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into-crazy · 9 months ago

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don't wanna miss a thing

》 chapter 1

Negan Smith x Female Reader

Non-apocalyptic AU // The Walking Dead AU

Other Characters: Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes, and Carl Grimes

Summary: You move back to your hometown after being away for a few years, and reunited with your long time neighbors/friends.

Warnings- mature language, alcohol consumption, age gap(reader's in her early 20s), slow burn, ages 18+

Other chapters & info -> RIGHT HERE

💕divider by @saradika-graphics

It felt great to be back home. After hours of driving, you finally come up to your destination. The sight of your house gives you a sense of familiar comfort. You've been away for too long, longer than you probably should have. Truth be told you had certainly missed your hometown.

Your aunt Rena greets you as your car pulls into the driveway. Waving at you with a huge smile on her face.

It's been a while since you've last seen her, a little over a year. Though you've kept in close contact through phone calls and text messages. She is pretty much the only close family member you have left in your life.

Your parents had passed away from an accident three years ago. You'd already been living out on your own by then. Aunt Rena was living with them at the time, she was the one to call you and deliver the tragic news. It shattered your heart. You remember dropping to your knees and sobbing for hours. You loved and cared for your parents so much. It took a lot to bring you back together, and your aunt was there to help you through it all. You were an only child so your parents had left you everything. The house, you felt it was best to share with your aunt. After all, she's like a second mother to you. Plus there was no use in going through the trouble of selling the property and having the two of you deal with that mess. So instead you'd both agreed that the house would remain in your name, and Rena would continue to live there.

"There she is- my favorite girl!" Aunt Rena exclaims as you get out of your car.

"Hi aunt Rena." You greet her back wholeheartedly before going in for a hug.

She throws her arms around you and squeezes tight. "Ah, I missed you so so much!"

"I missed you too."

"How about we go inside, get you something cold to drink. Then we can come and get the rest of your things after." She suggests, taking the bag from your shoulder.

"That sounds great." You sigh with relief before following her inside. It was a long drive and you could definitely use a break.

You sit and take the time to tell her about your drive. After that, you get to work on getting settled in. Your aunt helps out with carrying your bags inside. Which wasn't too many, yet she insisted on offering a hand. She takes the two you give her and takes them into the house. You sling the last bag over your shoulder, then close and lock up your car. At that moment, you see a couple figures out of the corner of your eye.

"Y/n, is that really you?"

Looking at them, you recognize it to be your neighbors. It's Lori Grimes and her son Carl. They live right next door along with Rick Grimes- Lori's husband. They were good friends with your parents. You used to babysit Carl for them when he was a toddler. He's a little older now, by a few years. From the looks of it the two of them had just gotten home.

"Mrs. Grimes, hi! Gosh it's- it's been so long. How are you guys?" You wave and go over to give her a quick hug.

"Honey for the hundredth time, call me Lori. And you know us, always busy." She replies. "Hey, you remember our son Carl."

"Are you kidding, of course I do!" You look down at Carl. "Hey little man."

She pats Carl's hair, "sweetie, do you remember y/n?"

Carl looks up at you and smiles once he recognizes you. "Yes, hi y/n!"

He runs up and gives you the biggest hug, it's clear that he is excited to see you again. You're not all too surprised that he still recognizes you. You doubt he'd forget his favorite babysitter.

"You're back! Are you here to stay?" He looks up at you without letting you go. "Please say that you're staying."

His mother feels the need to save you from Carl's embrace, even though you don't mind it at all. "Come on sweetie, let her go. Don't you see her hands are full?"

You laugh at her playful teasing. "Ah it's okay. And don't worry, I'll be staying for a while so we'll have lots of time to catch up. What do you say, that sound good?"

Carl nods his head gleefully in response.

"Oh, well actually this weekend we're-" Lori's sentence is interrupted by the sound of a car horn.

The sound belonging to a sheriff's car pulling up to the curb. Looks like it's Rick, who's also just getting home from work. "Is that who I think it is?" He asks while exiting the vehicle.

"Dad!" Carl exclaims before running over to him. He grabs his father's arm and excitedly guides him over. "Come on, look who's here."

"I know, I see her." Rick acknowledges with a smile. "Y/n. When did you get back?"

"Just today." You reply. "My aunt and I are finishing up bringing in the rest of my bags. I'll be staying for a while."

Rick nods. "That's great. Well we're just glad you're back. I'm sure Rena's very happy. You know she was always talkin' about how much she missed you."

You shake your head, "sounds like her."

"Hey," he continues, "we had already told your aunt but we're having a party for Carl this Saturday. A barbecue. You're more than welcome to come on over."

Lori elaborates, "yeah I was going to mention before- he's going to be turning ten and we're throwing a small party for him."

"You're going to come, right?" Carl asks you. "You've got to, it's going to be the best."

"You bet I'll be there." You assure them.

"Okay then," Lori speaks, "we'll let you get back to settling in. See you this weekend. Oh- and don't forget your swimsuit."

It didn't take you long to unpack. By the time the sun was starting to set, you had already gotten fully situated.

You're wrapped in a silky robe as you enter your bedroom. Fresh from a nice shower. After tossing your dirty garments in the hamper, you go over to the window and look out.

There it is, the house directly across the street from yours. Negan Smith's house.

All the memories of sitting beside this windowsill and waiting to see him flood back in. Parked in the driveway, you see that he still has his '67 Camaro. Red, with the black racing stripes. Of course he still has it. He's always had a thing for classic cars and the color red. How your heart use to flutter when you heard his car coming down the road. You'd sprint to the window like an excited child so you could catch a glimpse of him.

Negan had moved into the neighborhood around the time you turned eighteen. He easily became friends with your dad and Rick, as his charm and strong confidence made it hard not to like him. The first time you met Negan, your dad had casually introduced the two of you. He was definitely older, mid to late thirties. With his jet black hair slicked all the way back and a clean shaven face. He wore a black leather jacket with dark jeans. His whole look definitely gave off greaser vibes and somehow it worked for him. At least you thought he looked good. Handsome, even. It surprised you when you'd found out that he wasn't married or in a relationship. Although you thought that Negan was an attractive guy, there was nothing more to it. He was your dad's friend. That's how you saw him and that was it.

Until later on.. that changed.

Flashback:

You were nineteen and it was the middle of crisp September. It was an eventful night, your dad was hosting one of his football viewing gatherings.

You'd just come down the stairs to join everyone, and Negan was there. Relaxed on the couch, with one arm draped across the top and a beer in his hand. His leather jacket was placed beside him, which you figured he must have taken it off at some point. That was the first you'd ever seen him without the jacket on. He wore a white fitted tshirt underneath that hugged his toned torso. On his arms, there were a few tattoos. When he looked over and waved at you, you realized you'd been staring too long. You politely waved back then turned away to greet everyone else. The Grimes were also there. Lori and your mom sat in the kitchen, sipping wine and having their own conversation. Meanwhile the guys all sat in the living room, drinking beers and watching the game. You stood in the middle, unsure of which group to join.

"Want to sit down?"

You blinked a few times, having realized it was Negan that asked you. "Huh?"

"You want to sit down?" He repeated, motioning to the spot next to him.

Looking around, you had realized that there wasn't anywhere else to sit. Though the space beside him looked like a tight squeeze. "Um, no it's okay. I'll go get a chair." You replied with a slight shyness in your voice.

Negan slid over, making more room beside him. "Why do all that when there's enough room over here?" He pat the spot. "Come, sit down."

Your cheeks warmed at the thought of sitting close to him. Admittedly, you felt a bit shy around him. But only because you didn't know him that well yet, as your previous interactions have been rather brief. Such as greetings and some small talk every now and then. Still you thought it might have been rude if you didn't accept his invitation, so you went right over.

"Thanks, Mr. Smith." You expressed your gratitude as you sat down beside him. Instantly you were met with his scent- a mixture of aftershave, cedarwood, and something else that you assumed was his natural musk. It was pleasant, you liked it.

He nodded at you. "Sure thing. And just call me Negan, alright sweetheart. Mr. Smith makes me feel old as shit. Bad enough that I gotta hear it every day at the school."

You laughed as he took a sip of his beer, "okay, sure." Seeing how he was a middle school gym teacher at the local school, you figured it was a way to separate his work life from his personal life. Also, something about the way he called you sweetheart made your chest swell with delight.

As the night went on, you unwittingly paid attention to Negan. You noticed that he wasn't quite as passionate about the football game as the other guys were. Though he showed interest and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. He loved to talk, a lot. He'd crack jokes and talk back and forth with everyone so easily, like it came naturally to him. You admired that about him. Even if about every sentence he spoke contained at least one curse word. His smile was really something, the mere sight of it was enough to make you melt. You'd get butterflies when he let out one of his deep, gravelly laughs. It was a sound you wish you could capture and play on repeat over and over. Somehow he was becoming more attractive the more you would notice about him. Plus you really liked being this close sitting next to him. Something about it felt right. Very inviting.

Okay.. maybe you were developing a teeny, tiny crush on Negan. So what? There's no harm in that. It's not like you were going to act on it or tell anyone. It would just be your own little secret.

Well it turns out that you've been holding on to that secret for a long time. Because ever since then, you've been hooked on him. Your attraction to Negan had grown stronger over the years and it hasn't dissipated. Even when you had moved away, it always lingered and you'd think about him from time to time. You've also never told anyone about your feelings for him, which was probably for the best. It was difficult, and you've really wanted to blurt it out on a few occasions. But you didn't. You couldn't. Because once it's out there, there's no taking it back.

You sigh wistfully before moving away from the window to get ready for bed.

After turning off all the lights and shutting your bedroom door, you finally plop down on to the bed. The countless times you've spent lying awake at night thinking about Negan. Imagining what it would be like to be wrapped in his arms. Wondering what his kisses tasted like. Wishing you could be with him.

Oh well. Maybe you'll get to be with him again in your dreams, tonight.

The next morning, you mentioned the barbecue to your aunt Rena. It's three days away. She informed you that she was invited as well, however she wasn't going to make it. She's scheduled to go into work early that evening and wasn't able to request it off in time. You felt bad about attending without her. Though she strongly suggested that you should still go even without her. After all, the Grimes are long time friends of yours too.

