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walkerwords · 3 years

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“The Savior Sessions” Part 17 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: Following the fallout of their argument, the reader is still trying to deal with their thoughts about Negan. Meanwhile, Daryl, Connie, Lydia, and Henry arrive at Alexandria. With everything going on and the fair only a day away, there are decisions to be made.

Word Count: 4372

Warning: Swearing

Song I Wrote To: “First” by Cold War Kids

Note: Another filler before our big part which is up next...I am putting all the fair stuff in one part and I MEAN EVERYTHING. Part 19 will be the blizzard so Part 18 is going to be A LOT. *ALL ASL IN ITALICS*

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Something felt different when you woke up.

Your mother always used to say that people could feel it in the air when something was to come. You never put much stock in her ramblings, but that particular quote was sticking in your mind as you sat up in your bed.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window and you could hear the faint sounds of Alexandrians starting their days. The nightmares had been worse than usual during the night before and after waking up for the second time, you had to nearly restrain yourself from venturing out of your house and towards another.

The fact that Negan was the first person you thought of when fear entered your body made you feel even more confused. You were still furious with him, that much was clearly evident, but he was still there in the back of your mind. He was in your dreams, your everyday thoughts, and while you should have been focusing on Alpha and Daryl’s rescue plan, Negan was all you could think about.

After getting ready for the day, you strapped on Paul’s sword and headed from your home and towards the meeting hall. It still felt odd to consider the sword yours even though Aaron had given it to you personally. You began to wonder if imposter syndrome extended towards melee weapons.

Walking down the main road, you saw Judith with her brother heading towards the makeshift graveyard. You knew where she was going and you also knew that Judith loved to tell stories she heard from her mom about Carl. While Judith didn’t have many memories of her big brother, she could still remember what it felt like to be carried by him and how he cared for her. Carl had been there since the beginning to look after her and now it was Judith’s turn to do so for RJ.

Your gaze lingered on them for a bit before your eyes caught a commotion at the main gate. You could see Michonne standing on the watch post, looking down. With a furrowed brow, you began to walk forward when a movement out of the corner of your eye caught your attention.

Stopping in front of the Grimes’ house, you looked to see Negan leaning against the bars of his window. He looked at you with those same beautiful hazel eyes and determined set of his jaw. You stared back, remembering the last conversation you had had with the man. Negan had nearly begged you for forgiveness and you weren’t sure if you were actually willing to give it. At least, not yet. He went to say something when the gate slid open up ahead. Looking back, you were stunned at what you saw.

Daryl, Lydia, Connie, and to your ultimate surprise, Henry, were walking towards you. Dog trotted in front of his master, his tail up as he noticed you. When they got closer, you finally saw the state that your friend was in.

“Daryl?” you asked, shocked to see blood, Living blood, on his face and clothes. “What the hell happened to you?” you asked as you left Negan behind and ran up to him.

“Kids need some food,” was all Daryl said. You then noticed that Henry was limping.

“They also need medical attention,” you said and then waved down Siddiq who was walking alongside Rosita. “Come on,” you said and then reached for Lydia who was shaking slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but you just shook your head.

“Not your fault, kid,” you said, brushing the hair from her face. “Let’s get you looked at.”

As Siddiq took a look at Henry and Lydia, Laura stood watch at Michonne’s request. You stood on the porch of the infirmary with Daryl, Michonne, and Connie. While your signing was still a bit rough, you could get by well enough for the time being. You had taught Deaf students when you were a teacher and you found that your knowledge of the language was slowly coming back to you.

“Are you hurt?” you asked Connie. She shook her head and then made the “D” letter with her right hand and dragged it over her eye. You then realized that was the Name Sign she had given to Daryl, most likely due to his scar. You thought it was fitting.

Connie was telling you that Daryl was hurt, but you knew that he wouldn’t even let you clean his wounds until he knew the kids were okay.

“Someone wanna tell me what happened?” you asked as you leaned against the side of the house, your ankles crossed.

“Beta happened,” Daryl said as he matched your position on the other side.

“Alpha’s man,” Connie signed and you translated for Michonne and Laura, who was listening in the doorway.

“So, it’s not just Alpha we have to worry about? Great,” you said with a deep sigh.

“Asshole is massive,” Daryl said. “Threw me around like I was nothin’ and didn’t hesitate at all to try and kill us. Lydia says he’s the best fighter they got.”

“Fantastic,” you groaned.

“He’s the one that captured Henry,” Daryl explained.

“Which brings me to my question,” Michonne said. “Why the hell was Carol’s son out there in the first place?”

