#ok NOT EVEN like. yes I like Daryl but he’s also in. every season. like he’s just got a lot More screen time than a lot of other characters

[adriartts]

a bunch of rough pose practices with twd

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon + romantic gestures

Daryl’s always taking care of people, but there’s no one he takes better care of than Carol. He’s always doing little things for her, some of them completely platonic with no ulterior motive than to help, support and comfort his BFF Carol. although on some not so rare occasions, there’s no mistaking that some of his actions can be interpreted for what they really are - romantic gestures. 

Daryl Dixon is actually a pretty sensible/sensitive guy, which coming from someone with an abusive past and complete lack of experience when it comes to relationships and expressing his feelings, is shockingly surprising. Plus, it’s the damn apocalypse, there’s no time to court a woman, but consciously or not, that’s exactly what Daryl’s been doing for the past decade. I really think sometimes he’s completely clueless he is actually doing it until he becomes too self-aware, showing some vulnerability, shyness and even awkwardness. However those romantic gestures just come naturally to him when he’s around Carol.

The most painfully obvious romantic gestures by Daryl Dixon after the jump...

The shoulder massage

Carol is uncomfortable, her shoulder hurts, and without thought Daryl simply offers to massage it for her. He’s so distracted by the ease the two now have with each other that he only notices the intimacy boundary he just crossed when Carol intensely looks back at him and smiles. “Pretty romantic,” she comments. Yes. Yes, it is. Daryl did that. He becomes aware of exactly what he is doing and what it could mean, but since he’s not ready for any of that, he backtracks. Carol’s teasing jokes aren’t unwelcome but he really doesn’t know how to respond beyond the cute, smiling “STAHP.”

The sanctuary hug

As soon as he realizes it’s Carol approaching the group, Daryl completely forgets himself, everybody else around them and runs to literally sweep her off her feet. This is the first time Daryl actively seeks physical contact on a deeper level with another human being on the show. It’s a huge turning point. Do I need to say more?

The protective/chivalrous act

Daryl always acts as a protector of those who need the most, but he subtly and unconsciously acts extremely protective of Carol even knowing she is damn capable of protecting herself. Daryl will have Carol’s back on every occasion and physically stand between her and potential danger, like when they first encountered Father Gabriel or when Noah put her in danger. He will offer her food/water, make sure she is sleeping and she is ok. He may act like a crude rude redneck around anyone else (pissing in the corner, manhandling people, beastly chugging spaghetti), but not around Carol. There’s so many examples of Daryl continuously doing the apocalypse equivalent of opening the door for her. Daryl’s chivalry is reserved for Carol. She may know him better than anyone else, but he really wants her to see the best version of himself.

The water jugs (part II of the chivalrous act)

Yep, Daryl’s got no game whatsoever, but he did try to be smooth, showing Carol that the redneck can be a real gentleman, and that’s progress. Even though, Daryl is already carrying as many water jugs as one can safely carry, he offers to take one of Carol’s too. There’s no logic to this gesture that ends with Daryl facepalming in embarrassment when he lets one of his jugs fall out of his hand to land at Carol’s feet. Carol’s face is priceless. He gets a teasing smile and probably should take that as a win considering her state of mind in that moment.

The food tray with flower (part III of the chivalrous act)

Something as simple as leaving someone a tray of food with a flower would have been a perfectly casual act. But we’re talking about Merle Dixon’s brother, the one who considered himself a nobody before the world went to shit. Daryl, the guy who eats raw squirrel/possum with his bare hands, took the time to pick a flower to decorate the tray of food he carefully left at Carol’s door. Is there anything more romantic in the middle of the damn apocalypse ffs? I still can’t believe we were robbed of watching Carol’s expression when she realized he had done that for her right before she’d tease him about it. But Carol wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind to voice her appreciation for these small grand gestures.

The compliments/teasing

When Carol needs an ego boost, Daryl is there to remind her she’s a good shot, she saved them all at Terminus, and she’s got a whole lot more to offer, but her place is with them/the group. She is needed. He has been slowly learning to tease/flirt with Carol through the years. Daryl, too pragmatic for the frivolous things of the past, lets Carol know she looks good in pink. He’s also quick to let her know her soccer mom style is so not her. “You look ridiculous.” Recently, they have crossed into teen love territory with their competitive flirty games of kill the walker or hit the can, while relentlessly taunting each other. This new playfulness between them resulted in an exchange of gifts- the friendship bracelet and lucky acorns, - they obviously both cherish.

The unconditional support

There’s absolutely nothing Daryl won’t do for Carol - from babysitting her kid to letting her know he could and would never hate her no matter what. Daryl will defend Carol against Rick, Tyreese, Gabriel, Magna, and whoever else. If that wasn’t enough, he was also there for her, holding her during the two worst moments of her life - losing both of her kids, Sophia and Henry. And he continues to stay by her side through anything and everything, even when she’s on a reckless revenge mission. “I’m the one you tell. Me.” Daryl wants to help her, but Carol is not able to open up to him and yet it does not stop him. “I wanna be there for you.” After Carol crossed every line and pushed all of his limits and you think he’s had enough, Daryl is still reassuring her everything is gonna be alright. “You still got me.” This is LOVE, not platonic love, it’s the ‘you are under my skin’ type of love that is forever.

The need to comfort

The skittish Daryl, who was afraid of any and all human contact when we first met him, is now completely gone. He’s grown so much and he’s finally in a position to provide emotional comfort and to express it through physical contact. He has done this with Judith and Connie too, but Daryl’s weakness (and strength) is Carol and her emotional well being is his priority. The best way he found to express this is to hug her whenever he feels like she needs it the most - from finding her at the savior’s compound, checking up on her at the creepy house in the woods, trying to bring her back to think about the future they can still have, to reassuring her he’ll always be there for her. Daryl is no longer shy about pulling her in for a big full body hug, and sometimes I wonder if he’s not doing it for his own sake too. I mean who can ever resist a teary eyed Carol!?!

The desire to spend time together

For someone who isn’t used to express his wishes/feelings, Daryl has been making an effort to let Carol know how much he enjoys spending time with her and her alone. He started with a timid “I don’t like not seeing you” to openly ask her to come home and tell he needs her to stay and not isolate herself again. “Otherwise I’ll have to punch holes in all them boats.” This quickly escalated when Carol suggested they could stop fighting and leave it all behind. The idea the two of them could just get on the bike and go, run away together, has been deeply seeded on Daryl’s mind and he alludes to it few times through the last season. “We have a future./New Mexico’s still out there.” Daryl is finally ready. Carol just needs to catch up.

[arabian-bloodstream]

Why in Angela Kang I Trust

Maybe because I've been bruised and battered by showrunners and exec producers when it comes to couples and have also been rewarded (very, very, VERY rarely -- OK, like once), that is why I'm feeling positive about Caryl with regards to the spoilers.

Lemme give a bit of my history.  I've had sooooo many couples, it's not even funny. I'm beyond a couple-girl.  I've been involved in Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Veronica Mars, The 100, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandoms (and many more). Yeah, so I've been through some ups and downs in the fandoms themselves and with the end result of the product/my couple preference.

Two of the things that these fandoms taught me were (a) critical analysis of the product taking *everything* into account and not just my couple, and (b) how to deal with spoilers to keep myself sane.

NOTE: This is how I deal. I'm not telling anyone else how to feel or deal. This is my bag and what works for me and why I'm personally totally, 100% positive about Caryl despite the recent spoilers.

In one of my fandoms, I was heartbroken by how an episode played out. It made no sense to me. I had analyzed everything, paid attention to all the road signs... how could I have been so wrong? How could she choose the other guy??! It took a few weeks, but I re-thought everything and realized that I had been so focused on analyzing MY couple that I had ignored the OTHER couple. I had ignored the other aspects of the show and that other aspect mattered. It was like a bomb went off in my head. Suddenly something so obvious was now so clear to me.  

From that moment on when I analyzed the show, I analyzed every character, every aspect of it and I gotta tell you all I just about nailed every character plot point. Not the twists/turns, but the emotional, character beats? I was right as rain on those. Because here's the obvious thing, no showrunner/headwriter is ever going to write for ONE character, ONE couple. They are going to write for every single character, every single couple.  And if they are good writers they aren't going to take fanfic-like shortcuts to get them where we would like them to be, they are going to dig deep and explore who they are as characters to bring them organically to where they belong.

So... The Walking Dead. Angela Kang. Daryl Dixon. Carol Peletier. Caryl. (FINALLY! Ya'll say.) Angela Kang is a GOOD showrunner/headwriter. She brought TWD back from the disaster that Scott Gimple had made of the show. Seriously, I think 3-4 seasons went by and only 2 months had passed in that time. It was mostly a slow-moving morass of nothing happening with most characters doing nothing, barely connecting. Blech! It was mostly just not good. She whipped this show into shape.

Kang also took a long look at Carol, Daryl and Caryl and realized that in order to get them where they needed to be... which was TOGETHER ROMANTICALLY, they needed a helluva lot of work because Gimple had done ABSOLUTE SHIT with them for about 4 years. They had barely a handful of scenes over that time period, had been mostly separated and both characters had been decimated in completely different ways.

Carol's grief, guilt and horrendous actions had been completely and utterly sublimated. She told no one (including Daryl) about what happened with all of the children she had lost by her hand or through she felt because of her.  So what did Kang do? She used the relationship that Gimple had begun with Ezekiel to create this fairytale fantasy that Carol could escape to since she couldn't be with her Alexandria family anymore because of that grief and guilt. She gave her that respite and escape until she was ready to live with the reality of all she'd done.

And then she opened the door to that grief and guilt with Henry's death, destroying that fairytale/fantasy so that she could finally begin to heal. And that is what we are finally getting now, a healing Carol. She's not whole yet, but she's stronger and she is healing. She's no longer hiding in some fantasy, she's no longer drowning in grief. And she's with her family again. She's come home.

I'm sure just as Kang looked at Carol, she also looked at Daryl and saw how Gimple had turned him into a monosyllablic follower. So, through the last two seasons, she's been building him up as the leader who's stepping up and also... HE SPEAKS! That's really the big thing, but it's such, such a big thing.

Finally, Caryl. To begin with, Kang's first episode made it perfectly obvious that it was a Zeke/Carol/Daryl triangle. However, because it's been sooooooooooooo long and the Caryl crowd has been battered for so long and the ABC crowd is so loud and even the media doesn't immediately jump to it despite the popularity of Caryl the obviousness of it just wasn't obvious. But the way Zeke proposed to Carol to which she did not say yes, his undying declaration of love to which she did not respond in kind to the way she curled up (yes, curled up!) against Daryl to tell him about said proposal and his response, clearly not happy about it, but willing to give her the go-ahead if she was happy was so obvious. I mean, DUDE! Yeah, that was textbook triangle material with the guy proposing being the clear loser in the equation in the long run. And that was Angela Kang's first episode as showrunner!

Everything that followed--the secret visits to him, her cutting his hair, her trust in him and vice-versa--to her leaving Zeke behind in Hilltop and going with Daryl to Alexandria, yeah, all of that was clearly going to be how that "triangle" ended based on that first episode.  But so many Caryl fans were heartbroken, upset, furious about the Carol/Zeke spoilers. Of course, they were. We had no idea what Kang had in store. We'd been burned and battered and used and ignored by TWD, AMC, Gimple, et al. How could we possibly know that Kang had a plan all along and that the Carol/Zeke relationship was about paying time and attention to Carol's character and establishing a subtle triangle with Daryl in which he would emerge the victor?

But that's exactly what Angela Kang did. And then in season 10 she made it clear numerous times that it--only her second as showrunner--would feature the relationship of Carol and Daryl at the heart of it. So I have a few points I want to make regarding the upcoming spoilers taking ALL of the above that I've written into account:

1. Spoilers are tricky things. You simply can not know what is what until you actually watch the episode and even see the full arc play out. When you have a good showrunner/headwriter who has a plan and knows the path planned for the characters--one who has proven they know what they're doing--wait until you see what they are actually doing before assuming the roof is falling in. At least that's my philosophy.

2. I mentioned how the obviousness of the triangle aspect set-up in Kang's first episode as showrunner was so missed and a part of that is because of the fact that there is too much ambiguity in how Caryl and Daryl see one another. Is it friendship? Is it a mother/son (pfft! So fucking ridiculous!) relationship? Is it a sibling-like relationship? Or is it romantic/sexual? (YES, IT IS!) This very well may be what answers that question. (It’s the last one. It’s definitely the last one.)

3. 10x18 is STILL a part of season 10. According to Angela Kang, the heart of season 10 is the relationship of Carol and Daryl.

Finally, there are two characters left from the first season of this ten (of eleven) season show. Carol and Daryl. There is going to be a spin-off featuring Carol and Daryl. A character that Daryl has some sort of history with when he thought he lost Carol when she was married to someone else (after he had lost Rick) is NOT going to suddenly, randomly become the ONE to come between Carol and Daryl.

It doesn’t matter that this character is coming back in the final season. Sorry, not sorry, but it just does not. Carol and Daryl are the ONE for each other. This character is just another Ezekiel, a part of their story. Angela Kang has been organically, effortlessly rebuilding Carol and Daryl, and Caryl back up from the neglect and abuse that they suffered (especially Carol and Caryl) under Scott Gimple.

This is why I trust in Angela Kang.

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Ouroboros (S2, E8)

The hiatus almost killed me. So glad we have new content <3

As usual, my time-stamped thoughts for this episode are below. As always I reference Malcolm’s mental health. A lot. So if that’s going to be a trigger for you, don’t keep reading.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

0:04 - That scarf is so extra.

0:26 - OH LOOK THE FIRST SUNSHINE SIGHTING OF SEASON TWO!!! It only took 8 episodes. *insert eyeroll*

0:40 - Ugh. This montage makes me hate Hoxley. He embodies the type of human I abhor: self-important, egotistic, obsessed with appearance.

1:19 - “No I didn’t.” LMAO. Mr. David is so done with Martin’s bullshit.

1:36 - That makeshift shiv in the dude’s arm.....that’s Daryl’s shiv from a few episodes ago right? Am I going crazy?

 2:25 - Sooooo Birdie hasn’t left New York? She’s moved into the Milton’s “Murrayville Building”. Huh. Wait. Was Birdie in the house when Malcolm and Ainsley fought? Do you think she heard?!? Birdie might become a problem for the Whitly’s later this season....I hope?

2:43 - Jessica doesn’t know about the contents of the fight. Interesting. How long has it been since the end of 2x7? 

2:58 - “I’ll be there at 8.” hahaha OMG. I swear Malcolm was a terror during his ‘rebellious teenager’ phase.

3:38 - Yep. This fog horn reinforces the fact that I believe Hoxley is a dick. 

3:40 - Awww.... the way Malcolm jumps/flinches at the fog horn is both hilarious and adorable.

3:58 - “And who the hell are you?” YES GIL. YES. Don’t let him talk like that to Malcolm <3

4:04 - Duuuuude. Gil looks pissed and scared. He does not like Europol snooping around his crimes. ALSO I’m like 95% sure that Gil knows (or at least has a hunch) that Malcolm is somehow involved with Endicott’s murder. I’m pretty sure Gil is scared that this dude is going to try and arrest Malcolm. 

4:07 - OMG. JT is adorable. “You’re that guy. The mind sleuth.” Personal headcanon: JT read Hoxley’s book to try and understand Malcolm better. 

4:22 - DANI IS MY QUEEN. SHE IS MY ICON. I LOVE HER SO FREAKING MUCH. “No.” This girl is fierce. <3

4:23 - <3 <3 Malcolm’s heart eyes, head tilt, and visible pride is so so so precious. THIS is why he’s attracted to Dani. She’s not afraid to assert herself. 

4:31 - “And then took in his son.” ....Okay, so this infuriated me. Nothing Hoxley is saying is untrue. BUT something about the way he’s saying it just gets under my skin. 

4:45 - I think Hoxley is pissing me off so much because he’s psychoanalyzing Malcolm in front three of the people Malcolm trusts and loves most in the world (3 out of a very very short list of people). He’s trying to humiliate Malcolm and I hate it. I hate that Dani, JT, and Gil haven’t told Hoxley to shut up. I hate that Hoxley is trying to drive stakes of doubt into the three people whose opinion Malcolm treasures. 

5:25 - “Aim a little lower, Whitly.” and and and.....then Hoxley looks to the team as though he wants them to laugh. I’m furious. 

5:32 - THANK YOU GIL. STEER THE CONVERSATION AWAY FROM MALCOLM

6:04 - Malcolm is so obvious. There’s no way that the team doesn’t know that he was involved with Endicott’s murder. If they didn’t before this episode - they HAVE to know now. Right? They’re detectives. Malcolm is a terrible liar. 

7:00 - Oh. So now Ainsley cares about the crime. Now it’s “how much trouble are we in”. And let’s be real. Ainsley doesn’t even seem very worried or scared. She’s concerned that the crime will get out - she’s not sorry she committed the crime. She’s not sorry that her big brother tried to take the fall for her. 

7:15 - “We said no more secrets.” ...when. When did you two say that? Was there a ‘fight part 2 - the tentative truce’ that we didn’t get to see?

7:33 - A mention of Sophie Sanders. Finally. I still hope she comes out of the woodwork and takes the fall for this. I want more closure on her. Did the team ever find out that Malcolm found her? How did the Eddie murder finally get resolved (I’m not satisfied with the “not every case gets solved” line)?

7:42 - Yo. I don’t care about the time constraint of a 45 minute episode. I don’t care that it was required to move the plot along. The fact that Ainsley starts typing frantically into the computer at about 7:42, stops typing at 7:47ish and has found at least 4 different articles relating to murdered random people (who apparently helped hide Endicott’s body?) is SO UNREALISTIC. I just can’t. I can’t suspend my disbelief on this one. The article headlines say nothing about ‘couriers’. It’s stuff like ‘Local fisherman found dead’. HOW THE HELL WOULD AINSLEY KNOW THEY WERE HELPING MALCOLM IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS OF GOOGLING?!? Nope. I can’t justify this one. Fedak - you dropped the ball.

8:40 - Poor Malcolm looks terrified. :( 

9:04 - My first impression of Natalie was that she’s a beautiful young lady who seems really sweet and a little socially awkward. Kudos to the actress.

9:41 - Another mention of Sophie. God - I hope she becomes a twist in this season’s storyline. I’m not content with how her story arc ended. 

10:21 - “I didn’t have anything to do with Endicott’s death and neither did Jessica.” Yep. Gil definitely knows (or at least suspects) that Ainsley and Malcolm are somehow involved with Endicott’s murder. It’s killing me that we’re not getting the big “team and/or Gil find out and/or confront Malcolm about it” moment. 

10:31 - OMG. Alan Cumming’s eyebrow wag here. hahahahaha

10:35 - Look at how pissed off Gil is as soon as Hoxley suggests that he and Jessica have a romantic history. 1) Gil still has it bad for Jessica (and is hurt that she rejected him again 2) Gil’s a pretty private dude and probably doesn’t like his personal business being speculated upon by a total stranger with ill intent 3) Gil is also getting protective of the Whitly’s. Not just Jessica but Malcolm (and maybe Ainsley) too. 

10:58 - Europol agents aren’t allowed to make arrests?!? THEN WTF IS THE POINT OF HOXLEY’S CHARACTER?!? TO DRIVE DOUBT INTO THE MINDS OF THE TEAM WITH REGARDS TO MALCOLM?!? FOR REAL. WHY?! TO FORCE GIL TO ARREST MALCOLM AND AINSLEY?!?!

11:08 - “To watch you put the cuffs on Mr.Endicott’s killer. Deal?” “Deal.” oooooooohhhhhh no. I do not like the foreshadowing here. If Gil has to arrest Ainsley and/or Malcolm.....idek. Part of me wants to watch it for the emotional whump (of all parties - including Jessica). Part of me wants to ugly cry at the thought of it though.

11:39 - “How do you know so much about yachts?” ....THANK YOU JT. DANI HAS A STRANGE AMOUNT OF NAVAL KNOWLEDGE IN THIS EPISODE AND WE ALL KNOW “I watch a lot of Below Deck” IS UTTER HORSE CRAP. Ugh. I want to know more about Dani and JT’s personal lives. So. Badly. 

