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from Lupita Nyong'o's Instagram

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Just finished rewatching Ep 06 with Kenya and watching the Echelon briefing again had my brain firing and I wanted to just share and get your thoughts? Because you’ve been so prolific with the commentary so far I’m hoping you can help me tell if I’m onto something or nah.

1. Rick was testing Thorne when he came back and she failed. And we think she said that thing about changing her mind on giving up especially because the upper Echelon would get to save people they love. She saw this as her path to getting back that person she lost.

2. So many people are saying Okafur was just as bad as Beale or a bad guy full stop and I completely disagree. This man bombed his own wife rather than kill a city. He was in deep but I’ll bet the MOMENT he got that briefing, it did not take and he started planning. He killed himself inside just like Rick you could see it in his performance he was half a person. He knew he could not have been the sword/bomb. He became the shield. He kept Rick alive. To save the world from the CRM. That is not evil or anything like Beale IMO. It’s very gray but I don’t mind gray in this universe. He found his sword/bomb in Rick and was not giving that up, he would say what he had to to get Rick to Beale’s desk — it was a one time shot because of how long it took (they’re reading up on the Cold War man come on) — and even threatening Michonne that one time, he was saying “I’m lost, they got me, I can’t get close enough but YOU CAN.” He knew that if his plan worked Michonne and Rick’s family would be safe anyway. He also knew the value of Rick propaganda just like Beale that’s why he said “you already have the power” because Rick had power Okafur could never. His story of bombing his wife was a good one but Rick’s? Invaluable. So instead of dropping a bomb on his wife, he dropped Rick (and Michonne unknowingly) on the CRM. To be honest I don’t even think he thought Pearl was an A, but knew he could use her to keep an eye on Rick. And it’s not like he planned to die. He likely would have done exactly what Rick and Michonne did with the Republic if he could’ve lived to stand next to them after. They would see Okafur coming (Beale did sort of but the temptation of Rick was too juicy for Beale to resist so he let that bomb get closer and closer and when it didn’t blow up in his face right away he accepted the gift).

3. What you said about Beale is so spot on. Everything he said in that briefing gave it all away. He killed his past to become king of the mountain and REALLY THOUGHT he was gonna be a dictator because of his B program and Rick’s loyalty. He keeps saying “I” - he alone made moves. HE decided on civil war in Philly. HE decided the answer to 1 million strong Walker hoards was to seize the opportunity and make himself a world out of the old one. But that wasn’t conviction. It was cowardice. Beale hates himself. Likely a product of his father’s abuse. He spent years in the military trying not to hate himself but he failed. Now he gets to fashion a world that accepts him, looks up to him, and has no idea who he used to be/hate. But our baby boy Rick took him down so easy because Rick ACTUALLY HAS CONVICTION. Hell yeah he got taken down in disbelief, an elderly military guy who likely hasn’t actually had to fight since he became a military leader before the turn. Hell yeah Rick ran him through with his own fraudulent sword, because he’s a weak coward facing off with a man who chopped off his own damn hand just for love.

Ok I know that’s all a word salad but I hope I make some sense?

WHEW! I’m love this show!!! Thank you for involuntarily coming to my TED Talk.

hahaha I love this TED talk so thanks for inviting me!

I’ll try this in points like you did:

1. That’s an interesting point and I did kind of see it - though in Ep 04/05 he says to Michonne “she’s one of them”, and they’re even like gossiping about how hard she was going for the CRM. So yeah, I think he knew where he stood with Thorne, but also maybe hoped that there was some room for him to maneuver (or maybe he was trying to figure out how much room). But ofc she failed terribly.

2. I have posted some thoughts on Okafor and I’m actually working on a post re:his relationship with Power (compare-contesting with Beale’s - the books that the show decides to label them with are RICH in meaning), so I’ll be returning to this, but I guess the TL;DR is: Beale was broken before the apocalypse, while Okafor was broken by the apocalypse. They landed in the same place coming from essentially opposite trajectories, but their final meeting point remains the same. Intentions and their own personal narratives (the ones they tell themselves) aside, they do land side by side. So yes, degrees of evil, and incidental evil, but still…I’m much less confident that he would have gone with Michonne’s plan. I’m still working on the other post, but I will point out that Munenori and Ueshiba (the authors referenced by Beale and Okafor respectively) were both traditionalists, and Ueshiba very much a nationalist.