“He went after her, didn’t he? After we traded her for Alden and Luke?” you asked and Daryl nodded.

“Takes after his damn mother,” Daryl muttered, but you could hear a bit of admiration in his tone. Which was how he usually sounded when he spoke about Carol.

“How’d you get her back?”

“Got into their camp,” Daryl said. “There’s a lot more of these assholes than we thought. We couldn’t see all of ‘em, but there are enough to make me nervous.”

“You being nervous, makes me nervous,” you said pushing off the wall.

“Where’s he now?” Michonne asked. “Beta?”

“Threw his giant ass down an elevator shaft,” Daryl said.

“So, he’s dead?” Daryl looked between you, Connie, and Michonne and you could see the fatigue weighing on him and also, the anger.

“For all our sakes,” he said. “He better be.”

------

Once the Doc had cleared both Lydia and Henry, you invited the teenagers as well as Connie and Daryl to stay in your house for the time being.

You knew that Daryl wanted to keep moving in case Alpha had sent out more scouts, but you also knew that they needed to take a breather, even if it was just until nightfall.

You could hear Connie sitting and playing with Dog outside while Daryl spoke with Henry. You knew how important Henry was to Carol and because of that, Daryl would do anything to protect the kid.

However, right now, he seemed to be taking on the role of disappointed uncle. He was using his “parent voice” as you liked to call it. He used to use it a lot with Carl and then when Judith would cause trouble years before. Beth once joked that he had become the father of the group. Daryl had just rolled his eyes, but you knew that meant a lot to him. It told him that all of you, even Rick, relied on him.

Lydia was sitting in the living room when you found her. Sitting next to her on the couch, you tried to see the resemblance between her and her mother. It was there slightly, but only in looks. You couldn’t see the hatred that you saw in Alpha. However, you did see a small bit of resilience and that only told you how much she had to adapt to live within the Dead.

“I’m sorry,” you began. Lydia looked at you in confusion. “I said a lot of horrible things to you when we had you locked up. I made assumptions and it was unfair.”

“I didn’t really give you much of a chance to trust me,” Lydia said, turning her attention back to her hands in her lap.

“Then I guess we both need fresh starts,” you said and then offered her your hand. “Hi, I’m (Y/N).” Lydia hesitantly took your hand and gave you a small smile.

“I’m Lydia,” she said and you smiled at her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lydia.” When you dropped her hand, she glanced back towards where Daryl and Henry were.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Lydia said, talking about Jesus. “And because my mom took your other friends.”

“We got them back,” you reminded her. “I just wish we could have gotten them back without throwing you back to the wolves.”

“Yeah, then maybe Henry wouldn’t have gone after me and gotten hurt,” she said sadly.

“Maybe not, but Henry is as stubborn as his mother and as loyal as his father. Trust me when I say that he doesn’t need an excuse to make dumbass decisions.”

“What’s his mom like?” Lydia asked and you paused, trying to figure out how to put Carol into words.

“I’ve known his mom for a very long time. Actually since the beginning of all this,” you began. “Carol has been through a lot and she has lost a lot of people to get to the place she is right now. She has lost children, especially. Carol isn’t a person whom you need to be afraid of if you have good intentions.”

“And if you have bad intentions?” Lydia asked carefully.

“Let’s just say that when she wants to be, Carol can be even more terrifying than your mother. The difference is, is that Carol’s rage and her skills come from love and the need to protect her family.”

“You don’t think my mom is like that?”

“I don’t know your mother,” you admitted. “Though I have known people like her and if I had to guess what she values most, I would say it’s power and survival. Alpha seems to be the person who would sacrifice her young to protect the pack and that is why I don’t want you to go back to her.”

“You don’t even know me,” Lydia said. “You only know what you’ve seen.”

“ ‘To perceive is to suffer’,” you quoted with a smile. Lydia’s brow furrowed. “Aristotle said that,” you explained.

“Who?”

“I’ll tell you about them later. Point is,” you said, taking her hand, “I only saw what I wanted to see because I thought that suffering was better than trying to see your side of everything.”

“So, what does this mean?” Lydia asked.

“It means that I am not going to let anything happen to you. Especially at the hands of your mother.”

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Later that day, Michonne found you.

Daryl was inside with the others when she came walking towards your house. She gestured you down off the porch as she got closer. “What’s up?” you asked as you approached.

“We’re doin’ the fair,” Michonne explained.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Michonne nodded and then let out a heavy sigh.

“Henry said that The Kingdom is failing. They need this. Judith recently reminded me that we need each other and that we need to start thinking about the others again.”

“Wise girl,” you complimented and she smiled.

“Just like her dad,” Michonne said.

