restes de lune

Film TV therapy | ♡ All thangs #Richonne ♡ #TWD Horror sci-fi & musicals are my jam 👁🧠🫀👄

[restesdelune]

When a comment brings you back to a chapter of your fic that you needed to read again, in which you find exactly what was missing from the next update (that's been kicking your ass for weeks) >>>>>

[lamorenareina]

I miss your writing love.

Friend, I miss it too! 😭😭😭

I am actively writing a Richonne one-shot. (And not my dissertation, ha!)

This was such a kind message. Thank you! Stay on my ass, all of you. 💕💕💕

[ladyonyxsapphire]

[kgalamolete]

Thinking about which phsyical version of Rick I liked best/picture in most fics that I read. In my fic, he's definitely TOWL Rick but he's not my favourite - perhaps top 3!

I think my winner is season 6 Rick (obvious Richonne bias) 🥰

Least favourite is bare-faced season 5B Rick. He was too insufferable here and he almost lost me completely... Maybe too white-picket fence, 2,5 kids for me (derogatory version) 👀

Honourable mention to this guy:

Michonne always looks stunning to me but I'll probably do my top 3 looks for her 😊

[lamorenareina]

I’ve been summoned.

Best: Farmer Rick

He’s almost always who I’m writing about. What an era.

Next: Rugged Rick

Not to be mistaken with Feral Rick. This is who I wrote about in Cowboy, Sheriff, and Lawyer. This tan is something serious. Amen. God bless.

Next: Shaved Rick

A reluctant third place. He lost a lot of my trust and never regained some of it, to be quite honest. But this was a fucking look and it was WASTED. This should have been when the romantic tension between he and Michonne became explicit, though not yet realized.

Final: I’m Bout to Fuck My Best Friend…I Did It Rick

Last but never least. He had a certain quality to him here.

[restesdelune]

🫡🫡🫡

[kev-sugden]

"One that doesn't have to prove it. To myself or... Anyone."

Julie Andrews as Count Victor Grazinsky in Victor/Victoria, the broadway musical (1995)

[kgalamolete]

Rewatching TOWL and all I need is for Okafor to come here so that I can... [redacted]

[lamorenareina]

Y’all gon’ fight me if I said he and Michonne would have had crazy chemistry? And subsequently that would have turned the Richonne chemistry up to 1,000?

[restesdelune]

[ladyonyxsapphire]

Calling all Richonne fic writers

What do we think about this?

It's making me think about my longfic WIP. Now I'm wondering if I've revealed too much? 😬

What do you guys think about dual POV and the art of yearning in fic in particular Richonne fic?

[lamorenareina]

Fun question.

I’ve seen both dual and single POV done well and poorly. I don’t have a preference.

As a reader, the tension for me often comes from the characters being indiscernible to each other or something being in the way of their coming together.

I don’t necessarily need one or both of their feelings to be obscured to me as a reader via single POV. If I’m reading romance, I presume they share the same desire.

On the other hand, dual POVs are fun to highlight what could be different formations of feeling. Maybe that shows up as seemingly greater intensity or greater courage to dive in for one half of the couple. It can be fun to see how they’re both reckoning with the feelings, especially if it’s distinct!

My greater issue in both books and fanfiction is that the men’s POVs leave much to be desired. It’s alienating.

I dislike a lot of things about men’s interiority in dual POVs: their reasoning; the construction of their yearning (desire without depth); misogyny; immaturity. It leaves me cold and uninterested in their personhood and thus the couples’ consummation.

In fanfiction, this may also contribute to a sense that the MMC (male main character) is out of character or unrecognizable. Sometimes that’s fun! Oftentimes, it’s not.

I’ve quit many a fic simply because I dislike Rick’s inner voice and, quite frankly, dislike him.

Re: your fic - soldier on! Single vs dual POV is, ultimately, a non-issue as a whole.

[thatlazyalchemist]

Help, I Accidentally Started Caring About All These Broken People (and Also Michonne Is So Fine)!!!