3. Ooh I like the bit about conviction because I do think Beale had “conviction” meaning he was convinced of his own greatness? But the rest was all bullshit so consciously or unconsciously he was standing on a sand castle. Meanwhile Rick like you said, he had the realest most solid of motivations. And (you know, cause I’m me) from a historical/institutional pov, we know these fellows are cowardice personified so I love that detail too, because it’s very true to life.

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House in a Garden Gianni Botsford Architects archdaily

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you know I had to pick songs that remind me of richonne in some way :) thanks for the tag @sarcasmchandlerbing 💗

W - We Belong Together by Mariah Carey

H - Here I Stand by Usher

A - As It Was by Hozier

T - Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay

E - Enchantment by Corinne Bailey Rae

V - Very Special by Debra Laws

E - End of Time by Beyoncé

R - Rule The World by Take That

I - I Was Made For Loving You by Tori Kelly & Ed Sheeran

S - Some Unholy War (Down Tempo) by Amy Winehouse

B - Blue Ocean Floor by Justin Timberlake

E - Every Kind Of Way by H.E.R.

A - A Long Walk by Jill Scott

U - Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready) by Alicia Keys

T - Treasure by Bruno Mars

I - I Need You Tonight by James Morrison

F - For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder

U - U Move, I Move by John Legend & Jhené Aiko

L - Little Bit More by Jidenna (shoutout @ririchonne making me realize this song has big Say Yes energy 😊)

rules: pick a song for every letter of your url and tag that many people (if you want to 💕)

@conquerwarrior @givesupp @minitelsoleil @ririchonne @babydollyparton @richonnelvr218 @can08writer @glowysweetfab @yellehughes @sophiasown @msjrichonne @wontlasttwodays @ginblanco-77stuff @mylifesasafangirl @tinuvielstrider9 @dmightykatana @rpz127 @michonneswig @lazyexceptwhencooking

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Ezekiel being a dead man walking is crazy!

Rick possessively putting Michonne’s wedding ring on her finger mid stroke??? Rick is an insanely whorish and romantic man MY GOD

he's such a freak I'm so obsessed with him. btw everybody pray for ezekiel 🙏

no but that was. something. and you can see her eyebrows raise a little, and then she does that inhale? she was sooo into it god BLESS

#if he’s smart he’d just stay away #richonne #michonne grimes #michonne #certifiable!

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Rick Grimes’s TOWL journey and George Orwell P1:

“We are the dead” is my favourite quote from 1984. It’s stayed with me through the years because to me, it’s such a perfect distillation, a sort of shorthand for what Big Brother and the Party were trying to accomplish: reshape humans into empty vessels to be filled with …whatever the regime chose to pour into them.

There are real life parallels to this - I keep referencing Pinochet in my posts and maybe this is why: every time I think of that coup, I think of Victor Jara, of how Roberto Saviano likes to frame the story of Jara as effective activism (and a threat to the Pinochetist vision) precisely because how his music prioritised personal and emotional connections, and fascism can’t abide by that. Your life, your loyalty must belong to the leader. To the cause.

They’re not gone, we are Thorne says to Rick, and that becomes the theme of the show. Who exactly are the ones who live? What does it mean at the end of the world, when it’s all said and done, to really live? The show keeps pushing Rick to answer this question over and over and over -six episodes in a row.

At the top of Episode 01, we find Rick in a tug of war between two opposing forces: his humanity (Michonne, his children, his community), and the demands of CRM. And listen, props to the guy, he holds. I mean, the hand thing is really the least (though most visceral thing) he does. But by Episode 04 it’s clear he’s been fighting it out in his mind and resisting the break for eight fucking years (like. Respect ok? I get depressed when the sun doesn’t come out for a week!). It’s a kind of staggering feat (more than killing a dude with his teeth) that he lasted as long and as well as he did, when he could have blamelessly given up -but it’s the strength of his yearning and love for his family that sustains him, and ultimately it’s the very real fear that his family will be put in danger that lets the CRM side win out.