“Michonne, I want to help Kingdom, you know I do. I would do anything to help Carol and Ezekiel, but what if Alpha finds out that we have her kid? What then? Not to mention that Daryl attacked Beta and we don’t even know if he’s alive or not.”

“We’ll deal with it, just as we’ve dealt with everything else.”

“We’ve never seen anything like this before and you know it.”

“We can’t ignore them anymore, our friends,” she explained. “I know this is going to be rough, but we’ve won wars before.”

“So you do think this is going to end in a fight, then?”

“It always does, (Y/N),” Michonne said.

“I know you don’t trust her, Lydia, I mean,” you said.

“You’re right, I don’t,” she said.

“There is a lot of shit goin’ on right now, but we have to protect her just like we once protected Enid when she had nobody.”

“Enid isn’t the daughter of a killer,” Michonne reminded you.

“No, she’s not, but she could have gone down a different path. Just because she found Alexandria, that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have turned for the worse. If it wasn’t for Maggie and… and Carl, who knows what would have happened to her.” Michonne was quiet for a moment.

“You’re saying that Henry is Lydia’s Carl?”

“I’m saying that she’s a scared kid who needs everyone in her corner to keep her safe and help her make the right decision.”

“And that’s gonna be you?”

“I’m gonna damn well try to be.”

---------

It was night when Daryl and the others were getting ready to leave.

You met them at the gate as Connie helped Henry balance on his staff, trying to get a rhythm going for their travels. You figured they were going to be headed to Kingdom, but you didn’t know where Daryl would be going after that. Lydia stood by, watching the duo with a smile.

When Daryl noticed you standing off to the side, he joined you. “We didn’t get a chance to talk. Not really,” he said.

“There will be other times,” you said with a bump to his shoulder.

“Judith talked to me,” he said.

“Yeah?” you asked, avoiding the look he was giving you.

“You should know that she hears a lot more than ya think.”

“Meaning she heard the argument Negan and I had,” you realized. Daryl grunted in agreement. “Just great.”

“She’s worried about ya, thinks you’re not gonna forgive him,” Daryl said.

“Judith should mind her own business,” you muttered.

“Are ya? Going to forgive him?”

“What would be the point? The situation is gonna still be the same. Negan is gonna be locked up and I’ll be out trying to fight another battle that we shouldn’t be in in the first place.”

“Self-pity don’t look good on ya,” Daryl said.

“That’s not—”

“Ya, it is,” he interrupted. “I already told ya my thoughts on you and him. I still stand by them, but ya gotta start usin’ your brain, Kid.” You smiled at the nickname. It was something he had called you when you first met, even though you were around the same age as Maggie.

“I thought the heart was supposed to make these kinds of decisions?”

“Nah, ya gotta use both. Don’t believe that poetic bullshit.”

“Are you sure you weren’t a motivational speaker before all this?” you joked.

“Not unless ya count me yellin’ at Merle to get his shit together when the son of a bitch was high and chasin’ birds through the streets.”

“I do,” you decided. Daryl snorted but stayed quiet. “You’re leavin’ with Lydia after you get Henry home, aren’t you?”

“It’s for the best,” he said.

“Is it?”

“People don’t trust her,” Daryl said.

“That’s not her fault.”

“No, it ain’t,” he said, “but I’m not about to leave her vulnerable to people who don’t want her around. Maybe removing Lydia from the equation will make Alpha leave everyone else alone.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” you sighed.

“I gotta try.”

“I know,” you said and then leaned into him. He put his arm around and you savored the small moment. “Please be careful.”

“I will,” he said and then he pushed back to see your face. “Come with me.”

“What?”

“I know ya have been lost for a while. Judith mentioned you isolate yourself. Maybe you just need a break.”

“What happened to me needing to figure out my shit here?”

“Fuck that,” Daryl said. “I ain’t always right.”

“I’m needed here, D,” you said.

“By who? Michonne? Or Negan?”

“Judith,” you said. “RJ, Laura, Scott, Gabriel, Siddiq, and Ro who are about to be parents,” you reminded him. “I can’t just run away.” He caught your double meaning.

“Ya mean like I did?” he asked, but there was no venom in his voice.

“I never blamed you for leaving after Rick, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think that you should have been around more.” He nodded, understanding where you were coming from.

“So, that’s a no?”

“Yeah, D, it’s a no,” you said and then sighed, but pulled you back into him, gripping you tight.

“Remember what I said, Kid, don’t try to fix him. We are the way we are and if you somehow found something you care about in a man like that, don’t try to find a reason to ruin it.”

“I thought people could change,” you said into the side of his neck.

