not to alert the other folks on lookout that the Saviors are coming. As soon as he saw that punk a$$ MFer in the leather jacket riding alone he went all crazy and RAN.HIS.ASS DOWN! and I loved it. I won’t get into the details but i did enjoy Rick terrorizing that MFer…made my night!

Lows:

- AMC advertising a Richonne moment, then not showing ANY richonne whatsoever. Like i think Rick left to go on watch and didn’t even tell Michonne goodbye. They made sure he had a scene with dirty Durl though. If I’m being honest I keep getting the feeling that they are really trying to play down Richonne from now on, and i don’t know why and this show is so ridiculous that i’m not sure i care anymore. If they had Michonne leave off by herself on a pirate ship at the end of the season i wouldn’t be surprised…whatever…in my mind she is a strong enough character that do that…i love her more than anyone else on this damn show, so if they have it in mind to send richonne in separate directions…i’m fine with that…i’m getting sick of the bait and switch that it seems that nicotero is often behind (see 7x12 as well and his comments that no one will ever see the 7x12 unaired tapes…this MFer makes me want to pull out all of his stringy ass, shaggy ass hair UGH!). I’m not gonna say he has a grudge or something against richonne and/or Danai, but i am going to say that he does seem to consistently behind the shade…

- The biggest low? that the leaning tower of stupidity is still alive…bright spot? I never ever thought i would mention this choppy banged bishes name on purpose on my blog, but jadis…yeah…she’s the wild card here and i’m not mad at that…at least not yet…this show definitely has a way of making me swallow all of my hopes and dreams…so…….

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#9: The "I'm Still With You" (5x16)

Now as much as I missed the signs that Richonne was endgame, this was one scene that even I could not deny. I mean the chemistry was oozing and I could not just place this in the "just friends" box. No, this was more. I love this scene. I loved it when it first aired and I love it to this day. The fact that Rick essentially admits to being whipped. You can't miss that. 

Michonne enters the bedroom and says "you ready?" Interestingly, she asked him that very thing before entering ASZ's gates and now she's asking again to see if he's ready to try and stay. I love that she's checking in on him and unafraid to associate with him and see him for who he is despite him being ASZ's Public Enemy Number One rn. He immediately gives her the full on detailed scoop about what he's been up to. It's adorable and hilarious that all she said is "you ready?" and then he just has to spill his guts and confess. Like he tells her about every little thing in that moment cuz he needs them to clear the air for his own sanity, after all, she's pretty much his sanity. 

I love that he's a little uncertain if she's still upset with him from their previous conversation and that it just doesn't sit well with him to be at odds with her so he has to make it right. It's interesting that he says "We lied to you..." Like first, it's very mature to own up to it that way and not try to spin it to make it sound better. But also there's other members of TF who were left out of the loop and yet, as Rick was scheming, the one person he felt he was betraying was Michonne. Since they're soul mates, going against her is going against himself, thus the guilt. 

He says he wasn't sure how she'd take it or what she'd do. Now this is curious. I wonder what he thought she might do? Part of me feels like he had to fear she would be disappointed in him and distance herself and he couldn't handle that so he'd rather make himself crazy trying to keep up appearances for her. I'm so glad they have this heart to heart in the finale so they can realize they never have to keep up appearances for each other again and they can be fully honest with one another. 

I think Michonne is surprised that Rick thinks she'd try and stop him when she asks. Like I think she was hoping he'd know by now that she fully supports him even if they don't always agree. But I honestly don't think it's that he thought she'd try to stop him, it's that if she so much as sighed to imply what he was doing made her unhappy he would stop doing it effective immediately. I love that Michonne is adamant that Rick understand she knocked him out for his sake not anyone else's. I think hearing her confidently say "That was for you. Not them." wakes him up to realize she’s on his team always. 