With that in mind, you still needed to get a birthday gift for the Carl. However you hadn't seen the kid in a while so you had no idea what to get him. Your aunt had mentioned that Carl really enjoyed playing games on his handheld gaming device. When you asked what kind of device it was, she said that it flips open and has two screens. So you figured it must have been a Nintendo DS. They seem to be extremely popular handheld consoles, especially for young kids. After a few more questions from you and some suggestions from her, you'd finally decided on what to get him.

It's now a quarter to noon, and you've just come out of the video game store. Shopping bag in hand, you are pleased about your purchase. You're confident that Carl's going to love the games you got for him.

You're looking down at your phone while walking along the sidewalk towards your car, not paying much attention to your surroundings.

"Holy shit, well if it isn't y/n!"

Suddenly you are halted in your tracks. That voice.. you know it all too well. It's been so long since you've heard that heavenly voice if his. You look up, and there he is.

"Negan?" It takes you a moment to realize that this isn't your imagination playing tricks on you. It's really him. Walking closer to you with that irresistible grin on his face. Be still your heart- he's grown a beard. It's short, neatly trimmed, salt and pepper in color. He looks even better than you ever thought possible. "Oh my god, Negan- hi!" You greet him ecstatically, still unable to believe your eyes.

Negan chuckles heartily. "I thought that was you. Damn, I didn't know that you were back in town. Why wasn't I informed?"

"I had just got back yesterday."

"Oh alright. I guess I'll let it slide then." He jokes around with you. "How've you been, sweetheart? And how's that job in Chicago going?"

You melt inside from him calling you sweetheart again. How you've missed it. Missed him. "I've been okay. I actually quit the job and left Chicago. So I'm going to be staying for a while."

He looks surprised at the news. "Really? What happened?"

"Well um.." It takes you a moment to gather your answer. "I grew tired of living there. Couldn't get used to it and it was starting to become too much for me. And I missed home a lot. So I decided to quit the job and move back. I think it might be good for me to stay, pursue a career here."

He sighs after paying attention to what you had said. "I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. But hey, at least you went and tried something different. Doesn't hurt to. Even though it didn't work out, at least you can say you tried. Right?"

"Yeah, of course." You incline your head in agreement.

"Good that you're back. I sure missed you and I know that everyone else has." He must be referring to your aunt and the Grimes. "It's been what- a year now?"

"Just over a year." You confirm. That's how long it's been since the last time you've visited.

It means a lot to hear from him that he missed you. Makes you wonder if he's thought about you while you were gone. Surely it wasn't even remotely close to how much you've thought about him. Nor would the thoughts have been similar in nature. However, the notion that he might have thought of you at all made butterflies swirl in your stomach.

After a few more lines of exchange, Negan swiftly checks the time on his phone. "I need to get going, but we should definitely catch up more sometime."

"Sounds good to me." You respond coolly, even though you're squealing internally.

"And listen, if you need anything don't hesitate to reach out. I'm still across the street. Oh shit- that reminds me- are you going over to Rick's this weekend for Carl's birthday?"

Once again you give him a nod. "Yeah I'll be going over. In fact, I have Carl's gift right here." You quickly open the bag to show him the video games inside.

"He'll like those. I got him one of those foam dart guns. Little wussy looking, but that's what the kid wanted. I suggested a BB gun but Rick said no to that." He shakes his head at the recall.

That's Rick. You thought to yourself.

"Well it looks like I'll be seeing you there then. I really have to get going now. Tell your aunt I said hey."

"I will." You wave him off as he walks in his own direction and you in yours. Clutching your chest to try and calm the rapid beating of your heart.

That encounter was completely unexpected. He caught you off guard. Thankfully you'd took the extra time to make yourself look presentable today.

Somehow Negan still manages to make you feel this way when you're around him. Even after being away for so long. A year might not seem like a long time. But the way you see it, a lot of things can change over the course of a year. One thing's for certain, your feelings for Negan haven't changed. He still makes your head spin and your heart race. Seeing him again only amplified that. Guess the question on your mind now is- what are you going to do about it?

#into-crazy #negan smith #twd negan #negan au #negan smith x reader #negam smith x y/n #negan imagine #the walking dead #fanfic #jeffery dean morgan #twd

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prettyshon10 · 10 months ago

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Can I just say that the scene where Rick loses his hand is a great example as to how certain writing decisions can make or break the content? Like, it’s not WHAT you do, it’s HOW you do it.

I was once one of the many voices who dreaded the “Rick loses his hand” theories. This is mainly because TWD has already had key characters that have had to lose limbs, and most of which to a walker bite. Merle, Hershel, Tyrese (even though he died anyway), Aaron, Lydia—off the top of my head. Then there’s Carl losing his eye. We’ve seen it before, so I wasn’t a fan of the idea that they were probably gonna have Rick go through the same thing. And yes, I know he lost his hand to the Governor in the original source material, but show-wise, the Governor is long dead. What would’ve been the need to lose the hand other than for shock value (which we KNOW can be detrimental to a story) and just to say, “Hey! We did the thing! You know, from the comics!”?

However, episode 1 of TOWL shut me right up. Instead of going the route I was expecting (one where the great Rick Grimes gets caught slipping by a walker and is bit—goodbye hand!), the writers gave us a moment within the first few minutes of the episode to really display the desperation that’s been building up in this man in all his years away. Do you know what level of down bad you gotta be to chop off your own limb for just a chance—a CHANCE—of getting away? Watching Rick stop just short of bringing down the axe, unsure if he’s really gonna do this, if he’s really going to resort to self amputation. And then watching him urge himself forward, convincing himself in a broken voice that he absolutely has to do this so he can get back to his family? Then he brings the axe down.

That’s not just upping the ante. That’s not just putting your audience on edge in the earliest opportunity. That’s not just leaning into the comics. They didn’t take Rick’s hand for the sake of taking Rick’s hand.

What they did was bring us, the audience, into the brutality and severity of this character’s situation. Through this moment, they don’t have to give us the run down of how he tried to escape before. It doesn’t matter; clearly, none of it was enough. This is his FOURTH ATTEMPT in FIVE YEARS.

So, when some people watching go, “He lost his hand for nothing.” Yes. And no.

Yes, he took his own hand off in efforts to get away, and didn’t make it far before he was caught. He’s back where he started, minus a hand now. It’s upsetting. Depressive. Tragic, even.

But narratively? It wasn’t in vain. That one scene explained so much (and didn’t attempt to spoon feed us in doing so). Andy’s acting conveyed everything that needed to be understood.

Yes, I would’ve preferred he kept his hand. But, honestly? When it happened the way it did, there was no feeling of disappointment or annoyance. I was completely engaged and receptive.

This is the road they chose to go down, and in my opinion, they made sure there was a purpose. They made sure it was worth it.

#twd towl #the ones who live #the walking dead #rick grimes #amc #this show is so freakin good

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whateverisbeautiful · 2 years ago

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🀄️reflecting on richonne

Rick and Michonne have had many similarities in their individual journeys. Some tragic, like both losing their firstborn sons and having to kill their best friend from the old world after that said-friend tried to take Judith from them. But one of the really sweet similarities is them both having an elder that influenced their lives.

Both R&M had an elder figure that really believed in them and helped them hold onto hope, not just for the greater good of everyone but for their own life too. And both these elders passed down a memorable, powerful, and needed phrase that helped Rick and Michonne believe love was still out there for them. Which then helped advance Richonne’s exceptional love story.

For Rick, that elder mentor was Hershel.

I love Hershel and I believe he truly was the second-most influential character to guide Rick. (With Michonne of course being number one.) In that lovely scene tending to a plant during the s4 premiere, Hershel passes down a sentiment to Rick that could be the thesis of the whole show and also the exact message Rick needed to know for his own life.

It’s when Hershel tells Rick, “Things break, but they can still grow.”

After so much loss, Rick’s family probably felt like it would be broken forever, especially once Carl became the only person left that he knew from his world before. In s3, Rick also hit a breaking point after all the loss, stress, and pressure he’d been carrying.

Yet, despite all that brokenness in his life, something beautiful and better than he could’ve imagined still grew. Hershel had to remind Rick that, even when things break, whole new plants are still possible. And by embracing that thought, it helped Rick to eventually embrace the love and fruitful life that was out there for him.

That idea of broken things growing and becoming new and bountiful is beautifully executed in Rick and Michonne’s story. They restored so much in each others lives and a whole new healthy plant is exactly what Rick got through Michonne and their wonderful Grimes 2.0 family.

Imo it’s no coincidence that right after this farming scene between Hershel and Rick, we immediately hear Michonne riding in on a horse as Rick stands up like he’s been magnetically summoned to greet her. Michonne’s return meant a crucial part of Rick’s whole new plant had arrived. 😌

For Michonne, that impactful elder was Deanna.

The more time goes on, the more I become a fan of Deanna. Because I know a Richonner when I see one lol.

I love how much Deanna saw the potential in Rick and Michonne and tried to get them to see what she saw in them. (I also feel like Deanna knew how special Michonne must have been to Rick right from the jump cuz I’d imagine Aaron told her that the only reason TF agreed to go to ASZ is because Rick does what Michonne wants 😋)

But I especially love Deanna’s deathbed scenes with Michonne. It’s so significant for Michonne’s journey and heart. I adore how passionately Deanna wanted to use her final moments to speak with Michonne woman-to-woman and be adamant that Michonne go after what she wants for herself personally. (Plus it’s a sweet way to set up Richonne, which would be canon just two episodes later.)

Deanna’s pertinent phrase during their chat is, “Someday this pain will be useful to you.”

Having endured so much trauma, it’s meaningful for Michonne to be reminded that valuable things can still come out of pain. And the pain isn’t just useful to others but “to you.”

As I reflected, I realized one of the first ways we saw Michonne’s pain prove extremely useful to her was when she first arrived at the prison. Because I believe Michonne being a mother, and especially a mother who experienced the pain of losing a child, is what even led her to TF in the first place.