11:44 - <3 <3 <3 The look Malcolm and JT exchange when Dani claims that she watches a lot of Below Deck is absolutely precious. It’s like they’re best friends and/or brothers. They both knew Dani was lying. <3

11:54 - “At least he’s the real deal.” Ouch. I honestly can’t tell if JT is just teasing Malcolm here or if JT genuinely believes this. ....Is this JT’s way to letting Malcolm know that he has suspicions about his involvement with Endicott’s death?

12:06 - “Says the guy who bought his book.” HA. Dani is on fire this episode. The snark queen. Look at how pleased Malcolm is that Dani is defending him. <3 Warms my cold dead heart.

12:09 - annnnndd now JT is definitely teasing Malcolm. “What our boy Bright needs is a moniker.” hahaha watching Dani and JT come up with stupid profiler monikers was so cute. I love it when the team gangs up to (lovingly) tease Malcolm.

12:30 - “No. Nothing yet.” Again - Malcolm is a terrible liar. The team must know that he’s involved with this thing. They’re detectives. 

12:59 - Martin’s physical reaction to Malcolm saying, “No. That woman does not deserve to die.” Is HILARIOUS. Martin is so freaking desperate for Malcolm to become a serial killer that he doesn’t even care the Ainsley has already murdered someone. 

13:19 - “He has a perfect track record.”.....what? So does that mean he’s solved every case he’s ever worked on? Taken credit for solving every case he’s ever work on? Hand picked the cases he works on so he knows he can solve them? Probably a combination of the above. Sometime about Hoxley reminds me of Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter. You feel me?

13:23 - The fact that Tom Payne (a Brit) is being told that Hoxley has “perfect teeth. For a Brit” by a Welsh man is hilarious.

13:34 - Does this fish packing joint have no security?!? Like Malcolm didn’t have to pick a lock or anything. He just walked right in (and he’s not being quiet).

13:51 - “I can think ruthless. I don’t know if I can be ruthless.” THIS. THIS is Malcolm in a nutshell. Think about Nicky Covington. Malcolm wanted to act ruthless but he couldn’t. He ended up saving Nicky because he couldn’t go through with his ruthless plan. That’s the difference between Malcolm and (quite frankly) the rest of his family. Jessica, Martin, and Ainsley can all be ruthless. All of them. Jessica on a lesser degree but Martin and Ainsley are confidently ruthless. Often.

13:57 - Ok. For real though. HOW HAS NO ONE OVERHEARD THESE PHONE CALLS BETWEEN MARTIN AND MALCOLM. THE PHONES HAVE TO BE TAPPED RIGHT?!? IN A SECURE MENTAL INSTITUTION FOR MURDERERS?!? and I stg that Mr. David knows things. That man is not a moron and he’s pieced stuff together (not from this scene obviously, but still).

14:13. - “Why don’t I break out.” The fact that Malcolm hasn’t mentioned that Martin wants to escape to anyone (since 2x4) is really stressing me out. I know Martin’s going to break out - the promos have made that very obvious but I’m still anxious about it. Mostly I’m worried for the health and safety of Malcolm (and Gil, Jessica, Dani, JT, Edrisa...).

14:17 - “We all go on the run together.” Martin is delusional. He thinks that the whole family will go on the run with him?!?!?  He might be able to convince Ainsley. He might be able to blackmail or threaten Malcolm. BUT Jessica? She’s not going willingly. Hell - she might kill him herself if Martin escapes and tries to come near her (which.....I would actually kind of like to see).

14:48 - The fact that Malcolm apologizes to a corps is so precious. Really reinforces the fact that Malcolm is not a killer. 

15:00 - Oh look. Another scene for Malcolm’s nightmares. “The time I cut off a dead guy’s thumb to protect my sister”

15:24 - annnndd Malcolm is really close to having a panic attack. Look at that face. :( Someone give this guy a hug. Please.

15:34 - Where the HELL is Edrisa!?!?!?

15:42 - Malcolm, you utter moron. What possessed your stupid ass to show up at a crime scene with a soaking wet arm and draw attention to your arm by shaking it?!?! WHEN THE BODY WAS JUST DRAGGED OUT OF A VAT OF WATER. AND YOU TAMPERED WITH THE BODY?!!? YOU DUMBASS. 

15:52 - This is Gil - terrified. He’s scared because 1) he knows Malcolm is lying , 2) he’s concerned for Malcolm’s mental health and 3) he’s starting to think that either a) Malcolm killed this guy, b) Malcolm knows who killed this guy and is obstructing justice, or c) Hoxley is going to pin this on Malcolm and Gil won’t be able to save him.

16:14 - “I’m never buying frozen fish again.” hahaha Dani is killing it this episode. <3

16:23 - Check out how Gil is staring at Malcolm. Gil totally thinks Malcolm has the thumb.

16:50 - “Older model” Shit. Seriously? Are finger print scanners on phones old?!? My phone isn’t that old......I got it 6 years ago? 

17:16 - MALCOLM IS A TERRIBLE LIAR. Honestly, the pure terror on his face throughout most of this episode screams “I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE MURDER.” If the team hasn’t pieced this together yet they’re not worthy of being detectives.

17:29 - I’m not going to lie. I had to fast forward through the Martin/Capshaw scenes for the rewatch. I find them so upsetting to watch. I just can’t do it more than once. Their whole dynamic is gross, creepy, and just ugh. 

20:00 - Jessica and Hoxley talking about Endicott’s death is so satisfying. 

20:35 - “Jessica Whitly. Played for a fool. Yet. Again.” Ok Hoxley. You are not allowed to disrespect my girl Jessica like that. 

21:10 - The biggest problem with Jessica and Gil’s “mock interrogations” by Hoxley is that neither of them mention Ainsley or Malcolm. It’s super suspicious. They mention other people by name. People who should be connected to Ainsley and/or Malcolm given the context of the sentence. Hoxley is a moron for not nailing Ainsley and Malcolm for the crime during this episode. It’s so so so obvious.

21:19 - hahahahahahahaha Jessica grabbing the martini out of Hoxley’s hands. hahahahaha I stan.

21:35 - annnnnd Jessica is a terrible liar as well. Seriously - why doesn’t she just say “ENDICOTT WAS KILLED OVER HERE!!”. Another parallel between her and Malcolm though. Malcolm + Jessica can’t lie well. Ainsley + Martin are expert liars.

22:54 - Again. Ainsley is intrigued at the fact that Malcolm has a thumb in his freezer. Much like Martin would be if he knew. Jessica on the other hand shares Malcolm’s fear and disgust about the situation.

23:00- “We”?!!?!? AINSLEY YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING. MALCOLM HAS BEEN COVERING FOR YOUR ASS. YOU JUST HAVEN’T TURNED YOURSELF IN AFTER YOU REMEMBERED. THAT’S YOUR ONLY CONTRIBUTION TO THE “KEEPING ENDICOTT’S MURDER A SECRET” SITUATION. 

23:07 - “Do you even see what you are doing to him.” This line both terrified and delighted me. On one hand - I’m grateful that Jessica can see how much emotional pain Malcolm is in because of this situation. One the other hand - Ainsley looks pissed that Jessica is blaming her for Malcolm’s general brokenness. If Ainsley goes full serial killer - Malcolm is going to be on her list. “The brother that overshadowed her.” “The favourite child” “The reason she had to be a perfect daughter” “The reason she was ignored”

23:32 - “Got it.” Damn. Ainsley is bitter. She wants to control this situation. She doesn’t like taking orders from Malcolm. 

25:00 - MR.DAVID IS RIGHT THERE. IF HE DOESN’T BLOW THE WHISTLE ON THIS I’M GOING TO BE SO DISAPPOINTED. 

25:12 -”The Brain Fart” hahahahaha OMG. 

25:53 - “You’re being rude Hoxley.” ......Martin being the nice guy? I’m genuinely disgusted.

26:26 - “Your son Malcolm.” THIS. THIS is why Ainsley is so pissed off. Everyone has always thought Malcolm would turn out like Martin. Ever since they were kids. She’s pissed off that no one considers her to be a threat. They’re all concerned for and scared of Malcolm. Not her. She’s invisible. Why do you think she became a TV reporter? To force people to see her. 

26:50 - I’ve never wanted to Martin to kill anyone more than I have in this moment. I do find Martin’s protective love for Malcolm interesting though. 

27:37 - How long was that phone in water before Malcolm grabbed it?!? Anyone ever drop a phone in water? I don’t care how much rice you have. It’s toast 90% of the time. 

27:44 - Malcolm explaining murder to Sunshine is so cute. 

28:22 - And my heart rate has skyrocketed. 

29:10 - “To protect your sister.” Huh. I find it interesting that Hoxley has considered that Malcolm may have killed Endicott to protect Ainsley. It suggests that he thinks Endicott was a threat to Ainsley alive. Makes me wonder about what happened to Ainsley before Malcolm got back to the house in 1x20.

29:16 - “You all had something to gain.” Did they though? Martin had something to gain - keeping his cushy Claremont cell. Ainsley had something to gain - “A news story.” Jessica had something to gain - “safety”. But Malcolm? He didn’t personally have anything to gain. He wanted his Mom and sister safe but he never thought about himself. 

30:11 - “Perhaps the murder weapon is still among your mother’s silver.” I find it interesting Hoxley has pieced that together. I also find it highly unbelievable but that’s just me. 

30:15 - Hoxely, rich people don’t carve their own Christmas roasts. The Whitly’s have staff for that. 

30:24 - “You’re still just a scared little boy. Hungry for daddy’s love.” Ouch. It’s true but it still hurts. This is not helping Malcolm’s mental state. At all. Istg if we don’t get a Malcolm mental health crisis soon I’m going to have my own mental health crisis. Seriously. I want to see this boy lose it. I’m a monster. I know. I want ugly crying. I want panic attacks. I want him to go catatonic. I want someone to comfort him. 

32:35 - Nat’s a good liar. Very convincing. Too bad Malcolm’s a good profiler. 

33:53 - Check out Spider Monkey Malcolm. <3 

34:14 - Earlier this episode when Malcolm said he can think ruthless but not be ruthless? This is the proof. He could’ve sat back and let Natalie kill Hoxley. In some ways - it would be good for Malcolm. But Malcolm’s not ruthless. He values human life. He’s an A+ dude. For better or for worse he tries to help people.

34:26 - Really Hoxley? Do you plan on stabbing Malcolm?!? (FYI - this scene is very reminiscent of Lockhart pulling his wand on Harry and Ron in the Chamber of Secrets #justsaying).

34:45 - “I’m going to be killed by a millennial. What a twist.” hahahhahahahahhaa

35:22 - “I’m British.” hahaha I love this scene so much.

37:14 - FINALLY THE PAPA!GIL CONTENT WE”VE BEEN WAITING FOR. (it’s weak but I’ll take it)

37:39 - AHHHH the fact that Gil and Malcolm are both non-verbally communicating that Natalie didn’t kill Endicott is killing me. Does Malcolm think that Gil hates him? Does Gil really think Malcolm killed Endicott? Or just that Malcolm covered it up? I NEED TO KNOW.

37:46 - Concerned!Gil and a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder. <3 <3 <3 My icy heart has melted. 

37:54 - annnnnd Hoxley ruins the moment.

39:39 - I’m not content with this ending. It’s all too convenient. Hoxley still thinks Ainsley and Malcolm did it. Mark my words. This isn’t over.

39:53 - Ainsley is so smug here. I want to slap her. She’s elated that she’s getting away with murder. She doesn’t care about how it’s hurting her family. 

40:00 - Did they really do the interview inside Jessica’s house?!?! Gross. 

40:17- I might be the only one but I love that polo on Malcolm. Something about it is adorable. 

40:22 - ......is Ainsley really trying to take credit for “putting this Endicott mess behind us”?!?! Because - she didn’t. OMG. She absolutely didn’t. Even if she did - she’s the reason they’re in the mess to being with!!!!!!! I can’t. I just....can’t. 

40:45 - The episode ends right here for me. I know Capshaw and Martin kiss. It makes me want to hurl and I refuse to watch it again. I also know that Capshaw takes the scissors away from Martin. I think their whole dynamic is upsetting and creepy. I’m like 95% sure that Capshaw is a serial killer on the DL. Or at least some sort of psychopath. Martin and Capshaw are both manipulating each other and it’s too stressful to watch. 

I didn’t love this episode. It was a bit all over the place. If you stuck around this long - thank you. I’ll see you guys next week. <3

[bruhimaunicorn]

Stitches, Bolts, and a little baby named Rose.

Paring: DarylxReader

Summary : The one where you’re pregnant, the prison falls, and you run into a familiar face...

Warnings : Angst. Zombies. Cursing. All the good walking dead stuff. Fluff. Birth.

A/N : This is placed during season four after the prison falls! I’m currently accepting requests so if you have something you want to see let me know! Also, who else misses Hershel ?

PAST

“ You’re sick, Y/N. You need to get to — “ Hershel warns you as your doubled over, tossing every content of your stomach up. He’s rubbing your back comfortingly, but you couldn’t feel more alone. “ — I’m not sick like that “ You barely whisper, hoping you can get the message across. Your eyeing the ground as you heave to get your breath back, but you can picture the look on his face. You hadn’t told anyone yet , not even Daryl, but you had to tell Hershel to prevent getting put in the same cell block as those that are sick . Who knows what that would mean for your baby? 

He’s a loss for words you believe, but you dare to look up at the man. And for some reason, the crazy man was smiling. Like this was good news at a time like this. “ Why are you -“ you stop to hold your breath as a second wave of nausea hits you, “ S-smiling?”. The back of your hand is attempting to block any smells from entering your nose and it occurs to the older man that he’s never seen you so vulnerable, but he doesn’t drop his smile “ It’s a blessing, Y/N. You smile when they happen “. If you had the energy, you’d roll your eyes at him, but all you can give him is a grunt “ Was it such a blessing for, Lori? “. You expect for his smile to drop at the mention of her name, but it doesn’t. He just shakes his head. He can see right through you. You’re just scared. But he’s seen you with, Judith. You and Daryl were the first to truly take care of the girl when , Rick lost his mind.

He's seen the light in your eyes as you held the baby close to you and how it grew bigger when, Daryl would take her from you. And he knows you didn't come from a great childhood and nether did Daryl, but you'd be great parents. " Have you told him? " Hershel ignores your attitude. This earns a scoff, as if it's clear you hadn't. Daryl would be on you like a hawk if you had told him. There'd be know way he'd go on the run knowing you're pregnant. And you're people need the medicine. More than you needed to tell the father . " And why not? " Hershel crouches down, face to face with you now. He glances at the scar on your cheek , remembering the night you returned after you had been taken by some creeps that got the better of you when you were out on a run by yourself.

You killed them all by the time the sun set, but no one knew you’d been taken. And it really killed, Daryl. Which could easily answer Hershel’s question. Daryl didn't leave you alone for a month after that. He could only imagine if you would've told him now. " It can wait till’ tomorrow ". Hershel nods and rubs a kind hand over your back. There’s bigger issues to handle right now. " Let's get you inside, huh? " He offers after you seem to get yourself together. You nod and he helps you back to your cell, only leaving when you're comfortable in bed, and he smiles to himself as the thought of a little Y/N running around the prison.

If he only knew what the future held for you instead...

PRESENT DAY

" C-Can you hear me?! " The person infront of you yells, but your vision is blurry and you can't form the words to acknowledge him. You fell running from the dead, that are currently trying to surround you and you know you should run, but you can't. You need to get up. You need to save your baby. " Y/N ! " The man yells again, and you wonder how the blurry stranger knows your name, but it's the lease of your worries as he begins to pick you up and all you can do is think back to the prison—and how you were taken all that time ago. But you can't muster up the energy to fight him as he trudges around the walkers to hopefully get you to safety. God knows you can't at the moment.

Your eyes try to adjust as you can hear bullets hit their targets and you briefly notice the brown staff hanging from the stranger’s person as your head hangs over his arm. Your brain tries to concentrate for just a moment, trying to remember who that person you knew that used one, but it fails you as your eyes roll back into your head.

" Hey " You mumble, barely awake when Daryl gets back from the run. Daryl narrows his eyes at you, setting his crossbow to the floor " What are you doin' in bed ? ". It's not like you to be in bed this early in the day. " Wasn't feeling well is all. Feeling better now. How was the run? " You explain, sitting up slightly hoping the world doesn't start spinning on you. He looks you up and down as if he believes other wise, but trusts your word. " Got the meds. Still in one piece " He sits next to you, taking a closer look at your pale skin.

" Good " You smile. He then puts his hand to your forehead as if you wouldn't tell him if you got the illness going around and you swat his hand away " I told you I'm fine". " Don't look fine " He points, eyes grazing your own. He knows something's wrong. Even if you might be fine now. Something was wrong. You couldn’t hide anything from him. Sighing at the very fact, you swing your legs out from under the blankets and you grab your knees " I threw up earlier ". He's quiet as he takes the information in. You don't have the illness. You'd be burning up by now. You sense his confusion and put it to rest " I'm pregnant, Daryl".

And you expect him to freak out. To be afraid. But he just sits there and lets a pregnant pause fill the air. Eventually, he brings his nail to his lip and lets out a deep breath, but no words are shared. It makes you wonder what's going through his head. If he wants this. If he wants this with you. Yes, you have been together for a long time, but this was never discussed. Never on the table. And with the childhood you both had, you never planned on having kids. " Are you sure? " He asks, breaking the silence. He knows you wouldn't tell him if you weren't, but he had to hear you say it. " Yes". He lets out a deep breath and places a hand on yours, squeezing it as he does " We'll make it work. It'll be ok. I won't let anythin' happen to you ".

He seems so sure in his words. It comforts you slightly. " Do you want this? " You then question. His eyes narrow at you again " T'hell does that mean? ". " Do you want this with me? " You clarify. Scoffing, he resists the urge to roll his eyes at you " What kind of stupid question is tha' ? ". You bite your lip as he stares you down. You've never had something so certain in your before. If you did, it would always leave. So you were giving him the option now, instead of waiting for the other shoe to fall. His eyes soften as it crosses his mind. " You're mine. This baby? Is mine. Got it? ". You nod, your heart warming, and he leans in to push your hair away from your face " M'not going anywhere ". You grab his hand and place a small kiss to it " Me either ".

You're ripped from your memories as something is tugging at the side of your head, causing your eyes to flutter open. There's a bright light over your head as the tugging continues, but your vision still isn't strong enough to make out your surroundings. You must've really hit your head. " You awake? " A deep voice asks you and you wonder if it's best to pretend other wise. Suddenly, the figure leans over you as to remind you his power over you at the moment " You with me?". Slowly, you nod. He sits back down and continues cleaning the wound on the side of your head " Cut it pretty good, but it will only need a few stitches ".

Only a few.

" You're going to want some of this " He offers a strange bottle to your lips. It smells of whiskey and you push it away with no explanation. " Suit yourself " It sounds as if he takes his own sip, but you're not sure. He proceeds to thread a needle before letting it pierce your skin. At first, you groan at the pain, but hold it in as you don't want whoever this is to see your weakness. That could get you killed. He loops the thread through your skin four times before ending your pain and cutting the thread from the needle. " It's not my best work, probably have a scar, but it'll keep you from dying " He acknowledges.

You watch his blurred figure put his surgical supplies away and when he returns, he sits infront of you " How's the vision? ". He proceeds to wave a finger infront of you, but stops as you don't attempt to follow it. " Should return to you in a couple of days ". He then helps you sit up, noticing how reluctant you are to accept his help " When I saw you, I thought about leaving you there to die, but then I remembered the last time we met. Do you remember it? ". You don't give a response. " You cared for me. Even when I swung a knife at you, you cared for me and told me there was a place for me... Even though I wasn't in my right mind. I'm still not " He reminisced. And then it hit you.

" Morgan? " You question, thinking about the time you found him in that town with Rick. " Surprised? ". You don't have a long history with the man, but at least you know you're safe-ish. " It's been awhile " You tell the man, reaching to touch your stitches. He cut the hair there to do so and you flinch when you come in contact with it. " You'll be fine. Couple days tops. Then you'll be on your way ". It's clear he wants you gone after that. " Fair enough".