And then he just lays it all out and confirms that he didn't tell her about the guns because he was afraid she'd talk him out of it, cuz she could've. That's a lot of control to give someone, especially for an alpha male like Rick. He also has to be very aware of the specialness of Michonne to him for him to admit this. Like he both subconsciously and knowingly values Michonne and her thoughts and feelings. Basically, Rick knows he ain't dealing with no average chick. 👸🏾

But after Rick sweetly confesses that Michonne basically holds his heart in her hands, Michonne gives one of the best little speeches of the series. Round of applause for Danai cuz she can slay these mini monologues. She starts by reiterating they don't need their weapons here and she connects to him by making it personal and saying "I don't need my sword." Like if you think about that sentence, it’s kind of crazy. 

I'm sure Michonne was not a person pre-ZA who thought she'd ever have to use a sword, let alone become a master at using one. Her wanting ASZ to work and not be violent is her wanting some semblance of normal and safety back, like we'd all want in her situation. She doesn't want to have to be the sword wielding warrior all the time if she doesn't have to be and she wants Rick to see that Rick doesn't have to be "bite yo neck out" Rick all the time if he doesn't want to be. 

Now let me write out this little portion of what she says next because it's just beautiful. She tells him; 

 "I think you can find a way. We can find a way. And if we don't...I'm still with you." 

I love that she so eloquently spells it out for him that, honey, she is ride or die. May I break this down? I love that she first voices her belief in him as a man and leader by saying she thinks he can find a way. But then she reminds him he's not expected to find a way alone by saying we can find a way. And then she says “and if we don't" because Michonne is not naive. Optimistic, but not naive. She knows stuff can go down and she says “if we don't” cuz they are a unit and so it's not just up to Rick to figure it out if things go south. It's so important that Rick hears this and know that Michonne might be hopeful but she's also ready at any minute to take care of business, so he really doesn't have to put on a front for her. She sees pros and cons cuz she's just well rounded like that. Again, 👸🏾. 

And the "I'm still with you" 😍😍😍 Such a great line. I love that she acknowledges the deep bond and partnership they've built by telling him that she is with him regardless. By saying "I'm still with you" she's reminding him that she's never left. She's been with him and she has every intention to stay with him through thick and thin. I love that it’s so clear these words mean the world to Rick and he is getting his life in this moment. 

This scene also has a quote from Michonne that resonated with me from the moment I heard it. It's the last part of her speech to Rick when she says "Something's gonna happen. Just don't make something happen." Those are wise words to live by. Like sometimes we can have the "Raven Baxter" effect (yes, this is a That's So Raven reference because my TV taste is so versatile 😂 ) but the effect is where you're so sure you can see something's going to happen that you essentially will it to happen. It's such a smart approach to instead think "Something is going to happen, that's the way life is, but I'm not going to over think or overreact thus forcing something to happen." Michonne gave us a life lesson right there lol. 

They are so up close and personal as they talk in this scene and the lighting is on point too. And then Michonne softly pushing his gun away and saying "don't be too long" like the queen and wife she is. Rick deserves a woman who will love and support him and be with him no matter what. He didn't have that before and I think that he realized in this scene that she was that to him but now it was just a matter of overcoming the PTSD to truly act on this realization.

I missed a lot of their elevator looks but the way that Rick looks at Michonne in this scene. A1👌🏽 It makes sense that a lot of people thought they might kiss. Like looking back now, those two had to end up together. I don't know a woman or man who could come along and get in a relationship with them and not start to feel insecure about the way those two look at each other and interact. If they were with anyone else, that other person would so clearly sense that their heart belonged to someone else. Like it's crazy that a scene as intimate and romantic as this was taking place between R&M during the dumb Jessie arc that I couldn't stand. But I won't talk too much about that because like so many of you...

And in this scene, neither did Rick :). This iconic "I'm still with you" scene was special in every way and it was a verbal declaration of their love for each other. For her to look him in his eyes and tell him even if everything falls apart "I'm still with you." This moment is everything! And it was proof that love "conquers" all (I think all TWD episode titles are about Richonne lol)

I really want "I love you" to be said between R&M at some point in the series, even though they've said it countless times in their actions, but if we never get verbal "I love you's" then this scene will certainly suffice because this was both of their subconsciouses saying those three special words.