I FINALLY MET MICHONNE! and she is everything I expected her to be and like… 10 TIMES BETTER THAN THAT. I LIVE!!! 😭😭🤌🤌🤌

BODY COFFEE CAUSE TEA ISN’T STRONG ENOUGH!!!! I have no other choice but to stan. Seriously contemplating changing my username to "Michonne's abs" or "Michonne's-bootlicker" or something because I am unwell.

Also… not me catching Rick checking out Michonne in literally every scene they’re in together 👀, he's just like me FR 😂😂

Live pic of me and Rick catching each other staring at Michonne’s ass every time she walks into frame:

I am SO violently jealous of the Richonne shippers who were here from DAY ✨ONE✨. Like y’all saw the vision so early, did you astral project into the writers’ room?? Are you psychic?? PLEASE drop the lottery numbers. PLEASE. I’m BEGGING. 🙏

You clocked the soulmate energy and the big "fuck me" eyes Rick was giving Michonne from their first meeting, the sexual tension, the chemistry long before the rest of the fandom even noticed, and you held your ground against the racist, toxic cesspool that was 2012 stan culture. Y’all were in the trenches, fighting for your lives, and still came out on top.

COME GET YOUR BADDIE CHAINS 😌🤏🤏🤏 IKTR!!!

Honestly, I wish I had been there with you. I would’ve been in every TWD YouTube comment section, subreddit, and Facebook group, guns blazing like:

“RICHONNE IN FIVE OR I BURN THIS WHOLE FRANCHISE TO THE GROUND.”

And when they finally got together?? I KNOW some of y’all levitated. I KNOW you ascended. The spiritual VINDICATION you must’ve felt?? The SMUGNESS??? Went to bed that day like

AND AM I THE ONLY ONE who clocked Rick’s tiny little flicker of disappointment when Merle was all, “Michonne and Andrea was all cuddled up during the winter👀” and lowkey hinted there was something there?? And then like TWO episodes later, Michonne casually drops the “I talk to my dead boyfriend sometimes” line and Rick lights up like a damn Christmas tree 😭😭 Like sir… was that RELIEF I detected?? Was he thinking, “oh wait... I might actually have a shot”??? Bc SAME, hot boy Rick, same!!! I see you!!! I am onto you, cowboy!!! 🫵🏾😤

Anyway, Michonne is bi in this house. That’s a personal headcanon argue with yo mama!

Now SPEAKING of chances… Andrea. Girl. You had like. So many. TOO MANY. And what did you do?? You had a whole opportunity to send the Governor to hell's ashy gates, and you FUMBLED. For WHAT?? Just for him to absolutely humiliate you during the negotiation talks later like it was his full-time job?? I got violent secondhand embarrassment from that whole scene. Like girl... GRIMY, EYEPATCHED, CULT LEADER vs. MICHONNE??? HOT GIRL SURVIVOR WHO KEPT YOU ALIVE IN THE WILDERNESS FOR 8 MONTHS STRAIGHT???

I'm sorry but if a stunning sword-wielding woman took care of me while I was fever-dreaming in the woods for nearly a year, the moment I recovered I’d be like, “Yes ma’am 😩 what do you need? Firewood? Fresh water? A new life in the woods where we live off berries and trauma bonding? Say less, I’m on it.” Like literally I’d be her emotional support simp.

Some of y’all don’t know how to recognize divine favor when it’s handed to you on a plate and that’s why Andrea got what she got. 🤷‍♀️

Also, me realizing a ton of TikTok sounds come from TWD and I’ve just been unknowingly quoting them for years??? Every time I hear one, I’m like:

And then I rewatch the scene like 50 times just to laugh again 💀💀

Anyways...Now for the trauma portion of this post…

Ok down to business, I’ve finished Season 3 and I’m five episodes from the end of Season 4 and I have a lot of things to say about some people so, buckle up and as usual ⚠️spoilers ahead ⚠️:

First of all, I Can’t Stand Behind Carol’s Choice During the Flu Outbreak

I've been turning this over in my head since it happened, and here it is: Carol was wrong. Killing Karen and David wasn’t brave. It wasn’t tactical. It wasn’t necessary. It was fear disguised as leadership. And ultimately, it was pointless.