After he's made himself clear, he leaves you alone in the blurry room.

--

Days pass slowly now. You believe it's been five, but you aren't too sure since Morgan keeps you locked in the room. He only comes in to give you food and to let you use the restroom. Today is no different. He comes in on schedule with a plate of food and orange juice, but he doesn't expect the smell to make you sick. " Mor- " He begins to greet you, but stops as he watches you grab at your stomach at the smell of bacon. " Oh god - " You hold your hand over your mouth before pushing past him and rushing outside. Immediately, you empty your stomach and grasp the grass beneath you. Morgan runs out after you, expecting this to be some form of betrayal, but stops at the door as he finds you sick.

It's all too clear to him why you're throwing up in his yard and he doesn't know how to respond to it. It reminds him of his wife— how she use to get so sick at the smell of meat too when she was pregnant. His stomach twists uncomfortably as you go through this alone. Where’s the father? Why did he find you alone and at deaths door? You wipe at your mouth as you try to recover and as you feel Morgan eyes on you , you sigh " I'll be on my way ". You push off of the ground, the cold air chilling your bones, and head to collect your things from him, but he stops you from entering his home. Your eyesight still isn't the best, but you can see the look on his face.

" How far along are you? ". You instinctively cradle your stomach as if you could protect your baby this way " Six weeks ". He drops his eyes to your stomach where you clutch at your shirt. You aren't showing yet. No it's too soon,but you would after another six. He couldn't send you out there by yourself. He has more than enough to keep you and your baby alive and healthy. And even though he's still not all together mentally, he knows this is what's right. " You're not going anywhere. You can stay here". Your eyebrows knit in confusion at his offer. Just a couple of days ago he wanted you gone. And you still have to find Daryl. There's no way you are staying here. Morgan senses your reluctance " How long do you think you're going to make it out there? By yourself? Not even one good eye to see those things before they see you ".

" I'll be fine, Morgan. I have to find them " You admit your mission. He mentally sighs at you, but doesn't stand down" That baby won't survive it. You might, but it won't ". His determination makes you question his motives. You know he's right, but why does he care about your baby? " Why do you care? You wanted me gone as soon as I was better ".

He doesn't answer your question, only extends his offer in desperation " I'll help you find your friends if you stay".

--

3 MONTHS LATER

You're currently digging in Morgan's garden, preparing it for the spring as the weather recently started to warm. It's not anywhere close to staying that way, but you want to get it ready. Morgan is out checking the fences to check for any breaches before the two of you continue your search for your family. And while there haven’t been a lot of leads on to where they could've gone, you won't stop looking. Even when you're nine months pregnant. You sigh at the thought and look down at your stomach. It's slightly round, but if you untuck your shirt no one could tell. And when you noticed the fact, your first urge was to tell Daryl. Like he was right there. And it killed you to remember he's not.

" The baby will like to play here " Morgan smiles, approaching the garden now. You know he's just trying to make you smile, but you don't want to be here that long. You thought Morgan would be distant with all things considered, but after he warmed up to you it seemed like you were the reason he got out of bed every day. You and the baby that is. He notices your frowning at the thought and he remembers the fact that you should be sharing this time with the baby's father. You get off of your knees and remove your gloves " Let's get going ".

You both head for his car and ride out to where you last left off, a map in your hands showing all of the areas searched " I was thinking we should hit this place next. Seems like a good place to hold up for a few months ". Morgan looks to where your pointing on the map with your red marker and nods in agreement. It takes about thirty minutes to get to said place, but once there you're ready to jump out and search the neighborhood infront of you. But of course, Morgan stops you and reminds you to let him search first. And he does before deeming it clear to let you out of the car. The pair of you then creep into the quiet neighborhood in hopes you find some sign of your loved ones.

The first couple of houses are a bust, but as you and Morgan clear the fifth he notices you drifting up stairs. " Y/N ! " He grunts, following you up them to find you inspecting dry blood on the floor. Morgan follows your eyes before a walker reveals himself at the end of the hallway. " I'll handle it " Morgan decides, as you don't have the chance to even get a good look at it. You watch him prepare his attack before your eyes land on something sticking out of it. Realizing what it is, you scramble over to the now dead walker and yank the item out of it. " What is it? " Morgan asks you. " I-it's a bolt for a crossbow " You explain, looking at the blood covered bolt like it's your whole world right now. Morgan tries to read between the lines, but fails. Why is a bolt important?

You examine it further , knowing fully well that you carved initials into Daryl’s bolts for this very reason, and after wiping some of the blood off of it you find your carvings.

D.D.

And maybe it's the hormones, or maybe it's the fact that this is your first sign of him since loosing him, but you begin to cry. " Y/N? " Morgan questions, crouching down to your level to try and comfort you. He lays a hand on your shoulder as you let the tears fall, but it's short lived as you both hear groans from outside. You wipe at your face , stuffing the bolt in your bag, and join Morgan who is now at a window looking down.

And what you find isn't comforting one bit, it's a whole group of walkers.

--

It was hard to get out of that, but somehow you both did without a scratch on either of you. And once you both got back to his house, you begin planning how soon you'd be going back. " I'm thinking we give it a day or two to clear- " You're thinking aloud, your map out again, but Morgan interrupts you " A day or two? Y/N we barely got out of there ". You don't pay him any mind " - should be enough time for a group that size. Need to get back to that house too ". Morgan groans aloud and yanks the map from your grip " We’re not going back! ". And like the bear he just poked, you jump to your feet and dare him to stop you " Yes we are! I found his bolt , Morgan! This is the closest we've been in months! ".

He tosses the map to the side " Yes, you found a bolt! Who knows how long it's been there?! We could've died for a bolt! Is that what you want ! ". Your cheeks are red as he says the obvious, but you can't accept it. He's out there. All of them are. He can see your want to continue to argue, but he needs you to see reason. If not for yourself, for the baby. One of these days you wouldn't be fast enough. Or strong enough. And you'd die. " They're gone! Long gone , Y/N ! Stop risking your life for ghosts! " he yells, and he watches the hurt spread across your face. Your eyes water and for a moment he wishes he hadn't said it, but it needed to be said.

" D-don't you think I think of that every day?! How they might be dead?! How h- " You let the tears poor as you clutch your stomach ," Every day I wake up and face the facts that I might have this baby alone! That they'll never know their dad or what it's like to have a family! And I sit in that bed and cry. Every morning! And then we find this bolt and you want to take that away from me! From my baby! ". You’re sobbing by the time you finish and , Morgan watches as you fall back into your chair " What would you give to have your wife back, Morgan?! WHAT?! ". Your free hand comes to cover your face and he could see how hard you’re trying to keep it all together. He approaches you slowly and kneels infront of you, offering a comforting hand, but you smack it away " Don't touch m-me ".

He ignores you and rubs your knee " I'd give anything to be with her again. I know that pain. But it got, Dwayne killed. My blindness killed my son. Do you want the same for your child? ".

You don't answer him, but it's clear that you'd have to put your wants and needs behind you. This baby needs to come first.

--

5 MONTHS LATER

" It's really coming together now " Morgan grins at his hard work. You roll your eyes with a smirk at the man and place a teddy bear into the crib he built " I'm not going to compliment you , Morgan. Forget it ". He lets out a genuine laugh at you, pointing to your baby bump " The little one will agree with me. Just wait ‘till it's born. You'll see ". Your hand drops to the large bump, glad that Morgan is excited for the baby to come. It's truly better than doing this alone. And this baby was doing something good in, Morgan. He was happier than when you met him. He would sing in the mornings, force you to dance with him when you got to thinking about the past, always bring back something for the baby when he went out, and you never miss the way he looks at the baby's room.

This baby wasn't just your blessing, but it was his. This was his redemption. " I think it'll like it here. This is a home now " Morgan grins, proving your point. " Alright , grandpa. I think what this baby will like is a apple " You joke, making your way to the kitchen. He follows behind you and leans against the counter as you cut one, waiting to help you sit down. This last month of pregnancy is really kicking your butt. You need help getting in and out of bed, up and down from a chair, and basically everything in between. But you try to help him in return by cooking , tending to the garden, and cleaning. You don't want him to think you aren't pulling your own weight.

You turn to look for the secret ingredient to add to the apple, only to find Morgan holding it. His smile is wide still " Did you think I'd forget ? ". You snatch the salt from his hand and tap some onto your apple , mocking him " Did you think I'd forget? ". He laughs at you and your hormones before helping you sit down to have your snack. " Why salt ? " He questions as you seem to be in love with the food in your mouth. You shrug, not bothering to reply as you devour the apple. " The baby likes it " You explain, rubbing your stomach once again. Sure, the baby gives you the weirdest cravings, sits on your bladder at all odd hours of the night, and keeps you up with all of its kicking, but you'd do anything for it.

As if it agrees, you get a sharp pain in your stomach. You grab at the spot and hiss slightly , the kicks have never been this hard. " You ok? " Morgan asks, but you don't have a chance to respond as you get another one right after. You grab the table tightly causing Morgan to come to your aid. " What is it? Is it the baby ? " He worries. And if you weren't in so much pain, you'd appreciate the true concern. " I- AH " You groan again, biting your lip now. Morgan notices the signs and attempts to get you out of the chair " Y/N — I think you're having contractions. We need to get you to the bed ". You shake your head at him, suddenly terrified at the thought. " Y/N - " . " - No! Not without, Daryl " You almost whine and tears begin brimming your eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen without him. He's supposed to be here with you. " Y/N this baby isn't going to wait on anyone! It's either the bed or this floor! ".

You groan at him, flashing him the angriest eyes he could ever imagine, but let him guide you to your room.

—

8 HOURS LATER

" They’re getting closer together now. You're going to need to start pushing soon " Morgan instructs from his place at your feet. You're sweating at this point and you can't help, but feel sad right now. Daryl’s supposed to be here pushing the hair out of your face and telling you to suck it up. That this was going to be worth it. " Morgan " You whimper, eyes locked on the bolt laying with some other belongings. Morgan rubs your ankles " I know, Y/N, but it's time ". It's the first time he's really acknowledged how painful this is for you and you appreciate how hard he's tried to keep your mind off of all of this pain.

You let out a deep breath and give him a nod, this baby isn't going to wait on anyone. " Now give me ten seconds of pushing and then you get a long break, you hear me? " Morgan asks, but it's not like you have any other choice but to accept. Nodding, you begin to push as he holds up his end of the bargain. And God, did it hurt. You've been beaten, shot, stabbed, and even fell off a two story house once, but did this take the cake. Those ten seconds feel like hours.

And the long break? It's a lie.

Every time you think you catch your breath, you're right back at it. " Oh—Fuck me! " You scream, causing Morgan to continue to encourage you. He's constantly telling you ' you're doing great! ' or ' keep going , almost there! ' and you're ready to kill him. How would he know if you're doing great? Does he have a baby coming out of him?!" I see the head! " Morgan announces, giving you some relief. This is almost over. " Give me one more big push! " He demands. You grind your teeth and push with all your might, somewhere in the back of your mind reminding you that after this is over you'll have your baby.

And it takes a huge push to bring her into this world. What else could you expect? It's Daryl’s kid. " Oh my- Hello! " Morgan laughs, revealing your baby from under the sheet that was your one line of privacy. Her cry fills the room and all you can do is stare at her. " It's a girl! " Morgan declares and clips the cord so you can hold her. " A girl " You whisper to her, as if she's the only one in the room now. She's crying as you let her lay on your chest and suddenly you don't feel alone anymore. A few tears slip down your face and she looks up at you, big blue eyes taking their first look around.

And it takes your breath away.

--

1 MONTH LATER

" Hey now, that's not how you treat Grandpa! " Morgan teases the little one in his arms as she spits up on his shirt. She doesn't seem to care as , Morgan wipes her mouth with the burp cloth " Yeah, I know. You're just like your mom. You don't care ". This earns a smirk from you as you watch from the sink, washing out her baby bottles " That's a compliment. Ain't that right, Rose ? ". She coos , almost like she's trying to agree, and Morgan gasps at her " After all I do for you! I thought we were best friends! ". You contently continue washing dishes as you listen to their banter. It's been a month since you had little, Rose and this is what every day usually consists of.

And Morgan couldn't be more in love. The little girl is his best friend truly. So, you didn't mind giving him the title Grandpa. You don’t have parents and neither did , Daryl so why not? Finishing your task, you leave them to dry and sit back down on the couch to be near her. " It's almost nap time, isn't it ? " He coos down at her and you agree. " I guess I'll be handing you back to, mommy then " He smiles down at the baby, but you wave your hand " Go ahead. I know you want to ". He jumps at the opportunity, rocking her all the way to her crib, and you sigh happily. No, this isn't how you pictured the first month with your daughter would be, but in its own way it was perfect. Rose just has a way of putting people back together again.

You take the opportunity to close your eyes, learning it's best you try and get your sleep on her time and not your own, but as you do something catches your eye. You narrow them at the window across from you and try to make out what exactly caught your eye, and it turns out to be a walker. " How did you get past the fence? " You whisper, reaching to your side for your knife. Since it's only one, you let Morgan stay with Rose , and exit the home to take care of it. It only takes a minute to kill it seeing as it's a old one, but when it drops to the ground you don't find any barb wire marks. Which means it didn't have to fight to get through ...

You look around as if you expect the worse, but you only hear it. The groans, the dragging of feet, and the chilling reminder of fear runs down your spine. Instinctively, you run back into the house " Morgan! ". He jumps out of his chair to see exactly what was so important that you'd risk waking, Rose from her nap and as soon as he opens the door, you’re there ready to retrieve her bags " We need to go! ". Morgan doesn't question you and runs for his own belongings, leaving you to grab her ' Escape bags '. This had been a plan made long ago. Bags should be packed in case of an emergency, and this was a big one. If walkers got through without any harm... Someone had cut your fence. Someone was watching you.

Scooping Rose from her bed, you carefully place her in her carrier as Morgan bursts back in with your bag as well. " What happened? " He questions, taking lead as you have the baby. You follow him down to the cellar, closing the door behind you, and begin the dark walk to the exit. " Someone's cut our fence. They let walkers through " You give the short explanation, hoping Rose doesn't begin to cry. If someone is after you and not just the house, she'd be a dinner bell. " We know the plan " , Morgan assures, " We follow it and we'll all be fine ". Reaching the exit, he barely peaks through the cellar door. He doesn't find any danger, so he guides you to follow him. You climb up the stairs and as soon as your back outside, you both book it for the car.

It was too quiet. Someone was definitely watching you all. Morgan feels the same way, but forces you both in the back seat before he throws himself in the drivers seat. If they wanted this house so bad, they could have it. You adjust Rose's carrier to click into the car seat as , Morgan speeds through the clearing in the woods. He's rapidly looking in the rearview mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever threatened his family like this, as you just focus on your daughter. " She ok? " Morgan asks, the thickness back in his voice that you remember from so long ago. He's in protection mood. " She's fine " You assure, your own thickness coming out as you watch your daughter flicker her eyes around. This is what you had to focus on. Not the plan, or Morgan, but her.

But there's one thing the plan didn't cover... Where do you go after?

--

1 ONE WEEK LATER

The week after you lost your home wasn't the easiest. You couldn't stop anywhere longer then a night before the walkers swarmed, Georgia itself had no where to turn for two people and a baby to survive as the raiders seemed to claim every place possible, and if you dared to even roll the window down it's like a swarm of walkers would be upon you. You didn't have any idea where to go, but you couldn't keep sleeping in a car with a one month old who cries every time the wind blows. Morgan has to be thinking the same as he searches the map for any idea of somewhere to hold up in. Somewhere that he could make last.

He glances over at you , you're fighting your sleep as Rose happily gets hers and he frowns at the sight. This wasn't a life for you. Georgia just isn't safe anymore. His eyes glance around the map as if a state would scream safety, but they don't. Yet, he picks Washington. He just feels strongly about it. So he starts the car again and heads towards the state. He just needs to make a place safe again for the two of you. " Just seven hundred miles to go ... " He whispers to himself. He doesn't know what waits for him or for you, but he'd make it ok. He had to.

Thankfully, the nine hour drive is spent during the night. You wouldn't wake up and question him until Rose got hungry, instead of every minute the sun peaked through the windows, and even then you just quietly fed and burped the baby, before she eventually fell back asleep. The beauty of new borns. And eventually, he got you both to Washington. The sun wasn't even high in the sky when he passed the bloody greeting sign as he entered the state. He doesn't take that as a red flag, instead gives it a wave like any new grandfather would do. He looks back in the mirror to find, Rose staring back at him and it's as if this confirms his choice.

Little does he know , Alexandria is only an hour away. And conveniently near the exact spot, Rose would decide she couldn't spend another minute in the car.

--

" Rose— sweetie I know " You try to soothe your baby, but she just isn't having it. You've changed her, fed her, and sang every nursery rhyme in the book. " Maybe we should pull over and stretch our legs " Morgan suggests, finding this stretch of road hasn't held one walker for ten minutes. You look for yourself and give into your daughter’s wishes " Ok, ok. We'll get some fresh air ". Morgan slows down and pulls to the side of the road, clearing the area around you before you step out with, Rose. She's still fussy at first, but slowly calms at the sight of a butterfly. " Thank, God " You let out a deep breath. Morgan reaches out for her so you can stretch and you hand her over, stuffing your gun in your waist band.

Morgan sways with the baby and points at the butterfly as you take a look around. It's going to be a sunny day by the looks of it, you'd have to make it a point to stop again and let Rose get some vitamin D . You let yourself lean against the car, taking a moment to catch your breath, but you jerk slightly at the sound of a twig snapping. Instantly, you pull your pistol and search for whatever is the source whilst Morgan comes to your side. He's not aware of the situation as he bounces , Rose slightly. " Get in the car. Now! " You whisper/yell at him. He looks around quickly, revealing his strained eyes , and does as you command.

You're searching every tree, every bush with your eyes as you wait for another noise. No way would you get caught off guard again. And then the strangest of things happens. A man, a little shorter than Morgan, walks into the middle of the road with his hands up. He's got a friendly smile like he just moved into the neighborhood or something, causing you to search the trees again. Is this a trap? We're they waiting for you to let your guard down? You decide to cut his walk short and meet him half way, but still keeping a safe distance. He stretches that friendly smile once in talking distance. You don't return it.

" I'm Aaron, don't worry I'm not here to hurt you. We just saw a car - " He begins, but you're already ready to shoot him " - We? Who's we? Do you really think I won't kill you and your friends ? Huh?! ". His eyes widen at your threat, but he attempts to calm you down " No- no ! I have a community! We have watch posts and one of the women saw a car coming our way! ". Your eyes narrow as you look for any sign of a watch post, praying he is just looking out for his community and that you don't have to waste ammo on killing him , but you can't see any. Tilting your head to the side, you glare at the man " Is this some fuckin' game to you? Who are you really?! ". His eyes are filled with fear , but he extends out his hand as a white flag " I've- I've got pictures. Just let me show you them ". You click the hammer back on your pistol, but motion for him to reach into his bag " Slowly ".

He keeps eye contact with you as he does, before tossing four of them your way. You carefully reach for them, pistol aimed at his heart the whole time, and examine them. The first one you see is of walls, the second a group of people who actually seem to be happy, and the rest seem to paint a picture of a sanctuary. " Why are you out here, Aaron ? Alone? " You question, eyes glancing back and forth. He seems to be relieved as you aren't yelling at him anymore " I'm always looking for people who need a place to go. And when we saw you, and then the baby.. We couldn't let you go without offering ". Instinctively, you look back to the car to see the outline of your child. " We have a baby back at Alexandria as well" He assures, but how could you trust him?

