#I ended up writing so much but I have so many thoughts on Alexandria as both an individual and from Elle's PoV | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

norman-fucking-reedus · 10 months ago

Note

I’m absolutely obsessed with your writing! I was hoping I could request a one-shot where Daryl and fem!reader are married. They are working on separate outdoor projects but Daryl can’t stop watching the reader throughout the day. The dirtiest thoughts cross his mind as he watches her. Later that evening when they are home and finally alone he recreates all those thoughts with her throughout the night. Daryl has a pleasure and praise kink, includes oral, Daryl loves going down on the reader!

*Set during later Alexandria or Commonweath era (Daryl never goes to France!)

STOP IT RIGHT TF NOW ANON CAUSE WHY HAVENT I THOUGHT OF A PLEASURE KINK. DROOLING RN

Heres me admitting im only on season 9 of TWD so this takes place in Alexandria 😿

A/n: Thought I’d actually title this bc reading it again months later I just think it needs one 🥸

gif creds @daryl-dixon-daydreams

BUSY BEE

Daryl was going to simply pass away and die.

He hated his own mind for it’s never-ending thoughts, even more so when he had a literal job to be doing. His racing thoughts had been distracting him the whole day, occasionally using the wrong tool, knocking something over, and even almost spilling all the oil at one point.

It was just the way your hips looked, so well rounded in those jeans, shirt clinging to your body as you walked quickly with your own tasks in mind, not noticing your husband’s hardcore staring.

His mind was bursting with thoughts of what horribly dirty things he wanted to do to you. Sometimes he physically can’t wrap his head around how he ended up with someone like you. All Daryl could think about was just how bad he wanted to fuck you, cock already stirring to life in his pants.

No. No. He had to stay focused. He couldn’t be seen not doing his task and also now needed to hide the tent forming in his pants. It was worse that he was out in the open, having been assigned to work on the cars to keep them running longer.

You had been assigned to ask around to see what was needed for the next run, only for some reason you had timed yourself to get to everyone in under an hour, hence your quick pace and focused gaze. Daryl had seen you walk past at least three times, each time you sped past while furiously scribbling on a notepad. He felt like a teenager watching and obsessing over his crush.

God, he was so ready to blow himself up, staring down at under the hood of one of the cars used for runs. He forced his mind to focus on fixing shit instead of wandering off. Rick had been saying that the brakes had been failing, only Daryl couldn’t exactly do much without a jackstand.

He decided to test the car battery instead since it had been having trouble starting. Stepping around the car to the toolbox, he almost tripped as you bumped right into him. “Bulky bitch!” You yelped as you fell down onto your ass, dropping your pen and paper. Daryl gently but quickly pulled you to your feet, picking your stuff up. “Tha’ hell ya runnin’ from girl?” He stepped closer to you, sliding a hand to your waist. “I’m a very busy woman with places to be and times to beat” You rolled your eyes, yet smiled softly at Daryl. “Too busy fer me now?” You nodded, leaning up as if to kiss him but going for his ear instead. “Very busy” You whispered sweetly, placing a faint kiss on his cheek before speeding away again.

Daryl simply stood there with his cock straining harshly against the fabric of his pants, cock pulsating as he could feel himself leaking pre-cum. He should just blow his goddamn brains out, now.

He slammed the hood of the car shut and climbed inside, dropping his head onto the steering wheel. It felt like his head was about to fall off with how many filthy thoughts were flooding in. You were the biggest tease and absolutely knew it, sweat dripping down his face as he tried to silence his brain, hands gripping the steering wheel. He wasn’t about to jerk off inside a car with the clearest windows ever, at that point he might as well do it out in the open.

While Daryl was suffering silently, you were simply serene as you rocked on the porch swing of your house, turning in the list to Rick right before your timer hit fifteen minutes. You toyed with the ring on your finger, smiling down as you thought of how Daryl refused to get you something small. He had found a jewelry shop out on a secret run and spent an hour overthinking and questioning himself before finding the perfect ring. It was a sliver band with clusters of smaller diamonds around a larger one that so happened to be the shape of a skull, matching the one he wore every day. He smashed the glass without a second thought.

You smile fondly, also remembering that the same man was probably struggling to do his work. Getting him super worked up was your favorite thing to do as he basically melted in your hands the second he stepped foot inside.

Speaking of inside, you had stepped in earlier to change out your underwear, switching into a black thong you found. You could practically feel Daryl’s hands roaming your body, shivers running down your spine at the tingling sensation.

Whilst you were enjoying yourself, Daryl was still sitting in the car, staring down at the steering wheel as he tried to focus his mind on anything else, aside from the cocky sway of your hips, and the ghost of your lips against his ears.

He needed to get off badly. The only thing really stopping him were these shitty windows, however he proceeded to begin rubbing his hand on his clothed cock, letting out a shaky moan. Daryl slammed his hands back onto the steering wheel, gripping it tightly as he tried to recenter himself. He thought for a moment, sweat rolling down the back of his neck.

The car door swung open and he kicked it shut behind him, walking quickly to avoid anyone who might wanna talk, quickly making his way back home. He passed Carol, who was sitting out on her swing. She waved and he gave a short wave back, trying his hardest to keep his hard-on concealed as he sped past.

He stepped heavily up the stairs, the wooden porch creaking under his weight as he opened and shut the front door. It was remotely quiet as he kicked his shoes off next to yours, tearing his shirt off as he stomped upstairs to your shared bedroom, where he found you in one of his shirts lying on your stomach reading a book, closing it at the sound of your husband's arrival. “Already stripping nude for me, Dixon?” You pushed yourself onto your knees and he approached the bed, grabbing your face rougher than intended and crashing his lips onto yours.

It seemed like in that moment, Daryl’s hyperactive mind finally shut itself down, his shoulders relaxing as his hands held your soft face, licking into your mouth desperately. Your hands wrapped around his neck, fingers splayed out on his upper back as he moved to join you on the bed, readjusting you so your legs rested comfortably on either side of his hips. There was a burning desire in his gut as he sucked harshly on your skin, grinding against you as he did.

Daryl’s hands stayed locked at your hips, massaging and groping the flesh as he continued marking up your whole body, practically eating you. He reached your boobs and ran his tongue over the right one and started to suck deep marks into the sensitive flesh.

His hips picked up speed, becoming erratic before burying his face in space between your boobs, shaking as he literally came in his pants. It was the hottest thing you’d seen. “Feeling better?” You whispered breathlessly, watching him groan and lift himself sluggishly off your chest. “M’not done yet” His words were slightly slurred as he leaned back on his knees, hands fumbling to undo his pants.

You eventually reached down to unzip his zipper, and he was back on you instantly, shoving his boxers down enough to free his hard and dripping cock, precum pouring from the puffy tip. “God, Daryl, you’re so needy tonight” You moaned as he pulled down your pajama shorts, eyes staring down at the black thong. “Yes tha’ hell I am” He whispered, hands sliding up your sides and he slid down, cock pulsing as he got a look at your cunt even with the thong on. There was just so much he wanted to do to you that it was overwhelming his senses.

He ran his tongue up and in between your folds, tasting you through the measly garment. He rubbed circles in your clit as his tongue explored every inch, slipping past the thong and into your entrance, causing your brain to short-circuit as he worked you to release, especially since his own was drying in his underwear. Alongside his tongue, Daryl eased two fingers in, stretching and scissoring you open, his tongue going in much deeper and curling. “Fuck yes, baby just like that” You bit your bottom lip harshly, sliding your own fingers down to stimulate your clit, knowing how to push yourself off the edge quicker. He got so fucking hard at the sight of you playing with yourself, even more so that it was your ring finger, the diamond skull standing out as your fingers sped up. Daryl pulled his tongue out, continuing to move his fingers as he licked your clit, a strangled sob coming from you as you came.

Daryl settled for unleashing another attack on your torso while you recovered from your orgasm, licking, kissing, sucking, and biting at the smooth flesh of your stomach, one hand holding your thigh over his shoulder, and the other resting right by your boob, his thumb teasingly stroking the skin under it. He felt every curse, moan and gasp you let out, licking right in between your already marked boobs, kissing the junction of your throat all the way up to your lips. The head of his cock nudged your pussy slightly, and the heat of the kiss had you dizzy. “C’mon handsome, I can’t wait much longer” You batted your lashes at him, running your hand down his one of his big arms, your ring shimmering in the dim lamp light.

Your other hand slid in between your bodies to shift your soaked thong to the side, pulling him closer by wrapping your legs around his waist. He used one hand to steady his cock, and gripped the headboard as he slammed in, two of you moaning in unison. Daryl’s cock was more sensitive than ever, eyes rolling to the back of his skull as he readjusted himself, pounding roughly into you as you gripped his bicep.

Daryl’s thrusts were relentless as he kept his pace up, bed creaking and headboard slamming as he panted like a dog, watching the way his cock was sliding in and out of you, a giant wet spot forming on his jeans as he showed no signs of stopping. “My big strong man, always fucking me so good with your fat cock” You bit down on your lips as one of your hands came to rest on his cheek. He turned his face to the side, kissing your palm while staring into your eyes with a lovingly lustful gaze. “M’all yers, m’gon always give my woman wha’ she wants” His voice was raspy and breathless against your hand before he locked your fingers together, pinning your hands onto the mattress and dipping his head down to press his forehead against yours, simply panting into each others spaces.