“They can, but deep down, there’s always that one thing that makes them, them,” he said.

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” he whispered. “Yours is that you don’t give up. Never have, and I don’t think ya ever will. I’ll see ya soon, I ain’t gonna just disappear again.”

“Promise?”

“Ya, I promise.”

“Good,” you said and then squeezed him once more before he shouldered his bow and with a quick whistle had Dog running after him. You actually believed him this time that you would see him soon and that was comforting. Connie waved to you as the gate slid closed and you were only hoping that whatever they had planned, they would get through it alive.

---------

The next day, it was early and Alexandria was saddling up to head out for The Kingdom.

You found yourself heading to Aaron’s, trying to muster up the courage to speak to him. You missed him and you knew that whatever was going on between the two of you, you needed to deal with it before it got worse.

Knocking on the door and Gracie answered. “Hey Gracie,” you greeted. “Is your dad home?”

“Daddy! (Y/N)’s here!” she shouted behind her and then turned back to you with a large grin on her face. “He’s getting things ready for the fair,” she explained.

“Are you excited?” you asked as you heard Aaron’s footsteps approaching.

“Yes!” she said, jumping up and down a bit. Aaron appeared behind her, his eyes narrowed at you on his front porch.

“Hey,” you said.

“Gracie, why don’t you go finish putting your bag together?” Aaron suggested.

“Okay! Bye, (Y/N)!” she said, as exuberantly as always. You didn’t know where she got all her energy from. When she was out of sight, Aaron turned his attention back to you.

“Can we talk?” you asked and he hesitated. “Please.” With a sigh, he gestured to the bench on his porch and you quickly took a seat, eager to say your piece. Aaron was quiet as you took a breath. “Aaron, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked.

“Being an asshole and not being a very good friend these past couple of months. I’ve been confused and angry and I have been taking it out on you instead of dealing with it.”

“I guess that’s one way to put it,” He said with a snort. He then turned his gaze towards the Grimes house and what was beneath it. “I just hate that you stick up for him.”

“I know.”

“And what’s worse is that I can see that he makes you happy. I don’t know what to do with that, (Y/N).”

“I don’t know what to do with it either. To be honest, I don’t know what to do with any of it. The last thing I ever expected was to care about someone after the world ended, let alone someone like him.”

“Then why do you?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Why Negan?”

“I don’t know, Aaron. I guess maybe because I always felt misunderstood and like an outcast. I’ve done things I’m not proud of and I didn’t think I was worthy of forgiveness…”

“You think we should be forgiving him?” Aaron asked, raising his brows.

“No, because I know none of you will. I don’t even know if I could ever forgive him for what he did to Glenn and Abraham. I don’t know if I could forgive a lot of the things he did.”

“What do you know?” he asked.

“I know that whatever I feel for him is my business and something I need to figure out with him and only him. It’s something I would like to do without the entire town ready to pick up torches and pitchforks.” Aaron laughed at that.

“I don’t think we’d go that far,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” you said. “Negan isn’t perfect, but he’s not evil. There is good in him and I’ve seen it, but I need you to know that I don’t expect you to see it too.”

“Good, cause I won’t,” he said shortly.

“I know you hate him,” you continued, “but I don’t and I need time to figure out why.”

“Are you asking for my permission?”

“No, absolutely not,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “I’m just telling you that I don’t plan to turn my back on him, at least, not just yet.” Aaron nodded, his eyes staring at his boots. His right hand fiddled with the straps on his prosthetic as he thought about your words.

“Why are you mad at him?” Aaron said and you paused, not expecting the question.

“Who says I’m mad at him?”

“I know you,” he said.

“God, I really wish people would stop saying that,” you said, rubbing at the back of your neck.

“I’ll tell you what,” Aaron said. “I’ll stop being an ass to you if you stop being an ass to me, deal? I think we’ve lost enough already to not have each other’s backs. I don’t need any more regrets.” You reached over and offered your hand. He took it and squeezed it in his own. The loss of Paul was still weighing on both of you as if it had happened only hours before rather than days. Aaron was trying and so, you decided you should too.

“Okay, I’ll take that deal.”

“Maybe you just need to take a breather,” Aaron said. “And I mean a real break. One where you’re not dealing with Walkers, Whisperers, or missing friends.”

“Are you suggesting I take a vacation?” you asked with your brows raised.

“Come with me to the fair,” he offered. “Help us with Kingdom. I know you turned Michonne down, but I am willing to convince you.”

“How are you planning to do that?” you asked. Aaron then smiled at you.