He's a stranger. " Sounds too good to be true " You retort, looking back to the man again. He lets out a small smile as if he thought the same " Yeah—it does. But it's real. Come see for yourself. You don't like it? You can leave. No harm done ". You stare him down for a long moment. Why is he being so nice? Turning on your heels, you walk back to the car and Morgan rolls down the window. " He says he has a community down the road —that we're welcome to join. He showed me pictures. Should we check it out? ". Morgan's face twists in thought, Rose drooling on his shoulder. You move to wipe her mouth with her cloth as Morgan sighs out loud. " I'll check it out. You stay here with, Rose. If it's good, I'll come back for you. If not, be ready to go ". Nodding, you switch places with the man and adjust to the seat.

You watch , Morgan follow the man down the road and pray that this would all be ok.

--

Morgan looks around at the gates that shield this place from the rest of the world. " It's pretty great, isn't it ? " Aaron grins in appreciation, but Morgan doesn't return it. This could all turn bad in two seconds and he's ready to wipe that grin off of his face if need be. " Open the gate! " Aaron calls to two women up on watch, Morgan counting exactly who he needs to take out first. The gates open on command infront of the unlikely pair, before he's greeted with so many friendly faces. People are walking around without a care like—like it's another Sunday in the neighborhood, but he doesn't miss that some of them are armed. He's then greeted by a Korean man who by the looks of it is signing off on some board. " New guy? " He asks Aaron after he's finished with his task, a small smile on his face.

" This is Morgan, Morgan meet Glenn " Aaron introduces. Glenn offers out his hand and , Morgan hesitantly shakes it. Glenn notices it and offers his opinion " Look, I was the same way when we got here, but this place? It's good. We've made it good". Morgan takes it into consideration, but doesn't comment on it. " He's with a woman and a baby. Wants to make sure this place is up to par before they come as well " Aaron offers, scratching his head as he realizes he never got your name " What was her name ? ". Morgan looks to Aaron again, debating on rather telling him or not, but decides it's fine since he already knows his" Y/N ". Aaron takes it into account, but all of the sudden , Glenn grabs Morgan's shoulder " Y/N? You said Y/N ? And a baby right ?!".

Morgan shoves the hand off of him, his hand reaching for his staff. How does he seem to know you? " Oh—oh my god! Wait here! ". Morgan watches him run off to god knows where and waits for the shoe to drop. " Where's he off to? " Maggie calls down to, Aaron from watch causing Morgan to look up at the woman. Aaron shrugs " I think he knows our guests ". Maggie narrows her eyes at , Morgan and climbs down the ladder to examine the situation " What's your name?". Maggie holds her hand over her eyes to block out the sun and Morgan's happy that finally someone here isn't as welcoming. That someone has sense. " Morgan ". Maggie looks to Aaron as the name isn't familiar to her, but Aaron explains " He's with a woman. Names Y/N, she has a baby ".

He watches her hold her stomach, like you use to, as tears brim her eyes " Oh my god ". Morgan begins to question what exactly is going on, but is interrupted as Glenn is running back now. And he's not alone. Two men accompany him now, all of them running for the entrance. But he recognizes one of them, it was Rick. And suddenly it all makes since. This was your people. And they were alive. " Morgan?! " Rick questions, the other unfamiliar man not bothering to ask questions and just readies a vehicle. " What's he doing, Rick " Morgan ignores ricks astonishment, pointing to who he'd find is Daryl. Rick looks to Daryl and then back to Morgan " That's Y/N's husband, Daryl". Morgan can feel the relief wash over him. He's alive. He's going to meet his baby for the first time. Rose would have her father.

" Let's go! " Daryl yells at them all, climbing inside of the car. " Mind showing us where she is? " Rick smiles, Glenn and Maggie already climbing into the car to greet you.

Morgan finally smiles at his old friend and nods " I'd be happy too ".

--

Swaying Rose outside of the car, you bite your lip in anticipation. Where's Morgan? Why is it taking so long for him to get back to you? Your heart pounds for your friend and Rose whimpers at you as if she can feel your anxiety. " It's ok, Rose. Mama’s fine and so is grandpa " You promise, placing a kiss to her head. You continue to sway her in pace before you hear the sound of two cars coming your way and you panic at the noise, but stall in place as Morgan leans out the window of one of them. You narrow your eyes at the man, wondering why he has such a big smile on his face, and shield Rose from their sight.

You trust Morgan, but these people are strangers. You let the cars pull to a stop, Morgan the first to step out, and he nods at you to let the people exit the vehicles. You nod back and Morgan motions them to come out. The first person you see is, Rick causing your eyes to double. Is this real? Was he really walking towards you? " Rick?! " You call, feet already moving towards him. He laughs happily at your sight, but it's when Daryl steps out that you stop in your tracks. He'd been watching you, making sure this wasn't some sick joke, but when he saw you rush to Rick, he knew. " Y-you're not here " You mumble in disbelief. This had to be a dream. Rose squirms in your arms as she lets out a soft cry and you look down at your child. Her wet tears prove that you aren't dreaming and it only takes that amount of time for, Daryl to reach the both of you.

His hands come to your face, examining you for hisself, and you smile at him with tears filling your eyes " It's you ". He nods, wanting to grab you into his arms and never let you go again, but there's a little baby that's stopping him. His eyes drop to the little girl, finding his features in hers, and he looks back up as if he's asking for permission. You nod and gently hand him the baby, only for her to slow her cries at the sight of him. It was like she knew. She sniffles at him and you take the opportunity to introduce the two " This is , Rose ". He looks to you out of the corner of your eye before back down at her " Rose huh? ". Smiling, you nod and he brings the baby to his chest. She adjusts to it, cooing at the affection, and you know that it just makes his day. " I thought you were gone. Both of you " He takes a shaky breath, tears brimming his own eyes.

You nod in return and he wraps his free arm around you, your face finding his chest as well. And this felt like home. Rose likes having you so close , sending out another coo, and Daryl laughs happily down at her " Ya' like that huh? ". He's already in love with the little girl, but Maggie inches her way into your little reunion. She gives Daryl a questioning look, but he nods and lets her come to hug you. You accept her into your arms and she hugs you tightly to her " I've missed you ". You smile at the all to familiar scent of your best friend and let her let out her tears. " I've missed you too" you admit. You two were like sisters. She pulls back, wiping the tears off of her face, before you notice Glenn waiting for his turn.

" Hey, bumble bee " You grin, referring to the sports car he stole at the beginning of all of this. He rolls his eyes at you and hugs you to him " I told you a million times that it was not yellow and black ". Smiling, you look over his shoulder at Rick. And yes you loved everyone here, but Rick and you have the longest history out of anyone. You were the one to get him out of that hospital. The one that helped him get back to his family. Once you’re out of the hug, you let the man pull you into a crushing hug. The feeling is mutual as you grab a fist full of his shirt. This was your family. Your brother. You only separate at the sound of Maggie playing with, Roses foot and smirk as Daryl doesn't let the woman hold her.

" Think he's going to let any of us hold her ? " Rick whispers to you as you both watch the scene in front of you.

" Give it about a year ".

--

That night, Maggie decides to throw a big dinner in your honor. Everyone is settled around the table as you're currently giving , Rose her dinner and you can feel all of the eyes on you. You don't mind though, even when some of those eyes are the new people you learned helped your family get to this point. You're grateful. Maggie and Glenn present their hard work as , Daryl rubs your knee from beneath the table. You smile at his touch, but keep your eyes on Rose. She's almost finished with her bottle, but her eyes are fighting to stay open. This was a big day for her.

As soon as everyone welcomed you back, she was passed through everyone's arms. Daryl didn't care for it, but you let everyone get their chance to hold her. Even Judith took a interest in her. And god, was Judith so much bigger. She took a minute to warm up to you again, but once you picked her up- she knew. She played with the ends of your hair as you talked amongst your friends, but eventually she found more interest in Rose. " She's really fighting it " Morgan comments, smoothing the few strands of hair she has from your side. Finally, she closes her eyes and you take the bottle away carefully. " We've got an old crib that we use to use for, Judith. You're welcome to it " Rick offers and Daryl accepts for the both of you. " I'll go get it " Daryl tells you, squeezing your knee tightly before going to retrieve the item.

You watch him leave and allow Morgan to hold the baby, as he hasn't gotten to all day. Everyone begins to pass around plates and fill them up with food, but you wait for Daryl to get back before you eat. You do, however, accept a glass of wine. " Two peas in a pod, you are " Abraham comments, pointing at your empty plate. You raise an eyebrow at him " Excuse me? ". Abraham sits down his fork and holds his hands up in surrender " Not an insult little lady, just an observation. I didn't think there was two of him is all ". You smirk at him and take another sip of your wine, but don't bother to reply. Maggie grins at his statement, as does anyone who knew you before, but it's carol who actually brings up the burning question in the room " How'd you make it out of there, Y/N ? ".

You look to , Morgan with a grateful smile " Morgan here found me. After the prison, I was running from a group of those things and hit my head pretty badly in the midst of all of it. I was going to die, but Morgan grabbed me and took me to his home ". You move your hair to show the scar to prove your point " He's not the best at stitches, but he makes up for it by being the best grandpa to Rose ". Laughter rumbles from his chest at the thought and it causes everyone to share happy glances. " I tried to find you all, but I was getting too pregnant to keep going out there. Eventually, I had to give it up and just wait for Rose to come ". Glenn takes a sip of his own wine and you briefly think back to the CDC, before he adds on " We looked for you too,you know ? ". His eyes seem to be full of remorse, but Maggie grabs his shoulder as if to remind him that this is not his fault.

Michonne finally appears, rushing into the room like a mad woman. She was on a run when you were found, so you grin as she lays eyes on you. You stand from your seat to greet her and when you say she soaked your shirt with tears, it's an understatement. Like everyone here, you had a special relationship with her as well. You two have an understanding that only two could have when you essentially are the same person " W- we looked for you.. Where were you?! ". Her hands are gripping your back like you're going to fade away. " Morgan found me. Remember him? " You answer. She nods at the man and you pull back to show her , Rose. You hold a finger to your lips and she excitedly nods. She leans over Morgan's shoulder to get a closer look whilst you climb back into your seat.

" She looks just like you " She awes, taking her own seat. You shake your head " No. that girl is all her daddy. Got his eyes and everything ". Dinner continues as usual after that comment and you're grateful when, Daryl returns because you're starving. He wipes his hands from the dirt that had to be cleaned from the crib, but gladly takes your hand as you make him a plate. You then make your own and happily chew the sweet carrots. Daryl glances over at you as you do, wanting more than anything to be alone with you right now, but let's you enjoy the food. Morgan then offers to put, Rose down and even though Daryl wants to object, you nod at him. You give rose a kiss on the head before the man leaves. You squeeze Daryls hand to reassure him of , Morgan's intentions and continue your meal until everyone begins to help, Maggie clean up.

You follow , Sasha into the kitchen with various plates and she offers you a kind smile as you help her wash them. " You're like a legend around here you know? " She asks, handing you another dish to dry. Your eyebrows come together " Why's that ? ". She gives you a look as if you should know by now. " After the prison fell, and everyone eventually found each other you were the goal. We didn't know where we were going, but god was everyone dead set on finding you. And when we couldn't.. everyone just began sharing their favorite stories of you. Times got hard, but it helped ". You wouldn't ever consider yourself a legend, but understand why they used you as a coping mechanism. You did the same.

Not sharing another word, you continue this pattern until everything is clean. " I'm going to head to bed. It's good to have you back, Y/N " Sasha smiles, offering you another hug. You return it and watch her leave the kitchen, Daryl coming in to take her place. " Ready to go? " He bites his thumb. You nod and toss the towel you used to the side " Yeah ". He wraps his arm around your waist as you walk through the house, mumbling your good nights, and he leads you to his home. Which you guess is now yours as well. " This place is nice " You comment, interrupting the peaceful silence. Daryl nods in agreement, but doesn't comment. You narrow your eyes at him, he's obviously upset about something. " What's wrong? " You question. " Nun' " He doesn't make eye contact, but you just get infront of him and put your hand on his chest. " I've known you for a long time, Daryl. What's wrong?".

He looks to his feet uncomfortably, but you push him to look at you. " I couldn't find Ya' " He admits. Rolling your eyes, you place your hands on his cheeks " I couldn't find you either. But we're here now. And that's what matters ". He doesn't seem to believe that so you shove your lips on his and instinctively, his hands find your waist. " Forget about all that, ok? ". His forehead leans on yours and you feel him nod. " Now come show me this house of yours " You offer, grabbing his hand and heading towards it. " That one " he points so you know where you're going. " Fancy " You joke and pull him up the stairs. And it's almost like old times. It reminds him of the times you'd both sneak out of the prison and go to this cabin he found. You let him open the door for you and you step in to take a look around.

Morgan is already here some where with, Rose, but you want to take a minute to see where Daryl’s been staying. " It ain't much " He shrugs his shoulders, but you disagree. " I spent so much time wondering where you were. I tried to picture it... This is everything " You awe at the large house. He'd done the same. He counted the days and you had almost been separated a year. He tried to picture where you were and if the baby was born yet. He lets it go though as you’re finally here. He guides you up the stairs where you can hear , Morgan rocking in a near by room, but Daryl guides you to his room instead" Oh my god " You smile ear to ear. He had a huge bed. He watches as you jump on it and you motion for him to join you.

He does as asked and you take the opportunity to kiss him. Really kiss him. You missed him so badly and everything was just .. right again, but you need to feel close to him again. And he doesn't stop as you climb on top of him, digging your hands into his hair as his hands grab the bottom of your thighs. " I missed you, Daryl " You admit, leaning back slightly. " M'sorry you had to do all of that by yourself " He refers to , Rose. You purse your lips " Once she was born.. none of it mattered. She was worth it ". You can tell he enjoyed hearing you talk about her like that. " I wanted to be there for it " He admits, playing with the ends of your hair. " Stop it " You frown, you never liked when he beat himself up.

" How old is she? " He asks, his eyes looking towards the door. " Only a month ". He nods and you let him sit up, it's obvious he wants to be with her. " You go ahead, Maggie mentioned you guys have hot water " You smile at the idea. It's actually to give him alone time with, Rose. He nods and lets you do as you please before going down the hall. Morgan's there, halfway asleep in his chair, but Daryls presence wakes him up. He rubs at his tired eyes as Daryl walks over to the crib where Rose sleeps. She looks so tiny all swaddled up in her blanket. " I didn't hear you get in " Morgan explains, but Daryl thinks nothing of it. Morgan kept you safe . In Daryl’s book he could stay as long as he wants.

He watches, Daryl watch over Rose, but he feels like he has to let him know " She wanted to search longer—Y/N. I made her stop ". Daryl turns to the man in confusion " Why? ". Morgan glances towards the crib and back to him " She wasn't showing yet, but she would soon. We ran into a group of walkers and barely made it out. What would happen the next time? When she was too pregnant to fight? ". Morgan wanted to get this off of his chest the moment he realized who Daryl was. " Hard to believe she listened to you " Daryl turns back to his child. " Had to make her realize you might be dead ". Daryl’s lips form a fine line. On one hand, Morgan did what was right, but on the other he shouldn't have pushed you like that.

He could only imagine what he'd do if someone tried to tell him that. " She's strong. She moved past it, but she asked for you when she was having Rose " Morgan admits the sensitive information. He'd want someone to let him know if he was in the same shoes. Daryl lets out a sigh, of course you did. He was supposed to be there. " I don't say this to hurt you, but to let you know that I was the one that held her back. Not the other way around ". Daryl doesn't face the man, but acknowledges it " Thank you, for keepin' 'em safe ". Morgan attempts to leave, only stopping to pat him on the back, and leaves the house to give him a night alone with his family.

Rose makes a face at the noise this creates, but stays asleep. Deciding it's best, he leaves the room to let her sleep. He finds you back in his bedroom with your hair wet and and in a towel. You're staring at a picture on his night stand , smiling to yourself as you seem to like that he left it there. It was a picture taken of the two of you back at the prison. Glenn had taken it off guard, the only true way to get a picture of Daryl, but you were grateful for it. He comes behind you to see what picture you're looking at , but you set it down before he can. " I have something for you " You turn to him, thinking of one picture you have. He furrows his eye brows at you as you head for your bag. You reach in the front pocket and retrieve it, handing it over to him in hopes this will make him feel better.

After Rose was born, Morgan took the picture of you two. You look so tired, but so blissfully happy as rose slept on your chest. You watch Daryl trace his finger over the picture before he suddenly brings you into a tight hug. This had to be the best gift he's ever gotten. You can feel him shake slightly, but don't let go of him. You had time to go through the emotions of being without him, but it seemed he didn't. Or he wouldn't let himself more likely. " It's ok " You whisper, his head coming to your shoulder. You can feel that spot of skin dampen and you let him let it out.

He eventually pulls back from you, but kisses you instead of releasing you completely. " M'never leavin' you two again . I promise ". You agree , his lips finding yours again.

--

" Shh- yer' goin' to wake 'er up " Daryl whispers to Rose, before placing the bottle in her mouth to end her cries. Her tears slowly subside and she greedily sucks on the bottle causing Daryl to smile slightly. It had to be around three am, but to finally be able to be a dad he'd wake up at anytime for her. He takes in Rose's features and awes at the fact he can see a lot of you in her little face, but part of him is there too. She's got the same beauty mark on her cheek that he has. His finger grazes her cheek as she continues to slurp down the bottle, but peeks a eye at him as if to say ' I'm watching you '. This reminds him of the first time he met you- the same look on your face. You were a force not to be messed with back then.

Not that you aren't now, but at least now you weren't trying to stab him. The memory of you defending Rick all that time ago at the quarry causes that smile to spread across his lips. He thinks he'll keep that first interaction from Roses knowledge. Little did he know, Dear uncle Rick would tell Rose anyways when she got older. Which would result in Rose excitedly telling everyone she knows that her mom is basically a bad ass. As if you knew he was thinking about you, your frame appears in the door way. You're in one of his shirts and he can feel the way his heart speeds in his chest, just like always. " Must be three am " You offer him a tired smile. He nods in response and adjusts the baby in his arms causing you to bite your lip. Watching Daryl care for Rose was such a sight, to say the least. He then moves to burp the small baby and it reminds you of when Judith was born.

You remember thinking ' He was meant to be a dad '. And sure enough, here he was. His large hand pats her back and you take the opportunity to grab her blanket from the crib " How about you bring her to bed and she can sleep with us ". He grins at the idea and wipes her small mouth before following you back to bed. " She usually sleeps on my chest, but I think she might like yours better " You suggest, knowing it was time she got the skin on skin time that she's been denied. Plus, you kind of liked the idea of getting some sleep for once so it’s a win win. Daryl doesn't argue with you and climbs into bed with you, slowly due to the baby, and you help him adjust Rose to a safe position on his chest. " There you go " You whisper to your daughter and give her a gentle kiss to her nose before occupying the empty side of his chest.

You smile contently as Rose's hand lands on your cheek, completely by accident, but you'd take it. Daryl watches the small interaction and it's like the past year didn't matter, that this moment right here made it all disappear.

And when your eyes finally close, but your hand still finds a way to hold him close he decides to forget all of the time apart. He'd let go of all of the guilt, anger, and the fear that plagued him for so long. Instead, he would focus on his little family and raising Rose. He'd make up for lost time by picking you flowers like he did when you first got together and holding you tight at night, but still keeping that watchful eye on you. The one that caused many arguments. Because well- you could take care of yourself, but he'd never let what happened happen again. You could scream at him all you want, but he'd still do what he needs to do.

And he'd be a dad to Rose. He'd hold her hand and play any game she wanted, even if that meant wearing some stupid crown. He'd teach her how to hunt and how to throw a punch because if she looked anything like you she'd need to throw a punch or two. And when she got older, he'd listen to the conversations she would have with you. He'd hear how you would soothe her worries and braid her hair, but never forgetting to kiss her on the cheek. And he'd then realize he wants another kid to hold his hand and take up space in your bed. Because the best thing he's ever done was make you a mom. So, one night as Rose slept over with Judith, he'd kiss your neck and suggest the very idea.

Which is how you ended up getting pregnant with twins and two little girls lying on your chest for Morgan to take a picture of, but this time Daryl would have his place in them whilst he proudly placed a kiss to your head.