Why? because the virus still spread, people still died and the group was only saved because of Hershel’s compassion, Daryl, Tyresse and Michonne’s courage, and the strength of the sick fighting to live. (Notice how I didn't mention Bob? yeah fuck him)

Karen and David were already quarantined. Hershel later used that same strategy, but with empathy. He risked his life to comfort the infected, not kill them. And it worked.

Carol didn’t even try. She didn’t warn them. Didn’t comfort them. Didn’t talk to Rick. She just… decided their lives weren’t worth the risk. That’s cold-blooded.

And the question I keep asking myself: If it had been Carl or Daryl who got sick… would she have done the same thing? I THINK NOT! She didn’t see Karen and David as her people.

But Hershel did...And that's the problem.

Hershel pookie bear 😭😭, He was the heart of the prison group. While others were spiraling, shutting down, or making fear-based decisions (looking at you Carol), Hershel walked straight into the fire.

He chose to enter the infected cell block, not because anyone made him, but because no one else would.

He didn’t kill the sick to stop the spread and He didn’t run from them. He sat with them, held their hands and prayed over them, He tried to heal them, even knowing he could die.

“You step outside; you risk your life. You take a drink of water; you risk your life. And now you breathe, and you risk your life. Every moment now... you don’t have a choice. The only thing you can choose is what you're risking it for.”

That quote hit me like a train. Because Hershel didn’t just say that he lived it. Carol acted in secret, Hershel led by example, Carol chose fear, Hershel chose compassion. Thats why his death hit me hard

He was good, in a world that desperately needed good people.

And I think the Governor's scene added the missing piece that tied it all together:

The moment where the Governor captures Michonne and Hershel, and Hershel, in pure Hershel fashion, tries to appeal to his humanity:

“If you understand what it’s like to have a daughter… then how can you threaten to kill someone else’s?”

And the Governor just… looks at him and says:

“Because they are not mine.”

And in that moment, I swear, everything from Seasons 1–4 snapped into focus.

That’s the whole thesis of the show so far.

Because that’s the answer we keep getting to the moral questions Dale, Hershel, and even I have been asking since day one: In a world where the outside threat are the walkers/zombies, why do humans fight among each other? Why don’t we help each other survive? Why do people steal, kill, betray, or destroy instead of cooperating?

The answer is always the same:

“Because they are not mine.”

Not my family. Not my responsibility. Not my people.

That mindset, the tribalism, the conditional empathy, the “us vs. them” logic, that’s the real apocalypse. Not the walkers, not the virus.

It’s the loss of humanity. That’s why Carol and Shane felt so comfortable killing Karen, David, and Otis, because they didn’t see them as their people. Their lives were treated as expendable.

Dale warned us. Hershel lived it. Rick is struggling with it. And men like the Governor, carol and Shane? They’ve fully embraced it.

Secondly, the mirroring between Michonne and Carl

The destruction of the prison scatters the group, and emotionally, it breaks them too. In Season 4, Episode 9 (“After”), we follow two characters in parallel: Michonne and Carl. Each is isolated, traumatized, and trying to figure out who they are without the group, but they move in opposite emotional directions.

When Michonne cuts the arms and jaws off two walkers and ties them up, she’s going back to what kept her alive before she met the prison group: camouflage, silence and detachment. The world has fallen apart again, and her response is to revert: to survive alone.

But something’s different this time, the walker herd becomes a mirror.

As she walks among them, the camera slows down. She’s not just hiding, she’s studying them. Observing. Is she one of them now? They're dead. Silent. Numb. And so is she, emotionally.

She’s lost her found family. She’s alone again. She’s not living, just drifting.

And worst of all? It feels too comfortable. The flashback confirms what I suspected, her first walker “pets” were her boyfriend and his friend. What starts as a peaceful domestic scene slowly decays into horror: they’re armed, unstable, and already becoming monsters in her memory.