“I think I overheard Enid say that Alden has been singing more often. How much do you wanna bet he’s gonna get roped into singing a verse or two?” Aaron sent you a wink and you knew that there was no point in arguing with him.

“Fine, I’ll go,” you relented. “But first, I gotta talk to someone.”

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Before you headed out with the caravan, you made a final stop.

“Here to yell at me some more?” Negan said as you opened the door.

“Do you want me to?” you asked, approaching the bar.

“Not particularly,” he said as he sat up on his cot.

“I’m going to the fair,” you announced. He stood up at that.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, concerned.

“Seems to be. Kingdom needs this and so do I,” you said.

“I don’t like the thought of you going out there with those freaks running around,” he admitted.

“I can handle it,” you assured him but then decided to reveal something else. Something you had been careful not to let anyone else know.

“What is it?”

“They terrify me, Negan. These Whisperers are absolutely horrifying. You asked me not too long ago when the last time I was afraid and I said it was the day Rick died. Now? Now, it’s when I saw those...people walk with the Dead and look at us as if we were the ones who weren’t alive. It was when we were in that graveyard as they killed Jesus... I don’t know what to do with those feelings.”

Negan thought for a moment, almost moved by the fact that you had decided to come to him with this. Especially considering how your last conversation had gone. All he wanted to do was reach for you and take you into his arms, but he knew had lost those privileges the second he snuck beyond the walls. Instead, he went back to the roots of your communication. He offered a quote.

“‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it’,” he said quietly and you recognized it immediately.

“Nelson Mandela,” you whispered.

“He was brave, just as you are. I don’t care what they think or what they see. You are stronger than them and the only way they win is if you let them,” Negan said. “Look at me,” he ordered and you did. There was a fire in his eyes, but not the one that was usually there. It wasn’t one of tenderness, but of steel resolve. “Don’t give her an inch. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I know you don’t trust me, but I trust you, (Y/N). Help your friends and then come back. We have a lot to talk about.” You nodded, trying to memorize the words that he said, letting them cement in your mind.

Turning to go, you paused in the doorway. “Promise me something,” you said, looking back over at him.

“Anything.”

“There’s a line, the one that separates us from becoming like them,” you said and he knew you meant Alpha and her people. “If you ever see me about to cross that line…”

“I’ll drag you back even it means I have to take down every last one of them to do it,” he swore, that fire lighting up his eyes even more. You nodded, grateful for his response. “(Y/N),” he said, stopping you one last time.

“Yeah?”

“I promise I’ll be here when you come home,” he said and with those words, your heart felt an ounce lighter.

“I know.”

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#negan x reader #the savior sessions #savior sessions #negan imagine #Negan #the walking dead #twd imagines #twd #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead fanfic #walkerwords #twd imagine series #the walking dead x reader

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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Preacher: The Most Shocking Moments From the Comics

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There are plenty of differences between the Preacher TV series and the comics, but the commitment to shock value remains the same.

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This article contains major spoilers for the Preacher comics and probably the TV series, too. It's also completely unsuitable for younger or more sensitive readers.

In the world of Preacher, horror is the eleventh commandment.

TV fans are now in on what countless DC Comics and Vertigo fans have known for years, that when it comes to shocking moments, no comic on the planet can hold a candle to Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher. When Preacher began in 1995, from the very first page, it was clear that this was a comic that knew no boundaries, a comic that pushed the envelope on good taste and social taboos while testing the limits of the comic book medium. But make no mistake, underneath those gorgeous Glenn Fabry covers beat a huge heart, because as offensive and nasty as Preacher usually got, the comic book epic also delivered a very human and often moving story of love, hope, and friendship.

But we’re not here to talk about that sappy stuff. We’re here to talk about the exit wounds, flayings, contusions, atrocities, sexual deviancy, depraved rednecks, incest, murders, mayhem, chaos, compound fractures, buggerings, cranial trauma, mass killings, food sex, regular sex, animal sex, fish sex, sheep sex, S&M, and decapitations that Preacher delivered on a regular basis.

Buy Preacher graphic novels on Amazon

An entire church burns to death, and that's just the start.

Ennis and Dillon’s Preacher opens with a church full of parishioners horribly burning to death. In the opening pages, before fans met Cassidy, Tulip, Arseface, the Saint of Killers, Herr Starr, or any of the major players of Vertigo’s magnum opus, they bore witness to Jesse Custer becoming possessed by Genesis, a metaphysical entity with the powers of God. Genesis gives Jesse the power to compel people with his voice (think a way more dashing and less creepy version of Jessica Jones’ Killgrave). And when the powerful entity possesses Custer, the joining kills everyone currently listening to a sermon in Custer’s church.