From how tightly you were holding hands, your rings dug into one another’s fingers, and it only turned Daryl on more. You were his and he was yours. “M’so proud ta call ya Mrs. Dixon. Gon fill ya up w all my kids” He whispered, bumping his strangely cold button nose against yours. “Let’s just start with one?” Your voice sounded foreign to your ears, and by the way Daryl’s hips had sped up you could tell he was close “Not one now!” You shrieked, nails digging into his hands as he railed your sweet spot, orgasm already hitting him incredibly hard as he practically laughed in your ear from how hard he came, pulling out just a little too late.

He fell on top of you, but recoiled when something wet touched his navel, eyes flickering down to see his cum soaking into the black fabric of your thong and seeping out your hole. “Gonna clean that up for me?” You winked suggestively at him, and he lowered himself to be eye level with your messy cunt, massive hands spreading you further apart as he licked his lips. “Yes ma’am”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

I made myself very horny writing this but I also kept falling asleep as I was writing

also I based both rings off Normans ring :3 (he should put his finger in my body)

#daryl dixon #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead #daryl x female reader #daryl x reader #norman fucking reedus #the walking dead daryl #twd #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixion smut #twd daryl #daryl x you #daryl dixion x reader #daryl imagines

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d1xonss · 3 months ago

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Hey have a great day! 🫶🏻🪻Could you write about Reader who lives in Alexandria when The group first were brought by Aaron.Daryl noticing the resemblance between him and reader being distant from actual citizens in Alexandria and not wanting to participate in parties or fun always going out from the gates to forest.Reader also has a huge scar on her eye something like Carl’s. Daryl making her feel beautiful showing each other their scars and fluffy ending

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 5

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 2k

AN ~ Me actually finishing a request that’s been sitting in my drafts forever?? Everyone clap😌. No but seriously, I'm proud of myself for finally getting this done, I hope it was worth the wait and you guys enjoy it. xoxox

You were the first person he noticed. That’s what he thought anyway. He wasn’t focused on the new houses, the strong walls, or the many unrealistic luxuries the new community provided. His curiosity solely remained on you from the very first moment he could remember.

You were different from the other people who lived in the area. Whilst they were all warm and welcoming the second he and his family stepped through the gates, you didn’t seem the least bit interested in their arrival. Though you were still present, watching from a distance as you absorbed the new faces, yet you couldn’t seem to bring yourself to greet them properly. He remembered how you stood on the porch of your house, your arms folded over your chest as you eyed everyone somewhat suspiciously. He remembered how your gaze seemed to linger on Carl and Judith, noting the two kids that needed a place like this to be safe.

But the thing he would surely never forget, was when he first spotted your scar. From a distance even, he could make out the shape of a long, crooked gash that traveled from the middle of your forehead and down toward your eye, stopping in the area right above your cheek. It was prominent, noticeable from even a hundred feet away, and something that surely was proof that you had been through a lot. Though even if you didn’t have any evidence on your skin, Daryl could still tell from your weariness that life outside of these walls wasn’t all that generous to you. Just as it hadn’t been for him.

Weeks seemed to pass by, and he still didn’t even know your name. Yet he was very observant whenever he managed to spot you walking down the streets of Alexandria, almost as if he had a sixth sense like he knew you were near. Most of the time he would just watch you, curious and hesitant, not looking to bother you though he couldn’t help but be intrigued. However, he picked up a pattern in your routine, noting that around the same time everyday you would leave the community to head off into the woods. For hours you would just disappear, not coming back until the sun was starting to cast an orange and pink glow to the sky.

Though every time you would return, you came back with nothing. Not an animal, not a single can of food, nothing. It confused Daryl slightly, wondering what it was you did out there for the entire day only to come back empty handed.

He felt drawn to you, relating in a way that the others couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Whether you knew it or not, the two of you seemed to have a lot in common, not even needing to be on speaking terms to know that for a fact. Both quiet and reserved with a harsh past, not liking to interact much with others seeing as you hardly left your home, other than to head off into the forest day after day. The wilderness alone seemed to be something you both enjoyed as well. Perhaps you also liked to hunt, or maybe you also had a love for bikes and trinkets. Daryl didn’t know for sure, but one of these days, he wanted to find out.

The man wasn’t good with words, which was why it had taken him so long to build up the courage to speak to you in the first place. But when he spotted you sitting near the pond, reading a book he was surprisingly familiar with…he took a chance. For the first time in his life it seemed like, he threw caution to the wind and decided to go through with it before he changed his mind.

His hands clenched and unclenched nervously with each step he took to approach you, not even fully knowing what to say once he got there. He racked his brain over and over again as you were just a few feet away now, but ultimately he ended up with nothing, now awkwardly just standing in front of the bench you sat at.

But sensing his presence, you looked up from the pages to see him lingering near, his heart doing a flip in his chest. You were…beautiful. He had never really seen you up close until this very moment, but now that he had, it was like he never wanted to look away. He could see the gold flakes in your eyes, the freckles that were scattered all over your face, and lastly…the scar that was embedded in your flesh. But it didn’t bother him at all. In fact…he liked it.

A sheepish, lopsided smile crossed his face as he nervously ran a hand over the back of his neck, “Hey…”

He watched as you slowly smiled back at him, setting your book off to the side, something he didn’t necessarily expect. But you had a certain look to your expression, telling him that you had been wanting to seek him out just as much as he did you.

“Hi…” your voice spoke softly.

And from that point on, he was hooked.

The two of you had grown to be insuperable, which was somewhat of a shock to the rest of the community seeing as neither of you really liked anyone. But with each other, it was somehow different. Like there was an understanding there. You could be sat in comfortable silence without really being alone, enjoying each other's presence even if you didn’t have the energy to fill the quiet. Or you could have company when going on small runs or hunting trips, which Daryl ultimately found out you liked to do. Or there would be times where neither of you could seem to shut up, bouncing stories back and forth as you shared a bottle of whiskey which also helped loosen the tongue.

But the bottom line was, you were happy. For the first time in your life, you finally felt like you had found your person. A soulmate you didn’t even know existed, yet he seemed to fall right into your lap.

Though one afternoon, Daryl noticed you were a bit quieter than usual. At first he didn’t think much of it as he assumed you didn’t feel like talking much that day. But the longer he observed you, the more he could sense that something was wrong, that something might’ve been bugging you. And the truth was he was right, something had been bothering you. But you would rather die than bring it up to him.

Your voice filled the silence of the forest as the two of you sat in the grass of the clearing, reading aloud from the book that was propped up in your hands. Daryl observed you as he laid on his back, one arm placed underneath his head as the other drew absentminded circles up and down your arm. He usually wasn’t one for physical touch, in fact most of the time he cringed at the thought. But again, with you, it was different. He felt comfortable enough to be open and vulnerable with you, just as you were with him. Or so he thought until he slowly came to the realization that you were clearly keeping something from him.

Once you finished the chapter and closed the book to set aside, he let the silence linger for a moment before he spoke quietly, “You okay?”

You looked down at him, forcing a small smile, “Yeah…I’m fine. Why?”

He tilted his head, “Come on. Ya know you can talk to me bout anythin.” he said as he slowly sat up to scoot beside you, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

A soft sigh left your lips, “I’m fine.” you repeated.

“Yer a terrible liar.” he retorted, though he didn’t push much further. He knew if you wanted to tell him, you would, and he didn’t want to make you uneasy by bringing up the subject over and over again. He just worried about you, being someone he cared about deeply, it came at a price of some heavy protectiveness.

You slowly shook your head as you looked down at the few wildflowers in front of you, “Just…one of those days.” you admitted quietly.

His heart sank a little as he knew what you meant by that. There were times where you would get down in the dumps about yourself, feeling a bit more insecure than usual. It was something common, hell he even knew the feeling himself, but it still hurt to see. Especially when he couldn’t wrap his head around it; to him you were the most stunning person in the entire world.

After a moment he gently reached out to take your chin in his grasp, turning your face so you would look at him. His eyes studied you, his thumb moving up to trace the line of your scar, the same insecurity that your mind seemed to linger on the most.

“Yer beautiful.” he said softly.

You huffed quietly with a slight roll of your eyes, clearly trying to brush off his comment as if it didn’t register or matter to you. “M’ serious.” he tried again.

“Well, I don’t feel beautiful.” you gently argued, “Everyone always stares…like this is the only thing they can see when they look at me.” you said quietly as you gestured to the thing marking your flesh.

He tilted his head a little as he took in your words, knowing where you were coming from as it couldn’t be easy having to deal with that every single day. But somehow he wanted to prove how special you were, how breathtaking you were in his eyes, how he hardly even focused on your flaws. Because to him, your “flaws” were only what made you more perfect to him.

“You wanna know how I see ya?”

You tilted your head at him, as if you knew his answer would make you cry and gag at the same time as affection was still something you were getting used to. Though at the same time, you wanted to hear.

“I see ya as someone who’s got the biggest heart the world has ever seen. I see ya…as someone brave, and smart…and stubborn as all hell.” he listed. You couldn’t help but laugh at the last one, knowing it was true.

“But mostly…when I look at you, I see the most beautiful person I ever laid my eyes on.”

The sincerity in his voice was enough to cause a lump to form in your throat, knowing that he meant every word. He truly cared about you, he had proved that time and time again since you had met him. Honestly, you didn’t know what you did to deserve someone who cared about you so dearly, but you sure as hell weren’t going to take it for granted. Not now, not ever.

“I know it’s not an easy thing to get past…shit, m’ still self conscious about my own demons sometimes. But whenever ya start to feel like this…I just want ya to know I’ll always be there to reassure ya. Alright?”