It’s her mind processing grief, guilt, and trauma. She turned people she loved into tools for survival. Now she’s doing it again.

When she snaps and kills the walkers, even the ones she chained up it’s more than a survival choice.

It’s symbolic. It’s a rejection.

“I’m done walking with the dead. I want to find the living again.”

She’s choosing life over numbness. Choosing emotion over detachment. This to me is an episode were a lot of characters come to realize a lot of important things. I find it so fitting that her scene parallels Carl's:

All through season 3 and even season 4, Carl has been battling with what doing the "right thing" meant.

After the prison falls, he’s furious. Not just because of the death of Judith or Hershel (RIP) but because he’s finally seeing his father’s limits.

He berates Rick, “I don’t need you anymore.” Tries to survive alone, kills walkers and then self-soothes by eating pudding... after nearly dyeing, twice.

He’s trying to prove he’s an adult, but when Rick appears to be turning into a walker, Carl can’t pull the trigger.

That’s the breaking point: He realizes he can’t be cold and detached like Shane. He does need his father. He wants to survive, but not at the cost of his humanity.

Here’s the genius of this episode:

Michonne is opening back up. She’s saying, “I want to feel again.”

Carl is shutting down. He’s saying, “Feelings are dangerous.”

They’re on the same emotional path but headed in opposite directions. And that’s what makes their reunion at the end so powerful.

It’s not just “Yay, we found each other 😀.” It’s: “We need each other to stay human 🥹🥹.”

Carl’s emotional arc echoes Shane’s influence. He believes if Rick had just killed the Governor when he had the chance, none of this would’ve happened. It’s a black-and-white view; the kind Shane would have approved of:

“Mercy is weakness. Morality gets people killed.”

But the show keeps challenging that idea. Yes, Rick showed mercy, but was that wrong? Or was it a refusal to abandon civilization completely?

Carl isn’t ready to grapple with moral nuance, not really. He’s still a kid, after all. A kid who deeply loves and respects his father, but is being forced to confront death, violence, and impossible choices at an age when he should be learning algebra and playing videogames, not battlefield ethics.

Most of the talking points he clings to in Seasons 3 and 4 are just words he parrots from Rick and Shane. Carl wants so badly to prove he’s mature, that he’s strong enough to carry the same burden Rick does. But the truth is… he can’t. Not yet.

“Should’ve shot him” isn’t a thoughtful moral stance, it’s emotional shorthand. A way to avoid the complicated grief of what might have been. That kind of black-and-white thinking is exactly what a grieving child would cling to, because it feels safer than facing the gray.

I’m honestly so curious to see how the other character arcs unfold, and whether more of them mirror or invert each other the way Michonne and Carl’s do.

I obviously have other thoughts about other people, but this is getting too long so I will end with Rick.

That’s a whole other beast I haven’t even begun to fully unpack. But it’s clear he’s going through a metamorphosis. You can feel it building all season, from officer friendly to farmer Rick to… whatever comes next.

When he wakes up from this "deep slumber"… I wonder what kind of man he’ll be. One thing’s for sure though, he and Michonne are still gonna be hot as hell. 😌😌🤏🤏🤏

[restesdelune]

And that's on Michonne

[sentrysvoid]

The Nightmare Before Christmas dir. Henry Selick | 1993

[losthavenmine]

Queen of the Damned (2002)

[whateverisbeautiful]

Hi! Sorry in advance if you have already gotten this question. I was watching at some recent reactions on Youtube to Rick & Michonne getting together and while some were happy and called it, there were a few others that are confused/not happy etc. What do you think about specific reactions that say either "they're trauma bonded" or it wasn't necessary to put them together?

Hi! 💕 I love when reactors pick up on Richonne pre-canon and celebrate when Rick and Michonne make it official in 6x10. Regarding others' less supportive views on Richonne being a couple, I just feel that all their reasons are easily disproven. And what I’ve always felt is that what bothers certain people about Richonne is not that they don’t work as a couple, but that they do.