This moment of horrific blasphemous atrocity set the tone for Preacher, and it was seared into the minds of Vertigo’s faithful.

TC Buggers a Live Chicken

TC and his pal Jody were Jesse Custer’s childhood tormentors. They worked for Jesse’s evil Grandma Custer and kept order on her sprawling estate. TC was a clearly inbred redneck whose sexual proclivities were just as disturbing as his ghoul like face. TC and Jody made young Jesse’s life miserable as they enforced grandma’s rule with iron handed efficiency, administering beatings to Jesse on the regular.

read more: Why Sandman Was the Essential Horror Comic of the '90s

Things took an even more twisted turn when, one day, TC decided he was going to fuck a live chicken. Yes, Preacher went there. Sadly, Jesse’s best friend witnessed TC choking his chicken and was killed by the enraged poultry violator. This childhood trauma was one of the main reasons Jesse walked his path of righteousness and when Custer ran into Jody and the chicken-violating TC years later, all hell was coming for the animal buggerer and his evil pal.

There’s a Kid Whose Face Looks Like a Puckered Ass

Ah, poor Arseface. Ennis and Dillon introduced a hapless soul who botched a suicide attempt and ended up blowing off most of his face. But he lived, and the results aren't pretty.

read more: How They Create Arseface on TV

Preacher fans will never forget the reveal of the abused boy who would come to be known as Arseface. Dillon really went to town rendering the ruined visage of this poor soul, but despite the most horrific wounds, somehow, the boy’s eyes still shined with a total innocence. The always cheeky Cassidy the vampire dubbed the boy Arseface and the character was mostly played for laughs as the series progressed. Ennis had a blast telling Aresface’s side story as Preacher rolled on. Most of this tale was slide splitting as the poor earnest butt face tried to survive and thrive in a world that would collectively puke at the sight of his poor ruined face. But it was the first reveal of Arseface that balances that perfect blend of horror and humor fans came to expect from Preacher.

Face Off

Early in Preacher’s run, fans were introduced to Si Coltrane, an old pal of Cassidy’s. Cassidy met Coltrane at Woodstock and the two became fast friends. Coltrane became an investigative reporter who, when readers first met him, was on the trail of a serial killer known as the Reaver-Cleaver.

read more: Complete Guide to Preacher Season 4

When Ennis and Dillon first introduced the Reaver-Cleaver, the killer was hard at work on one of his victims. The moment was an instance of absolute terror as readers were forced to witness the Reaver slowly slice off a man’s face and then nail the removed skin mask upside down to the still living victim. It was a masterful splatterpunk moment of pure body atrocity as Preacher proved to fans that it would not pull punches when it comes to a liberal application of gore and violence.

Jesus DeSade

The character of Jesus DeSade probably epitomizes the Preacher experience. DeSade is an unforgettable character who leads a cult called the Gomorrah People, a group famous for throwing legendary sex parties where nothing is taboo. What starts out as a humorous romp through fetishism and strange eroticism soon takes a truly dark turn.

After Cassidy’s girlfriend overdoses on heroin, the vampire, Custer, and Tulip try to find out who sold the poor girl the drug. Their investigation takes them to one of DeSade’s famed parties and what the trio finds would make the Overlook Hotel blush. The whole building now, not just the weird Nazi bartender and the guy in the teddy bear costume. Every room in DeSade’s crib was brimming with titillation and depravity, from guys buggering sheep, to whippings, floggings, and BDSM of every shape and size.

read more: 30 TV Shows to Watch Now That Game of Thrones is Over

Anyway, everything was erotic and a little strange (well, really strange if you’re the sheep), but nothing horrific. Until Jesse stumbles into a room where De Sade is filming...well, we're not going to spoil it here. But this is where the mastery of Ennis and Dillon comes into play. Just a few panels before this reveal, the book was a laugh a minute parody of eroticism, but in an eye blink, Ennis and Dillon took readers to the darkest of places. What has been a very funny scene got very real, very quickly. It's terrifying stuff.

"Wub"

Poor Herr Starr. Starr is Preacher’s main antagonist, the leader of the Holy Order of the Grail, an ancient religious society meant to keep the blood of Jesus Christ pure (more on that in a bit). Starr is a master strategist and needs Jesse Custer to complete the Order’s domination of the world. Starr pursues Custer all over the US and what begins as a classic tale of good versus evil, ends up an X-Rated Road Runner cartoon for poor, poor Starr.