You slowly nodded your head, leaning forward to wrap your arms around him in a hug, sighing at the feeling of his touch. His hands gently gripped your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder, willing to hold you for as long as you needed. Willing to tell you however many times you needed to hear it, just how special and important you were. He wanted to make sure you felt loved, knowing that you hadn’t received much of that in your past. It was like he wanted to heal your inner child, just like you were doing for him.

“I…” you started to say, but the words seemed to get lodged in your throat, not fully knowing how to express yourself comfortably.

But Daryl just tightened his grip on you, “I know…me too.”

~ Thanks for reading! (And for your patience)

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon the walking dead #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x y/n #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead daryl dixon #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl dixon #twd daryl #twd fanfiction #twd

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mrdixon · 1 year ago

Text

Mirrors

pairing: daryl dixon x gn!reader

wc: 4.9k ...

warnings: insecurity, slight swearing pshhh

summary: after a moment of jealousy, you start to doubt yourself.

A/N: i honestly didnt mean to write this so long and i hope its not so boring................ my requests are always open if you wanna read something specific ;) ★

masterlist!

You’ve been dating Daryl since the prison so you know how he isn’t overly affectionate which you’re alright with, you understand that that’s just how he is. Plus it’s not like he isn’t ever affectionate with you, there’s a few kisses here and there, a few longing glances.

Recently though, Daryl has been working a lot so you two barely have any time for each other. Not that it’s a problem he’s working, you’re glad he’s working hard everyday to keep you and everyone safe. The only thing that’s driving you crazy is how often he works with this one girl, Mimi. You’re not blind to the fact that Daryl was in fact very popular, with the ladies specifically. You first noticed it in the prison. And you were okay with it… for the most part.

You weren’t surprised when Mimi first approached him on a run, noticing the way she looked at him. You once looked at him like that when you first met him. You thought nothing of it at first because you tried to make yourself very much known as Daryl’s partner, but it didn’t stop Mimi from trying to pursue him. You were jealous. Jealous of the fact that this girl was spending more time with your boyfriend than you yourself, but you couldn’t do anything. You didn’t do many supply runs, she did. So it was natural for Daryl and her to end up on the same run all the time. You couldn’t even tell Daryl not to spend so much time with her because what would that make you? Insecure? Controlling? Jealous? You didn’t want to admit it. You couldn’t.

So for weeks you watched as they got closer, noticing the way she stood so close to him. Helping him wipe grime off his face the way you did back at the prison, brushing her shoulder against his as they walked. You noticed every little thing from where you were watching them in the comfort of your shared home with Daryl.

When she was walking him home to you, you couldn’t help but watch them again. You noticed how pretty she was, and of course she was. You couldn’t but admire her long glowy hair, it looked so soft. You tucked your hair behind your ear, noticing how dull it looked and how rough it felt from it being used to being caked in dirt. She probably never had that problem having lived in Alexandria during the whole apocalypse. You noticed how soft her features were, never once having a scratch or scar unlike you. Despite being on runs all the time she still glowed in the sun, even with dirt or walker blood on her she never once looked disgusting. Her pretty smile turning heads everywhere she walked. What if Daryl was to fall for her? Be wooed by her beauty and wonderful personality? Or better yet, what if he already had?

Before the two even reached the front door you were already outside, smiling slightly as Daryl’s gaze fell on you, his eyes brightening a little. “Hey (Y/N).” He nodded to you while Mimi walked up beside him, her shoulder flush against his as she gave you her signature smile. You swallowed, smiling back.

“You hungry? I cooked up some of that alphabet soup you brought home the other day.” You said to Daryl, staring down at your feet.

“Nah, jus’ ate some of Mimi’s apple pie.” He drawled. Your lips pressed into a thin line as you nodded, walking back towards the house.

“Okaaay… well I’ll just eat the rest then.” You muttered before disappearing into the house, plopping down onto your seat at the table. Taking his share of the soup you looked outside, Daryl and Mimi were still talking. You sighed, trying to hear their conversation but it was way too soft and quiet. Your finger found its way to your mouth, nibbling it gently. You wondered what could they possibly be talking about? Daryl barely talks usually so how is he being so talkative with her? You sighed, shaking your head to rid your thoughts as you ate the soup. You looked back over at them, frowning as you watched her put her hand on his shoulder, running it down his arm and discreetly checking out his muscles. You groaned, not being able to take anymore of the scene. Standing up you went to put the soup away before going upstairs and into your shared room.

You walked into your room, sitting on your bed and grabbing your notebook. You started absentmindedly doodling shapes into the pages, your thoughts moving back to Daryl and Mimi and you couldn’t shake the feeling of jealousy coursing through your body. You tried so hard to shove those dumb feelings down but a tear slipped down your cheek. Wiping it angrily you couldn’t help but think. Why was he more talkative with her? What if he was gonna leave you for her? Or even worse, what if he had already cheated? A few more tears slipped down your cheeks but you frustratingly wiped them away, standing up towards the mirror placed towards your side of the bed.

Sighing, you looked at yourself in the mirror. Your hair on the shorter side, unlike Mimi’s. Didn’t Daryl like long hair? You ran your fingers through your hair, getting caught in tangles here and there which made you more frustrated than you already were and biting your finger. You bet she didn’t have a problem with tangled hair, or the fact that her hair still looked good even in a world where you had to get dirty to live.

Your eyes stared back at you in the mirror, dull and empty, full of those sickening memories you had to endured over the past few months. Mimi’s definitely weren’t like that, her eyes shined. Hell they probably glowed when the sun hit them. She was beautiful, in every way. Why is Daryl even with me? You thought helplessly.

You continued to stare at yourself, mentally nitpicking yourself and your flaws. Not noticing Daryl was standing at the door.

He watched you through the mirror, his heart swelling at the sight of you. You were so beautiful, but he noticed how miserable you looked. He knew something was bothering you so he entered the room quietly, standing beside you. “Hey,” he said softly. A frown on his face as he noticed your teary eyes, “everythin’ okay?”

You looked up at him after wiping your eyes quickly, flashing him a half-smile. “Yeah I’m fine,” you responded quietly, your voice slightly shaky. He kept frowning when you avoided his gaze.

He took notice of how your voice shook, your eyes slightly red. “(Y/N), what’s wrong?” He whispered, placing a hand on your chin and tilting your face up so you would look at him.

“Nothing,” you murmured, looking away. Your eyes caught yourself in the mirror again, quickly averting your gaze.

“Sweetheart,” he frowned, trying to get your attention. “There’s somethin’ bothering ya, isn’t there?” You couldn’t help but notice how gentle he sounded, how soft he was being with you. “C’mon, you can tell me,” he urged.

You gave another half-smile, shaking your head. “No, no it’s nothing.”

“Hun, look at me. You know you can tell me anythin’,” he softly spoke. His hand caressed your cheek gently, carefully. His blue eyes stared at you intently and you got lost in his eyes for a moment. Taking a deep breath and looking away.

“Please,” he whispered. “Tell me what’s goin’ on.” His voice was so gentle yet it left you with a sharp pang in your heart.

You shook your head once again, closing your eyes. You didn’t want him to know, you didn’t want him to see you so weak. So vulnerable.

“It’s nothing Daryl, I’m just tired.” You moved away.

“Well I don’t believe ya,” he said quietly, following you. “I know ya more than enough to know somethin’ is wrong.” You could hear him sigh at your silence, his hands placing themselves on your waist. “Why don’ we take a bath?” He offered, smiling playfully at you, “ya can rest against me in the hot bath.” His eyes pleaded as if telling her, ”Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

You pushed away again, shaking your head. “It’s fine, I promise.” You dismissed him.

“(Y/N), please,” he urged. “Yer clearly not fine and I’m worried about you.” He nibbled on his lip, stepping in your way to try and get you to listen.

You shook your head, making your way towards the closet. “Go take a bath yourself.”

Daryl watched helplessly as you walked away from him, finding his own way into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He felt upset and frustrated, mostly with himself with how he couldn’t think of words to try and convince you to talk. He wanted to walk right out and try to make her open up, but he knew that would only make things worse.

He sighed as he slowly undressed for a shower, his mind racing with possibilities of what could be bothering her. He only wished for her to trust him enough to tell him what was wrong.

Daryl finished his very much needed shower, feeling more relaxed as he walked back into their room. His eyes trailed over your sleeping figure, your back to him. He smiled softly as he watched you from behind, your body rising and falling with every soft breath you took. His smile quickly dropped when he looked up at the mirror in front of you, covered with a blanket.

He frowned to himself, placing his towel down and moving towards the mirror. He turned back to you, your eyes closed. They were avoiding looking at themselves earlier… He thought before turning back to the blanket covered mirror, slowly lifting the blanket off and taking in his reflection. He looked tired, but he got distracted by the beauty sleeping in his bed behind him. You face soft and relaxed, unlike earlier when it was strained with an emotion that he couldn’t quite pick out. You always looked beautiful to him, he loved everything about you. The scars on your face and body only showing how brave you were, how hard you fought to keep yourself alive through this whole apocalypse. The way your lips were parted, letting out soft breaths of air. Those same lips are the ones that kissed over his skin in the morning, the ones he loved to kiss with every emotion he could muster up.

He walked over to his side of the bed, carefully climbing under the covers to not wake you. He draped an arm over your waist. He looked at the mirror in front of you, noticing your eyes were open and you sighed. Turning over to face him, your eyes closed and acting like you were asleep.

He frowned at your stubbornness, you were a strong person. He knew that, but there was something clearly bothering you, something you wouldn’t speak out loud. He had never seen you like this before, he didn’t know what to do.