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

can you please give some reasons why you don’t think Caryl is done after this? Don’t see how it can happen now unfortunately.

not to invalidate your feelings, but are we even watching the same show, my dude?? 

there has never, in ten years, one decade, 87,600 hours, been a more caryl heavy season of twd

i’ve done several in-depth analysis posts, and i gotta get to bed soon, so here are the highlights just to ease your silly lil’ mind (under the cut bc it ended up being a stream-of-conscious novel):

first and foremost, we have a new showrunner, who is a woman, which is always a plus for our female characters bc we have someone who will make sure they’re three-dimensional people, and that was a big problem with caryl for a while. gimple put carol into a “i was abused but i got strong but now i’m sad bc i killed ppl :(((” corner and let her collect dust, and tbf, he also put daryl in the “i was abused but i got strong but now i must wallow in my Man Pain in silence” corner, and then he kind of just forgot about how they had an amazing chemistry and focused more on his three season-long dick jerking contest between Rapey Man #3 and Main Lead Male Grappling With Loss and Morality. so that helps us out a lot!

now in terms of the actual show, i’m just gonna like, list things without giving analysis or clarifying bc i’m tired and have already explained a lot of it, but if you need me to explain again you can just message me and i’ll answer it when i’m awake:

caryl’s storyline has been set up to sail since the start of s9

carol and zeke were always going to breakup, and she only married him for henry and escapism bc she’s never dealt with any of her trauma ever in her entire life and there is a lot of it

the title cards indicated as such

carol’s wardrobe change between the time jump in s9, and between “the calm before” and “the storm” indicated as such

carol’s wardrobe this season also indicates where her mindset is rn

kang is rewriting carol’s storyline, and in effect, rewriting caryl’s storyline, in order to right the wrongs done before, and that’s why it’s taking so long, bc she wants to tell it properly instead of just having them smash in the middle of a field with no build-up

not that we’d be against it, but i personally prefer it this way

carol trusts daryl as a father figure more than zeke. see: her asking him to watch over henry bc zeke is too idealistic, and “so what if i dream about you being my husband and henry’s dad sometimes? shut up”

carol went to visit daryl in the woods to escape her marriage that she didn’t actually want to be in anyway

carol got daryl to stop isolating himself

daryl then proceeded to do all his therapy homework and has settled down and is like “cool, time to finally get with carol!”

except kang is telling carol’s storyline properly

which means that carol is in CrazyTown rn, bc she has 1. been in an abusive marriage 2. seen her daughter walk out of a barn as a walker and then get shot in the head 3. seen a small girl stand over her dead sister while wielding a bloody knife and smiling like a maniac 3b. after having promised her late father she’d protect her 4. had to shoot said maniac girl in the head 4b. after having promised her late father she’d protect her 5. made a connection with a small boy against all efforts to the contrary and then he got eaten 6. finally saved a child and thought she finally broke her curse and got into a rly boring weird fantasy marriage in order to protect him only to see his reanimated head chilling out on a pike among a line of all of her dead friends

AND SHE REALLY NEEDS TO DEAL WITH THOSE THINGS, OK?

so she has #cracked and is spiraling, and daryl’s entire storyline this season has been “shit carol is trying to smuggle guns to rendezvous with the enemy,  wait shit lydia is getting beat up let me help her, wait shit carol is kidnapping whisperers and torturing them in the basement, wait shit lydia ran away, wait shit...” etc

SO HE HAS A REASON TO BE KIND OF TIRED RN 

but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, it just means that all this tension is leading up to something INTENSE between the two of them. it’s going to come to a head Big Time, and i am v v v hype

anyway back to random things that have been pro-caryl this season

they keep juxtaposing zeke and con with carol and daryl, and caryl pick each other every time

carol’s choice of weapon suddenly being a bow

flower symbolism

boat symbolism

new mexico

acorns and bracelets and their subsequent #meanings

THE FUCKING DREAM WHY ARE WE NOT STILL OBSESSING OVER THAT DREAM THAT DREAM WAS SO IMPORTANT???

she. literally. dreamt. she. was. married. to. daryl. dixon. in. literal. canon. and. stated. it. wasn’t. the. first. time. and. that. she. thinks. the. dreams. are. good. like wtfffff

daryl does not have feelings for con and is very explicit about it

the fact that it keeps coming up is delicious tho

“follow my voice” vs “follow my light”

“i’m the one you talk to”

the repetitive use of we/us

“if i only knew what you told me i wouldn’t know shit”

“i NEED you to stay”

alpha/beta foils and parallels

repetitive reminders of both carol and daryl’s past abuse

did i mention the dream where she dreamt that she was married to daryl bc i feel like that might have been important

carol having sex with zeke

yes that’s a good thing

yes i’m entertained by it and totally chill

we are at the very top of the roller coaster, lads, we are tying up all the strings, we are making sure carol and zeke have closure, we’re gonna get (probably in an irritating murder way) closure with connie, and Then There Were Two

10.14 is called “look at the flowers” for christsake

“i could never hate you” ok fanfic trope number 6 billion

all of it

literally all of it

this has been a crazy romantic, tumultuous season, and some really meticulous and purposeful and beautiful storytelling and it is about to pay tf off

until i am given E X P L I C I T reason not to:

I WILL STAN KANG

and also, just to add, there are characters and plotlines that exist outside of caryl, and the writers have to incorporate all of them. there are gonna be scenes with them, there are gonna be things that happen that seem negative but that make sense when you look at them on a larger scale. you cannot, CANNOT, look at each individual thing and take it at face value. we have a showrunner who knows how to write now, so little things mean bigger things, and not always the things you expect

i know this is not the proper use of bullet points

it is past my bedtime

but anyway caryl is coming ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

stay hype, stan kang, and get daryl to call carol sweetheart 2k20

the end

-diz

p.s. remember that dream? wild huh

[burntwingsandwarpaint]

twd 10x16 thoughts

I guess I should also get these out there. Spoilers for 10x16, obviously.

There were a few things I really enjoyed about the episode. Although... it’s been less than two days since I watched and I’m already forgetting what they were 😅

The Beta kill was a cool moment, very solid. It was interesting to get those quick glimpses into Beta’s psyche, and the cinematography as he died was gorgeous. The Daryl-Negan team-up moment was surprisingly satisfying, and yes, I am glad Daryl got the kill. Not just because Daryl’s my fav (though it’s a bit of that XP) but also because Negan already got the Alpha kill, and despite the Beta-Negan tension while Negan was running around with the Whisperers this year, Daryl also had a rivalry with Beta, established right at the start. I was glad to see it pay off.

And... really, guys, at this point Daryl deserves some kind of win. He’s had a pretty shitty year.

I also enjoyed the Daryl & Kelly moments. Him using sign talking to her, the way she volunteered to go out ‘cause he did. They’ve got a fun, cute dynamic (and would make great in-laws ok just saying).

Gabriel was also kind of a bamf in this episode. (Am I allowed to say bamf, do people say that anymore?) I really did expect him to die there. Maggie coming in and saving him with her mystery ninja friend (coughs the ninja is Jesus and no one can tell me otherwise... until the show does eventually I guess) was a solid return/hero moment for her, though since I don’t remember her ever being particularly close to Gabriel, another moment might’ve packed a bit more of a punch. (Showing her face during the Aaron moment, maybe.)

And... this brings me to some of the biggest shortcomings of the episode.

WTF is TWD doing with some of their relationships?

Here’s the thing. Horror is cool and all, zombies are fun, but why am I watching this show? Why have I spent ten years of my life watching this show? For the characters. For the relationship dynamics. To see how they grow and change and hurt and heal and the ways they care for each other. So why does the show insist on being so lazy right now with some of its relationship dynamics?

And. Again. Not just saying this because Daryl’s my fav, but 1) why is there a meaningful reunion scene between Maggie and Judith (who would’ve been far too young the last time she saw Maggie to remember what she looked like. The borders between Alexandria and Hilltop closed when Judith was still a toddler) and nothing between Maggie and either Daryl or Carol, the people she’d been with since nearly the start of the outbreak? Daryl and Maggie had some seriously powerful moments over the years, after Beth and Glenn’s deaths. Last we saw, Daryl was one of the closest people to Maggie, helping her on that aborted revenge mission against Negan. But she returns and we get nothing? Just a reunion between two actors who’ve never met, between Maggie and a character who wouldn’t have any clue who she was? (And maybe they’ll get into this later but also... we also got zero reaction from her about Negan walking around in the open, right in front of her?)

And 2) (you guys forgot there was a 1 by this point, didn’t you?) the Daryl and Lydia dynamic.

Damn, guys, I cannot deal with how much the show screwed this up. At the end of last season the man was legitimately adopting her, in every sense but the damn paperwork. Taking charge of her, telling Alpha he was gonna look after her (that powerful moment feels like such a joke now), looking after her around town and offering to leave the communities to take care of her in the wild.... and then in this episode Daryl didn’t spare her a single glance. She came out of the herd unexpectedly with Carol, and Daryl... it looked like he didn’t even recognize her, honestly. All eyes on Carol. It’s like the writers of the show don’t realize that someone can have more than one meaningful relationship? They’ve decided to hand Lydia to Negan (meaning that Negan no longer interacts with Judith, which was his main relationship dynamic in s9), and since Daryl cares about Carol, he can’t show any care, concern, or anything to anyone else. I get that a spinoff is happening, guys, I get it. I get that we need to start gearing up for Daryl and Carol ditching everyone else and wandering off on their own, but this... just pretending they don’t care about anyone else, pretending that we didn’t just literally have a scene one episode ago where Judith was telling Daryl she was scared he would leave her, pretending Daryl doesn’t have any real personal connection to Lydia whatsoever... that’s not the way to do it. I’m not here for hours of meaningless zombie kills and nonsensical relationship shuffling. I’m here for the characters.

And yeah, this became a bit of a rant, I’m sorry. I’ll end it here. But those were just a few of my thoughts. Come at me with your own, or if you’d like to hear me rant about, overanalyze, or dissect this frustrating silly show some more.

[lupienne]

Warning: rambling salt post about TV TWD ahead. Honestly, this is like literal thought diarrhea here.

As ya’ll know, I’m not really invested in TWD show anymore. I mainly only watch it because my mom does (and I got her into it XD). So I’ll sit there and draw or chat online or whatnot while it’s on. So it’s not like I’m hardcore into it, and it’s really just a source of irritation or eye-rolling for me at this point. (The new intro is badass though. Can we get a total reboot and have it animated in that style and follow the comics (but with more character development))

OK ANYWAY.

So as usual, I have contempt for the stuff they’re doing with Negan. Lol. I mean, the writers shot themselves in the foot by killing Carl and they’re kinda screwed by Rick’s exit. Two characters that have bonds with Negan and ‘know’ Negan. Carl came down and talked for years with Negan in his cell. Rick and Negan had a much more... dynamic relationship in the comics - they were the nemesis... not Negan & Daryl and sometimes Rick, but just Negan and Rick. Negan and Rick have a long history at this point. They’re... familiar with each other. Rick and Negan tried to out-cat-and-mouse each other in All Out War, they both did nasty things to each other’s people, and they both had their people’s survival in mind. Thus, they understand each other. Rick also kept Negan alive for the sake of his son. Carl wanted to kill Negan. Rick told him no. ‘We don’t have to live in that world anymore - where we just kill. We can be better but we can still punish him.’ He didn’t want a world where his son thought death was the answer and death was just... the norm. Accepted. Nothing to shrug over.

Of course, the writers fucked this up by killing Carl on the show. They used Simon as a scapegoat for the Oceanside stuff to try to make Negan look ‘not so bad’. But they must have realized how cardboard they made this character of Negan. No care for his people, no sense of doing this just to protect them. No, he treated them like shit. So they desperately scrabble for something to make Negan human... oh, ok....yeah, he had a wife, Lucille! Ok, we’ll use that! We’ll take every opportunity to shove Lucille into the audience’s face. Because we have to have some way to make Negan human and relatable!

They don’t have: oh, he was protecting his people. They don’t have the back-and-forth shit where Negan only ‘went to war’ after Rick tried to kill him. And then he only attacked Alexandria with grenades after Rick brought a fucking herd to Sanctuary, knocked down the walls and left Negan and his people - many who were innocent people including children - at the risk of being overrun, eaten, starved, etc. (I didn’t watch Season 8 so correct me if I’m wrong on this shit not happening in the show). When Negan returned Carl to Rick - Rick attacked him and Negan only fought back to the point of Rick being subdued. He didn’t beat him. He didn’t punish Rick’s people. When they came to Alexandria for supplies and Rick wasn’t there, Negan and his men stayed in a vacant house... they didn’t harass the Alexandrians (in the show they beat up Aaron? Or maybe Eric...) The point is - Negan was a dick in the comics but he was a dick for his people. Rick could be a dick too... and he was also a dick... for his people.

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is... the stuff with Negan and Michonne... it just doesn’t work. Not the way they’re trying to do it. They’re grasping at this desperate shard of humanity that they left Negan - the fact that he loved his wife. Because they didn’t give him the humanity of caring for and fighting for his people (in a misguided way. Yes.) And as much as I love Negan/Lucille...this being the only shard of humanity is weak. Everyone’s lost someone.

In the comics, he rarely ever talked about Lucille. He talked about her once in the early days. Then he mentioned to Alpha that he ‘lost someone’ and his world fell apart. Talking to Alpha is essentially like burning your diary - nobody’s gonna get to repeat your secret words. Then he talks to Rick about Lucille, again vaguely - worst thing I ever did was leave my wife to rot. It’s not this ‘omg my wife Lucille, who died, mah wife, she died of cancer and I was totally shitty to her and she was an amazing angel!’ It’s not this overkill outpouring to anybody within earshot of him in a ham-handed attempt to make Negan human and vulnerable.

And it was Rick whom he talked to about Lucille. Rick. Like I said above. Rick - who he has a bond with. Who he feels close to. Who he feels kinship with. Who is Michonne? He mentioned that Michonne doesn’t even talk to him. Thus this ‘bond’ they’re trying to make feels very forced and contrived to me. The ‘I care about Carl’ stuff feels contrived too. Negan was seconds away from bashing Carl’s brains in on the show and I’m supposed to feel a bond between them? That’s the problem - they left Negan bereft of being an empathetic character and they left no bonds between he and the other characters. They’re trying to force something that isn’t there. Everything just falls flat to me - keeping Negan alive (why? In the comics I understood it. It made sense.), trying to make Negan ‘human’ by constantly bringing up Lucille and making him actually extremely pitiful, trying to force a relationship out of thin air with Michonne. 

I DUNNO GUYS. This is all over the place. I don’t even know what point I’m trying to make. I don’t even know why I care. I’m still always gonna be salty about TV Neg and how TWD show went down the drain and pissed away the comic content. They could have built up on the comic stuff, elevated it, made it great - instead...they spit on it. They set up the foundations of their house with worm-eaten wood and built that fucking house anyway. I realize AL leaving throws a big stick in the machinery, but if the foundations had been solid... it wouldn’t have collapsed the whole house.

(Like did we really need Oceanside? They are so pointless. The whole ‘killing Saviors’ and Simon slaughtered everyone and basically Oceanside itself... I just hate it. What was wrong with having a moral back-and-forth because Rick’s group killed Negan’s people and Negan’s group killed Rick’s people...? And these two leaders are bullheaded and stubborn because they’re both trying to protect their people and both think they’re right - only for Negan to realize later he was misguided, jaded and his leadership stagnated and stayed in survival ‘dog-eat-dog’ mode even when the world had moved past that...?

[grey-haired-queen-bitch]

Ok, listen up. You know I agree with you because we’re done with this ageist mother/son bullshit and we’re tired of fighting against it every time but since I created a “zen armor” around me in these years, I’m trying to see things with a different point of view. Because this is it. Just a point of view. I know that maybe no one will agree with me but I’ll write it anyway, you know how much I care about this Caryl family and I like reading your replies.

First of all I think AMC doesn’t care about shipping and definitely doesn’t see the show through shipper’s eyes like we do. Yes, they promote couples sometimes, they even promote Carol and Daryl together when they know there are scenes with these two coming up, and they know there are shippers of course, but I think it’s not the reason they do that.

Yes, AMC could have cut that part with the mother/son comment but let imagine the opposite, with fans saying they’ve always seen Caryl as a potential romantic relationship, we would have probably celebrated but maybe be disappointed later when the show aired and nothing happened again.

What I’m trying to say here is that, again, what matters is the show. Not someone’s comment. I create my own opinion watching what happens in there and with facts. And facts are:

- We have seen Daryl around people he considers as brothers (like Rick and Glenn) and it’s definitely not the same when he’s with Carol. There’s something special between them and we have seen that when Daryl went alone to Carol’s fake grave just to say goodbye, with a cherokee rose and later he was also the one finding her. We have seen that in season 4 when Daryl was against his brother Rick and his decision to banish Carol. We have seen that in season 5 when they reunite in Terminus and when they gave them a whole episode just to reconnect with each other. We have seen that in season 6 when Daryl was the only one to understand that Carol was not okay. And we have seen that in season 7 when Daryl was the only one reuniting with Carol and she told him what her problems were. She hasn’t done that with anyone else. 

- We have seen Carol being a mother figure to very young characters like Sophia, Lizzie, Mika, Beth, Sam and she definitely acts differently around Daryl. She definitely has/had some attraction since she made a joke about oral sex. And it was clear, more than once, she likes him not like a son or a sort of brother. And just because people are ageist af, remember when Tobin said Carol was a mom for the group? He said that because of her strength and capability of protection, NOT BECAUSE OF HER AGE.  

- And let’s be honest here. We’ve never seen Daryl having any kind of sexual impulse with anyone. He doesn’t seem really interested in having a romantic relationship but who knows what happens in the show.

You probably know I’m ok with Caryl being just a platonic thing but I also (and always) hope for a romantic evolution between them. Haters seem to be confused about that. Platonic is different from familial love, it’s also a bit different from a friendship love. It’s deep and beyond everything else. They are practically saying Caryl is the deepest relationship in the show. And this is actually true.  

Look, I’m so angry about ageist comments about Melissa because I really love her as a person and I’m against ageism and any kind of racism in general. But I also see the show with my own eyes and I draw my conclusions. Carol sees Daryl as a man (she said it in Consumed) and she flirted with him several times and he did it as well, maybe unconsciously. Because you know, he never had healthy relationships in his life, he actually has nothing to compare with.  I think he sees Carol as a woman he likes to be around. He doesn’t have to name what they have or what she is for him (and maybe this is why NR changes his answers every time. Daryl doesn’t know what it is exactly).

In conclusion, I don’t know why the girl in the video thinks that about Carol and Daryl and honestly I don’t care. Maybe she’s ageist, maybe she had specific experiences in her life to say that. Who knows. My opinion, OUR opinions are as valid as hers. You can see that as a promotion of that idea, I see that as one opinion out of a million. She’s a fan, not a writer or a character in the show saying that.

I know being diplomatic doesn't help when we face these important issues of our society, but maybe there are people like me who are tired of fandom wank and arguments and they just wanna see the show. And I really hope my post will help a little. 

Thanks for reading!  Love you, Caryl Family.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#33: The Dream Wedding (7x1)

Now this last Richonne moment from the premiere is interesting, because it's the extended deleted version of this scene that makes me seriously consider it a Richonne moment. And an amazing one at that!

It wasn't until 7B that I found that there were other people who reveled in Richonne like me, and once I had found that people have been sharing their beautiful thoughts on this couple for seasons, I read and relished all of the wonderful and thoughtful analysis of this couple (truly I love any insightful analysis of them. So if you write it, I'll read it 😊)

And I remember seeing that so many people had speculated that Rick's “dream sequence”, with all of them at a dining table looking happy and dressed up (apart from Daryl 😂), was possibly a Richonne wedding. That thought hadn't occurred to me when it aired, and even when I read those speculations I remember thinking it might be a stretch. Yes, everything was formal and Michonne was the only woman in white but I was like,"A wedding? I want it to be true but I just don't know if that's us trying to will something to be."

...But then the extended version was released.

And, y'all, I will never doubt you devout shippers again. You're right every time lol! 🙌🏾  This was actual footage of me when I saw the extended version and realized how true that speculation was. 😂

That. Was. Their. Wedding. Ya'll!!!! 