BUT!!! the show does this amazing, incredibly beautiful thing that is even more noticeable in retrospect: through the episodes we see the burning motif, as Rick clings to the idea that by following his fathers footsteps and doing something terrible, something good can come out. But what the character seems unaware of is this: unlike his dad (who was clearly an asshole and a dumbass and I will happily go into why on a whole other post so maybe don’t ask me), unlike Okafor who killed his wife, unlike Beale who burned down his whole city, Rick will only put himself in the chopping block -he’ll burn himself, he’ll maim, kill himself, but he will not risk his wife, his family or even this new strange city as it turns out.

He’s happy to go zombie-like along with whatever right until Michonne shows up. Episode 03, right off the bat he’s out to con Thorne, lie to Beale, deal with Jadis…he’ll beg borrow or steal, he’ll murder, anything to make sure Michonne is safe and makes it out alive. Because his life he can give up on, his humanity (through Michonne and the children), not so much.

I learned how to be dead and keep on living. Having the beloved main guy on a show about zombies say that…if he had been bit, it would have been less heartbreaking. What does it mean to live? When you can’t even look at your wife, hold her without your breath catching in fear; when the news of a new child makes your blood run cold. How do you live like that? You can’t come here and make me feel alive again…What if she catches fire like in his dreams? What if they all do? He’s so terrified of losing them that he’ll endure anything to maintain even just the fiction of their well-being. Because (thank you show, I love you show) he’s NOT Okafor and he is NOT his father.

[P2 here]

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This moment is pure unadulterated heat

🥵

#Ricks smoldering look and intensity #and michonnes challenging defiance! #😳🫣🥵🥴 #damn these two are so hot! #richonne #richonneedit #richonne edit #rick and michonne #michonne x rick #michonne #rick x michonne #michonne grimes #rick grimes

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DELETED SCENE OF EPISODE 6 "THE LAST TIME" 🥹❤️🥹

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Me at Scott’s and Danai’s and Andy’s doors begging them for more: You can’t just leave us like that. I don’t even want a story. Just get together and film some scenes of what live at the Grimes’ is like now. It doesn’t have to follow a big narrative arc or anything. But I do need to see it. What type of activities and the likes does Rick do to spend time with his kids and get to know them? What does Michonne do to ‘make up’ for the year she missed? How do they adjust to being now a 4 person household? Where is it seamless? Where do they struggle a bit? How does Rick occupy his kids when he needs some alone time with his wife (that man is not done, ok lol)? Rick being the most attentive and present father to be there has ever been during Michonne’s pregnancy (listen, she’s already pregnant, it’s not up for debate lol). What incredible heartstopping declarations of love does Rick keep dropping on Michonne? What little gifts does he keep finding for her? I need to see all of this and so much more. PLEAAAAASE. Who do I need to bribe??? What do I need to do??

This is why the world needs fanfiction writers 😭😭 I hope all the richonne fanfic writers don't go back into hiding again. Now is when we need them the most!!!

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The most disappointing thing about Thorne was her hypocrisy. She kissed and pledged allegiance to the sword. I’m assuming the offer Beale gave to Rick, allocating resources to bringing back loved ones was the same given to Thorne. I don’t understand how Thorne can hear the echelon briefs, along with the plan to gas Portland and kidnapping the children and still be ok with everything the CRM was doing. Guessing Thornes age, I’m assuming she was around during apartheid. You’d think her bullshit radar would be higher. I don’t understand her motivations.

#richonne #the ones who live #rick grimes #towl #pearl thorne #Michonne

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What are some of your recommended readings?

This is a broad ask, but since I did make a crack about book lists on my notes about Thorne, gonna assume it’s about that and go with it.

First of all, I always rec Eco’s Ur-fascism l, which is a great meditation on the topic. Also J.M. Berger’s Extremism is a bit more academic but very very short and a solid intro to how Extreme movements build and recruit.