It hit me how a huge reason Michonne even chose to first pull up to that prison fence is because she knew a baby was in there.

Michonne could have easily just kept walking after seeing Glenn and Maggie get taken by Merle. I mean she had very little reason to trust anyone after Woodbury. But Glenn and Maggie were talking about a baby and they had formula and I think that maternal instinct largely led Michonne to take the big risk of showing up to this new prison group. Because she had to get that formula to that baby. She has to ensure that baby would be okay.

And little did she know it was her baby she was saving. Making this one of the hundreds of reasons I’ll forever love Michonne and Judith’s mother-daughter story.

It was the pain of Michonne’s past as a mother that was useful in leading her to a whole new family, where she got to not just love again but be loved again by her kids and her husband.

I appreciate Deanna for passing down her wisdom and having so much belief in Michonne, and in Rick. And I appreciate Deanna for being a Richonne stan to the end lol. Like I’m glad that in establishing her as a character who can really read people, they have her being adamant to pair Rick and Michonne together because she could tell they were uniquely cut from the same cloth and compatible in every way.

I also think Deanna saw herself and Reg in Rick and Michonne and wanted to pass the baton to the two of them because she felt they were the power couple most capable of building the future she believed in. Just like Deanna expressed how happy she was to build a life with her family from start to finish, she wanted Michonne to know she could have that too because it’s really what Michonne most wanted.

But just like Reg and Deanna weren’t only leaders and builders together, Deanna wanted Michonne to know that the person you work so well with can also be the person you fall in love with and who is deeply in love with you too.

I know Deanna would be celebrating when she saw Rick and Michonne finally realize what she’s been knew, which is that they’re perfect for each other. And even with Rick’s “Farmer Rick” era being short-lived, I know Hershel would still be so proud of the way Rick and Michonne grew a beautiful new plant together. 🥰

#richonne #random revelings #reflecting on richonne #thoughts

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missshezz · 2 years ago

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Title: Grief

Summary: When the jar tips and pours out the emotions you placed inside, Rick is there to comfort you.

Rating: All Audiences

Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, friendship, found family, bit of a character study, set during Rick’s time after his kidnapping

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Whenever you saw Rick Grimes your heart bled anew.

Not because you were in love with him and there was no chance of him loving you back because he had a woman and child waiting for him, but because he reminded you of your brother, Derek.

It wasn’t their being of equal height or possessing the same lean body and sleek muscles.

Nor was it the mop of dark curls threaded with silver that crowned Rick’s head or the beard he’d forget to trim until you’d start calling him Grisly Grimes.

It wasn’t even the roll of his shoulders as he swung a shovel or axe, his slow, easy gait as he crossed the compound or the way he sat a horse.

Sure, Rick wore his gun-belt low on his hips like Derek did, favored plain white t-shirts or simple cotton button-downs, and preferred cowboy boots over sneakers or work boots.

Yes, he could be a muleheaded jackass, had a helluva temper when riled, and lacked the sense to duck a punch.

He was also kind, considerate, and compassionate.

Loyal to those who earned his trust and respect.

Rick was a born leader. People listened to him when he spoke. Followed him without question.

Asked his advice on matters. Worked alongside him because he wanted the same thing they did: a future.

All things they used to do before your sister-in-law, Charity took sick and died.

Leaving your brother to raise your niece and nephew.

Another thing he and Rick had in common.

Something you discovered while he recovered from the injuries he sustained after blowing up a bridge to stop a horde from reaching the community he had been leader of.

Like Derek, Rick had been an officer before the shit hit the fan.

Married young, had a son he lost in a tragic turn of events.

His wife died giving birth to a little girl he chose to raise as his own.

Rick got shot in the line of duty and ended up in a coma before the virus spread through the country like wildfire. He miraculously survived his injury despite the hospital collapsing before he could be medi-vac’d to the medical facility established in Washington. He went on to become the leader of a group of survivors he referred to as his family.

A family he swore he’d get back too.

They suffered an endless array of nightmares together, relying on each other to get through some dark and desperate times, and working together in order to create a future worth living.

Same as you and the people in your community.

During a severe thunderstorm he confessed his sins, admitted his failures as a father, husband, brother, and friend.

Told you he killed a whole lotta people in a war he should’ve never started.

Said he deserved to rot in hell for all the suffering he caused.

Your heart, broken still from Derek’s death, shattered further at the myriad of emotions — anger, guilt, sorrow, and loneliness most prevalent among them — carved into his face, and burning in the depths of his eyes.

Eyes the same rich shade of blue as Derek’s.

Crinkles appeared at the corners of those eyes as he smiled at something your ten-your-old niece, Faith said to him.

She was the only one who could coax a smile or laugh out of him.

Same as she could her father.

Well, you amended as Faith ran off towards her friends, before Derek took to marinating himself in the shit that passes for whiskey in this place.

That was where your brother and Rick differed.

Rick exorcised his demons by working himself pass the point of exhaustion every night.

Derek chose booze, pills, and to sleep with every woman in the camp.

Married or not didn’t matter to your brother.

Neither did Faith and Ryan.

No matter how much you begged, he refused to seek treatment for his alcoholism. Even threats to take Faith and Ryan and go to one of the other compounds fell on deaf ears.

Nothing and nobody could stop Derek.

Her brother was a massive, unmanned train on a collision course with another train.

One loaded with a ton of explosives.

Twenty innocent men died because I couldn’t figure out how to derail Derek.

Husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons.

Who hadn’t known your brother was so drunk he couldn’t see straight.

You don’t realize you’ve started crying until you feel a gentle hand on your shoulder and hear a soft, “Hey.”

You can’t bring yourself to look into Rick’s eyes.

“Thinking ‘bout your brother?”

You manage a nod.

All you can offer since the lump in your throat prevented you from doing much else.

“The hurt won’t ever go away but I promise it’ll get more bearable in time.”

You appreciated his stone cold truth over the carefully worded commiserations of the others.

You could deal with honesty.

Half-truths only made the hurt worse.

This world was cold, cruel.

All of them had suffered.

None in your mind more than Rick.

Losing a friend, sibling, parent or spouse was terrible enough.

To lose a child?

Well, that was simply unimaginable.

His son’s death would haunt Rick for the rest of his life.

For him, it was his greatest failure.

The ultimate sin.

Yours was your inability to stop your brother before he got himself and others killed.

A choked sob escaped you as the jar you stored your emotions in after Derek’s death tipped over and everything inside poured out.

Your knees buckled.

You’d have sunk to the ground if not for Rick catching hold of you before you made a real spectacle of yourself.

Not that you cared.

Grief dug raw wounds in your stomach, tore fresh holes in your soul, and shredded what little remained of your heart.

The hurt was so deep you thought you’d drown.

Not that you would.

You wouldn’t descend into the abyss like your brother did.

Faith and Ryan needed you.

You’d go on living beneath this shroud as the rain poured down, down, down.

For now, though, you’d let yourself weep.

Your head tipped forward, forehead resting against Rick’s chest as you let your tears flow free. Rick’s chest vibrated as he mumbled something. He shifted, settled you more comfortably against him, and rubbed your back in slow, soothing circles.

As Derek had done before his heart had gone hard, hard, hard.

“So-sorry for cryin’ on your shoulder,” you managed once the choking sobs stopped.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Rick produced a rag from his pocket that he handed to you. “It’s clean.”

You take it with a soft, “Thanks.”

He stayed as you wiped the tears away, not saying anything, but letting you know he was there if you needed him.

As you stood together under the dark clouds that gathered during your breakdown, you realized you might not be in love with Rick Grimes but you did love him.

As a brother.

One you decided to help get back to his family.

No matter what.

#the walking dead #the walking dead fanfiction #rick grimes #rick grimes x reader #walking dead fanfiction #rick grimes fanfiction #flashing gif #animated gif #Scorp writes fanfiction

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heythereofficerfriendly · 2 years ago

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as much as the walking dead finale was alright, i can’t help but think about how much more epic the series could have been if they had kept to the comic finale...

as heartbreaking as it would have been seeing rick grimes as a walker...it would also have been the well earned shockwave the finale needed. a last tragic death that meant something. coupled with carl grimes having to kill his walker father, but then the hopeful ending that comes with it, showing that all rick’s effort to keep his son safe and ready for this new world wasn’t for nothing. carl gets to live and carry on the new generation.

i know they tried to make Judith this character, and to some extent it works. But not as well as it ever would have done with carl. Carl wasn’t born into the ZA. He had to learn to adapt, with his father’s help. And Carl has all the memories of what they went through. how they got to live and survive and thrive in the new world. i just feel bitter. because this show could have ended on something epic. and imo it ended on a teaser for another show. which is just...such a cop out.

#under cut for comic spoilers #the walking dead #rick grimes #carl grimes #me bemoaning carls death again nobody is surprised

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sandoku · 1 year ago

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THE WALKING DEAD/GAME OF THRONES - the common core of human drama -

Two popular shows based on comic books and novels respectively, share the vibe of survival, morality, leadership, and betrayal in a harsh and violent world. And some of the characters from both exhibit striking similarities in their personalities, motivations, and fates.

- Rick Grimes and Jon Snow: Reluctant leaders protecting their communities from zombies and white walkers, while facing internal challenges. They possess a strong sense of honor and justice but make questionable decisions resulting in loss of life.

- Carl Grimes and Arya Stark: Initially vulnerable survivors who evolve into skilled fighters over time. Both are children of powerful fathers, yet they try to carve out their own role in the world and in their journey become more prepared than their parents.

- Michonne and Brienne of Tarth: Both are strong and loyal warriors who wield swords as their weapons of choice. Both have a sense of duty and honor that guides their actions. And while Michonne adopts Carl, Brienne has Podrick at her side.

- Glenn Rhee and Oberyn Martell: Intelligent and resourceful characters who employ wit and humor to confront the horrors of their world. They exemplify loyalty towards friends and loved ones. And both faced(literally) an unexpected and tragic turn of fate.