At one point, Starr is horribly injured and left for dead in a desert. Fortunately for Starr, he is rescued by the Chunt Brothers. Unfortunately for Starr, the Chunt Brothers are a family of inbred cannibals. By the way, inbred villains are kind of a motif in Preacher. The Chunts plan to nurse Starr back to health in order to fry him real nice and have themselves a Herr Starr banquet.

The youngest Chunt, Cyrus, has issues (see what happens after generations of inbreeding?) and keeps uttering “Wub” whenever he sees Starr. One day, Cyrus comes to Starr alone holding a gun and a roll of toilet paper. It turns out “Wub” means “Wipe,” because no one has wubbed Cyrus in a long time. So Starr has to get in there and clean Cyrus’ neglected Sarlaac Pit in order to distract the dirty bottomed young man so Custer’s arch nemesis could grab the gun and free himself.

Now, let’s dissect this. Cyrus is a cannibal with a butt that hasn’t been wubbed in perhaps months. So basically, Starr is forced to wub little bits of human remains from Cyrus’ nether regions. Have fun with this one AMC! wub.

The Descendant of Jesus Christ

Guys, I’m going to try and explain this one without offending anyone, but it’s going to be hard. As I said, the Order of the Grail’s aim was to keep Christ’s bloodline pure, so they inbred the descendants of Jesus so as not to taint the blood of the savior. Well, science tells us what happens when people keep it in the family, and all that happened as the modern day descendant of the son of God liked to pee on things (a lot) while saying things like “Suffer the little children! humperdumper-doo."

There Was a Villain that Fucked Meat

Smack dab in the middle of Ennis and Dillon’s Preacher run, Jesse Custer ran afoul of a corrupt meat packing industrialist named Odin Quincannon. During Custer’s quest to find God, the upright preacher loses faith and ends up in the small down of Salvation, Texas. Salvation is, in Ennis’ words, “the kind of place you ain't left by the time you're twenty-five, you're stuck."

It was in this atmosphere of hopelessness that gave rise to Odin Quincannon, a cruel, corrupt, hateful billionaire that ran Salvation with an iron fist. Odin was a creepy little man that allowed his meat packers to run rampant on Salvation, raping, pillaging and murdering whenever they felt the urge. Jesse took up the badge and became sheriff of Salvation and opposed Odin. Odin tried to kill Custer by sending the KKK after Custer, but our preacher stood tall and a titanic struggle for the soul of Salvation began.

Now, all that is riveting, but where does the disturbing come in? Well, I’m about to tell you and if you had plans to go to a steak house or deli today, you might want to start considering some vegetarian alternatives.

Odin would frequently go into his shed to relax. From there, readers would hear Odin saying things like “Spread the cheese” and other disturbing utterances. When all Hell came a callin’ for Odin, Custer found the man in his shed making love to a woman...made of meat. She had big turkey breasts, and a giant ham head, and sausage fingers and yeah, Odin Quincannon was screwing a meat woman.

The image was Steve Dillon’s most twisted visual in his entire run on Preacher. The page is haunting as a drooling, pathetic Odin Quincannon finds one last moment of solace by inserting his pecker into a woman made of meat. Pot roast pounding, veal-sturbation, turkey tumbling, ground beef insertion, sausage fondling, steak humping, pork porking...

The Saint of Killers

OK, imagine Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and WWE’s Undertaker coalesced into a Voltron-like murder machine and you have the Saint of Killers. The Saint was once a frontiersman and former soldier who happily lived off the land with his family. When his beloved kin were felled by a fever, the future Saint went to get them the medicine they needed to survive. The soldier’s quest was fraught with peril and he was delayed. When he returned home, he found that it wasn’t the fever that killed his family; it was a group of roaming bandits. Swearing vengeance, the soldier gunned down all the bandits save the leader. The lead owlhoot grabbed a young girl as a hostage and the future Saint, so filled with vengeance, shot her through the head. His gun jammed and the bandit killed the soldier, leaving his vengeance incomplete.

The soldier may have died that day, but the Saint of Killers was born. He went down to Hell, but the killing didn’t stop. He gunned down every demon and devil he saw. The Saint was sent to heaven, but the killing still didn’t stop, he gunned down every angel he saw. The afterlife sent him to Earth and made the soldier the Patron Saint of All Killers. And the killing didn’t stop.

This brings the Saint into Jesse Custer’s story. The Saint is charged with tracking Custer and...well. It leads to a moment that is the essence of the sheer blasphemous gall of Preacher, a series where not even the Almighty is safe from a vengeance driven cowboy.

Read and download the Den of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Marc Buxton

Aug 6, 2019

Preacher

AMC

from Books https://ift.tt/2Tc5hWu

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tonightontv · 6 years

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Marti Noxon's latest drama (adapted from Sarai Walker's best-selling novel) comes to AMC, tackling fat acceptance and feminist vengeance.