He looked down at your “sleeping” face, trailing down your body. You looked beautiful, always, even in your sleep. Your hair spread out around you and your face was lit up by the light of the moon, highlighting the small features only he knew of. He sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as he caressed your cheek softly.

“Daryl?” You whispered, your eyes still shut as you grabbed his hand.

His heart skipped a beat hearing you whisper his name in that soft voice he loved to hear. “What’s wrong?” He whispered back, looking over your face and admiring the way the moonlight fell across your face.

You turned your head back towards the mirror, quickly looking away once you saw yourself. “Why’d you take the blanket off?”

He watched you shyly look away from your reflection, his brows furrowing in confusion on why you didn’t want to see yourself. It wasn’t like you and it worried him.

“I wanted to see you,” he whispered, stroking your hair gently. His voice was soft, looking you over again with all the love he gathered up for you over your time being together.

“You can see me like this… Why did you have to take the blanket off?” You whispered back meekly.

“Because I wanted to,” he sighed, “I wanted to see all of ya. Front and back.” He simply replied, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer. “Look at me.” He said softly, but firm.

He gently took your face in his hand, making you look into his eyes. He wanted to take care of you, reassure you that everything would be alright, that everything is alright.

Your eyes looked back at him, a sort of sadness in them as they went glossy with an ocean of blue emotions. He noticed. He didn’t understand why you were so upset, he knew you to be the strongest and most independent person he knew. Yet here you were, laying in his arms looking as fragile as a piece of glass.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” he gently urged you. He just wanted to see you smile, to see you happy, and the fact that he couldn’t was eating him up inside. He knew something was bothering you, but you wouldn’t tell him what it was. You felt his arms tighten around you, bringing you closer, it was all he ever wanted everyday. To feel you beside him at every second of every day.

You sighed softly, biting your tongue to stop yourself from speaking. Your eyes darted around the room nervously, looking at anything but him. He dragged you to look towards him once again, nodding softly to you. “Daryl… what if you don’t find me attractive anymore?” Your voice was barely over a whisper.

“What do ya mean?” he asked quietly, his tone slightly confused. “I love you, of course I find ya attractive.” His grip tightened on you.

You just sighed, averting your gaze from his eyes. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it.” He said firmly while pushing your hair back gently, leaning forward and pressing his face into your neck. His lips lightly grazing over your jaw and neck, his stubble tickling you slightly while he breathed deeply. Your scent making his head spin, kissing your neck gently before pulling back to look in your eyes. “(Y/N), I love you. I always will, and I’ll always find you attractive.”

His words were soft but firm, and true. There was no doubt in the back of his mind about anything he was saying, he meant every word he said to you.

“But Mimi—” You bit your lip and watched as Daryl realized what this whole thing was about.

He took a deep breath, “Mimi.” He repeated, sighing gently as he understood what this was all about. “(Y/N)… She’s not here, she’s not… you. You’ll always been the one that I want. Always.” His hands trailed up your arms and onto your face, cupping your cheeks as he looked deeply into your eyes, desperately trying to make you hear him.

You could only look up at him, your lip quivering. “She’s beautiful Dar…”

“(Y/N)…” Daryl whispered, kissing you softly on the lips. His hands rubbed circles onto your back, kissing any exposed skin he could find, starting at your temple. “I love you, I want you… only you.”

You pushed him away before he kissed your lips once again, shying away. His face flickered with slight confusion, “Hun.” He whispered, taking your hands in his and kissing every knuckle. “Why can’t you see yourself like I do?” His tone was questioning, not quite grasping the idea of your insecurities.

“Can’t you see?” You whispered sadly, refusing to turn around and see yourself in the mirror. Daryl sighed once again, pulling you towards him and into his chest, caressing the back of your head with his thumb.

“Look at me, please.” There was concern in his voice as he spoke. He couldn’t bear to see you in pain like this, he wanted you back the way you used to be, he wanted you happy. His hand on your head moved down slowly to the back of your neck, tangling his fingers in your hair. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

You sighed shakily, tears pooling into your eyes. “Mimi… she’s perfect for you. She’s your type while I’m the complete opposite….. I’m not enough for you.” Your voice cracked, sniffling.

Daryl felt his heart break hearing you speak. He didn’t want to seem upset, not when you were already in tears. He had to be strong for the both of you, but it was so hard seeing the love of his life break down in tears because they saw themselves less than.

“You know that’s not true… I don’ have a stupid type, not that I want jus’ anyone.” He whispered, scratching your scalp comfortingly, “I want you, my angel. My beautiful angel.” His words were a soft whisper, filled with the utmost admiration he had for you and kissed you softly. “I want only you. Not Mimi, not some other person. You. You’re perfect for me.”

You cried, shaking your head as you just couldn’t accept the words he was saying to you. You only thought of her and how beautiful she was, how she was the angel, not you. You hated crying, especially in front of him. “I’m so… so ugly Daryl you don’t understand.”

He shook his head firmly, “no. We both know that isn’t true. Listen to me, you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever known.” His voice was pained, hating to see you in this way. He hoped he sounded sincere enough, not wanting you to suffer anymore. “Hey. Yer beautiful. You. Not Mimi, she’s not here, she doesn’ exist to me like that. You do, right in front of me, gorgeous as ever. Your hair, your eyes… I love everything about you. You’re my everything y’know that?”

“Mimi…” you whispered, thinking of all the times she’s made him laugh. Why didn’t he laugh that much around me? Why doesn’t he smile that often? Despite everything she’s made you feel you just can’t bring yourself to hate her, she really was perfect. She wasn’t mean, condescending, she was… better.

“(Y/N) stop it.” He begged desperately, his heart sinking while he watched you spiral. “Why are you still thinkin’ about her? Yer more important to me than her, in every way. Yer not jus’ beautiful, yer the most kind, funny, and intelligent person I know. Hell, you’ve saved my ass so many times just by yer quick thinking. I think about ya all the time, and I hate to admit but I find myself getting distracted by the thought of ya when I’m out, I smile because of you. Yer special, and you should know that, (Y/N).” He pulled you close, trying to make his voice as comforting as he can.

“What if you fall out of love? What if your eyes land on someone better, someone prettier?” You sighed exasperatedly, you didn’t know who you were trying to convince at this point. You were probably annoying him, something Mimi probably never did.

But he remained patient, rubbing your back. “Stop. I will never love anyone else but you. If someone prettier was righ’ here and I could be with ‘em, I’d still choose ya. Every single time, because there’s no one better, or prettier than you. You’ll always be that person for me, every time. Yer my everythin’. Don’ let anyone try an’ tell ya otherwise, no one in this world will ever be better than ya. Yer my only love, the only person I want, forever.” He whispered, cradling you in his arms as he rocked you back and forth slowly, kissing the top of your head.

Hot tears streamed down your face while looking up at him. He frowned, wiping your tears away while looking directly into your eyes. There was a love in his eyes that only you could see and feel, something no one else could see from him.

He held you close for a few minutes, cradling your face and caressing your hair gently, working through the knots like it was his favourite thing to do.

“(Y/N), I want you to believe me when I say yer perfect. I don’ care if ya think Mimi is the prettiest person in the world, I believe in my gut that that title falls to you. Yer everything I could ever ask for and always will be.” He proclaimed softly, kissing your hair and leaving his lips there for a few moments.

“Dar…” You whispered, crying into his chest as he finally got to you. Soaking up every emotion he expressed to you, the words sinking into your brain.

“It’s okay, I got ya.. ‘m righ’ here…” He whispered, shushing you gently while rocking you. Daryl kissed the top of your head, continuing to shush you. He’d never seen you this broken before and it killed him, he hoped he would never have to see you like this again, he only wanted to see joy emitting from you from now on. “I know ‘m not the best comforter but ‘m here, and ‘m not leavin’.”

“I’m sorry…” Your voice cracked, sounding fragile as you hid your face in his chest. He sighed, shaking his head and placing his chin on your head.

Daryl thought about how hard you were being on yourself, and how sad he was to witness this happen. “There’s no need to be sorry. Ya don’ have to put yerself down, or compare yourself to anyone. You’re you, (Y/N). I love you and that’s all that matters to me.” His tone was affectionate, coming straight from his heart. He wanted nothing more than for you to feel safe and loved.

You cried again, still doubting yourself in the back of your mind as he kissed your forehead.

“Ya know yer more than enough for me, I love you and nothing is gonna change that. There’s no one in this world that comes anywhere close to how amazing ya are.” His voice was firm, taking your hands in his and intertwining your fingers with his, “yer just perfect. Perfect.” If he could he would move mountains to make you believe him. You were his entire world, his entire will to live and he wanted you to know that.

Your entire body shuddered while you placed your head on the pillow beneath you, breathing shakily with tears in your eyes as you looked up at him. He placed a hand on your cheek, caressing your cheek with his thumb as he opened his mouth to speak again,

“Tell me the truth. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that I love ya? Have I made it seem like this relationship meant nothing to me?” His voice was shaky, hoping he didn’t cause all this.

“Have I ever made you feel unloved?” His voice cracked slightly, eyes watering and his heart aching when he looked down at you. He wanted to fix this, he wanted to make you feel better again. He ran his fingers through your hair again, hoping to soothe you into feeling happier. The last thing he wanted was for you to cry again.