Ok so, first of all, I wish they aired this version but at the same time I'm glad they didn't cuz my heart could not have handled it. The way they reveal Glenn (😭) and his child in this sequence. I don't cry (like I mainly cry internally most of the time lol) but had they aired that, it would have got me hook line and sinker. It was so precious. And so devastating that it would never be. 

But then Michonne walks out looking straight up ethereal. I mean goddess vibes all day. And she was wearing this long white dress and glowing and, can I just say, I adore the fact that this means that this is how Rick sees Michonne! Like this is all from Rick's perspective so Rick truly and legitimately sees her as a queen. No wonder he stares at her the way he does all the time. It's now confirmed that he literally sees her as the ☀️🌙⭐️. And we're seeing this through his eyes so, of course, we spend a good minute just watching Michonne walk in her dress and smile and hold "his and hers" beers. 😋 Like there's no reason for the camera to stay on Michonne that long except for the fact that we're watching this through the eyes of a whipped man. 😉 Also I love that Michonne and a pregnant Sasha smile at each other cuz I'm always here for some black girl magic lol and I wish we could have seen more of their friendship on the show. But yeah this was a Richonne moment because this just has to be their wedding. Like please feel free to tell me all the evidence you've collected on why it's a wedding as I share mine. 😋

One; Everyone is so dressed up. Like for what? So that means this isn't just your average Sunday dinner. Plus several of the ladies are in a similar shade of blue and it’s giving bridesmaids. Two; Michonne is in fact in a long white dress. In the portion of this sequence that was actually aired I couldn't tell it was long and so seeing the dress in the extended version, it definitely felt like a wedding dress. And she's the only one in white. That's not a coincidence. (Side note: Michonne would find a wedding dress that matched her style in the apocalypse. Go girl! 👌🏽👸🏾) Three; Michonne is glowing like a bride and also being watched for a long period of time through the eyes of the groom, my main man Rick. Like Homeboy really keeps his sight on her for the longest and only turns away to notice Glenn (😭) and Baby Glenn run into frame. Four; Michonne is carrying the two bottles for her and Rick like the wife she is (We know it's for the two of them cuz in the aired sequence we see they both have these bottles) Seeing this just reenforces that these two are now an official item or pair...like the two bottles (I know that's pushing it...but whatever lol 😂) Five; The whole vibe feels celebratory and they got people really trying to not just look nice but make the area look nice with formal plates and decor. They're pulling out the stops for this dinner. Why? Cuz they're leaders just got married! 🙌🏾 Six; Rick and Michonne sit together, which I know they always do, but like with Father Gabriel right next to them it just feels so ceremonial. This was Rick imagining their wedding day. And I love it cuz this was a cool way to show us what that wedding day would look like, since they might not have an  actual formal wedding in the show. But, don't get me wrong, even if a whole formal wedding understandably doesn’t fit the tone of the show, I still want a proposal, rings, and some verbal acknowledgement that they see each other officially as husband and wife. 😋 I love the traditional guy in Rick so, of course, he pictures something ceremonious, formal, and celebratory to solidify their love and union. Rick's imagination has good taste lol, cuz it was a very cute wedding for the apocalypse. And even if I’m being extra and this wasn’t a wedding, it was still a nice insight into what their wedding could be. 

Also, can I just say, I adore that when he reflects on Negan's words and "thinking you were going to grow old together" it's the image of him marrying Michonne that pops in his head. He wants to grow old with her.😭 I love that his mind went to this as he thought about what an ideal world would have looked like. Again it confirms that Michonne is always on his mind and that he wants to give her everything this fallen world has to offer, including his commitment to be with her “til death do us part”. (But, seriously AMC, don’t make us go through a “death do they part” with them. We'll be "Rebelling in Richonne" if that happens! 😂) But thinking happy thoughts (like Rick with this wedding dream) I believe that Richonne will continue to go strong in the coming season. And God is good, so we might get one step closer to the husband and wife confirmation that this dream sequence so beautifully implied. 🙏🏽💍 💍

[junker-town]

New Pelicans’ GM David Griffin helped us preview the playoffs in this interview

The new Pelicans president of basketball operations dissected the biggest playoff questions, one day before taking a new job.

To preview the NBA playoffs, we hopped on the phone with David Griffin, a former Turner Sports NBA analyst who, as of Friday, is the Executive VP of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. This interview was conducted one day before news of that hire broke.

“The vast majority of the jobs that open aren’t attractive because they don’t fit who I am,” Griffin said then. “So if one were to be available that does fit who I am, I would be really excited to pursue it.”

Evidently, the Pelicans offered that type of job.

Outside of Griffin’s own future, we covered his thoughts on the upcoming NBA playoffs, why he’s bummed the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz are meeting so early on, how the Golden State Warriors overcome mental fatigue, scouting the Milwaukee Bucks, Kyrie Irving’s mindset, what it’s like to work with LeBron James, and more. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

SB Nation: From your perspective, working over two decades in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, how would you describe life on the front lines right now?

David Griffin: What happens during any NBA season is there’s a lull before the playoffs when you know you’re a playoff team. If the mark of success for your franchise is ‘we’re competing for championships’, the march to the playoffs feels totally different, much heavier. There’s a real drain on people emotionally heading into the playoffs because you just want it to hurry up and get here.

For teams for whom winning a championship isn’t a goal set, teams that acquitted themselves well by making the playoffs, it’s exciting coming down the stretch. You’re paying attention to what everybody else is doing, which is a lot of fun.

And it just becomes the NBA equivalent of March Madness for teams that are attempting to be in the playoffs, because every game matters so much. That’s fun. And it’s particularly fun when you have a young team and you’re seeing them grow within the cauldron that is expectations. It’s so much fun to see guys respond to pressure, and that’s a huge step that you need to see. You need to watch that happen and know that your young kids can do it. So from a front-office perspective, it’s exciting because you learn so much about what you’re really about.

Once you’re in the playoffs, oh my god, you hang on to everything. Every call is bad that goes against you. Every decision that gets made by anybody outside of your control is staggeringly difficult to accept. The league suspends somebody. The league fines somebody. Everything becomes so magnified in terms of its significance to you. It’s a very revealing process in and of itself.

And I think people tend to – when I say people, I mean fans and casual basketball fans – focus so much on results and outcome that they don’t focus on how much you learn about your team and the direction of your team in the process of competing.

SB: How interested are you in working in the NBA again?

Editor’s Note: This question was asked before the news that Griffin took a job as the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations.

DG: In the right environment, with the right ownership, I’m very interested.

I really feel like these jobs, for someone like me, are very much about finding your owner. And most situations recruit themselves. When you build a team and you build it well, it recruits itself. I feel like, in my situation, my career has sort of recruited itself. I’m really grateful that for literally every job that opens, somebody writes that I’m a candidate.

“The vast majority of the jobs that open aren’t attractive because they don’t fit who I am. So if one were to be available that does fit who I am, I would be really excited to pursue it.”

But the vast majority of the jobs that open aren’t attractive because they don’t fit who I am. So if one were to be available that does fit who I am, I would be really excited to pursue it.

SB: What is it like to be the GM of a team that employs LeBron James?

DG: The presence of a LeBron James is fantastic because it raises the stakes for everyone. For someone who does what I do, if you are consumed by winning and by championships, you’re a lot closer to one if he’s on your roster. From that standpoint, the excitement level ratchets up because you know you’re really playing for something.

That also means the pressure ratchets up, because failure is my fault. It’s not his. LeBron is someone who wants to hear what he needs to hear, because he’s consumed by winning. And that’s a great situation, when your best player is going to be your best worker, that’s a really significant issue.

SB: How significant is it when a really talented team—and you worked inside a few—doesn’t really flex their muscles throughout the regular season.

DG: So, teams that struggle their way through the regular season vs. expectations?

SB: Right. Throughout your time with the Cavs, everyone expected you to go to the Finals, and there would be slippage in the regular season. How much does something like that matter?

DG: It matters mightily if you’re planning on competing for a championship, because winning championships means that you had to be building positive habits.

When you’re not doing that, you’re just trying to make it to the finish line, like Golden State was this year, by way of example. They’ve been to four straight Finals, they’ve won three out of four, which means by definition they’ve had the shortest turnaround of every team in the league because they’ve done three parades. They’re the team that’s going to wear down the most as the season goes along, and so as a result, most of the time they’re not getting better. They’re not improving in areas that really matter.

So just limping into the playoffs as a team with high expectations is not a comfortable thing for the front office, because you want to see improvement in areas. Even if you’re losing games, it doesn’t matter. There are times that you can go into a game – and I’ve seen some of the better coaches in our league do this – [and say], ‘Listen, we’re gonna work on what it might look like to defend Milwaukee. So today we’re going to sag off of a non-shooter and we’re going to do X, Y, Z.’

And if you try that for a week of games and you lose them all, you can still be better coming out of that.

SB: That sounds like what the Houston Rockets did last year. They weren’t losing games, but their defensive principles were established to defeat one team.

DG: Yes, correct. And I think if you’re invested in that type of thing, you have a chance potentially, to get better even if you’re not winning games.

Unfortunately, with teams like Golden State, and like we were in Cleveland, it’s such a given that you will make it as far as you intend to in terms of your final matchup. A lot of people err on the side of health, and I was one of these franchises. We very much were erring on the side of health, because if we could get our three main guys to the finish line healthy and full of energy, we had a chance to win because we were so talented. Fully locked in and loaded, we were really, really, good.

I see Golden State as one of those teams now. To a lesser degree, I think Boston has struggled with that, really mightily. They’re so talented that I think they struggle with two different things: Lack of role acceptance and motivation. ‘Look we’re in the playoffs, let’s just get there, let’s be healthy and prove how good we are.’ And then Marcus Smart gets hurt.

So there’s things that are out of your control, but I do think their overall approach has been impacted negatively by the fact that they’re pretty young from a leadership perspective. And they just want to get to the part that mattered.

SB: You spent years with the Phoenix Suns, during a time when the narrative was that their playing style couldn’t succeed in the playoffs. Do you see any parallels to that, where people are skeptical of a system or a team that had a lot of success in the regular season, but there’s a belief they can’t get it done in the playoffs? I’m thinking about someone like Utah.

DG: Utah, Denver, and even Houston, to a lesser degree. It’s not an accident that Mike D’Antoni is the head coach in Houston and he was in Phoenix as well. He’s really bright. He’s very experimental. And he has intellectual curiosity. So he and [general manager Daryl Morey] are a perfect combination with the perfect player in James Harden.

They have literally reverse engineered the game of basketball to be that, ‘we will beat you possession by possession. And if James has the ball for 22 seconds on the shot clock, the shot he gets will be more efficient than the shot you get.’

And they’re right. They’re going to take a step-back three with very few passes involved, or they’re going to go to the free-throw line with very few passes involved. They’ll put you in the bonus and they’ll just beat you by the math. And people look at that and say ‘OK that’s fine but in the playoffs, the longer the season goes, the harder it is for James to carry the load.’ That’s a system that’s being questioned because of how much is asked of him.

But the two that stand out to me the most are Utah and Denver, and it’s because they’re zagging while everybody else zigs. They’re playing two traditional bigs a very large amount of their rotational minutes, and that’s really significant.

People say that it can’t work for Denver, because their best playmaker is their center. In Utah, people think it can’t work because they really only have one ball-dominant play creator and they don’t have a ton of floor space in shooting around him. So they’re trying to beat you with defense. So it’s really unfortunate that they’ve got to play the team they’ve got to play in the first round [laughs].

SB: Draymond Green said this thing about 16-game players vs. 82-game players. Would you say Utah is an 82-game team?

DG: Utah is a better playoff team because they don’t defend without fouling over the 82-game span as well as they can in a playoff setting. It’s a more physical brand of basketball that the officials let you play. So I feel like they’re potentially in a better position as a playoff team.

“I’m so disappointed as a fan that the Jazz have to play who they have to play in the first round. If they got a more favorable draw, they could’ve won two rounds.”

That’s why I’m so disappointed as a fan that they have to play who they have to play in the first round. If they got a more favorable draw, they could’ve won two rounds.

SB: What other differences do you notice between the regular season and playoff basketball?

DG: Pace. Physicality. The best players take you the furthest. It’s why when you have a true MVP candidate, it really reveals itself in the playoffs, and it’s why the award shouldn’t be voted on until after the playoffs. You can be an 82-game player and put up huge numbers and not win when it matters most. You’re not dictating outcome. The best players in this league dictate outcome in the playoff, and you really, really notice it when you’re locked in on a series.

When we played Indiana when Paul George was there his last year, every time he touched the ball, I thought he was going to score. He’s so good. It was mind numbing to me. And at the time, I said ‘Wow he might be the most underrated superstar in the league.’ Because he dictates outcome when it matters most.

When everybody’s revved up, when all the game planning is designed to stop them, you really see the translation of greatness. You see the gap between very good players who were called great before the playoffs, and great players who are transcendent in the playoffs.

SB: What do you expect out of Kyrie Irving in these playoffs, especially now that Marcus Smart is expected to miss a couple rounds? What do you focus on whenever you watch him play, both now and when you both were in Cleveland?

DG: When he was with us, I watched whether or not he avoided screens defensively. I was really locked in his playmaking aspect for others, when he could. Kyrie is a great player who made a transcendent shot in a series, and I’m hoping now that in the environment he’s in, he’s going to rise to the challenge of being a great winner.

“When the playoffs start, you’re going to see Kyrie doing what he loves to do, when winning is the only thing that matters. I think he’ll be a killer.”

I love the kid. I’m a huge, huge Kyrie fan. And I think he’s a truly great player, who will be transcendently good in these playoffs. I think people have not seen him be Kyrie, and what he’s capable of, for a long time, because the pressure and grind of being the front and center voice of a team is one he’s not natively good at doing, and that’s taken away his energy for what he loves to do.

When the playoffs start, you’re going to see Kyrie doing what he loves to do, when winning is the only thing that matters. I think he’ll be a killer.

SB: I want to go back to the style-related question I asked earlier about the Suns, but shift it towards the Milwaukee Bucks. What are your thoughts on that system, particularly on defense, and if it can work through four playoff rounds?

DG: The defensive side will translate for sure. Where I think they have exposure is through four playoff rounds of scouting and game-planning, you might be able to neutralize them offensively because their best ball-dominant play creator is not a shooter. That’s potentially a real weak spot, because the longer you give great coaches in our league to watch you play, and start to scheme to take away something that you do, the more vulnerability you have.

So in my opinion Milwaukee is a team that needs to put their first-round opponent away quick, and leave less on tape.

I felt the exact opposite about Cleveland going into the playoffs last year. I said before the playoffs started that Cleveland’s biggest threat was going to come in the first round. Because they had added so many bodies at the trade deadline that they didn’t know what it was going to look like. And they damn near lost in the first round. They had to go seven games to win. But because they had to play seven games to be galvanized, each subsequent series until they made it to the Finals was easier for them to be cohesive.

They needed that many games to find themselves. Milwaukee is the opposite. Milwaukee needs to put people away quickly and leave less evidence of how to guard them.

SB: Are there any series you have your eye on, be it for upset potential or matchup-related intrigue?

DG: I can tell you that Houston-Utah is really compelling to me. Not in terms of the potential for an upset, but in terms of the contrast in styles. These are two of the most stylistically unique teams in our league, and them playing against each other is fascinating.

San Antonio beating Denver is something that a lot of people will tell you is possible because of how veteran Popovich is. How veteran that Spurs team is. How young Denver is. That’s one I think is really compelling because it’s young vs. old. It’s the upstart vs. the grizzled vet. So that excites me.

The one that I look at and go ‘huh, that could be really interesting,’ is Toronto-Orlando.

SB: I’ve heard that from a couple people now.

DG: Orlando is young, but Clifford is not a terribly young, inexperienced coach. [Nikola] Vucevic is really, really talented and skilled. Their young kids are long and athletic and they can defend. They’re not going to be physically overwhelmed. I don’t think they beat Toronto, but I think they give Toronto more than they bargained for [laughs].

SB: As someone who faced the Warriors in three straight NBA Finals, how do you feel about that team today, now that you don’t have to compete against them?

DG: So even when I did compete against them, I thought they were a joy engine. When they’re at their best, Steph [Curry] makes a 34-foot three, he does the shoulder shimmy, has the big smile, everybody else smiles. Everybody looks at each other on the bench like. ‘Holy shit did you see what he just did?’ They function on joy.

“This is a unique Warriors edition, and it’s because personal agenda has supplanted joy there.”

This group has functioned on drama. They’ve been galvanized by negatives. This is a unique Warriors edition, and it’s because personal agenda has supplanted joy there. They’re so talented they may live to tell the tale, but I always believe truly great teams’ greatest threat comes from within. I think you’ve seen that all year with them. They’re vulnerable. And they’re vulnerable because they’re not entirely together yet, emotionally. That has been what it seems to me.

Now, having said that, they’re so talented. Kevin Durant is a two times in a row Finals MVP, dominating the other best player in the world. That’s a pretty powerful indication of how good you really are. He is redonkulously good. And because his drama is the drama everyone was relating to their struggles, he’s going to be the seven-foot version of Kyrie, only he’ll protect the rim.

SB: That sounds terrifying.

DG: He’s gonna put on a show in the playoffs.

[angelthefirst1]

Down the Rabbit hole Level 1

You want to know what’s happening and what’s going on? Beth is alive but this story goes so much deeper than that.

Well ok… if you want to know I will tell you everything… but I warn you this is going to unplug you from the world you thought you knew.

I have been analysing this show for the last few years , so much weirdness, vagueness and not just in regards to Beth’s “Death” but I get it now, this is the show that finally made it all click for me.

The meaning and explanation behind everything we see on screen is all blatantly right in our faces, deliberately so. And let me tell you, the title of this crazy show is the most fitting title of all. “We are the walking dead” is scarily accurate too.

I’m putting the rest under a read more because i want to warn all my followers that this is going to melt your brains and change your life, hopefully for good and with an unimaginable, beautiful coda of your own.

I am literally offering you the red pill or the blue pill. "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." 

Red Pill, Rabbit hole level one. The show in itself

Please note I have figured all this out from simply watching the show (way to much I admit) and figuring out the pattern.

What is the Pattern this show is using? It looks like this:

  This is a three part song, code, pattern if you will, that is played on repeat over and over and over and over and well you get the idea it just keeps going, the pattern circles around the middle three empty circles differing amounts of times before some kind of coda will happen. The coda’s represent a break in the ever repeating Patten that will leave you with two potential outcomes, the Coda on the left is a representation of final lasting death (Red) the one on the right final lasting life (Yellow). 

In this show they play this pattern to different degrees.

Huge scale: Through the entire 7 seasons we have already witnessed.

Large scale: Over three seasons with coda’s at each end.

Medium scale: Every season this pattern repeats.

Small: Every half season

Extra small: Every episode

Mini: Every scene

Miniscule: Scenes with in scenes.

Every character is also continuously cycling through this pattern. So much so that all characters and locations all blend into each other because they have all been doing this over and over just in slightly different settings.

Once you start seeing the pattern it can’t be unseen. It is everywhere, to the obvious like the walkers themselves with their cycle of life, death, and burial (of old self) then resurrection as a walker and then once they are put down that’s their final death coda.

I challenge you to go pick a few scenes and go analyse them. What to look for?

Well you need to understand that they have given wide and varying symbolism to each part of the pattern.

Life can = be represented by anything slightly good or happy from the smallest to largest thing.

Death can = be represented by anything slightly bad or sad from the smallest to largest thing.

Burial (Blue) can = be represented by anything related to being gone, lost, missing, imprisoned, trying to get home, stagnant, a time of waiting or learning developing, being separated from others from the smallest to largest thing.

Season 1 up till S2E01 (7 episodes in total, which is 2 repeats of the pattern with a coda at the end) is the basic story blueprint that is just repeated the rest of the series but with different characters and locations.

The thing is that up until now we have only had one life coda portrayed and that was the time before the outbreak and before Rick waking up to a cursed world, 7 seasons later we find ourselves due for a repeat of that first life coda and it will come in the form of Beth being not only alive but bringing the cure. 