Rick and Michonne have a dynamic that some didn’t think should or could ever be as passionate, healthy, genuine, and devoted as it is. And yet Richonne is all of that and more. And Richonne’s relationship is all these things organically, because it was born from the natural connection and chemistry between the characters and actors. It may never be admitted, but that’s what I think deep down makes some people uncomfortable - knowing this relationship authentically flourishes in a way they had always believed shouldn’t be possible between characters like Rick and Michonne. And racism is so often at the root.

People are entitled to not really care for TV characters or pairings. But I feel like the disdain for Richonne that I’ve seen over the years goes beyond that. And I notice so few people ever just come right out and own that they dislike Rick and Michonne together for no justifiable reason, or for a very skin-deep reason. Instead, they have all these unfounded reasons why they think there’s an issue with the couple. And I wrote out my thoughts on some of those reasons/reactions below: 

“Richonne trauma bonded.”

My thought on the “trauma bonded” take that some may have is one; it’s incorrect by definition. Trauma bonding is between an abuser and victim, so a dynamic like The Governor and Milton would better fit that description. But I know what they probably mean is that they think Rick and Michonne solely bonded over their shared trauma. And I think that’s also a faulty outlook. Yes, in a world set in an apocalypse, literally everyone is bound to share trauma, and it can accelerate a bond. But, I actually feel that Rick and Michonne are one of the few cases in TWD where their bond grew more from things outside of just their trauma. 

While they went through very similar hardships throughout the show, the two often grew closer not only when under duress or in crisis, but also in the quiet moments where they were able to just be human with each other. It wasn’t only when their backs were against the wall in hard times that they connected. They hit it off most when not having to be on high alert and in the moments where they were free to be sociable and bring light and levity. There are certain characters in the group who people could definitely argue are really only close because of shared trauma, but Rick and Michonne aren’t one of them. 

Also, I’ve always noted how, after pretty much every time jump, Rick and Michonne are always depicted as having grown even closer than when we saw them last. That’s significant because, apart from the 6-year time jump in S9, most time jumps usually imply that whatever happened during that period was normal/routine enough that it didn’t need to be shown on screen. That means whenever Rick and Michonne were able to have some normalcy and stability, they spent that time strengthening their bond, which is always very evident on screen whenever we return back after a time jump. So Richonne never feels like they only bonded over trauma. They beautifully bonded over the things that were still pure, lighthearted, and good in the world, too. 

“Richonne’s pairing isn’t necessary.” 

This is a strange take to me. Because how do the people who feel this way determine which romantic relationships in the show are or aren’t necessary? Considering Richonne is the couple whose pairing has been most pivotal to pushing the plot forward, more so than any other couple, if Richonne “isn’t necessary,” then literally none of the romantic relationships in the show are. And that’s simply untrue. The relationships, from friends to family to significant others, are vital to making the show make sense. Why keep fighting to survive in a fallen world where trauma is around every corner, if not to have more days with the people you love? I had written a bit more about why I think it was necessary for Rick and Michonne to be a couple, rather than just friends, here. 

I find that there are parts of the audience who were fine with Rick and Michonne being co-parents and selfless fighters, always willing to stand on the front lines and protect others. But then, when Rick and Michonne get to experience a gift that is solely for them, when they get to be personally poured back into after pouring so much into everyone and everything else, it’s deemed unnecessary or like all those two need is just the general “love” of the group and not a personal, exclusive love to experience as well. And that, to me, is a sign of not understanding the characters. Because, as @glamaphonic said so well - both Rick and Michonne’s pasts included wounds that were best fit to be healed through their romantic relationship with each other.

So their romantic pairing was necessary for their individual arcs and necessary for the show as a whole because this show would play out very differently if Rick and Michonne didn’t have each other to lean on, not just as partners in crime but partners in love who could build each other back up in a deeper and more intimate way. 

“Richonne felt more like siblings.”

If Richonne ever felt like siblings, it’d be giving Game of Thrones. And whenever people say this, I find it telling because it’s like they can acknowledge Rick and Michonne grew to be very close family, but then they place this barrier on their closeness to overlook the attraction and desire so clearly on display. Also, I’d be curious for the people who think this way to name a single scene where Rick and Michonne were giving strictly “brother/sister” vibes. Because I can’t think of even one, and I have nearly every scene of theirs stored in the Richonne database of my brain lol.