You thought about his questions for a moment. Thinking back to all those times you met up with him while Mimi was present. You never noticed how his eyes lit up when he saw you, how he smiled more with you around, and how he could be more open with you around. He was never looking at Mimi, in fact when they were alone all he could think of was you. He never cared for her like that, all he could do was notice you when you were around. He noticed the way you tucked your hair behind your ear when it got in your face, he noticed the way you bit your finger whenever you got frustrated, he noticed the way your eyes twinkled when you watched him from afar. When Mimi walked by everyone's head turned to watch her, not Daryl's. No his head turned to watch you. Your smile was the best thing he saw, not hers. His heart swelled with love at the sight of your smile, wanting to do his best to preserve it. The best part of his day was coming home to you, not being with Mimi. Even in the past whenever other people would try and flirt with him, he would only look for you. He did everything for you, caring for you, providing for you, loving you.

He always had his eye on you, even when you thought Mimi was perfect. It was always you, it’s always been you. You were too caught up in watching Mimi that you never noticed him and the way he looked at you. He saw you.

He placed his hand on the small of your back, gliding it up gently to your chin and tilting your face up at him. Your silence tore at his heart in ways he never knew it could. He just wanted you to feel loved by him and the silence scared him, thinking it confirmed his worst fears.

“Have I ever made you feel loved..?” His voice quivered, hoping that wasn’t the case. His eyes were wet and desperate.

“Of course you did… I just.” You looked down again, your voice betraying you in the moment. Silently crying.

“There has never been a time where I doubted this relationship. You love me and I love you, there is no one I’d rather be with. My relationship with ya is like my lifeline and it would kill me to fuck this up, I hope ya know yer my world and ya always will be.” Daryl’s eyes were sad and his voice was choked up. He grabbed your waist to bring you closer, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“Yer the love of my life. I want you and only you. I could never love anyone else,” he sighed shakily as he pulled you into his chest. His tone was full of love and so soft and sweet, he wanted you to know he wasn’t mad. He just wanted you to know you meant the world to him.

You choked up again, wrapping your arms around his neck and softly sobbing into him. He immediately reciprocated the hug, the warmness of your body bringing comfort to him. He could only hope his did the same for you. What could I have done to hurt them like this? He wondered hopelessly.

“Baby,” he caressed your hair, planting a sweet kiss on your cheek. “I love ya, I love you so much hun. You’ll always be the love of my life, in every universe I’ll be there for ya.” His anxiety flared up when you pulled back again, looking into his eyes.

“Let me look at you when you say that,” you whispered softly.

He smiled, his voice as gentle as it could be. Filled with love, with affection and with everything else that she taught him in these last few months. You really did mean everything to him and he needed you to know that, every word he said and thought was true.

”I love you,” he whispered. “You make me feel loved, like no one else… and y’know every time I see ya, my heart jumps out of my chest and I have to mentally prepare myself in case ya can hear my heart beating too loud.” He chuckled quietly, placing a kiss on your nose. “I love you, (Y/N). Always.”

You smiled softly, closing your eyes and pressing your lips against his in a tender kiss. Daryl was filled with joy, the sweetest tooth-rotting kind. Your lips meeting his in a long tender kiss, feeling his heart and soul stir as his arms wrapped around you tight. He pulled you closer, deepening the kiss and running his fingers through your hair comfortingly.

Once you pulled away you chuckled under your breath, sniffling before nestling your face into the crook of his neck. Your soft breathing tickling his skin, “I’m sorry.”

He sighed contently and pulled you closer in a tight, warm embrace. You could feel him shake his head, kissing your forehead gently, not saying another word. That kiss told you everything you needed to know, even without words. He never wanted you to doubt his love for you, ever. He would spend his whole life trying to convince you if he had to. He always wanted you to be certain that you were the only one for him. Because that’s how he truly felt. You were his entire world.

He held you the entire night, in his arms. Whispering sweet nothing into your ear as he caressed your hair, coaxing you to sleep. Occasionally kissing your head. His touch was tender, gentle, and loving. He wanted to make you feel safe and most importantly, loved. You were the most special person to him. He slowly rocked you in his arms, humming softly until you finally drifted off to sleep, he wanted to be the only one to comfort you.

He loved you with all his heart and he would do absolutely anything for you.

#divider by cafekitsune #daryl dixon #daryl x reader #the walking dead #twd daryl #daryl fluff #fluff #light angst #angst with a happy ending #one shot #daryl x y/n #mrdixonposts

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irmise · 9 months ago

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I dreamed about you

After so many years of waiting, here is finally the epilogue of this love story... And of course, Michonne occupies all his thoughts, she is his strength in trying to escape, the letters he writes to her, the drawings of her allow him to keep a little hope even when everything seems desperate. He is ready to cut off his hand to escape because whatever happens, his wife, his daughter will always remain his only choice.

From their first interaction in TOWL, we see a parallel with their last: both moments come straight from Rick's imagination and they both highlight the importance that Michonne has in his life.

Rick was left hallucinating on that bridge telling Michonne that she was his family and that he had found her. Michonne telling him why she fell in love with him, because he never gave up. Even in agony, he remembers that she believes in him. It's seeing her that gives him the strength to get up and try to fight one last time.

And now, torn from his family, it's her he dreams about, in a world without apocalypse, he dreams of what could have been their first meeting. Michonne appears to show him the road to take when he is lost, she believes in him to find his way.

Isn’t that what she’s always done? The one who believed in him when everyone else doubted, when HE doubted himself. She didn't have to be on the same page to know that he would always do what was right in the end. She always showed him the right direction. I remember writting on an old post: "Rick guides Alexandria, Michonne guides Rick" : She always believed in his leadership and she was his compass to guide him and she still is in his dream.

That’s the most beautiful here, in a single dream we find their dynamic, the one we have seen since the start of their journey.

Are you where you want to be ? That's the whole question. Where he wants to be is close to her, it's where he feels safe, it's near her that he feels stronger. So much so that this place he is looking for in this dream no longer matters because he found her.

She became his family, his reason to be happy and to believe in the future even after the darkest times, even after Carl. She once asked him “Don’t you want one more day with a chance?” and he agreed to follow her and hold on to a little hope. And today, even far from her, it’s dreaming of her that keeps him going.

The second dream bears so many parallels too, Michonne with her white dress, like the dream of what a happy ending would have been for Rick in an ideal world.

It made me think about Glenn's death when Rick imagined this moment with all the family he had created in this apocalyptic world. I thought of this scene because of the white dress Michonne was wearing. I remember that at that time, I said to myself that there must be something symbolic in him imagining her in a white dress.

And there we are, her wearing a white dress again and him asking her to marry him. Michonne, his wife, that's his purpose...

The two of them can get through anything and even in his dreams it's a certainty. Together they are invicible by the strength that each gives to the other: "We can make this whole damn world ours if we want to". Like an echo of what he had said to her one day, when nothing seemed impossible with her by his side... “The world’s ours, and we know how to take it”.

He needs her to get there even if it's only in a dream because as she tells him before he wakes up, she believes in him as always...

And that's the problem… All his dreams, his letters, these drawings on these phones, are so many hopes that he must erase if he really wants to be able to become the "savior" that Okafor asks him to be. Agree to forget the love of his life to try to save as many people as possible, sacrificing the little hope he had left. Because even if he found a way to escape, he would put her and their family in danger if only because Okafor found his letter... Rick finally understands that he must give up. And that's also what this episode was about, Rick who gradually loses hope of finding his family, to the point of wanting to kill himself, to the point of no longer dreaming of Michonne, to the point of destroying everything which allowed him to fight.

So desperate that when Michonne takes off his helmet in the last scene he has his eyes closed ready to accept his fate until he opens his eyes and faces hope.

And that's their story isn't it ? She always appears when he's lost, to guide him.

#richonne #towl

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retroellie · 1 year ago

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Looking out for you

Summary: When the whisperers are knocking at your door, a war is just waiting to happen. However, this war goes far beyond just a war this time.

A/N: Hey :) i wrote this a while back but i just decided to finish it. I was going to write a smut for it but honestly i was not in the mood for smut today, so here's a little fluff/angst for your day <3 Also i miss y'all so much!!

Warnings: regular TWD content, mentions of miscarriage and death

Word count: 3.5K

Tomorrow is the day, the day you will experience the place you once called home become a battlefield, the people you love become soldiers, and the world feels as though it is ending once again. You didn’t want this war, no one did but the whisperers wouldn’t let up. They were a tough group, very different than any group you have ever been up against but your people were even stronger, you have all been through hell and back.

You would not let the whispers destroy your home without a fight, none of you would. You all have experienced loss too many times, Glenn, Rick, Jesus, Carl… the list goes on. You were all angry, ready to pounce on anything that came too close. You all knew it needed to be done but you didn’t want to, you were against it. You had been fighting for so long, so hard that you were exhausted. You think you're becoming depressed, more depressed than usual.

The other wars you fought were different, no one depended on you, you weren’t too close to anyone. Sure they were your family but if you died, you’d just be another name on the wall at Alexandria. This time it was different because you had someone who depended on you, you had people who depended on you. You had Lydia, rj and Judith, the entire community of hilltop all looking at you but most importantly, you had Daryl.

You guys had made it official before Ricks disappearance, it wasn’t anything too romantic but the night started with you two checking around the walls of Alexandria and it ended with Daryl tongue fucking your face. You both had been close with each other, looking out for each other and making sure the other was safe. So it was almost like you two had already been dating, the kiss just made it real for the two of you.

But he was why the war this time was different, if you lost him… you couldn’t recover. You swore the sun would stop shining, water would evaporate and never come back down, buildings would burn and your world would completely stop. You thought it would be bad to lose him but oh… if he lost you. He had already planned on going with you, you weren’t going to leave him by himself again, he refused. Even if you didn’t lose each other, you would still lose something in this war.