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whateverthedragonswant · 2 years ago

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finally binged the last season of TWD and I have to say, I'm okay with how it ended. I won't lie, the Commonwealth arc was a little boring for me. It didn't feel as high stakes as other villain arcs in the past have felt like the Whisperers or the Saviors or even The OG Governor, but I think that's why they upped the ante on the walkers themselves. Which...maybe I missed it but did they ever say why the walkers were suddenly climbing up walls and picking up weapons? Talk about terrifying. LOVED that they brought back the Whisperer angle this season by the way, in all aspects. That was really cool.

I'm a hardcore Caryl shipper but I was okay with how they left things with their story. I know some might not be happy with it but Idk I got a very unfinished vibe from it? Like there's more to their story. Idr if Melissa McBride has said she'll make an appearance on the Daryl spinoff or not, but I still get the 'there's something there and it's still unspoken' vibe.

I felt absolutely horrible for Luke and Jules. I didn't expect that one. But it also kind of made me think they brought them back to be the ones to die so none of the mains had to. Again, the whole Commonwealth arc just didn't feel as high stakes, even when Eugene was on trial for his life, even when Ezekiel and the others were taken. The only other time it felt high stakes is when Negan and Annie were about to be executed and Ezekiel and the others stepped in. Not saying that I wanted any of the mains to die; they had more than earned those endings but I felt like it kind of got away from the theme of the show a little, if that makes sense.

Judith getting shot was indeed shocking and you do worry for her, but it was obvious they were doing a callback to the pilot, with us seeing her pov from the pain haze she was in at the hospital, Daryl blocking the door to her room like Shane did with Rick. Not a bad callback at all, I appreciated it, but you knew then that Judith wasn't going to die. (which thank goodness she didn't because I'd riot)

Rosita's death was tragic but at the same time beautiful. Christian and the others did a wonderful job and my heart broke for Rosita (she was one of my favorite characters too). I had heard Christian's explanation of why she wanted Rosita to die from it being mentioned by a fan at a recent SPN convention to Jensen (in relation to Dean's ending and how he felt if there was closure or not), but now having seen the season, it makes more sense.

Idk, overall, I just felt like it was a good tie-up besides some of the issues I mentioned. I was happy to see Rick and Michonne at the end but I do wish I could have seen them reunite with their kids, ngl. I'm hoping however the movie goes, that's the ending for the Grimes family. Like Judith said "we're the ones that live". After everything they've been through, they deserve it. Rick deserves to see Judith and RJ at least once.

One thing that popped out for me that I didn't expect was Maggie x Negan. Holy crap, I did not see that ship coming. It feels so wrong for many reasons but JDM and Lauren just have that chemistry as those two characters. And while I enjoyed Negan/JDM as a villain, and he was alright in his limbo phase, I never was a Negan fan so to speak. But after the bottle episode from season 10 and we see his backstory (which he and Hilarie crushed btw), I became very interested in his 11A arc, especially where Maggie was concerned. When he showed up with a pregnant wife in 11B, it felt off to me. Like I get that was his redemption arc in full swing and it was done to get Negan to the point where he earns his place at Alexandria 2.0 (3.0?) if he wants it, that Maggie can be the one to extend that offer (which leads them into the dynamic/place they need for their spinoff) because he finally understands how she must have felt when he killed Glen and he apologizes, and Daryl gives him a nod of semi-respect at the end, but idk it just felt off to me. It should be interesting to see how things occur for Negan and Annie moving forward. Will they be in the new series, too? And I'm not really a hero x villain kind of person (i.e. I'm not a Reylo shipper at all) unless it's something really great like Dramione but Negan and Maggie, I can get on board with that one a bit. And even if that never occurs, I am good with just seeing those two on my screen together. I can't wait to see the Maggie and Negan spinoff!!!

So yeah, an end to an era but I'm personally okay with this end. I still love the series and it's definitely one of my favorites.

#the walking dead #twd #twdposts #twd finale spoilers #twd finale

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firstofficerwiggles · 4 years ago

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Here are my top 5 fictional men that I will love forever:

1. Din Djarin/The Mandalorian - I mean if you're on my blog even for a second you know this. At his heart he is a kind and sweet man just trying to do his best for his little green baby. Also he is a hot badass with an insanely handsome face.

2. Fox Mulder - The most passionate man ever who is willing to do absolutely anything for his beliefs and the woman he loves. Also he is a beautiful puppy dog man.

3. Jean-Luc Picard - He's a handsome, in command space captain who is a top notch diplomat. Also I adore that he's a giant academic nerd who loves doing research for fun.

4. Rick Grimes - Another badass who is just trying to survive and keep his family safe. But again, at his heart he really seems like a good man. Also for some reason the more bearded and grimy he gets, the more I love it.

5. Eric/The Phantom of the Opera - So yeah, I have a thing for murderers apparently. Look, it's the way he sings, the fact that he has such a tragic, lonely back story, and that he is so much hotter than Raul. I mean come on, look at him here, Raul could never.

So who are your top 5 fictional characters who own your heart? (Doesn't have to be men btw)

No pressure tags or for anyone else who wants to play: @boomtownboy @sleepwithacommunist @asta-lily @deadsiriusinside @wandering-storm-lost-shadow @ladyjenny19

#the mandalorian #din djarin #fox mulder #jean luc picard #rick grimes #the phantom of the opera #my top 5

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walkerwords · 4 years ago

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“Ultimatum” Spencer Monroe x F!Reader

Request: from @thanossexual how do you feel about Spencer x Reader where Y/n puts him in his place. Like when he tries to rebel she shuts his shit down. she understands his frustrations though because he lost everyone so she reassures him and tells him to give Rick and his group one more chance

Word Count: 1603

Warning: Swearing

Song I Wrote To: “Don’t Blame Me” by Taylor Swift

Note: Short little thing that was requested by Dori. For future Spencer stories I may need to go rewatch his episodes to get his character right :) Also I kind of made the reader a bit cold, but I do like the way this turned out.

--------

Spencer Monroe was seeing red.

Entering his home, he paced around the living room, trying to calm down, but the rage remained simmering in his chest. His whole family was gone and it was all their fault, it was Rick’s fault.

If they had never come to Alexandria, there would have never been so much death. His father was dead, his brother was dead, and now his mother. He still couldn’t get the image of her walking around, her white eyes glazed over as the virus raged through her undead body. For so long, he had accepted that they were untouchable within the walls of their sanctuary. Now, he wasn’t so sure, especially with men like Rick Grimes.

With a shout of rage, Spencer went to the desk in the corner and opened the second drawer on the left. When he found it empty, he froze.

“Looking for this?” you said from behind him. Spencer whirled around to see you leaning in the entranceway, his gun dangling from your hand.

“Give it to me,” he said, stepping forward, but you shook your head, placing it behind your back.

“No,” you said, standing your ground.

“(Y/N)…” he said, already too tired for an argument. You, however, were as alert as can be and ready to take him down a few notches.

“Are you going to kill Rick?” you asked calmly.

“I’m thinking about it,” Spencer said, annoyed. He never got angry with you. Even if he felt it bubbling up inside him, he went outside and took it out on the wall or just ended up internalizing it fully. You were the opposite. When you were pissed, you tended to either go kill the Dead or take it out on anyone who lit your flame. You weren’t proud of it, but you had survived this long without having to be nice all the time.

However, the way your boyfriend was acting right now was going to get him killed. “Baby,” you began, “I love you, you know I do, but you are being a complete moron right now.”

“Excuse me?” he asked, taken aback.

“If you go after Grimes, if you try to shoot him, you will be dead before you can even pull the damn trigger. Daryl will have a bolt between your eyes in a matter of seconds or Carol will try to take your head off with a spoon. Hell, I bet that kid of his would gut you without even thinking. Not gonna lie, Carl scares the shit out of me and I’m not too proud to admit that.”

“He killed my mother,” Spencer argued.

“No, he didn’t. Deanna died from a Walker. This world killed her,” you reminded him. Spencer scoffed at your use of the colloquialism used by the “invaders”.

“God, you even sound like them,” Spencer said in annoyance. “Calling them ‘Walkers’, what the hell does that even mean?”

“I thought it was pretty self-explanatory…” you said under your breath, but he wasn’t listening.

“If these people had never come here…”

“Then the Walkers in the quarry would have. You saw it the same day I did, Spencer. Those trucks were not going to hold. I have seen large herds since the start of this, but I have never seen anything remotely close to that monstrosity. We are lucky that Grimes was here to help us!” “You’re taking his side!” he bellowed.

“Stop it!” you countered. “There are no sides, Spence. We need to survive and whether you liked it or not, Rick Grimes is the best at it. I have been on the outside, I have seen what happens when people are not strong enough. I was almost like those people until I finally learned the rules of the new world. You know that I care about you, but you need to start learning them too.”

“My family was alive before they got here, (Y/N),” he reminded you.

“What happened to your father was tragic,” you said softer this time, remembering when Pete had killed Reg. “I am so sorry about him and your mother. Then with what happened to Aidan...it was horrible, but we both know that he shouldn’t have been out there. None of you should be out there when you don’t want to acknowledge how the new world works. We are no longer at the top of the food chain, the Dead are. It is their world and we just have to live in it.”

Spencer stared at you and you watched as the fire slowly faded from his eyes. You began to relax a bit more. Though, you knew he wasn’t done. “What do you expect me to do, (Y/N)?”

“I want you to try,” you nearly begged. “You don’t like Rick? Fine. How about Glenn or Maggie? Hell, even Daryl, though I am pretty sure he wants to punch you in the face, so maybe not. Just try.”

“And if I don’t?” he challenged, crossing his arms.

“Then,” you paused, trying to get your nerve, “then, I’m done. I’ll move into one of the vacant houses and you and I will be finished.”

“What? Why?” he asked, completely struck.

“Because you are letting your emotions cloud your judgment! This world is not so fucking simple anymore, Spencer. I have been trying for months to make you all see the new world and you have refused to listen to me. What do you think is going to happen? Do you think that one day everything is going to magically revert back to normal?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why won’t you acknowledge it? Please, Spencer,” you said as you went to him, dropping the empty gun on the table. You took his hands in yours, unfolding his arms. “I need you to start understanding where I am coming from because I will not lose you. I’ve already lost enough.” Spencer held your hands back, keeping firm pressure. He looked down into your eyes and his shoulders dropped fully.