Even if you were to omit the moments of obvious flirting and non-platonic exchanges, the mere eye contact and body language alone show that they were never meant to come across as siblings. I just feel like you can’t watch scenes from as early as season 3, like Rick saying “Must’ve been something else then” with that look at Michonne (to name just one moment), and think this relationship was ever gonna be “bro & sis.” 

“Richonne came out of nowhere”

That take just translates to them really saying, “I personally missed the seasons' worth of build-up between Rick and Michonne.” As someone who didn’t realize Richonne was going to be a couple until season 6, I know missing that was entirely on me. (and also I was in a very new chapter of life when s4/5 were airing, and I didn't have easy access to a TV then. So I feel like if I had been more consistently watching, I would have been a lot less likely to miss it). If someone missed all the clear signs of Richonne pre-canon, it doesn't now mean that the show didn't have seasons' worth of content that set up Richonne long before they kiss on that couch. They most certainly did.

And it is pretty telling how there is a much larger willingness to embrace Glenn and Maggie as being deeply in love, despite them getting together at a much speedier pace. I love Glenn and Maggie together. It's also just the truth that they got together quite fast, saying "I love you" within a super short time of knowing each other and initially just having a physical relationship before deeper feelings developed. People can watch that and still comprehend that real love eventually developed between them. But when Richonne spends seasons building and maintaining a deep bond/partnership and are basically operating like they’re married with kids by the time they first kiss, people want to claim it felt rushed or contrived and came out of nowhere.

When Richonne first got together years ago, the literal second I went back and watched their pre-canon scenes, the writing was SO clearly on the wall that Richonne was endgame. And I have a strong feeling some of the people who say it came out of nowhere would have seen the buildup had Richonne simply been the same skin color. Like if nothing else was changed but their skin color, all of a sudden, I think it’d be quite clear to them that the "Good, cause I see things" scene in season 3, the “Cuz I’m okay too” scene in season 4, the “I was afraid you’d talk me out of it, you could’ve” scene in season 5, and many, many more pre-canon scenes were building toward a future romantic relationship between the two. 

Honestly, I could go through and address even more off-the-mark takes about Richonne lol. But this is already an essay-length response. So I’ll just say that while people can have their opinions, there are also facts within fiction.

And Richonne being a canon TV couple whose seeds were planted in season 3 because Gimple saw the vision even before the audiences saw Richonne on screen, Richonne growing more and more in love each season not just for what they do but for who they are and bringing out each others best and most human side, Richonne getting more and more scenes together because the writers loved the characters and actors’ electric chemistry, Richonne going on to be married with kids, Richonne viewing each other as the love of each others lives for years and years, Richonne having a genuine love story - these are all indisputable facts. 😌 I appreciate you asking my thoughts! 💗

[richonnejustdesserts]

Any underrated early Richonne angst fics you'd recommend? Slow burns and will they won't they? In the mood to suffer.

Hello anon,

We tried to find some fics for you - although these may not be ‘underrated’ per se, they are definitely some good angst fics we recommend to all Richonne lovers:

I Want You Back by Chezza3009

Loss and Gain by Lyra Verse

L4yers of War by fithola

Not Mine- Richonne Short Story by IsisNicole

Inconvenience by elsac2

The criminology behind a scandal by elsac2

Love, M by twhorus

The Palette & After by WontLastTwoDays

No Ordinary Love by Fik Freak

Haunted by twriter12

Latch On by shipnation

Lemonade by cakebythepound

Your Good Fortune by crypticnotions

Sous Couverture by Siancore

Kismet - A Richonne Novel by meanprincess

For more #angst fic, please check our tag by clicking through the link. If you think we are missing out any stories, please drop an ask in our askbox! Happy reading!