The reason that in S1 the zombies moved much faster (ran at times) and even picked items up is because the further away from a life coda they get the more dead and decayed they become to the point that they now (in S7) move at snail’s pace and the group can even walk faster than them.

So let’s go through an over view starting from season 1 episode 1 to help you see the pattern and also because this is where it all began and what we have been watching for the past 7 years is the same story just told in different locations with characters becoming each other to fill different repeating rolls.

I will be incorporating other seasons and episodes in the analysis also just to help you see where this is all going.

Season 1 Episode 1

Even this episode has a Death coda at the start but it’s also predicting a life coda to come.

It starts with Rick driving down the road in his car (life cycle) he comes to a stop in the car (death cycle)

Added extra here: The sheriff’s car has a 1, 3 and 4 on it, these numbers relate to the sheriffs story. We have Rick’s story first and the one relates to him waking up Season 1E01 (life cycle) then finding his family S1E03 (Also a life cycle) note that the number 2 is not on the car and season 1E02 is the episode where Rick is separated from his family and looking for them (burial) So they skipped part of the pattern on the car the burial pattern, which is interesting because that is exactly what we have been missing from Beth’s (an actual burial) and her story of looking for her family which we think will play out the same as Ricks, When Beth wakes again (from her gunshot) her family are gone she is injured someone helps her (a loop of Morgan finding and helping Rick) and then she will find and be reunited with her family.

(Extra for the math nerds: Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and it =3.14, so yes we are defiantly going in circles just like the pattern and even Bob says in S4 to Sasha "what do you want to do Sasha, keep going in circles back to the bus or try something else?" the something else represents a coda)

S1E02 is also when Merle gets left on the roof separated from Daryl so you can see the 2 for Rick, Merle and Beth and the pattern on the car 2 represents the being gone, missing, burial cycle. 

Ricks life death burial story all plays out in three episodes but with Beth it will be 3 seasons gap before we see her pattern continue. She will be in her own burial/missing loop and it will last for 3 episodes shy of 3 seasons (I will explain this a bit later on)

8:01 will loop back to a mixed interpretation of many different episodes namely:

S1E03 (the Sheriffs reunion with his family), = Beth’s reunion, her reunion will be what we see first when she is reintroduced because her pattern is playing backwards to Ricks and the last part of her pattern we saw was represented by the number 4 on the cop car, the number 4 in Ricks story is related to S1E04 When Rick leaves his family after a reunion that was just one episode before, to go back for Merle. (Beth “left” her family just after they found her at Grady that’s the last thing we saw) So going backwards the next thing we will see is a reunion (relating to the 3 on the car which was Ricks Reunion episode, then how she tracked her family and then how she survived the bullet (relating to the 1 on the car which was Ricks waking up episode) 

S2E01 (when the group are stuck on the HWY and Sofia first goes missing, both Sofia and Andrea will tell us what happens to Beth’s body after Grady as they are loops of Beth just as Beth is a loop of them)  the number one on the car = relates to how they lost Beth’s “body”

S1E04 When they go back for Merle but he is gone. =They will come back looking for Beth but she will be gone and they will think she is a walker.

Extra: That’s why Rick says 3 weeks since Atlanta in S5 he means 3 seasons since losing Beth it’s a prophecy. Just as his first 3 episodes are representations of the pattern. Every cycle of the pattern they add large and small clues that are actually going to predict the future story, so the more loops we have seen the more clues we have seen as to what is coming.

Back to the car, the 4 on the car also has a lot of meaning as S1E04 is the story of Daryl, Rick and Glenn going back to Atlanta for Merle (Grady story repeated for Beth) S2E04 is when Carl puts on the sheriff’s hat after being shot and surviving (Carl is obviously a sheriff too and all this applies to his story too but I’m not really focusing on him too much, more so Rick and Beth. Season 1 Carl also wears a t-shirt with a tiger foot print on it, keep this in mind for level 2 of the rabbit hole)

Season 4 is when Beth puts on the Sherriff’s hat and season S5E04 is when Beth wakes up in the hospital just like Rick in season 1 ep1. So you can see because the pattern keeps looping around over and over the main narrative of the story will repeat but time fames will be smaller or larger depending on the character and where they are in the loop, it’s almost alive it moves so much but the loops we have already seen will tell us what's coming. 

In regards to the numbers on the car reading them backwards is how we will see Beth’s story play out. Ricks went forward Beth’s goes backwards. So the 4 relating to Beth’s story is the one we have seen and that’s Grady and everything we saw go down, the next thing we are going to see in season 8 is her reunion with her family (number 3 on the car relating to when Rick had his reunion, ep3 for Beth after 3 seasons gap) its after that we are going to go back and they will show us how she survived (1)

But we continue with the first scene in S1E01:

Rick gets out of the car (Life) and starts looking for gas near some cars, he walks past burnt out cars (Death) and keeps walking to get to more cars (burial/waiting) we then hear a bird call (life) he then gets to a sign that says no gas at the number 1 and 2 gas pumps which are completely red (death)

He then sighs and stands still looking at the sign (burial/stagnant) but he suddenly hears a noise behind him (life) he looks under the car and sees a child’s legs walking wearing bunny slippers and she picks up a teddy.

 Also note the 8 on her leg (Boots in S7 was a loop of Beth, just with a different character in a different community. See the 8 on the leg of Zombie girl? It’s faint but guess what boots has on her shoe? That’s right an 8!

This little zombie girl also has little flowers on her dressing gown just like boots had a flower on her other shoe. So TD were not wrong boots is another representation or loop of Beth just in a different community.  

He gets up and calls out to her, we can see just the back of the girl and only that she has long blond hair, over Ricks shoulder as he calls to her we see the number 2 gas pump which is again completely red

She turns around and Rick see’s she is a zombie (death)

However the next scene is interesting to those who believe Beth is returning as over Ricks shoulder this time we see the number 4 pump and for the first time there is some yellow in the shot, it’s a yellow (life) gas can sitting on top of the number 4 pump.

This scene is indicating we will see 3 other (Main) representations of this blond zombie girl and also that there will be three main representations of the sheriff.

There are many smaller loops of the zombie girl and the Sherriff's too as they need to repeat the pattern many times over in seven seasons but the main ones are:

The number one representations will starts in season 1 (number 1 gas pump): Rick as the Sherriff and Amy as the Zombie Girl in S1 who, gets a reunion with her sister S1E03 (life) is bitten in S1E04 (Death) Amy takes a long time to turn (burial) she is bitten at dinner time one evening and doesn't turn until well into the next day (life again as a walker, but Andrea puts her down in S1E05 so her final destination is the Death Coda- lasting death)

The next representations will start in season 2 (number 2 gas pump): Carl as the Sherriff who gets shot in S2E01 (death) Carl is unconscious for most of e2 and e3 (burial) and then wakes and puts on the Sherriff's hat S1E04 (life) and Sofia as the zombie girl, who was known for carrying her doll (Teddy for Zombie girl)

She goes missing season 2E01(burial) is found by Rick (life) who even picks her up and carries her like Daryl did with Beth bridal style, Rick asks her to hide in a dark cave/ tunnel (death and burial) Rick leaves and kills the walkers that are chasing them but when he comes back Sofia is gone (life again represented by her leaving the tunnel) but she is now missing again (burial) and we won’t see Sofia’s final Death coda until season 2E07 where she comes out of the barn as a walker.

Team Defiance I will continued this in Down the rabbit hole level 1 part 2

[misseffie]

today has been a really rough day so i was thinking about nice things and one of those nice things was bethyl. so here’s some reasons why i love this pairing

so! unexpected! they literally share maybe 1/2 conversations before being thrust together on their own. somehow that “lack of history” could be off-putting but it’s not? the complete unexpected element of the pairing is so appealing because you can look back at season 2 or 3 and be like o wow u two don’t even know. you have no fucking idea u fools. hell, you can look back and think about your first reaction of “what?... daryl and beth?...” and how bizarre it seemed at first until it clicked and suddenly it made all the sense in the world. i don’t think that they would’ve grown that close unless they were forced to share each other’s company like that (and that’s ok!) - and that’s actually pretty interesting because it goes to show that people we didn’t even acknowledge or considered (because of different personalities/age groups/relations they keep/social class/etc) could happen to be extremely similar to ourselves and yes, I think that the way Beth and Daryl perceive the world and approach everything is very similar. so despite the striking differences that keeps their characters slightly wary of each other they find out that wow, this person actually sees the world in a way that is very beautiful and very much like me and i didn’t know this about this person and it’s like i’ve never seen you before even though we’ve been part of this same group for some years and isn’t that astonishing? isn’t it astonishing that i can be this surprised by someone that was right here this entire time. and isn’t it beautiful that i can be surprised like this in a world that is so ugly?

ALSO. the way daryl now reaches out to people and embraces affection from others? wow. beth’s death destroyed him. but even that couldn’t get rid off the things he’d learnt from being with her just for a while. it’s like he learned that being tactile with people can be a nice! thing! and wow it’s actually so nice to be comforted like this and every little step he takes in Alone he’s testing his limits on how tactile he’s allowed to be with her. and even after she’s gone he still reaches out to people he cares about like that because he learnt that not everyone is gonna push him away and making yourself vulnerable doesn’t always result in others hurting you. ALSO!!!! How ballsy did Beth have to be to even hug Daryl that first time in the prison? She must’ve noticed that no one ever approached Daryl like that - not even his bestie Carol so wtf Beth? -  and even if it could’ve been intimidating she went ahead and did it because what the hell, she’s Beth, that’s what she does and she’s not ashamed of being affectionate or caring or vulnerable. if he didn’t like it he could push her away but that wouldn’t stop Beth from putting herself on the line like that for others. my girl :’)

this point is kind of bittersweet... but in-laws Glenn and Maggie supporting Daryl after Grady; and Daryl supporting Maggie in return. and then again Maggie and Daryl after Glenn died. Just that entire Beth/Glenn/Maggie/Daryl dynamic that we got almost nothing of but it’s still beautiful and i would give my left arm to’ve seen it with all members of that foursome still alive. but whatevs. no big deal. i guess i’ll just..... stand here........ crying

another bittersweet point but: how no one in team family questioned it. they might not have understood it completely but they understood that Daryl is a good man and they know what Beth meant for him and shit, I know no one would’ve had a problem with them together (certainly not rick, nor maggie, nor carol). so eat shit haters lmao.

just... makes no sense at first. they are such an awkward pairing at first, almost inappropriate, almost rubbing you off the wrong way (factor of age standing out the most) and you look at them and it’s visually jarring how different they are and then all of that melts away and suddenly it makes sense and it’s almost like a religious experience lmao

outside of the show: how much emily and norman support it. emily writing a frigging song about beth and daryl. norman always mentioning Still as his fav episode and how Beth’s death was the most difficult thing for him to do + all the other shit they’ve said/done referring to it as romantic. lauren cohan supports the shit out of it. scott wilson (hershel) saying he’d be a proud grandpa if they had kids and that daryl should take a bath before dating his daughter as the only fault he’d find in that pairing. just the lovely feeling of acknowledgement from everyone (minus Kirkman Troll lmao) that it was a thing. k thanks.

i had more points probably... but i’m tired so

good day, good evening, and goodnight

[oohhshiny]

ok hi guys

for those asking for it, this is a post about 7x10

but please keep in mind these are my own opinions and feelings and I don't mean to influence anyone with them whatsoever

I do also have a theory which I'll be including at the bottom because reasons

click the cut if you feel like listening to me ramble

(and also beware of possible spoilers)

So.

Okay.

Where the fuck do I start.

I'm not gonna lie. I didn't love this episode as much as some. I liked it. But I would not call it my second Consumed. 

As amazing as their chemistry is and as muchhhhhh as I have fucking missed them, there are a couple of things I can’t ignore about the writing. If you did enjoy it all, that's awesome, and I am so happy that you did and it's definitely not my intention to make anyone feel badly or try to change how they feel either. It's just my own thoughts (to which, again, I am just extremely fucking frustrated with the stalling) but I was asked to post my opinion so here I am.

It's not that I didn't like what we did get but it's more of what still has yet to happen that is causing me to rip every fucking hair out of my head.

Right so I’ll discuss the episode first then post a theory… if you want to skip my episode opinions, you can go to the bottom for the theory. (Or just abort the whole post when you realize what you got yourself into by clicking this)

So, first of all let me just say that of course it's fucking amazing and adorable and everything else under the sun anyyyyy time Caryl share a scene. That's a given because it always is. They just light up the screen in any scene they are in together. And it will forever baffle me as to how tptb can possibly deny these characters and actors screen time when they are the freaking highlight of the entire series but I digress.

Things I did love about this episode:

> All the acting was incredible. I don't know how any of them aren't receiving nominations and all the awards. It's wrong. They deserve it like fuck.

> Daryl's speech to Richard, I fucking adored to pieces. Don't mess with Carol in any way, or Daryl will kill you, got it? And I lovedddd the build up with "Say her damn name!" That was fucking cute okay. It was my favourite part of the episode, in fact.

> Daryl lied to Carol for Carol. He lied because he absolutely loves her like hell and he cannot stand to see her suffer any more heartbreak than she already has had to deal with. He recognizes that she's in a fragile place right now, and as much pain as he's in himself (for all that he blames himself for over Glenn) he holds it in. To spare CAROL. He did it before with the child walkers in Consumed and now he's done it again in another attempt to make things easier for her if he can, any way he can. Because he knows she would/could blame herself too if she knew Negan had killed after she left and that she might start thinking that she could have done something to prevent those deaths. Even though we all know that's not true and that's not how this world works, (that it doesn't matter how much you try to prevent the bad, it happens anyway), the sheer fact that Daryl tried to make sure she didn't have to feel that torment at this moment, says it all and more. He fucking loves her more than anything on the planet and will do anything to protect her.

> The hugs and all the nuzzling…… yes. I've had requests for gifs so I'll gif some parts I found especially cute. I mean, all touching and hugs are good touching and hugs. When would I ever complain about touching and hugging? Um never so don't get me wrong I loved them on their own and for different reasons but here’s the thing the thing the thing, for me, when it comes to hugs to end all hugs, there is just no topping this……

Nothing will beat the Terminus hug in my eyes (unless it includes….OH LET'S SAY…. THE FREAKING KISS ITSELF) so I must admit, as cute as all the hugging was in 7x10, it didn’t top No Sanctuary. Not for me anyway. 

Right.

Moving on to things I did not like:

First and foremost, I guess I sound greedy with this but idec anymore:           IT. WAS. TOO. FUCKING. SHORT. We wait months upon months upon months upon months……….for approximately 4 minutes of screen time. Just……… :x (I’m sorry but it’s something I just can’t deal with for much longer)

Other than that, I have two main gripes with this episode:

1) The fact that Daryl leaves Carol at all. I assume it was because he thinks she's in a delicate place emotionally, so he doesn't want her to get involved in the fight with the Saviours and potentially get caught in a dangerous situation so he leaves knowing he'd have to tell her things if he stayed. If we read into it, I suppose we can come to this conclusion. However, I have two problems with that, and one is that we are always forced to assume and infer these things rather than hearing words or a conversation in the script about where he is going, when he'll be back, or Carol inquiring for that matter etc. because she would ask him ffs!  The second problem is the fact that while no, he doesn’t want to involve her in order to protect her, he also would not leave her side if there was anyyyy potential threat around her (which there is!) let alone the Saviours whom he knows are in the very area and whom he had just seen earlier in the day! It’s not Daryl, imo! Especially when they jussssssssst made it so evident that he loves the fuck out of her to threaten Richard if anything happened to her in the very same episode!  So, we're supposed to believe that he leaves her after trying to protect her, even making a speech about it just 6-8 hours before? No. Nope. No. Yes, she's strong enough to protect herself but that still wouldn't matter to Daryl. He protects her regardless. Now, I know the Saviours are after HIM but I still do not believe Daryl would leave her alone knowing that danger is around the corner (almost literally!)

So here is where this is a continued issue for me and the writing. Because I feel like this was an obvious tactic by tptb when they decided they needed Daryl elsewhere for the next installment of their story. It was like they need him to be at Hilltop now, so poof. Hilltop it is. Nothing else matters because of that one stipulation in their plot. Sorry for being so picky but it just gets seriously frustrating sometimes to watch the characters moved around according to a chess board instead of thinking of how that action will affect the character themselves and our beautiful relationship that kinda has to take the immediate backseat to those decisions. The writers seem to rely quite a bit on gimmickry now that it seems the first thing they are concerned with is how things appear to the audience rather than staying true to how the character would actually think or act. Just my opinion, but I can’t help it, it bothers me.

2) The second gripe I have; Yeah, I also can't help this but I'm upset that one more time we watched an opportunity float by where Daryl could have voiced his feelings but didn’t. Okay. Yes. I know why they are still holding that back. But after every fucking thing he just witnessed with Negan/Abe/Glenn and the shit he went through in Sanctuary (not to mention that the only reason he escaped was because of the inside help from Dwight/Sherry) and how other people have died before his eyes, like Denise who just gave him advice about telling the woman he loves that he loves her before it's too late,…. and he still doesn't take the advice? Come on. It's stretching the limits of realistic now. If he didn’t know if he or the woman he’s in love with would be alive the next day, he would be holding onto her as tightly as possible and telling her something about his feelings. I absolutely agree that Carol was not in the right state of mind as of 7x10 to have been making out with him on the couch (YET) but I still see no reason why Daryl couldn’t or wouldn’t have told her sommmmethingggggg in words about how he feels. And yes, I do know that his lie about Negan was a form of admission, and in fact, I felt there were a TON of words left unspoken to be conveyed through other actions (like the way he went back to hug her was basically his way of saying “I love you”) but ummm, imoooooooo, he also should have the fracking words by now too. Yeah, I know, I know, I know why it didn't happen here. But it's the carrot dangling that is getting ridiculous for me now and I find myself rolling my eyes every time they stall past another scene.

Le sigh.

Alright. There it is.

I loved the Caryl we did get but I’m still frustrated with the Caryl that is still being held over our heads. 

Despite my disappointment with those things, however, I want to remind people, for those feeling down about where Caryl are heading, 

please don't feel down about where Caryl are heading! 

Because even though they are still playing with the ambiguity for now, this episode is most definitely setting up for the future! Not only Daryl's feelings that are now coming out one (slow) piece at a time (as with Richard), but Carol's inevitable return to herself. And what that will mean for Caryl.

That brings me to

                                                                Theory time.

Good news: it's about the finale and you're gonna like it.

Bad news: it's the last fucking one I'm doing for this show if it turns out not to come true as of 7x16. (I'm sorry to say this but they have me until the screen fades to black the night of the finale because I'm too tired.)

SO. OKAY. This involves several easter eggs that were placed throughout season 7 (or before) and yes, it’s onlyyyy a theory (which very well could be wrong) but I'd say there is the slight possibility it could happen, based on things they purposely placed in the show for us to see.

In a nutshell, it goes like this: I think Caryl could finally kiss in the finale.

And here is why:

Easter Egg 1)  Who's The Boss 

It was in The Cell (not-so-coincidentally DARYL'S episode) and it’s shown on the TV Dwight is watching at Sanctuary. It was on the screen long enough to make note of and it makes you wonder why they left it there for as long as they did. For those that don't know, Who's The Boss is an American sitcom that aired in the 80s. It was actually pretty funny but more importantly it had a very prominent couple-to-be/turned couple who just happened to go canon in the finale of season 7/premiere of season 8. Yes, it absolutely could be a coincidence but hmmm maybe it’s not…

I would like to give all credit for this nugget to the lovely @ikkleosu, though, because while I had noticed the flash of Who's The Boss, I hadn’t thought to check out episodes until she noted exactly what went on in each ...

If anyone is interested, in the season finale, Angela (the lead female character) kisses Tony (the lead male character) to “show him how she feels”…..

link here (skip to the very end): 

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em3ZZp_jsl8 

And then in the premiere of season 8, Tony reciprocates and tells her he loves her and it marks the moment they become a full-fledged couple….

link here (very beginning of this vid): 

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SorDhv764LY

Tony and Angela have a few shades of Daryl and Carol to them as well, so yeah, like @ikkleosu said, it's just really interesting that we are in that sammmmmme freaking set up now on twd where two characters are in almost the exact same place, pre-canon at the exact same time and it just happened to be an Easter Egg placed in Daryl’s episode. 