A bit more in the weeds maybe, but Berger also wrote something recently on The Five Dystopian Narratives which gets to the heart of the Echelon briefing myth making in-universe: essentially a narrative meant to activate and mobilise the new recruits by making them the “chose ones”, and providing a vision of the world that could possibly end well if only they would do their part.

On the topic of fascism among military officers/vets, Katheryn Belew has been on this beat for -well over ten years now, Jesus. Her book Bring The War Home is fairly short, very accessible, but still well-researched and rigorous.

Relatedly, if you’re into podcasts, Leah Sotile’s Two Minutes Past Nine (BBC4) ties into Belew’s work by exploring the Oklahoma City bombings, which were perpetrated by an accelerationist who some people would like to forget was also a vet. And if you’re more into documentaries, “Against All Enemies” goes also into it from a different angle (I wasn’t a fan of the framing but if it gives people stuff to work with, who am I to complain).

More generally, on fascism, Ruth Ben Ghiat has been writing about it since before it was cool (literally more than 20 years), and her book Strongmen does a nice roundup of fascist leaders from across the world - it’s very accessible by design, as it was meant for a general audience not academics (as it should be because clearly more people need to read about this stuff). She also wrote a textbook on Italian Fascism if that’s more your speed. Brian Klass’s Corruptible is a survey along the same lines as Ben-Ghiat’s Strongmen, so I should add.

And finally, may seem like a weird tangent, but given that what the CRM was proposing to do is comparable to our own North Korea (and they were already in effect holding the city hostage), I have to drop a mention for Anna Fifield’s The Great Successor.

#how to be a decent human being #civic duty fundamentals #book recs #towl related

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I’ve scene weirdos complaining about Rj being useless and not being a badass like his father. I’m glad RJ’s not like that. of course Rick would want for Judith, RJ, and other children to be capable (let’s me honest, michonne is definitely pregnant again). But he wouldn’t want them to be unfeeling sociopaths. The theme over and over again has been there’s strength in empathy. at this point, why do some of these people watch the twd/ towl in the first place? they’re purposely missing important themes.

Any hope of me getting sleep is out the window (I’m literally drinking coffee right now) so let’s talk about how that ending shows what a spectacular mum Michonne is, yeah?

Judith “I didn’t want you to feel alone”

RJ: “I believed”

Like. I don’t know if y’all here, on tumblr dot com, the monsterfucking while the horrors continue unabated website, have noticed, but raising happy hopeful children in our current mess of a world is a fucking high task. Raising kind, hopeful children in the aftermath of the zombie fucking apocalypse?? As a single mum? Listen.

I better not catch anyone saying a bad word about my Queen after this. Even Rick won’t beat me to the first punch.

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Michonne by Fran Narváez

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NO because Rick hallucinated Michonne on the bridge and they kissed on their knees and then Rick PROPOSED to Michonne in the woods and they were on their knees and I’m unwell 🫠

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Look at his face. Rick Grimes is big MAD at Jadis for ruining his plans.

We know what he likes to do in the mornings with michonne. 🫣👀

And now he’s got to deal with Jadis’s bullshit. 🤬

#Jadis is the biggest c*ckblock #michonne grimes #richonne #michonne #rick grimes #michonne x rick #richonneedit #richonne edit

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Stop! My heart. I can not.

one small and so DEVASTATINGLY beautiful detail they put into Rick's headspaces is that, at the CRM he almost always slept with his prosthetic (like a gun under a pillow) but whenever he's with Michonne, he sleeps without it!

Guys! Just like how Michonne says she's only safe with him, Rick is shown to feel safe with her too!

FINALLY, BOTH FEEL SAFE!

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Does anyone else think those 3 idiots were suspiciously clean/healthy and sane? if they were surviving and living by “ dog, eat dog” mentality, they wouldn’t have survived as long? Over and over again the show has a emphasize the importance of pulling together, showing empathy, compassion, and brutality only when it’s necessary. If they lived by Shane’s motto they would’ve died a lot quicker. Not everyone’s is as forgiving as Rick and michonne. Or they’d have gone totally insane, dirty, inhumane and basically like the walking dead themselves. The only person I felt sorry for was the girl who seemed to want to do the right thing.

#michonne grimes #rick grimes #the ones who live #towl #michonne