AMC's Dietland would still be culturally notable if it were merely a timely and trenchant drama about fat acceptance. Adapted from Sarai Walker's best-selling novel by creator Marti Noxon, the series follows Plum Kettle (played by Joy Nash), an advice columnist ruled “morbidly obese” who plans on becoming the woman she always wanted to be via gastric bypass surgery. Then, like a fairy-tale protagonist, she's chosen by a magical godmother of sorts to fulfill her real destiny. Plum's fate isn't to look like a Disney princess, but to help all women feel like one — through whatever means necessary.

Dietland is a riveting whirligig of a show: a tale of self-discovery, a manifesto about sizeism, a screed against consumer capitalism and a mystery about a radical feminist terrorist cell that uses vigilante violence to punish rapists, pedophiles and…magazine editors. The anger it evinces against misogyny in the first two episodes is raw, searing and justified, but also a tad unfocused. It's still unclear whether the terrorists throwing bad men off planes and buildings seem kinda goofy because they were written to be that way, or because sympathetic villains are hard to write.

For a series that's mostly set in a picturesque cafe, a glamorous magazine headquarters and an unrealistically nice New York apartment (for which the underpaid Plum pays her uncle below-market rent), Dietland begins with a gritty montage. “Dear Kitty,” reads Plum from her in-box brimming with teenage girls' tears, addressed to the editrix-in-chief of Daisy Chain magazine, the cold and canny Kitty Montgomery (Julianna Margulies). We see a montage of all-too-common tragedies that befall all-too-many middle- and high-school girls: a black eye, bulimic vomiting, a knife blade slashing tender flesh. Also included are images of an arm rash, an eyebrow pluck and flattening out curls. Dietland's boldest assertion is that milder forms of sexism — like being judged for being plus-sized or catcalled on the street — are on a spectrum with more brutal acts at the extreme end. It's undeniably true, but there's also something queasy about that lack of nuance.

But it just might be that pattern-finding — that grouping of diverse but related acts of transgression — that gives Dietland its significant emotional power: There's no end to the variations that misogyny will take. The last show to come out of the gate this relevant and think piece-ready was Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, which channeled fears of what those in charge might secretly want out of women. Dietland deals not with the abstract, but the concrete: What if everyday instances of sexism — which obviously hurt girls and women — were treated like criminal acts? A scene in which a Terry Richardson-like photographer, with a reputation for being creepy toward models, is kidnapped and forced to confess his crimes against womankind will surely resonate in the #MeToo era — as will the vibe that there's something both exhilarating and terrifying about this form of extra-legal feminist vengeance.

The two strands of Dietland — Plum's journey toward self-acceptance and the payback murders in the background — don't quite seem like they belong on the same show, and thus make for an intriguing package. Bursts of animation and hallucinations help maintain a tone that's serious and earnest, but also playful and eerie. Plum tells us in voiceover that she's in a happier future, and that what we see is the beginning of her quest. It's still unclear whether Nash's slightly numbed performance is her interpretation of Plum' fearful and ascetic lifestyle or a reflection of the actress' talents. Margulies is terrific as a “wax Dracula” who's slowly revealed to be as terrified of judgment as Plum is, as is Erin Darke as a mysterious young woman who recruits our protagonist into her (mostly benign) undercover feminist activist group, despite her boss' (Tamara Tunie) reluctance. And Robin Weigert is excellent as always, playing an eccentric heiress who wants to atone for her family's misbegotten fortune by helping Plum become what the writer dreads becoming most: a “happy fatty."

In its early going, at least, Dietland satisfies through its incisive satire of fat phobia, as well as its compassionate exploration of how low self-esteem can circumscribe not just one's life, but one's dreams for one's self as well. (Heartbreakingly, Plum calls the woman she'll become "Alicia" — her real and fantasy selves are so dissimilar they even have different names.) Being pressured to look a certain way is bad enough, but being made into a pariah for veering so far from the beauty ideal is a living nightmare. So it's cathartic to see a particularly toxic Weight Watchers coach tell Plum that she should knock out “bad behavior” like eating, because the thin person inside her wants out. There's a weary relief in being reminded that, yes, femininity can feel like a psychic hellscape sometimes. I laughed, because I didn't want to cry.

Cast: Joy Nash, Julianna Margulies, Adam Rothenberg, Tamara Tunie, Erin Darke, Robin Weigert, Rowena King, Tramell Tillman, Will Seefried Creator: Marti Noxon Premieres: Monday, June 4, 9 p.m. ET/PT (AMC)

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