“I didn’t know you felt this way,” Spencer said.

“You never asked,” you pointed out, lifting one of your hands to rest against his neck. You had met Spencer when Eric had dragged your half dead body through the gates of Alexandria five months before. A group had robbed you and left you without food or water for days and you were desperate for help. When Eric had found you, he hadn’t hesitated to help. It was shortly after that when Spencer introduced himself and there was something about him that just clicked with you.

However, while you knew that there was that connection, you also knew that you couldn’t just sink into the relationship without keeping your reservations. No matter how you felt about Spencer, there was always one person you had to care about above all else and that was yourself.

You had lost too much, seen too much death, and fought too hard to not fight for your own survival. You were now only hoping that he would fight to survive alongside you.

Spencer leaned into you, feeling the firm pressure of your hand against his neck. Your eyes were locked together as you urged him to see what you were thinking and feeling at that moment. With a sigh, Spencer covered your hand with his. “Can I have my gun back, please?” he asked.

“Are you going to talk to Rick?” you asked.

“I can start with Maggie,” he compromised.

“Good,” you said as you turned to pick up the gun and pressed it into his hand. A sort of peace offering. You leaned up and kissed him softly, feeling the stubble on his cheek scratch against your own.

“Were you really going to leave me?” Spencer asked when you pulled back.

“I told you when we met that I wasn’t going to let this world beat me, Spence. I meant it,” you said.

“What am I supposed to do with that?” he asked, cupping your face with his calloused hands. You could feel the bump that was on his finger where he rested it against the trigger of his rifle.

“I don’t know, but that is how I feel and I promised I would always be honest with you,” you said.

“I don’t like ultimatums,” he said.

“Don’t think of it as one. It’s a necessity. Either get along with the people who will fight to survive or be willing to die alone,” you said and you knew it sounded cold, but he needed to hear it. Spencer Monroe wasn’t a man who needed to be coddled, he responded well to the truth and you were willing to be the sounding board for that.

“(Y/N)…,” he started.

“I promised my mom that I wasn’t going to be weak and I stand by that,” you reminded him.

“Which is why I love you,” he said easily.

“Then try to understand me. Hear me,” you nearly begged.

“I do, and I am going to try. I promise,” he said, leaning his forehead against yours.

“I don’t expect you to be Van Helsing, but try to see it through my eyes,” you said.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he promised.

“Thank you.”

“I love you so much,” Spencer said.

“I love you, too,” you said as you pulled him in for another kiss, finally feeling like the two of you were getting somewhere. You didn’t always see eye to eye, but perhaps now a compromise could be made. When he pulled back again, he was grinning. “What?” you asked him.

“Van Helsing hunted vampires,” he whispered.

“Oh, shut up.”

@thanossexual @yes-sir-hotchner @felicisimor @lucillethings

#Spencer Monroe x reader #reader insert #walker words #twd imagines #the walking dead #twd #the walking dead fanfiction

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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The Walking Dead Season 11: Who Lives and Who Dies

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This Walking Dead article contains major spoilers.

Many of us thought this day would never come, but as all of The Walking Dead‘s characters know very well, everything that has a beginning has an end. Season 11 of AMC’s flagship zombie drama will be the show’s final run of episodes, but fortunately it’s an expanded season. Fans will get 24 more episodes, broken up into three parts, before the show — and a few of its characters — meets its end.

And it wouldn’t be a season of The Walking Dead without a few big deaths along the way. As we have in past seasons, we’ve made some predictions regarding who will bite the bullet in season 11. For the final time, here are the characters we think are on the chopping block and the ones we believe will live on to remember them after the credits roll on the series finale.

Keep track of all The Walking Dead season 11 deaths below:

DEAD

Roy (C. Thomas Howell)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Roy took an arrow to the face during a Reaper ambush.

Gage (Jackson Pace)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Gage stabbed himself in the chest twice, attempting to kill himself before being devoured by walkers in a train car. Zombie Gage was then put down with a shot to the head by Gabriel.

ALIVE

Pope (Ritchie Coster)

Prediction: Dies

I’ve never seen a guy more likely to die in the first half of a Walking Dead season than Pope, the leader of the show’s newest villains, the Reapers, who themselves strike me as filler villains for Maggie and Daryl while the real story at the Commonwealth develops. I assume the Reapers will be out of the picture by the time Alexandria needs to turn its attention to the much larger settlement in the second part of season 11.

Pamela Milton (Laila Robins)

Prediction: Dies

The Governor of the Commonwealth is poised to be the final season’s big bad. A bureaucrat hellbent on preserving the way things were before the zombie outbreak, Milton even established a caste system within her settlement to propagate class inequality. She represents everything that was wrong with the world before the fall of society and the complete anti-thesis of how the Alexandrians do things.

If you’ve read the comics, you know how Pamela’s story ends in Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s story, but the TV series is known for taking sharp left turns when you least expect it. One thing we know for sure is that the Alexandrians will have to reckon with Pamela’s rule before the series finale.

Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton)

Prediction: Dies

A Commonwealth acolyte and bookkeeper of the community, Lance is one of Milton’s chief personnel, helping her run the settlement’s government. He’s also seems like cannon fodder to me as things heat up between the Commonwealth and Alexandria, an early death that could spark a conflict between the two factions.

Mercer (Michael James Shaw)

Prediction: Lives

Mercer is loyal to the Commonwealth but there are more sides to him than his distinct orange military armor lets on. He’s one of the most interesting characters of the comic’s final storyline, and it would be a shame to lose him before we can see his story through.

Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari)

Prediction: Lives

Elijah made his debut in one of the most WTF moments of season 10 when he rescued Aaron and Alden from the Whisperers. For weeks after his reveal, people wondered who the man in the steal mask could be. When he returned in the final six episodes of season 10, the show just kind of moved on without fleshing him out, which is unfortunate since he looks so cool! I’m going to assume that the series is saving a big Elijah-focused episode for later in the season and that he’s too awesome to kill off. You don’t just introduce a blade expert in a steel mask for no reason!

Virgil (Kevin Carroll)

Prediction: Dies

Virgil has a lot to atone for after kidnapping and drugging Michonne in season 10. At the end of the season, we learn that he’s found a disoriented Connie in the woods. His redemption arc will likely include helping Connie survive on the walker-infested road back to Alexandria. Will that eventually involve a final sacrifice to save her?

Connie (Lauren Ridloff)

Prediction: Lives

Connie’s been through a hell of a lot in the past season. After surviving an explosion, a cave-in, and an entire walker horde, Connie’s made it out of Whisperer territory but is still a ways from home. Expect part of season 11’s story to be about Connie’s odyssey and ultimate reunion with her sister and Daryl.

Lydia (Cassady McClincy)

Prediction: Lives

Lydia was at the center of Alexandria’s conflict with the Whisperers for a season and a half. With Alpha and Beta defeated, and their faction all but obliterated, I have to wonder what Lydia has left to do on the show. That said, the writers have continued to find interesting ways to explore this character, and someone has to live on to lead the next generation of Alexandrians. I think Lydia is in it for the long haul.

Magna (Nadia Hilker)

Prediction: Dies

Magna was sidelined pretty quickly after her introduction. While a reunion with Yumiko seems like the logical direction for her story, The Walking Dead universe is a cruel one. She could be headed toward tragedy.

Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura)

Prediction: Lives

In season 11, Yumiko is inheriting a major storyline from the comics that likely means she’ll survive the final 24 episodes of the series. Of course, the TV show could always alter that storyline to bring a tragic end to Yumiko’s story.

Luke (Dan Fogler)

Prediction: Dies

It’s pretty wild that Luke has survived as long as he has. A man of the arts hardly has a place in the cruel world of this show, but he has clumsily persevered thus far. But if the writers are planning an especially bloody final season, I’d put Luke on the short list.

Kelly (Angel Theory)

Prediction: Lives

Kelly has been one of the best late additions to the show. It would suck for her to finally reunite with her sister only to meet an unexpected end.

Alden (Callan McAuliffe)

Prediction: Dies

Another candidate for the chopping block. I’m surprised he’s even made it this long.

King Ezekiel (Khary Payton)

Prediction: Lives

Yes, Ezekiel has thyroid cancer, and were he in Alexandria, that would mean his inevitable death. But the Commonwealth is a different ballgame, an advanced settlement in the comics that will likely have the doctors and surgical resources needed to save him. That is, if Ezekiel isn’t caught up in Milton’s caste system.

Jerry (Cooper Andrews)

Prediction: Dies

I love Jerry and don’t want to see the tank with a heart of gold go. But if the season needs an early death that pulls at the heart strings, Jerry is a prime candidate for a midseason casualty.

Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam)

Prediction: Lives

Gabriel has evolved so much since his debut in season 5, becoming one of Alexandria’s key leaders. He’s come so far and even survived longer than his comic book counterpart. I’d hate to see him go so close to the end. So I’m just going to say he lives.

Aaron (Ross Marquand)

Prediction: Lives

Aaron seemed destined to die seasons ago, too kind and trusting to survive this long. But here he is, still fighting and surviving. He’s lost the man he loves, his arm, and many friends — and it’s all hardened him into a war machine. It’d be a shame for him to die now.

Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos)

Prediction: Lives

In the comics, Rosita’s head ended up on a pike during the Whisperer war, but her TV counterpart has persevered. It’s difficult to predict where her story goes at this point, but since she survived her comic book death, I assume the show’s writers have something in mind for her in season 11.

Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt)

Prediction: Lives

Eugene has become an unlikely protagonist going into season 11. From a mulleted coward hiding behind his intelligence so that others protect him to the Alexandrian leading his people to the Commonwealth, Eugene is central to the plot of the final season, and I think that means he’s safe. Plus, Eugene is hilarious, and The Walking Dead can always use a little comedic relief.

Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming)

Prediction: Lives

Result: Lived

NO.

Rick Grimes Jr. (Antony Azor)

Prediction: Lives

Nah.