[whateverisbeautiful]

Hi! Sorry in advance if you have already gotten this question. I was watching at some recent reactions on Youtube to Rick & Michonne getting together and while some were happy and called it, there were a few others that are confused/not happy etc. What do you think about specific reactions that say either "they're trauma bonded" or it wasn't necessary to put them together?

Hi! 💕 I love when reactors pick up on Richonne pre-canon and celebrate when Rick and Michonne make it official in 6x10. Regarding others' less supportive views on Richonne being a couple, I just feel that all their reasons are easily disproven. And what I’ve always felt is that what bothers certain people about Richonne is not that they don’t work as a couple, but that they do.

Rick and Michonne have a dynamic that some didn’t think should or could ever be as passionate, healthy, genuine, and devoted as it is. And yet Richonne is all of that and more. And Richonne’s relationship is all these things organically, because it was born from the natural connection and chemistry between the characters and actors. It may never be admitted, but that’s what I think deep down makes some people uncomfortable - knowing this relationship authentically flourishes in a way they had always believed shouldn’t be possible between characters like Rick and Michonne. And racism is so often at the root.

People are entitled to not really care for TV characters or pairings. But I feel like the disdain for Richonne that I’ve seen over the years goes beyond that. And I notice so few people ever just come right out and own that they dislike Rick and Michonne together for no justifiable reason, or for a very skin-deep reason. Instead, they have all these unfounded reasons why they think there’s an issue with the couple. And I wrote out my thoughts on some of those reasons/reactions below: 

“Richonne trauma bonded.”

My thought on the “trauma bonded” take that some may have is one; it’s incorrect by definition. Trauma bonding is between an abuser and victim, so a dynamic like The Governor and Milton would better fit that description. But I know what they probably mean is that they think Rick and Michonne solely bonded over their shared trauma. And I think that’s also a faulty outlook. Yes, in a world set in an apocalypse, literally everyone is bound to share trauma, and it can accelerate a bond. But, I actually feel that Rick and Michonne are one of the few cases in TWD where their bond grew more from things outside of just their trauma. 

While they went through very similar hardships throughout the show, the two often grew closer not only when under duress or in crisis, but also in the quiet moments where they were able to just be human with each other. It wasn’t only when their backs were against the wall in hard times that they connected. They hit it off most when not having to be on high alert and in the moments where they were free to be sociable and bring light and levity. There are certain characters in the group who people could definitely argue are really only close because of shared trauma, but Rick and Michonne aren’t one of them. 

Also, I’ve always noted how, after pretty much every time jump, Rick and Michonne are always depicted as having grown even closer than when we saw them last. That’s significant because, apart from the 6-year time jump in S9, most time jumps usually imply that whatever happened during that period was normal/routine enough that it didn’t need to be shown on screen. That means whenever Rick and Michonne were able to have some normalcy and stability, they spent that time strengthening their bond, which is always very evident on screen whenever we return back after a time jump. So Richonne never feels like they only bonded over trauma. They beautifully bonded over the things that were still pure, lighthearted, and good in the world, too. 

“Richonne’s pairing isn’t necessary.” 

This is a strange take to me. Because how do the people who feel this way determine which romantic relationships in the show are or aren’t necessary? Considering Richonne is the couple whose pairing has been most pivotal to pushing the plot forward, more so than any other couple, if Richonne “isn’t necessary,” then literally none of the romantic relationships in the show are. And that’s simply untrue. The relationships, from friends to family to significant others, are vital to making the show make sense. Why keep fighting to survive in a fallen world where trauma is around every corner, if not to have more days with the people you love? I had written a bit more about why I think it was necessary for Rick and Michonne to be a couple, rather than just friends, here. 

I find that there are parts of the audience who were fine with Rick and Michonne being co-parents and selfless fighters, always willing to stand on the front lines and protect others. But then, when Rick and Michonne get to experience a gift that is solely for them, when they get to be personally poured back into after pouring so much into everyone and everything else, it’s deemed unnecessary or like all those two need is just the general “love” of the group and not a personal, exclusive love to experience as well. And that, to me, is a sign of not understanding the characters. Because, as @glamaphonic said so well - both Rick and Michonne’s pasts included wounds that were best fit to be healed through their romantic relationship with each other.