You had a bad feeling about this, you knew it would bring great loss this time around and grief wouldn’t be too kind to you. So here you were, in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep, only the patrols were wide awake… searching for any movement to sound the alarm. You were sitting on the porch stairs, watching as the wind blew through the leaves of the trees. It was a cold night, so you lit up a cigarette to keep you warm.

It was the first time that you were able to think, the silence of it all leaving you alone with your thoughts. You were terrified to say the least, you had never felt this way about anything, not like this. You could tell everyone was on edge, even Daryl. When you saw the look on his face when he came through the gates with Lydia, he tried to hold back his fear but you knew. That was the first time you had ever seen Daryl scared, which automatically set deep fear within you.

“You’re gonna freeze out here.” A voice said, startling you.

You turned to see who it was, but slowly calming as you saw it was just Daryl. He tried to give you a warm smile but you were far too scared to even acknowledge it. You turned around, back to where you were looking before. You forgot how beautiful fall months could be, the leaves had already started to turn into beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange and brown.

You just shrugged, taking a long drag of the cigarette before exhaling. You didn’t care if you froze where you were now, the beautiful view making you feel at peace for a moment. You could hear Daryl shift behind you, seeing him from your peripheral. Daryl sat down next to you, the wood of the porch creaking as he did so. you wondered if you and Daryl did survive this, what would happen next? What enemy would you have to fight after this? How would the next fuck up start and were you even ready for it?

“Sorry, I haven’t been here for you, just so much going on.” He said, watching as you took another long drag of your cigarette.

He wanted to be here with you, desperately but as of right now everyone is looking up to you two for answers. Carol was a wreck, the king was now coming to terms with his cancer, Maggie wasn’t here, Jesus was dead, Tara was dead… it was only you two left now, you two made the shots now. Neither of you wanted this though, All Daryl wanted was to run away with you. To New Mexico… he even had a plan for it.

“‘S okay, I get it.” You said, passing your cigarette over to him.

Daryl took it, taking a long drag of it. He could taste your chapstick on it, the taste bringing back memories of the night spent pleasuring each other. Daryl could sense your nervousness, your fear or whatever you want to call it. You were usually quiet, you allowed others to talk and you would listen, Daryl swore he had been the only one to hear you speak more than 2 words but your quietness now felt off.

He knew you and he knew you well, he knew that you hid your emotions and that you hated talking about your feelings. But the thing you hated most was awkward silences, they were the loudest thing to you. You couldn’t even enjoy the silence because the awkwardness blocked it out, you hated them. So you allowing one to happen right now, hinted to Daryl that something was wrong.

“Rj today wore my vest, it was ten t…” he started, not being able to finish before you dropped a bomb on him.

“I’m scared Daryl.” You said, turning your head to face him for the first time.

Daryl felt his heart throb, you were doing something you hated the most and you were doing it with tears in your eyes. You’re staring at him and he’s staring back at you, the cigarette in his hand blowing smoke into his eyes but he never once looked away. He could see it on your face, pure fear.

“What?” He asked dumbfounded as you blinked slowly at him.

“I know what you're trying to do, trying to ease the silence but you can’t Daryl because you’re worried, it’s written all over your face” You started, reaching out for the cigarette. “So no Daryl… I’m not okay, I’m fucking scared.”

You took the cigarette, breathing in its air, allowing the toxic air to burn into your lungs. Daryl continued to watch you even after you had started looking up at the trees once more. He wasn't sure what was next to say, should he question you further or should you both just suffer in silence. Daryl hated that he couldn’t do anything for you, especially now. Everyone was scared, Everyone... and if you were scared then there was no hope for anything.

Daryl had left you alone a lot lately, allowing you to figure shit out alone and he felt terrible for it but this wasn’t the first time he left you alone. When Rick died he disappeared, you would visit him for a couple days but then you’d go back to being alone. It’s not that he wanted to leave you ever, things just got in the way. So you being terrified was bound to happen at some point, not being able to lean on someone else would eventually catch up to you.

Daryl looked down at his hands, seeing how they absentmindedly fidgeted together. You had that effect on Daryl, you made him feel like a scared teenager in love sometimes. He never quite knew what to say and how to say it, sometimes words would get lost in his head when he was near you.

“You uh… you want to talk about it?” He asked, stuttering out his words.

You weren’t the only one bad with feelings, Daryl could physically not get the words out but he so desperately wanted you to know he was there for you. He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say in this situation or if you would even want to speak about everything happening, again Daryl hadn't been around for you recently, he hadn’t been there for you.

“Not really…” you admitted, taking another drag of the cigarette. It had become a small bud at this point, but you once again passed it to Daryl. “But I will because you're my boyfriend and I won't leave you in the dark… not now.”

Daryl couldn’t even bring the cigarette up to his lips this time, he just stared down at the burning end of it. There was another awkward silence but it only lasted for a minute or two. You needed time to form your thoughts and calm your mind before you told him what had been aching in your mind for days now. You brought your arms together, wrapping them around your cold body as you rubbed warmth into yourself.

“What if this is our last fight?” You asked, biting your lip as you tried to hold back tears. “I mean, we’ve already lost so many people. Jesus, Tara, Henry…enid.”

Your breath hitched when enid's name fell from your lips, she was a little sister to you and losing her felt like it was the end of the world. She reminded you of Carl, so strong and knew exactly who she was. She was the last thing you had of Carl and now she was gone, you couldn’t bare to see her on that pole… it almost killed you.

“It’s only a matter of time before I lose you too, so what if this is it? What if we fight tomorrow and you end up getting stabbed or bitten… or you lose me.” You couldn’t stop the tears now, they flowed from your eyes as you looked over at him.

“We’ve fought before Y/N… this is just another hiccup.” He tried to reassure you but it didn’t help, it only made the anger build up in your heart even more.

“No Daryl… this is different because it’s not just us this time.” You said, trying to explain but it just didn't want to come out the way you wanted it to.

“What? Judith and rj? I mean Judith knows how to fight and rj won’t..” he started but you stopped him once again.

“Daryl… I didn’t mean them.” You said, wanting to let it all out of your system before it ate you up alive.

He was staring at your cigarette still in his hands, you were about to drop a huge bomb on him… even bigger than what you’d already dropped on him. You couldn’t lose him without him knowing though, he needed to know. You sighed, wiping your tears away from your eyes before setting your hands in your lap.

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Daryl choked on his own spit, his face drained of blood and he dropped the cigarette. What the actual fuck, was all he could think. He had dreamed of getting you pregnant, so many times he lost count but it can’t be happening now… not now. He just stayed silent, it was the only thing he could do because he had no idea how he felt. He wanted to run away, he wanted to scream, he wanted to cry so he just stayed as still as he could.

“I thought maybe it was a stomach bug, I was throwing up every time I smelled food and I couldn’t keep shit down but then I realized I was late 3 weeks…” you explained, curing yourself up into a ball to make yourself as small as possible. “I know my mom was like this when she was pregnant with my siblings so I’m just putting two and two together.”

Daryl felt like the world was closing in on him, to add onto his shitty couple months he’s had you drop this on him. It’s not like he didn’t want kids with you but god damn he really wished he'd wrapped it up right now, so many bad things could happen to you right now. He wanted to kiss you, he wanted to make sure you knew he was here but he couldn’t. He was stuck frozen but his eyes had started to burn, from the smoke or from the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Shit…” was all he could muster up to say.

You chuckled at his reaction, watching as he slowly freaked out. You knew you were ready for a kid, you had been ever since you meant Daryl but it was the wrong time. You didn’t know if you could fight, the risks of you getting killed or you losing the baby was high. The whisperers didn’t fuck around, you knew what was going to come from this war. It wasn’t just you two now, you had someone depending on you and it wasn’t just Daryl or the others. With this is was different because the others can survive if you didn't, but this baby... it quite literally depended on your survival.

“Shit is right… you got me knocked up by Daryl Dixon.” You chuckled, wiping your tears with your sweater.

You both just sat in silence, allowing your words to consume the both of you. You felt you couldn’t breathe in this moment but at the same time you felt you could finally breathe, this overwhelmed you more than it did Daryl. You knew what risks could happen, the risks that Lori had and she died because of them. This world was cruel, it wouldn’t allow you to be happy, it wouldn’t let you be happy with the man you love and your child in your arms.

You never wanted to be a mother, you rejected that life but you can see it now. You crave it now, you crave coming home after a long day to see Daryl and your child passed out on the couch. You crave to walk into your child’s room, seeing Daryl reading to your sleeping child, then coming to your room to make love to you. You would have never thought you would want this but you were tired, you wanted to settle down with daryl. The silence was still hovering heavily in the air when you came back to earth from your thoughts.

“Daryl… please tell me what you’re thinking. You know I hate when you don’t talk to me…” You begged for him to speak, to tell you it was okay and that you had nothing to worry about.

“Think you should stop smoking.” He stated, as if he didn’t hear you.

You couldn’t help but get frustrated with him, you didn’t mean to, you just did. Maybe it was the hormones or the weight you were feeling but you wanted to scream at him. People would die, good people and you were both putting yourself at risk because of some petty drama with the whisperers. You were ready to leave this all behind you, you wanted to run away and all Daryl can think about is your health?

“Seriously? Daryl…” you sighed, face heating up. “People are going to die, we are risking our lives with this war and all you can think about is my smoking habit.”