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Prediction: Lives

I think The Walking Dead is going to end with one last big death, one last sacrifice before the credits roll on the massive zombie drama. Like Rick in the comics, one of the major characters of the TV series will likely become the martyr who inspires change inside the Commonwealth’s walls. Negan would probably be on the short list for this big moment from the comics, a villain finally choosing to do the right thing for a cause bigger than himself, a fitting conclusion to his seasons-long redemption arc. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan recently teased that he was already having discussions with AMC about a potential Negan spinoff after The Walking Dead has concluded, which means the former Savior leader is safe…unless the Negan show is a prequel.

Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride)

Prediction: Lives

This one’s an easy one: Melissa McBride is getting her own spinoff that will follow her character after The Walking Dead series finale. That means she’s safe.

Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)

Prediction: Lives

Norman Reedus is joining McBride for that spinoff, so he’s safe, too. The actor even told us what the Daryl and Carol show will be about.

Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan)

Prediction: Dies

That leaves The Walking Dead with one logical choice to pick up Rick’s final storyline from the comic. It’s Maggie. It also makes a bit of sense from a logistical standpoint. Lauren Cohan has already left The Walking Dead universe once before to pursue other small and big screen projects. She’s back for the final 24 episodes of the series as a welcome legacy character but that doesn’t mean Cohan wants to stick around for longer than that. I assume Cohan’s returned to bring closure to her character, not to prepare for a spinoff.

Let us know your predictions for The Walking Dead season 11 in the comments!

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The post The Walking Dead Season 11: Who Lives and Who Dies appeared first on Den of Geek.

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inconnusmademoiselle · 3 years ago

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@dbzebra so kindly sent me 1-6 for the shipping asks, but I put my phone down to change the song on Spotify and when I opened tumblr again it was gone 😅 literally disappeared LOL. Wasn’t in my drafts or my inbox, so I’m answering it here.

1. What was your first OTP

It was probably Jack and Rose from Titanic. My parents let me watch it on vhs when I was only 5, and up until that point, the deepest portrayal of love that I had seen was that of Disney movies (not very deep at all lol) and I was just so blown away by them. Ever since, I’ve probably watched titanic once a month (it’s my all-time favorite movie) And I still cry like a baby EVERY. DAMN. TIME. 😂

Around the same time, I played Ocarina of time and really loved Zelda and Link. I’m still pissed she sent him back in time, even if it was the right thing to do lol.

I think those two pairings shocked me as a kid and made me realize that some of the greatest couples don’t get to get married and grow old together. I think they started my love of bittersweet/angsty/ tragic fanfics lol

2. What is your current OTP

Oh I can’t pick just one 😫 all my otps are special to me. However, the three pairings I’m currently writing about in my upcoming fanfics are probably on my mind the most lately lol

3.Do you have any OT3/ OT+

I live under a rock🙈does ot3 mean polyamorous ships?? Currently, I don’t have any. Ain’t anything wrong with it, it just isn’t for me. And I’m typically a multishipper but I can’t imagine my faves with more than one person at the same time.

4. What is/are your favorite tropes?

Friends to lovers, forbidden romance, knight in shining armor saves the princess, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience turning into love, Star-crossed lovers. I have a lot of faves lol

5. What is/are your least favorite tropes

Cheating. I hate hate HATE it.

Kinda similar to cheating, I hate love triangles. They make me nervous, and often result in a nice character being hurt.

I don’t like abuse as a trope either. And I use that term loosely because I don’t hold fictional characters to real life standards sometimes, but come on there’s way better shit to write about.

Specifically in the dbz fandom, I’m not a huge fan of the biting your mate thing. Like sometimes, it’s an integral part of the story and as long as it’s well written, then yay! Love it! 👍🏼 but sometimes it’s too much. Like a hickey itself is hot enough, why are we drawing blood like that time Rick grimes bit that biker Joe’s neck in season 4 of the Walking Dead?? (If you know, you know LOL) it’s icky. And while we’re at it, I hate the saiyan tail stub as an erogenous zone. That little fur nugget above the ass crack ain’t sexy, STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT SEXY. (Of course that is just my opinion and I DO NOT mean to insult anyone with my opinions.)

6. Do you have a certain kind of ship you’re more attracted to?

I’ve never really thought about it before, but I guess I’m a sucker for the kind of relationship that challenges one or both members to be a better person (ie: Bulla x Uub, Chouji x Ino, Vegeta x Bulma) I firmly believe that good relationship will always bring the best out of a person. I also love when a pairing has a great balance of characteristics. One could be more high strung, and the other more laid back, like shikamaru x temari. And like Pan x Trunks (disclaimer, i adore this pairing but I ONLY like them under the condition that the ages are changed, or shes at least 25, and knows what she’s getting into), she reminds him to let loose and not be so anxious, while he’s her rock and helps keep her steady when her passion and strong temper gets the best of her. Some more of my fave pairings that illustrate the opposites attract thing are Sasha x Jean, Armin x Annie, Levi x Petra, Ling Yao x Lan Fan, Ed x Winry, Gohan x Videl, Krillin x 18, Bulla X Goten (👈🏼same age disclaimer as Trunks and Pan) I also really just love when two wholesome, family oriented people find each other too ( like Goten x Marron, Goku x ChiChi, Skyward Sword Link x Zelda) Those ships make for a great, healthy, butterflies in your stomach type of romance.

Thanks so much for sending these! 😃

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tlbodine · 5 years ago

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What Zombie Movies Teach Us About COVID-19

As I write this, it is April 20, 2020, and 42,514 Americans have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by a deadly novel coronavirus first discovered in late 2019. South Korea has just 237 deaths from the disease.

The two countries learned about the virus at roughly the same time, and had the same amount of time to respond to the disease. But the responses took wildly different paths, with vastly different outcomes -- as you can see.

But I’m not here to talk about that, not exactly. I’m here to talk about zombies.

Train to Busan (2016), directed by Yeon Sang-ho, tells the story of a zombie outbreak in Korea, with the action focused predominantly on the passengers of a train. It’s one of my favorite zombie movies, in large part because the flavor of its zombie narrative is so different from the types of zombie stories we see in America. It’s a fresh spin, driven by cultural influences and the director’s vision, and it’s a movie that’s been at the forefront of my mind since watching the vastly different responses of South Korea and the USA to the current pandemic.

Train to Busan is a film concerned with the morality of classism, a theme repeated in many South Korean exports (see 2019′s Parasite for another example). Innate in that premise is a moral statement about collectivism, cooperation and kindness that runs contrary to everything American zombie fiction holds dear.

Train to Busan’s main character, Seok Woo, is a fund manager, a white-collar businessman who operates in the financial sector. In his introduction, we see him reviewing reports of the biological leak that we the viewer already know is responsible for zombies; he advises a concerned investor not to sell his shares, as the reports could be false or the worry is premature -- and then, a moment later, hangs up the phone and sells his own shares. It's implied later that his role in financing the company may give him some moral responsibility in the disaster -- ie, he invested in a company, knew that it was harmful, and reacted not by blowing the whistle on that harm but instead by selling his ownership and thus profiting.

The film treats this as morally reprehensible. Indeed, Seok Woo's storyline is a tragedy: We will see him brought low by his flaws, struggle to overcome them, but ultimately fall short.

This is quite different from American zombie narratives, which more often than not place the hero as a working-class underdog who finds himself suddenly uniquely equipped to deal with the threat at hand. Consider police officer Rick Grimes (and, for that matter, hillbilly archer Daryl) in The Walking Dead, or retired U.N. investigator Gerry Lane in World War Z. Perhaps the best example of the type is Zombieland's Tallahassee, a quintessential "Florida Man" -- rough around the edges, crude, eccentric, socially inept but good with a gun and a willingness to adopt the role of patriarch in the post-apocalyptic found family narrative.

Implicit in American zombie fiction is a promise of role reversal, of a social upheaval in which established ruling classes will no longer matter and in which new lines of power can be drawn -- and that power rests squarely on a foundation of guns, violence, and a small but tightly knit family structure united against external threats both human and supernatural.

Of course, guns can’t serve as a currency of power or survival in Train to Busan because there are no guns. South Korea has some of the world’s strictest gun laws, and nobody riding on a passenger train would have a firearm at the ready. This makes for a much more thrilling narrative thanks to the balance of power shifting heavily in the zombie horde’s favor; it also forces characters to work together for survival, relying more on wits than strength.

Like many zombie film protagaonists before him, Seok Woo is a father -- a disengaged, overworked father, but one who’s trying his best. But unlike some horror movie kids, his daughter Su-An is more than a victim-in-waiting; she’s the moral centerpiece of the story, an external conscience who serves to gently remind her father of his misplaced priorities and call him on his bullshit.

Fleshing out the rest of the cast are more unlikely heroes: a high school baseball team, a homeless man, a pair of old ladies, and a middle-aged man, Sang-hwa, traveling with his pregnant wife. Sang-hwa is an especially important character, holding up a mirror in some ways to our protagonist: he has a successful, loving marriage where the hero's has failed; he is a doting, patient father where Seok-woo is out of touch.

It is hardly coincidental that this core group of characters is comprised almost exclusively of vulnerable people. And once the zombie disaster strikes, it becomes clear that the job of the less-vulnerable is to step up and protect the most vulnerable, even within a group where no one is especially skilled, heroic, or well-trained to deal with this.

Self-sacrifice is the recurring theme of Train to Busan, delivered with a bludgeoning regularity -- but each death is valorized, the narrative making it clear through its storytelling techniques that these sacrifices are meaningful and heroic.

It’s worth noting, too, that the self-sacrifice that drives the narrative is made necessary by the selfishness of others. Sang-hwa is bitten and stays behind to hold back hordes of zombies only because another group of survivors locked them out of their car.

Those exclusionary survivors -- a group spearheaded by a rich businessman who declares himself early on to be too important to risk his life -- receive their comeuppance soon enough. Here's the clip in all its satisfying glory:

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All of which is not to say that self-sacrifice is not a trope that shows up in other zombie media as well. But I have never seen it the focus of a film with such brazen commitment before.