So their romantic pairing was necessary for their individual arcs and necessary for the show as a whole because this show would play out very differently if Rick and Michonne didn’t have each other to lean on, not just as partners in crime but partners in love who could build each other back up in a deeper and more intimate way. 

“Richonne felt more like siblings.”

If Richonne ever felt like siblings, it’d be giving Game of Thrones. And whenever people say this, I find it telling because it’s like they can acknowledge Rick and Michonne grew to be very close family, but then they place this barrier on their closeness to overlook the attraction and desire so clearly on display. Also, I’d be curious for the people who think this way to name a single scene where Rick and Michonne were giving strictly “brother/sister” vibes. Because I can’t think of even one, and I have nearly every scene of theirs stored in the Richonne database of my brain lol.

Even if you were to omit the moments of obvious flirting and non-platonic exchanges, the mere eye contact and body language alone show that they were never meant to come across as siblings. I just feel like you can’t watch scenes from as early as season 3, like Rick saying “Must’ve been something else then” with that look at Michonne (to name just one moment), and think this relationship was ever gonna be “bro & sis.” 

“Richonne came out of nowhere”

That take just translates to them really saying, “I personally missed the seasons' worth of build-up between Rick and Michonne.” As someone who didn’t realize Richonne was going to be a couple until season 6, I know missing that was entirely on me. (and also I was in a very new chapter of life when s4/5 were airing, and I didn't have easy access to a TV then. So I feel like if I had been more consistently watching, I would have been a lot less likely to miss it). If someone missed all the clear signs of Richonne pre-canon, it doesn't now mean that the show didn't have seasons' worth of content that set up Richonne long before they kiss on that couch. They most certainly did.

And it is pretty telling how there is a much larger willingness to embrace Glenn and Maggie as being deeply in love, despite them getting together at a much speedier pace. I love Glenn and Maggie together. It's also just the truth that they got together quite fast, saying "I love you" within a super short time of knowing each other and initially just having a physical relationship before deeper feelings developed. People can watch that and still comprehend that real love eventually developed between them. But when Richonne spends seasons building and maintaining a deep bond/partnership and are basically operating like they’re married with kids by the time they first kiss, people want to claim it felt rushed or contrived and came out of nowhere.

When Richonne first got together years ago, the literal second I went back and watched their pre-canon scenes, the writing was SO clearly on the wall that Richonne was endgame. And I have a strong feeling some of the people who say it came out of nowhere would have seen the buildup had Richonne simply been the same skin color. Like if nothing else was changed but their skin color, all of a sudden, I think it’d be quite clear to them that the "Good, cause I see things" scene in season 3, the “Cuz I’m okay too” scene in season 4, the “I was afraid you’d talk me out of it, you could’ve” scene in season 5, and many, many more pre-canon scenes were building toward a future romantic relationship between the two. 

Honestly, I could go through and address even more off-the-mark takes about Richonne lol. But this is already an essay-length response. So I’ll just say that while people can have their opinions, there are also facts within fiction.

And Richonne being a canon TV couple whose seeds were planted in season 3 because Gimple saw the vision even before the audiences saw Richonne on screen, Richonne growing more and more in love each season not just for what they do but for who they are and bringing out each others best and most human side, Richonne getting more and more scenes together because the writers loved the characters and actors’ electric chemistry, Richonne going on to be married with kids, Richonne viewing each other as the love of each others lives for years and years, Richonne having a genuine love story - these are all indisputable facts. 😌 I appreciate you asking my thoughts! 💗

[losthavenmine]

Hocus Pocus (1993)

[movie-gifs]

The Nightmare Before Christmas dir. Henry Selick | 1993

[929]

Hocus Pocus (1993) dir. Kenny Ortega

[filmgifs]

ALIEN (1979) dir. Ridley Scott

[restesdelune]

I enjoyed Romulus, I was super disappointed by Alien Earth, so I watched Alien again 🤭