You set your head in your hands, curling into a ball so hopefully the earth would consume you. You hated this feeling, the fear and the anger that you held in your chest. It weighs you down and you wanted it to stop, you wanted it to stop so badly that you could feel yourself tearing yourself apart just to ease it. Daryl looked calm now, his hands still fidgeting but he was calm… you hated how calm he looked because how could he be calm?

“Yeah, I’m looking out for you… just like I always have.” He replied, his voice laced with reassurance. “Y/N, have I ever not protected you? Have I ever left you? Left you without coming back?”

You looked over at Daryl, he was already looking back at you. His eyes were calm, like calm ocean waves that you could fall into if you weren’t careful. Daryl needed you to know he was here and he wasn’t going anywhere. He needed you to know, he didn’t care if he had to pound it into you or keep you up all night craving it into your skin… you needed to know. You shook your head, sure if you were to speak you would start sobbing. Daryl smiled, moving in closer so his legs were touching yours.

“Exactly, I never have and I don’t plan on doing it now.” He said, bringing his hand up to wipe your tears away. “People will die but they will die fighting for the future of Alexandria and hilltop, our future y/n. They are the ones who are going to give our kid a chance, it’s sad but it’s what has to happen.”

His hands were cradling your face, slowly caressing your cheeks as tears continued to stream down them. Seeing you like this, so broken down, had Daryl’s eyes prickling with warm tears.

“I will make sure we see another day, bunny… I promise that, okay?” He reassured, watching as you nodded, making it known you were trusting him.

He brought you into a hug, you melted into him. You couldn’t help the sobs that you let out, grabbing onto him with dead life. You were so scared but his words soothed your fears, now your tears flowed out simply because you were so in love with him. He always made sure you were okay, no matter what was wrong he always knew how to make you feel better.

You had hope of seeing another tomorrow, you could see you two going into war now. Hand in hand as you fought, fought harder than you ever had. You were going to see another tomorrow, you promised it. You were going to be selfish for the first time in years and you were doing this for you, you were going to survive for you. Daryl’s hand soothingly pet your head, massaging your scalp as you let your tears flow out of your eyes.

“We’re gonna be okay bunny…” he whispered, leaving small kisses to your hair line.

You nodded once more, taking in his words as you cuddled into him. You stayed like this for a bit, allowing the moment to take you in with loving arms. You broke away from the hug after the moment had felt like an eternity, you looked at him with tear filled eyes as they continued to pour out of your eyes. Daryl kept his hands on you, his hands slowly rubbing circles on your skin

“Daryl.” You said, almost in a whisper.

“Yeah?” He replied

You felt so many emotions, so many overwhelming emotions so it wasn’t surprising when you wanted Daryl to take you to bed and love you like it’s the last time. Your fear of the war still lingered even though it had been dulled, you still wanted Daryl to bore his words into your skin so you’ll never forget it. It would honestly just give you an excuse to forget everything.

“Whether we make it or not…” you started, watching as Daryl’s eyebrows furrowed, wondering what would come next. "I want you to take me to the bed room... and fuck me like it's the last time."

Daryls taken back by this, one minute you were in a tear-filled rant and now you are asking to be fucked. Daryl took a minute to realize you were being serious, seeing the lust that had taken over your eyes. Your tear-streaked face looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, he couldn't say no to you. Daryl smiled, standing up and handing you his hand.

"Anything for you..." He put it simply, watching you reach your hand out to connect to his.

The night was far from over, filled with "i love you"'s and the sound of the both of you moaning. You made sure if one of you hadn't made it, the other was carved into your skin. Obviously, Daryl knew this was not going to be the last time you were together, Daryl was a fighter and he made sure nothing ever happened to you, that mindset wasn't going to stop for him now.

#daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead fanfiction #daryl dixon #the walking dead #twd daryl #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixon x reader

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yarrystyleeza · 1 year ago

Note

Congratulations on the milestone, friend!!! 🎉🎉 I’m so excited for you! 💖

So for your sleepover event I’d like to send in a request for someone that is probably NOT expected from me. Can I please get some fluff for one of my other absolute loves Daryl Dixon? Maybe something fluffy about being unable to fall asleep? Possibly something with a love confession? Whatever feels right for you I'd be excited to read! I miss my crossbow wielding love 😭❤

Thank you so much, Bella! This was definitely a milestone, and it wouldn't have been possible without you, thank you again! 🥰💞

And as for the request, I had such a fun time writing it, I missed Daryl so much and your request brought back so many memories 🥺💞💞💞

Night Birds (D.D)

Requested by @bellaxgiornata

Pairing and dynamic: Daryl Dixon x female!reader — friends to lovers

Prompt: fluff, one bed trope, unable to fall asleep, love confession

Word count: 2.2k!

Writer's note: this took me a while to write, not just because I haven't written anything for Daryl in more than 3 years, but the story building wasn't easy, and I just hope it's enjoyable and fun. Also, this lil fic is heavily inspired by Panic! At The Disco's out of the Vault "night birds", unfortunately it was taken down from YouTube due to copyright issues but here's a snippet of it on twt

"shit." you muttered under your breath, looking at the one bed at the end of the cabin, you squeezed your eyes shut and pinched the bridge of your nose. You and Daryl left Alexandria and went scavenging this morning, but your journey took way longer than expected and it was dangerous for you to take the road back home in this wintery night.

You twisted your lips in a thoughtful pout, Daryl soon notices that after he had locked the cabin door. "what?" he narrows his blue eyes as he asks, "it's a..." you gesture in the direction of the bed, "oh." he commented..

The two of you stood in place—silently for a full minute before Daryl makes a suggestion. "I can sleep on the floor--" immediately, you shook your head in disapproval, "no, Daryl, it's too cold and you might get sick," you fired back, "but I don' think that thin' can hold us up together, y'know," Daryl objected, "a bed is still a bed, even though it looks old, and rusty, and small... and a little crooked..." you gesture at the odd position the bed was in, tilting your head to try to find any correct angle in this bed.

Daryl stood silent for a moment to recollect his thoughts and you eyed him patiently, he eyed you a little before speaking, you cross your arms, pout your lips and knit your brows, waiting for him to drop the bomb of a thought because you knew what he's about to say now.

"there's another cabin down the road, 15 minute walk from here..." you rolled your eyes with a very loud objective groan, uncrossing your arms, "of course no, Daryl," he mirrored your eye roll, "don't even ask why, you know why, we need to always stick together, like— how am I supposed to make sure you're okay?" you interrupted before he could defend his suggestion, "we have our walkie-talkies--" he shrugged, "we don't," you whispered and he grimaced immediately, "what d'ya mean?" his brows got knitted, you smiled your teeth out.

"I thought it was a quick trip so I thought we didn't really need them..." you twisted your fingers as you answered with a low voice.

You lied about that, you actually brought the devices and you hid them in your backpack, you just wanted him to stay with you.

You've known Daryl for a really long time, you met back at Hershel's farm. You were a lone survivor and you happen to stumble upon Daryl in the woods. You needed a shelter and Hershel's family home provided this for you and in exchange, you helped them on their search for Sophia. Unfortunately it didn't go as intended, and everyone had to face the ugly truth about her death.

But during the search—Daryl accidentally got shot by Andrea and you offered to stay and take care of him—since everyone else was busy; and you found peace in his presence. That was the day you became true friends, inseparable friends.

Wherever Daryl was, you were with him. You were always together on missions, and whenever Rick talked about a scavenging mission you were the first one signing up the moment you know Daryl was on it too. You couldn't truly connect with other members in the group, you were shy and had troubles bonding with a big group of people, but you were always nice to them.

But, Daryl holds a special place in your heart, and you could never deny that. You were two lone wolves who found a little peace of mind together.

Now, you can see how frustrated he is, the look of both anger and worry are soaking his gentle features. "I'm sorry, Daryl," you muttered softly between your teeth, he shrugged, "forget 'bout it, pet."

You took your backpack off your shoulder and placed it by the end of the bed, you kicked your shoes off and slipped out of your heavy winter jacket. You fluff your hair and gently you lie down the mattress and your body sinks in. You were exhausted.

You watch Daryl as he makes his way to the bed, his expression is a little unsure of his actions and it was confusing, you rarely saw that face of him, he's nervous, silent and red. Daryl slowly sits on the edge of the bed, he lies down on your left side and you feel how timid he is.

"goodnight, Daryl," you lie on your back and you fix your eyes on the ceiling, he shifts a little, mirroring your pose but his hands are behind his head, his leather covered elbow brushes your cheek softly. "goodnight, pet," Daryl gently replies.

And you stay like that for hours, both facing the ceiling, you start counting the cracks in the wooden surfaces and they're twenty one, you want to pull your eyes out of their sockets to force yourself to sleep but you can't, the clock hanging on the wall had long died, you feel like a nocturnal animal who's unable to close its eyes but feeling drunk and paralyzed, you're too aware of how loud your heart is pumping tonight, you can feel every particle of dust falling onto your skin, and your breathing is so audible that you feel it ringing in your ears, it's uncomfortable and overwhelming.

Your eyes glance to the side and you notice how silent Daryl is, but he wasn't asleep either. "you can't sleep, right?" you mumble, your eyes are back on the ceiling, recounting the clefts, did their number increase?

"nah, and I guess you aren'..." he replies with the same calm tone, still looking up. "do you remember that night—back at Hershel's farm when neither of us was able to fall asleep?" you try to remind him.