In Hollywood storytelling, self-sacrifice all too often comes in two flavors. The first: The only righteous path a fatally flawed anti-hero can take. The second: A heroic cop-out, where the character sacrifices him/herself but fails to actually die thanks to unexpected circumstances -- suggesting, thematically, that willingness toward self-sacrifice is all that is required, and that good things come to those who deserve them.

In a lot of zombie media -- and post-apocalyptic media in general -- storylines often flirt with the morality of sacrificing other people for the greater good. Heroes will grapple with the decision, and the one who pulls the trigger may ultimately succumb to guilt or plot karma (Shane and Otis in The Walking Dead, for example), but the discussion is given serious weight and consideration.

Train to Busan makes it clear that such cold calculations aren’t just villainous, they’re cowardly and pathetic.

Other popular zombie tropes that fail to make an appearance in the film include:

A self-appointed leader calling the shots and telling others to get in line

The asshole pragmatist arguing with the self-appointed leader

The untrustworthy outsider and/or villainous mole

The weak or cowardly idiot who gets people killed by virtue of being useless and/or careless

Utterly useless or corrupt government/military/authority

In many zombie stories, man is the real monster, and this holds true in many ways for Train to Busan. But the focus is different. Rather than the monster being the outsider who comes for your supplies, or the stranger who you trust only to be stabbed in the back, the worst humans in Train to Busan are those who act with distrust and selfishness.

Declaring yourself the leader, securing a perimeter, and making a difficult choice to turn away strangers at the gate in order to protect your own group is the action of heroes in a show like The Walking Dead. In Train to Busan, those same actions are villainous and ultimately lead to ruin.

On the flipside, soft-heartedness in American zombie films is often both foolish and disastrous. Consider, for example, Hershel’s barn in Season 2 of The Walking Dead, where walkers are corralled in dangerously high numbers out of an optimistic belief that they can be cured. Just as heroic self-sacrifice becomes a recurring theme in Train to Busan, an endless cycle of trust and betrayal is the signature of The Walking Dead, and the show routinely rewards its moral centerpieces -- like Dale and Hershel -- with deaths that are treated not as valiant but as senselessly tragic.

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But let’s get back to my central thesis. What does any of this have to do with COVID-19?

When South Korea first became aware of the threat of the novel coronavirus, its government immediately launched a response called TRUST: “Transparency, Robust screening and quarantine, Unique but universally applicable testing, Strict control, and Treatment.”

The heart of the program was testing, not just of obviously sick people but of those without symptoms or known exposure -- and then carefully tracing the contacts of those found to have a positive result and isolating anyone who was infected. But the price of this widespread testing goes beyond the monetary needs of dveloping and administering tests; it comes too at the cost of certain freedoms. The South Korean government is able to track down and contain its citizens through credit card records, cellphone data, security cameras and other Orwellian security devices that would make most Americans' skin crawl. Add that to a cultural norm of wearing medical masks in public and obeying social distancing as a matter of course (less casual touch and physical contact, greater personal space) and South Korea’s spread of disease has been quite slow.

Meanwhile, in the USA, people across the country are breaking social distancing rules in order to gather in public and protest the quarantine measures that have left many without jobs and which, some say, infringe upon civil liberties. Mixed messaging about the efficacy of masks, and a long history of masks being associated with crime, have also made it hard to win Americans over to mask-wearing in public -- even though if we could get 100% of people wearing masks, the spread of disease would drop dramatically (and the economy could open sooner).

Countless political, historical, and socioeconomcic factors are at work differentiating these two nations, and the situation is infinitely more complex than any movie. But I do think viewing the coronavirus through the zombie apocalypse lens helps to make sense of these wildly different responses to the disease.

Time and again, America’s zombie media has hammered home certain essential lessons:

When times get hard, you will be called on to step up and take decisive action

Difficult decisions will need to be made, and the people who are too soft-hearted or cowardly to make those decisions will put others at risk

The safety of your own family (or found family) is paramount, and any threat to the family must be immediately destroyed

Survival will be a matter of strength, guns and resources

Institutions like the military, government and police are useless at best and often corrupt or downright murderous; you can trust only in yourself

Viewed in that context, it’s hardly surprising that the United States response to the pandemic has involved hoarding supplies, buying guns, distrusting scientific authorities, and even staging protests.

By comparison, the take-home lessons from Train to Busan are quite different:

No one person is above or more important than anyone else

If you have power, it is your duty to protect those who are more vulnerable

Selfishness invites trouble

Self-sacrifice is heroic and sometimes necessary for the greater good

All of which is not to say that there is no value in the American lessons. There are times when the values of individualism, decisive action, self-sufficiency and suspicion may well be exactly what is needed for survival.

But during a pandemic of a disease that overwhelmingly affects the already-vulnerable -- the elderly, those with disabilities, those living in poverty -- it seems self-evident that values tied to protecting the weak and working together to protect public safety are the values that will prove most successful.

At the end of Train to Busan, the survivors of the ordeal is not the strongest, best-prepared, or cleverest of the people on the train. They are young Su-An and Seong-Kyeong, the film’s most vulnerable characters -- and also its kindest. In an ending reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead, they emerges the sole survivors to face the path of armed military men who at first mistake her for a zombie. But Train to Busan is, for all of its tragedy, a film devoid of cynicism. The soldiers stop just short of shooting when they hear Su-On singing and realize that she’s alive.

In the end, it is quite literally her humanity that saves her.

Living in a time of coronavirus means making self-sacrifices, including personal liberty and livelihood. And while none of our sacrifices are likely to be as dramatic as those made by characters in Train to Busan, they are no less heroic or necessary.

And that is, to me, a lesson worth remembering.

#long post #horror movies #train to busan #the walking dead #zombies #covid 19 #horror analysis #film analysis

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ascottywrites · 5 years ago

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Colts and Katanas-- The Richonne List

They weren’t supposed to happen but their chemistry was too much not to do anything with. Probably helps that certain people wanted it to happen too *nudge* *nudge* Andrew Lincoln. So in light of the end of the last season and the goings on of the newest season of The Walking Dead I decided to mend my poor broken heart by going back to the basics of my obsession with this fandom. Even through the turmoil of The Prison they have been my OTP...(i mean so was Dixonne, but that’s not important right now). Anywhoozle I present some of the more recent ventures in the Richonne ship as well as some of the few I return to when I need a boost. Enjoy!

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Taking chances by thematsaididwelcome (Complete: 18/18| 49,649)

Michonne and Rick go along with Shane and Andrea's plan. Will it work out for them or blow up in their faces.

Contractions of the Heart by Richonne4Life (wip: 23/?| 145,339) AU Richonne. Michonne is a surrogate for lifelong friend Rick Grimes and his wife Lori; Lori leaves town the day their son is born; Rick is a lovesick fool; Richonne eventually rises. I do not own the TWD characters.

The Perfect Blend by Mlsts51 (wip: 18/?| 70,815) Michonne Andrews has never met Rick Grimes. Yet, she has something, or rather someone that belongs to him. After their first encounter turns disastrous, she decides not to reveal her secret. Rick, however, still discovers the truth and a battle between them ensues. Unexpectedly, though, their hearts become casualties of their war.

The Dead and the Dark Rider by love.devil.movies.baby (Complete: 26/26| 78,415)

A Zombie AU set shortly after the Civil War. A world on the edge gets thrust into the zombie apocalypse. This new reality doesn't care about race, gender, or class, but it's people still do. When a dark skinned stranger shows up at his gate, she turns Rick Grimes' world inside out. Can they survive this new existence before the old one kills them? Cover Art by msdoomandgloom

Married at First Sight by love.devil.movies.baby (Complete: 17/17| 46,720)

Ask, and you shall receive...A young Rick and Michonne are newlyweds, chosen for one another by their respective communities. Can they navigate the waters of an arranged marriage to become the power couple of the apocalypse? Or will the world they live in undo them before they can even begin? A AU zombie story and continuation of a prompt from We're the Ones Who Live.

The Season of Light by Nwfanmega (Complete: 15/15| 120,604) Alexandria was supposed to be a new start for all of them. But what happens when relinquishing the old world proves harder than embracing the new? Will Michonne chose to seek her own happiness, even if it takes her further away from Rick? Angst, love, and a healthy dose of redemption. Richonne and TF, with a double scoop of Michonne. Because, she deserves everything.

Inherited: One baby by Sophiasown (Complete: 20/20| 131,190) What happens when life as you know it takes a sudden drastic turn and you discover that things will never be the same again. This is the fate for Rick and Michonne, two friends that life kept tearing apart, after a tragic event two of their closest friends left an inheritance for them both in the form of a precious baby. Can this beautiful baby girl bring these two together?

Parallel Hearts by severelybabykryptonite (wip: 21/? | 49,943)

Rick and Lori Grimes find shelter at a camp outside of Atlanta where he develops a fast friendship with Michonne who is in the camp with her boyfriend, Mike.

The Way Forward by Siancore (wip: 43/?| 98,913)

Michonne is finding it difficult to deal with her feelings for Rick. Will she push him away?

In a Different World by Lyra Verse (Complete: 29/29| 120,364)

Rick never found Carl and Lori. He's hurting and darker than ever. Michonne has managed to protect Mike and Andre, but she has sacrificed being with them in the process. Rick is leader of the ASZ and Michonne is a resident of The Kingdom. The two communities have to work together to face common enemies. So they come up with a tried but true show of loyalty. A marital union.

Take Me To Church by Lyra Verse (wip: 6/?| 21,700)

It is 1860. Rick is a genteel Southern gentleman; Michonne is the daughter of a voodoo priestess. After a mysterious encounter with Michonne one evening, Rick's life is changed forever. AU.

A Rival's Claim by Fik Freak (Complete: 16/16| 179,120)

After an unexpected encounter, Michonne and Rick find themselves as rivals on opposite sides of a polarizing court case. Will their uncompromising opinions keep them from what they both really want? This is an AU/no ZA story, that is Rated M (Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes)

Verbal Communication by charrrmed (Complete: 22/22| 69,320) The slow pace of life in Alexandria gives Rick and Michonne a chance to step away from what they do best (communicate without saying a word) and open their mouths. It's touch and go, starting with Rick's fumbling attempt to ask Michonne to live with him and the kids and worsening when Michonne finally confirms Rick's long-held suspicion that she had a child.