Obviously could mean nothing but……….

Easter Egg 2)  Carl and Enid's forehead kiss turned kiss

Sound familiar?

They did that for our benefit, you guys. It was a fucking tease and I want to punch them for it but it was like they were hinting that a forehead kiss can (and will) be romantic, knowing full-well that we are awaiting the kiss for Caryl.

Easter Egg 3) “Denim Dreams” (a romance novel)

This was pretty obvious but I hope everyone caught the romance novel Carol was reading? Interesting how they focused on it in 7x10. Hummmm, "It's like a damn romance novel" anyone?

But wait, there’s more.

The lovely and brilliant @pixiegrunger pointed out to me that the cover of this romance novel actually sort of looks like it could be a man and a woman riding a horse..

Why is that important you ask? Well see, we heard reports of Carol and horses at ASZ in the finale and it happens to also be when a particular war mayyy begin to go down…

As @pixiegrunger says it could kind of be like Carol is the knight on a white horse coming to save the man she loves now?

She also noticed this….

on the wall/overturned train car/truck/whateveritis where Daryl just happened to threaten Richard over Carol, which could also have to do with the finale…….

Nope, there is no proof of anything yet, but it’s interesting right?

Easter Egg 4) Romance novels every freaking where.

See Carol kneeling on the ground here?

And do you see the stack of books to the left? The romance novel she was reading earlier (titled “Denim Dreams”) is in that pile. Well right below that one is another romance novel that was sitting on her coffee table during 7x08 by Randi Smith that appeared to have a couple kissing on the cover…

And I suspect there are more in that pile that are too blurry to make out as well. 

The point? There are romance novels out the wazoo in this episode (when DARYL shows up), which Carol is apparently reading. 

Just sayin’

Easter Egg 5) The canteen sharing from season 5

I swear this was fucking tease too and I swear it still has to do with kissing. And remember also that Carol was the one who first offers Daryl the water. Then Daryl to Carol. Angela > Tony. …?

Okay so putting it together, here's my potential theory:

I think post-7x10 Carol is going to come to the realization that she absolutely cannot lose Daryl. She loves him so fucking much and she has to protect him for that reason now. You could see that she almost went after him in the end of 7x10. HE was what she needed to allow her to see that her decision to isolate herself is not an escape at all, because she can't truly run away from the pain or the feelings she has. They are always there and I think she will decide now that she wants to hold on to the good. To Daryl. Knowing as she now does that she can't live apart from him anymore and pretend everything is fine. Because he is a very big reason she can go on. She loves him. She needs him. And she knows he loves and needs her. So I think she will decide to fight for him (and yes, Team Family when she finds out about Glenn and Abe), then she will ride in on her horse (just like the romance novel?) and she will "kill for love" in the finale.

But here's the part that I think could also come at the very end; they can't simply end the arc with no tangible indication of the choice she is finally making and why and that's where I think a kiss could happen, to let Daryl know how she feels about him (since she had left, and he was obviously quite hurt by it) and to set up the arc that is to come in season 8. (Just as Angela did in the finale of Who's The Boss) I don't think it would be any more than a single kiss at the very end because I don't think there would be time for much else but it would be enough.

Nope, nothing is conclusive and everything here is conjecture but at the same time, these items were placed in each episode for a reason so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what they do with them. 

You’re a fucking trooper if you got through all that. lol. And remember they are my opinions/thoughts only y/y

[dixonsgirl85]

So it begins ..

Summary  - Spoiler alert for the season finale. episode  16 - if you haven't seen it yet ... might not want to read this just yet. Your with Daryl when everything comes to a head on the streets of Alexandria   

With your gun in your hand and at the ready. You took a deep breath and waited for the single.  You stood by Rosita and waited along with the rest . When you heard the trucks  your heart started racing.

   You glanced over at Daryl who met your gaze and for just a moment you were calm.  He gave you a slight nodded as to say " it gonna be alright" before turning his attention back to the trucks now parked in front the gates.

 Eugene was now standing on the bed of the flatbed with a megaphone in his hand. You were confused   when Negan had taken Eugene with him you had been scared for him.  But as far as you can tell he seemed to be fine.  But as you listen to him talk to Rick it became crystal clear why .

 You looked over at Rosita you could see the hurt pass across her face . You looked back over and up at Rick  where he stood on the platform.  You were all waiting on the signal.

   Once you saw Rick give the signal even though you all knew Eugene would be caught in the blast as well. You guess he had made his choice . You shut your eyes when you saw Rosita push the button.

   But nothing happen and for a second your heart stopped. You slowly opened your eyes. What happen you had helped set up those bombs you knew they had been good.

 You started to raise your gun when you found a gun pointed at your head . Looking around there were guns pointed at all your friends and family heads including Daryl's .

   You glared at the woman holding the gun on you. All you could think of was the deal that Rick had made with the other group. Now they were turning on you . The grip on your gun became tighter and you were itching to pull the trigger.

 Your attention was pulled to the front when Negan himself  spoke up . You bit the inside of your cheek trying to rein in your emotions before  all this  you had never really hated someone before. Dislike yes but never really truly hated .

But Negan?  Oh he was different  You hated him and you knew  for a fact in order for your family to truly live in peace again he had to die.

   You watched in horror as he had a couple of his men bring out a coffin. "What the hell?" you mummer  You listen as Negan demanded all the guns  and demanded Rick to choose someone to meet Lucille. He was freaken crazy  you thought. But you knew he would make good on his threats        He kill Sasha and the rest of us if we are not careful .  "Let me see her " Rick said . Negan only smiled  but proceeded to open the coffin .

***********************************

 It all happen so fast one second you were watching Sasha now a walker .. You would have to deal with that later. You watched her stumbled towards Negan knocking him off the truck .

   Then the next second guns were going off everywhere around you.  You didn't hesitated  you raised your and took down the woman  in front of you before she could move.

 Then it was trying to dodge bullets and shooting at any of them you could get to. Unfortunately they still outnumber you.   You lost track of Daryl and you panicked .

 With Negan here you were worried that he would dragged back to his camp. Suddenly you hit from the behind . You fell to your knees  But before you could reach for your gun  You felt a gun to the back of your head.

That when you realize everything was silent . "Get up "  a man grab you hard on the arm lifting you to  your feet. "Let's go " he said pushing you forward

    You were walked to the small space in back of the house near the  walls  . A whole bunch of saviors where there . But what captured your attention was Rick and Carl down on their knees  in the middle .

   You felt sick flashes from that night  that was still so fresh pop up in your mind. As you saw Negan approach Carl and Rick.  You were frozen in fear.  As memories of that night when Negan swung his bat and changed all your lives forever.

 Now here he was trying to do that again.  He couldn’t  you wouldn't let .. You had to do something..  You started to move forward. But the hand on your arm tighten and the gun came back to side of your head.

 "Don’t want to miss the show now would we " the man said on a chuckle. You didn’t want to look but you couldn’t look away . You watched as Negan had words with Rick

 Then suddenly he was standing up moving around removing Carl's hat You wanted to scream.  But before you could open your mouth a tiger was suddenly  on one of Negan's Man .

 then gunfire.. You looked that when you recognize .. Help had come.  You heard the man behind you curse and you took the chance and threw a elbow back into the man's gut .

he let you go and you spun around grabbing his gun before he had a chance to recover and shooting him. Now the gunfire was all around.  You headed up the street ducking bullets

 You kept looking for Daryl trying to make sure he was safe.. You saw the saviors trucks pull out and leave and you felt like you could breath.  Then it was quite .

 You looked around taking it all in.  You guys had done it at least for now you guys were safe.. You knew that peace hadn't been won yet but it the first step had been taken.

 You saw Maggie walking towards the front gates  " Maggie " you jogged up to her and you two hugged  "Thank you" you said trying to hold back tears.

 "There was no question that we were not going to come " she said .  "That decision had been made a long time ago" she said with a sad smile and you nodded  "Let's go rounded everyone up and clean this place up  " you said *********************************************

 Daryl climbed down from the plate from  He turned around and put his bow down. You were in his arms  within seconds  . " Thank god " you said as you buried your face into his neck .

 "What you were worried ?" he said chuckling You pulled back " yes .. Maybe a little  " you replied He grinned and pulled you in for a short kiss. " Are you ok ?" he asked

" You nodded  couple close calls but I will bounce back " you replied. "What happen here ?"  you said  he frown . "we were double crossed someone told Negan about our deal with that other group . " he said "    You shook your head "we would have all died if it hadn't been for Sasha " you said tears for your friend threatening to come up to the surface now  that the threat was gone.

 "She did give us the break we needed " Daryl admitted " Not sure how she ended up as a walker looked like Negan was even surprise she was dead " he said .  " I am going to miss her " you admitted   he nodded  " me too" he said "Come on  let's get together with everyone " he said as he led you back towards the front.

*****************************************  Everyone gather and had a short service for Sasha. No matter how  time you buried a friend you would never get used to it . It hurt every time. You also knew  that  this wouldn’t be the last time either and that is what you were scared of too.    It was so easy  these days to lose someone  especially with someone like Negan around. Scare that next person you were going to lose would be Daryl  . It had been hard enough when Negan had taken him to his camp .

   " Your thinking to hard " Daryl said as he slip up behind you wrapping his arms around you . His lips close to your ear. You smiled and leaned into the warmth of his body .

   The day was finally done and you were settle back in your own little room for the night. You had been standing at the window staring out.  " I am just thinking " you said as you turned around " about  ?"  he asked as he slowly pulled you towards the bed. " About how I am afraid to lose you  because this thing with Negan isn't over yet "

 You choked back tears " I am fine and you're fine " he said  as he reached up and wiped tears off your face. "For now  " you said and with that he pulled you into his arms and into a kiss.

 "There is nothing we can do about the future  all we can do is work on the today " he said . " and today we are fine " he said as he continued to kiss you softly moving from your mouth along your neck .

 He dropped onto the bed and pulled you onto his lap. He held you close . Giving you the peace that you needed for the moment . Because you both knew that War was coming  and that peace would be few and far between in the coming days . So for now you would treasure  it for all  you had .

[nieladasdenani]

The Walking Dead 7x16 - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Here we go. Let’s see if a whole season of building up was worth it...

Well, obviously my baby Sasha is not coming out of this one, is she? I mean, with that opening and all. All dark, she listening to some music and... Damn, I kind of knew, since she accepted Rosita’s dumb “plan”, to take Negan out, them both, alone, on their own.

Listen it was always ridiculous. Not only with the privileged perspective of a viewer, but from their own point of view. Negan has a huge army. What they took out was a post.

And obviously, knowing that Sonequa Martin-Green is going to star in the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery, well. We kind of knew she was going to be die this season. So the foreshadowing was there and clear.

It still makes me so sad, though. I loved Sasha, and I loved her friendship with Maggie. And She was such a good person and such a fierce warrior. It’s a shame.

Anyway. So Dwight. We know he’s not my favorite guy. I get it, I do. He was in an impossible situation. And, like he says so here, he was ‘doing it for someone else’, who’s gone now.

But hear me out. When he left the Saviors back last season with his wife (?) and her sister, he was being so brave, particularly because said sister was sick, and (this is going to sound horrible, but) a burden. They needed meds, tons, and they had them, back with Negan.

So you already did the do. Why, after she dies, would you go back to Negan? Willingly! What did you expected would happen? I mean, come on! That was just so...

Anyway, that’s why I don’t like him. And he killed Denise. I get he had to kiss Negan’s boots to keep his wife safe (though she already had made the sacrifice to “marry” Negan in order to protect him, so... But I can reconcile with it.

So here he is now, telling them he’s in on this. That Negan knows something’s up. And even knowing, as a viewer, that he probably is telling the truth. I would not trust him. Ever.

But I guess Daryl’s nod is enough. It’s so risky, in the position they’re in. It’s so, odd. He could have sent a cryptic message to Rick warning him about Negan coming. Because, really, him being there in person didn’t actually accomplished much.

I think I would have liked it more if he acted in hiding. Not revealing himself at least after all is clear. Because he actually also exposed himself. What if Negan discovered him? It’s just dumb.

Oh, Abraham. Aww, is Sasha dreaming of Abe before dying? That’s kind of sweet... Oh, no. Wait. She’s remembering their last moments together. Aww.

Oh... oh. Damn. She dreamed that he was going to die the day he died? Damn. So, this scene was not only to shape in Sasha’s out, but to make us feel more for the lost of Abraham? I mean, because it was eclipsed by Glenn’s? Because he’s being uncharacteristically soft.

By the way. Those garbage people... They are a lot of them? Are they all dead inside? Or is it a requirement to be on the top circle of command? Geez, they are so many. Wa... Are they traveling in garbage trucks? XD

And the bikes! Oh, they made me laugh with their arrival. But aren’t they acting kind of fishy, tho? I mean, maybe is just an intensified version of their general lifeless attitude, but.

My girl Maggie! My love! And Jesus! And where the frick has Gregory gone to? Do you think he’s the one who told Negan about Rick’s plans? Wait, that wouldn’t make sense, because Negan knew when he had Sasha captive. But by then Gregory was still at the Hilltop, being saved by Maggie, btw.

Unless he told Simon, and he, being the smart (funny) cookie that he is decided not to show and tell Negan so they would never lose the advantage?

Also, Judith is so cute. I’m glad she’s at the Hilltop, where she’d be safe... Hopefully. What’s the debate, exactly? If Maggie herself is going to fight or if the Hilltop is going. Because, how can they not?

And the Kingdom... Wait are those all of the “knights” that are fighting? Aren’t day too few? To fight the freaking Saviors! Well, they do have Carol and Morgan (now, after a moment of almost going berserk)

And, Shiva, of course. How could I forget. I’m liking this version of Ezekiel better, too. But I just feel they are really not enough people for this fight.

Uh oh. Negan’s here. Oh is he really letting Eugene negotiate with Rick? That’s... Well, that’s actually kind of nice. But yeah, ‘Gene, go to hell. I can’t believe he said “I am Negan” to Rick. Damn...

Take the chance Michonne... O no, wait she doesn’t know Eugene is turned. He couldn’t have heard him. Oh, she’s realized the garbage people are garbage people. Dammit! I knew all those smiles were suspicious.

Listen you’re killing Sasha, you cannot kill Michonne. Or Maggie! Or Carol, either. Sorry, you can’t.

But listen, Negan is a phenomenal antagonist. He’s not only charming. He seems so powerful. He’s clearly very smart. And we’ve seen he can be gracious.

But, obviously, we know he’s also a psychopath, and a vicious killer. And that he, mostly, doesn’t really care about anyone but himself.

Here comes. Is he going to reveal Sasha and find her dead, and have his whole negotiation collapse? Make him look like an idiot... Oh, wait no. We’re still remembering.  Woah, wait. “Maggie can take care of Maggie”, Sash, my dude... Naw, look at her face right after she says it. She does not mean it one bit.

Ok, Abe, I’m sad you died. You were being really good on your last day.

Oh! Sasha! What the fuck! I’m shook! Ok, that was pretty cool. Zombie Sasha saving the day. I mean, yes I hate that she died, but it was going to happen. This was crazy touch.

Of course she turned, she took the pill right after they started the travel, they said it was a couple of hours to Alexandria, and with the blocked roads...

Well, of course Carl is already a detached violent warrior. We’ve seen him kill since he was a tiny little dude. Yes, you kill all those garbage people and saviors.

No of course no one is killing Negan. I wasn’t expecting it, tbh. But, how come no one killed Sasha off of him? Not even the one dude that went to save him and ended up being eaten alive by her zombie self.

Ok, so much action. But the garbage people were so many. And how is the leader still holding her gun on Rick thefoc.

“I said down”, I mean, she’s kind of funny. I wonder if this she thought she was going to keep Rick as her sex slave after the take of Alexandria.

Well, of course they were overruled. The garbage people were so many! Not like the handful of knights from the kingdom.

Yeah, right. You really think I am going to believe you’re killing Carl. Come on. I swear if Michonne is dead... Nah, they would not kill Michonne, the goddess, off camera.

Woah! Shiva! Aww, how come she didn’t take on Negan? He’s so lucky. Lmao, Negan is hilarious. Oh, it’s so good to see Carol in action again. I get the whole, too much violence, thing. But having enemies like Negan, you can have a peaceful out with him? 

Not only did he kill people you value. But he rules with a very oppressive hand. And he is always ready to kill someone you care about again, and again. He’s too powerful.

So, no. And it’s not even about “revenge”, because dethroning Negan won’t bring Glenn, yes and Abraham, back. But you can’t really ever have a good relationship with him. he just does not care about people.

He cares about power. And he can be nice to people. And have a bonding moment with them. But ultimately? He just does not care if you live or die. As long as he keeps on living and he keeps on ruling.

Obviously you can’t solve every other problem and face every other enemy with violence. And yes, I think Rick has kind of lost a bit of his way with the violence. But there are just some bad guys who you cannot “dialogue” with.

You can argue that if Rick and his group would not have attacked the post and just accepted Negan’s offer Glenn and Abraham would not be dead. But, really?

Giving up half of your things in exchange for “protection” you don’t actually need because you’re more than capable. That’s tyranny. I am sorry.I see how people can make a case for Negan, but honey no.

And oh, sit. He knows Maggie’s alive and that does scare me to death. That’s not a good omen. I swear if they kill Maggie next season... Or if they make her Negan’s forced wife...

I kind of love that Maggie is so heartbroken for losing Sasha. They were so close. They went through so much together. And that she is the one to “save” her from being a mindless monster. It’s also so sad, tho.

And I love that there was such a touching homage to Glenn and his spirit. And all the way back to that pivotal moment when he saves Rick from being trapped on the tank.

You can say what you want. But Eugene, with all and how very coward he is, he is a terrific liar. I’m still having hopes for him saving the day. From the inside.

I know they’re trying to make me feel like Negan has still so much army power. But that camera angle seemed manipulated. And of course The Alliance only have 10 people left? ¬¬

I hope, I really, truly hope, that next season won’t be another 15 episodes of build up to a exciting end.

I get that not all of the episodes can be full packed with action. But at least give me some good plot arcs, or just a plot, in general. And character development. And enough with the foreshadowing and all the obvious tropes.

This show was too good, you cannot tell me all the good writers left. Or that the showrunner suddenly lost his mind, or got too pretentious.

Give me good storytelling. No more wasted season on a expectant pause. Please.

We have this one exciting episode, and literally the rest of the season can be deleted and nothing will happen. We are exactly were we were when we ended season 6.

The betrayal was a nice touch, unexpected. Of course it could have been more emotional if it was the Kingdom, because we really don’t care about the garbage people. They did not interact enough with our guys and the little they did they were so robotic, it didn’t mean anything.

But I think that’s why the betrayal worked. Sure it was less dramatic. But if the moment they start making the garbage people real, or create some sort of emotional connection, we would have all known.

· So it was the garbage people who tipped Negan on Rick’s plan. Seriously, though. This just show Rick’s group desperation... Or Rick’s losing touch, because he just automatically trusted them. Out of necessity, sure. But Negan wouldn’t have been betrayed so easily. That much I can tell you.

He should have had some sort of backup.

· Negan's "breakfast in bed" to Sasha scene was sort of great? I'm so bummed we're no longer going to have scenes with them together.

· Sasha's conversation with Eugene was so heartbreaking. Kinda? I mean, come on my dude. I was rooting for you. But I bet, I bet, he's going to be crucial in taking Negan down.

· Are they ever going to trust Dwight now? Or even Eugene (he'd probably die, tho. Becoming brave in his last moments?) And the garbage people? Will they turn on the Saviors? Become allies? Does it matter?

· I wonder if Negan's going to find Sherry (Dwight's wife) and use her? (We probably won't see her again, tho)

· What’s with the figure with the message Daryl found. Obviously it was from Dwight. But will it work? How come he had it in him? How did he find the time to take it out and write the message... Mysteries.

Here’s hoping next season is better