My Funny Valentine by cakebythepound (Complete: 11/11| 57,957)

The group has arrived at Alexandria, and Rick is acting... strangely, to say the least. Michonne thinks she can reel him in, but even she finds herself second-guessing the man she thought she knew. (Richonne. Timeframe: Alexandria. Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Jessica Anderson.)

#richonne #michonne #rick grimes #twd #the walking dead #otp #fanfiction #black women in fanfiction #10/10 would reccomend #recommendations #fic rec #colt and katana #black samurai #team family #zombie apocolypse au #walkers #canon ships

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clexa--warrior · 5 years ago

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Season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead was a rough one for the characters on screen. They started off filled with hopes about providing hope and help to those in desperate need of both, but by the end of the season had been conquered and divided by Ginny’s group — with the last scene showing a shot Morgan lying down alone as hungry-looking zombies descended upon him.

It was a rough one for some fans as well, who complained about the plot and pacing of a season that appeared to have less impact, tension, and drive than those that preceded it. But is that all part of a grander plan? In the fourth and final part of our Walking Dead franchise overview discussion with chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, we spoke about the criticism of season 5, what’s in store for season 6 (including what sounds like a time jump at some point), and news of even more Walking Dead content coming our way. (Also read part 1 of our interview about the Rick Grimes movies here, part 2 about The Walking Dead: World Beyond right here, and part 3 about The Walking Dead having no timetable for ending.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There was some pretty critical takes out there about season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead. When you look back on that season now, what’s your take on it? Is there anything you feel didn’t work as well as you had hoped, or was this just part of this plan and this is a stretch of this plan that you need to go through to get to somewhere else?

SCOTT M. GIMPLE: Right there. You just said it. We’ve been lucky enough on that show to be able to do these long-range plans. Season 5 was about setting up this journey that these characters are on through there to season 6, and I think people are going to see the relationship between those two seasons. I think even getting to the very end of season 5, the last few moments, really informing that whole season about reaching for benevolence and reaching for sweetness and art and just life and how in the circumstances they’re in, it didn’t work, and how we leave a person that put that forward isolated, alone, bleeding in a dead town.

I’m curious how people will watch that season in the future. Season 2 [of The Walking Dead], when we did it, we were assailed in a lot of ways. “Why are they on the farm? Why are doing this? Why are they doing that?” I think in subsequent years, people watching that season had different takes. This season 5 as a piece setting up season 6 into a truly serialized entertainment, I think people might see the relationship and the journey, why the journey went the way it did. I was so happy with the way that everybody did. I think it really did come together in the end in this really tragic way that we couldn’t have gotten to without the journey that we had been on.

It’s funny you mention season 2 of TWD, because I remember the complaints during that, but as soon as the barn doors opened, everyone was like, “Oh, okay. Yeah, right. Well, that was worth it.”

It was cumulative. I think everybody’s opinion is … as long as their opinion is come to honestly, nobody’s opinion is wrong. It’s how they feel about what they consume. But the one aspect that could potentially temper it is just taking the whole of it together. It is asking a lot of the audience to do that though. It’s an interesting thing that we face, and if you look at The Mandalorian, you look at a lot of shows on Hulu, and I think what Disney+ is now going to be doing, they are showing shows week to week. It is interesting, it’s a challenge that I think people will continue to have because the story might not go the way the audience wants it in the short term, but it’s all towards telling this grander story for them in the long term. I hope that anybody who had an issue with it can see this upcoming season and see how that led to this, because it was always the plan, to tell a story of some serious contrasts.

How much do you pay attention or modify or pivot because of critical feedback?

It’s a tricky thing because, again, as long as somebody is coming at their opinion having watched the show, and as long as they have an open mind to start with, anybody’s opinion is valid. One of the reasons I don’t read them is because it’s endless. It’s not, “Okay, I’m going to read this person, this person, but I’m not going to read the other 15 articles, and these people have the mic.” It’s not quite fair, nor do I think it’s storytelling with integrity to just seek out what peoples criticisms are and address those criticisms without looking at the whole of the audience. And does online criticism represent the entirety of the audience? It is the same sort of demographics that are issuing those criticisms that are watching TV, just as far as their interests or their history with the show or any of those things.

And it works both ways. People are saying awesome things about the show. I also don’t think it’s like reading that and be like, “Ah yes, nailed it.” I don’t think that’s fair either. It’s a tricky thing because I don’t want the feeling that we’re ignoring it, but also I don’t think it’s wise if you print them all out and try to address everything. It’s just not telling a story with integrity. I mean would we have told [episodes 905 and 906 of The Walking Dead] the way that we did if we were just full of worries, if we were just trying to make sure that we weren’t taking a risk and ensuring that everybody in every sort of quarter would be happy with it, with the outcome, with Rick going? Which was happening either way, by the way.

So how do you decide in terms of when to creatively pivot or change course?

I truly believe that it is our job as storytellers to take risks, to do the unexpected and not just to shock people. I want to take stories in different directions than that have gone before. In taking those risks, the only thing you’re risking is the audience’s interests or their opinion of you. There’s a lot of people out there who don’t want to do that, who just want to go down the center path and ensure that there’s nothing for the audience to be upset with them about. If you’re truly serving the audience, if you truly care about the audience, if you’re trying to give them something different, you have to take risks.

I know it can be hard, and I know that people can be upset and you don’t want to upset people, you don’t want to make people sad in perpetuity, but you also don’t want to just give them a story where you didn’t try your best to do something special, unusual, something that they might remember the rest of their lives. If we’re not taking risks, we’re not serving the audience, we’re just serving ourselves. We’re just serving, making sure that no one’s upset with us. To really serve the audience, you got to put your neck out there. I’m very proud of these showrunners who have been taking incredible risks, and I’ve been standing right beside them every step of the way with it and sometimes pushing those risks forward very, very much myself.

It’s actually the thing I like most about the franchise. Even when you guys were pulling in the most insane numbers in the history of television on TWD, you were still doing crazy stuff you would never expect such a popular show to be doing. You mentioned that obviously this is all leading to season 6. What can you say at this point about what you all have planned creatively for season 6 on Fear?

I don’t know how much has been shared yet, but I’ll share a little of it unilaterally. Structurally, the show is going to change quite a bit. There’s going to be a great deal more focus within the stories, a little less vignette-y in telling 16 little movies. The guys are out of the gate wonderfully with the first two episodes, and it is a differentiating thing. It’s something that separates that show from the other two shows, telling these 16 little movies, being a bit more anthological. It still is a serialized story, but it’s told through these very focused perspectives.

I think that’s going to be something that the audience really digs. There’s these episodes like Al and Isabelle or June and Dorie that were super focused episodes, that were some of our favorite stories to tell, and we’re leaning into that a little more. That’s something that’s very exciting. Just what these characters are dealing with is very unusual to anything we’ve seen on the shows. Last season, there was a singularity of purpose, which is all these characters landed in this place of needing redemption. These characters are going to be in very different places now, and that’s going to add to the variety of storytelling, the conflict between the characters and the drama that springs forth from that.

I was talking to your showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss about that — how interesting it was that the end of season 4 was all about everyone finally coming together, and now at the end of season 5 you split everyone apart.

That was after they couldn’t have been more together, and more on the same page — really just going down the same path completely. They’re on a lot of different paths now, and that creates problems and it creates these very intense reunions. It just sort of widens our frame quite a bit, all these different perspectives telling all these different stories.

When you talk about intense reunions, could one of those intense reunions involve Sherry?

It could. It’s a pretty determined character. You never know. You don’t want me to say for sure.

Because I asked if the Commonwealth was part of the CRM, what about this group of Ginny’s that took everyone. Are they related to the CRM?

They are not. That’s an example, like when we talk about the Commonwealth, when we talk about Ginny — that is a rich and interesting story, and it’s big. We can have World Beyond touch upon it and actually sort of be living in it, and yet it still has this very, very different life in the movies because obviously Rick was on one of those helicopters. However big that story is, we don’t want that to be the story of The Walking Dead. I think that stuff is going to be super cool and people are going to dig it, but The Walking Dead is The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead is Fear the Walking Dead. It’s not like they might not touch upon it again, but it’s super important that they have their own stories. We are developing other mythologies like the CRM mythology within this universe, and this is sort of the first mythology, but there’s going to be more.

Do you envision a time jump on Fear to get it more in line with the other shows in terms of timeframe or not?

That is something we’re playing around with for the future, and time is actually going to be played around with on this season of Fear the Walking Dead. Yeah, who knows? I would love to get to be like Crisis on Infinite Earths. That would be super cool, but that’s way down the line.

When you say time is going to be played with on next season of Fear, what do you mean?

We’re going to see a lot of time pass. There is a lot of time that can pass, yeah.

I don’t know how you could have time for anything else while doing all these shows and the movies, but in terms of other forms, formats, video games, whatever — are there are other things percolating in the Walking Dead universe, even if it’s down the line more?

Oh, absolutely. We’re working on a big push of something I was working on originally and then I got much more focused on the shows in my first year on this job and developing World Beyond and getting the movie going. We really do want to come out with different TV formats, meaning shorter things, and then some event series, limited event series. I’m trying to get together a number of different things that we can show at different times during the year, and this focuses on characters we miss and we lost. It focuses on aspects of that new mythology. It focuses on stories that occur in our universe and have nothing to do with anything. Nothing to do with the shows or the movies, that are just these little zombie tales that happen in our world with our rules and our timeline but are just really great zombie stories, really great stories of the end of the world. I’ve been working on that with a variety of people, and that’s actually proving to be super fun and interesting.

What about filling in some backstories for characters and characters maybe that have already died along the way on Walking Dead or other shows?

That’s exactly what we’re doing. I mean, it isn’t the only thing we’re doing. It’s not like everything is like Gotham, but that’s one of the sort of three kind of categories that we’re tackling. It’s awesome. It’s awesome to be able to play with characters that we’ve lost, and it’s awesome to fill in some of the blanks.

#posted w/o comment #ftwd

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