The night Daryl got shot, you drank a huge amount of coffee in order to stay awake and take care of him, it was a terrible decision, because you spent the night and the next morning—shaking in weakness. And Daryl was in so much pain he couldn't close his eyes either but kept lying to you—telling you it feels more like a scratch. You kept hearing him groaning quietly and you kept petting his head to try and make his focus shift to the movement of your fingers in his hair. It was a very exhausting night but you woke up collapsed over Daryl as you had sat beside him on the edge of the bed.

"I get the same vibes here," your heart beats faster, you have no idea why you're nervous but you are. "us getting stuck together and having to deal with each other," you chuckle a little as you recall the events, "you were so pissed about me following you everywhere but then you got shot and I had to stay the night and take care of you," you keep on talking, almost feeling like you're talking to yourself. Daryl was silent, it was a little heartbreaking that he had no reaction to it.

"jeez, sorry for giving you a headache--" you sigh, tears almost stray out of your heavy eyelids, "at all, pet, I love listening to ya talkin' bout anythin'," he cuts you off, you feel his weight shifting next to you, you glance to the side and you see his blue eyes shining back at you in the dim light.

"I thought you were annoying at first but, I can't lie to ya, turns out you never were, pet," you giggle at his affirmation, "maybe because I'm a little too loud to you," you admit, your energies might have never matched but you still found harmony within it.

You remember the day you got kidnapped by Merle back at Woodbury, Daryl came over with the group to rescue you, Maggie, and Glenn. You were never able to remember anything about that event, never recalled how many hours or days you were gone but there was only one thing you remember for sure, Daryl ran up to you the moment he saw you and hugged you tight—almost crushing you in his arms. Something in you changed and you felt attracted and more attached to him. The worry in his blue orbs, and his tight hug still burns your skin.

Then the day everything fell apart and you had to flee the prison. You were introduced to the overprotective side of Daryl, he never left your side since then, and you always found yourself safe in his presence.

You never wanted to be away from him, and you hated the fact that you got separated when you first arrived to Alexandria, you were so mad that you picked up a fight with him intentionally so he could spend more time talking to you. You felt torn apart whenever he had to leave for a scavenging mission without you, and you couldn't stand any lady trying to hit on him.

The realization hits you hard... You've been in love with Daryl for longer than you can imagine.

"you look tired, pet, you need t' sleep," you almost chuckle at his words, "wish I could but I can't," you mumble. He half sits on the bed, "c'mere, pet," you look up at him, his arms are open wide for you, your heart twists in your chest as you try to make up your mind. You give up and place your head over his chest, his heart pumping next to your ear, his fingers delicately slip through your hair and he gently moves his tips on your scalp in circular motions, your eyes flutter shut and you snuggle your face into him.

His movement misses around with your heartbeat, poor little thing is thundering in your chest. You truly can't live without him.

"I care so much 'bout you, pet," your heart dropped, could this mean that you weren't the only one feeling it? You weren't so sure about it yet, but you decided you should let him finish his words.

But then his hand travels down, leaving your hair, his palm cups your cheek and his thumb fondles your blushed skin. "I care— so much 'boucha that I never think of anythin' else except for ya," you shift your head to look up at him and you find him staring back down at you.

You couldn't help but lift your head off his chest to sit straight and look directly at him in disbelief, he's astonished by your reaction and you see him lowering his eyes to his now tangled fingers. "I shouldn't 've talked about it, 'm sorry," he mumbles and you shift closer to him.

You don't quite know how you did it, but you aimed a kiss to his lips and he is taken by surprise. The very first time you've ever put your lips on him feels so unique, but you're to scared to indulge in the feeling. You part away from him, his face is unreadable, he turned pale white. Realizing what you just did. Did he actually feel anything for you? Does he even like you back? Was this the right thing to do? Or did you misunderstood the whole situation? You had no answers for those questions.

You're overthinking it a lot that you don't notice him moving closer to you, cupping your cheeks and drawing you into a kiss. Your shoulders fall and your hands envelope the back of his neck, gently tugging onto his long locks. His hands round your waist and you could feel the smile on his lips, he draws you over to his lap and he hugs you tight as the kiss continues.

He kisses you sweetly, and you only melt more into him, fumbling his face with the tips of your fingers, feeling the soft stubble on his cheeks. His hands go back over your cheeks and he's softly caressing them, tucking your hair behind your ears and you feel his lips stretching once again.

Daryl slowly pulls away from you, he's shy, he's nervous, he's flustered, and surely he's shaking but his smile is so big that you could barely see his ocean blue eyes. "so sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I was just—" you say and he giggles at you, "gosh, I love you, Daryl," you chuckle, the small of your hands are still enveloping his cheeks, "I love you too, pet, always did," Daryl slowly pulls you back into another kiss, you both smile as you sip on the uniquely sweet flavor you two created.

"think you can get some sleep now, angel?" Daryl murmured while your lips are still locked upon each other, you nodded with a slight chuckle, "alright, lemme tuck you in, lil' one," you slip from over his lap and he shuffles back to his place, taking you in his arms and resting your head onto his chest, playfully messing with your hair, you round his waist with your leg and snuggle into his chest, he keeps peppering your temple with little pecks until you both fell asleep.

Daryl wakes up early and he gently pulls himself from under you—in fear of disturbing your deep sleep, he gets up and makes his way to the little dining table where he had placed his bag, he scavenges through it for food but he finds nothing.

Daryl tries his luck with your backpack and searches through it, and that's where he finds the walkie-talkies you hid all day long... And you had witnessed his finding yourself.

Likes and reblogs are appreciated, thank you for coming to my sleepover celebration! 💞💞💞

#yarrystyleeza #daryl dixon #the walking dead #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fluff #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead fic #daryl fanfiction #daryl twd #daryl x you #daryl dixon imagine #norman reedus

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fob4ever · 1 year ago

Text

patrick stump & neal avron on tape notes podcast (12.15.23)

songwriting stuff, demos, lyric process, a bunch of things! they talk about the songs lftos, heaven iowa and smfsd.

long summary under the cut!

talked about how they sat outside “emo” because they leaned more towards hiphop/rnb, but also how they didn’t fit in the “pop” genre too and how they would be put on pop shows and “comparatively it was like slayer was playing” lmao “but we’re still a pop band!”

they experimented with reggae and 90s shoegaze and hardcore during the pandemic

they recorded most of stardust together in neal’s house :D at the beginning it was mostly just neal and patrick working together, at the end of the day everybody would come in to listen

patrick said he got “kinda obsessed” with streamlining pete’s lyrics in the chorus over the past few albums: “pete is very wordy. he has all these ideas that take up a lot of space.” and that their manager sat him down at lunch and said “don't do that. you guys used to ramble. why don't you ramble?” and lftos was the first song patrick put together after that convo

lftos writing process: patrick followed what he was feeling, and most of what he did in that song were things that years spent working in pop music had scared him off on doing.

the “every lover's got a little dagger in their hand” lyric tied it all together for patrick: “[i was] singing that line and EAGERLY emailing neal: listen to this!”

they play a little of the lftos demo (16:55). it's wild. VERY guitar-forward

“neal and i lost most of the demos for [folie a deux].” the burning of the library of alexandria. to me

talks about how the folie demos were infinitely stranger than the final versions, “psychedelic at times”

for stardust, they didn't really keep much of the demo stuff- patrick: “and my demos are pretty decent!”

lftos piano demo (21:35)

patrick: i want some drama. when i look back at our records, our best ones start off with a sense of melodrama

they play individual parts of the lftos instrumentation (31:25), andy's drums, pete's bass, joe's guitar. <3

bridges are patrick's favorite thing to write, because he just gets to play

patrick: "pete doesn't even send lyrics in lyric-form, he just sends words. and it's interesting when you see it- it's almost like one-liner after one-liner. and i'll just get an email of those, and then you kinda have to figure out what thematically goes together, what feels like the same song. but then i also try to keep lyrics together as much as possible, because i feel he's in a place where it does feel like one thought."

"when i read it, there's almost a passive thing where i just imagine what it sounds like to me. and [the lyrics for heaven, iowa] scared me a lot, because it felt kind of sparse, and i don't really like sparse- i don't really like singing by myself. [...] i don't like being so front and center, and i could tell that there was something really intimate about this song, and it was a big challenge for me."

everybody immediately went for the heaven, iowa demo- it's from the first stardust session and it took the longest to complete because patrick wasn't satisfied with just his voice over keys- "it was too naked."

patrick doesn't ask pete about lyrics because: "first off, he will not explain things. but second off, i think there is something to that. where i'll read his lyrics, and i'll interpret it one way, and years later i'll realize it's another way. there's so many double entendres that i've only gotten decades later, i'll be singing and go, 'OH it's a sex thing.'"

patrick really attaches to the story of a lyric, the craft of it, and then years later he'll be like "oh that was a HEAVY lyric. [and] pete must have felt that thing! i don't really question it when i'm writing- it's kindof unfair on him, like, should i check on him?"

heaven iowa instrumental demo/instruments isolated (53:30)

patrick would tell joe to "go nuts" on heaven, iowa!

neal talks about the ambient guitar pedal joe plays during heaven iowa and how it worked really well. patrick says this was the kind of thing that saved (the song).

patrick and andy double drummed at the same time in the studio for heaven iowa! <3

pete told joe to go "full slash" at the end of heaven iowa : )

patrick almost didn't send out the demo for the title track, smfsd! he was almost sure no one was going to like it, even though he liked it. but he sent it out, and it "kept surviving"

both patrick and neal brushed smfsd off because they assumed they "couldn't do that", but pete really pushed for it, which surprised patrick.

so much for stardust demo (1:25:07) patrick plays drums on it, sloppily. which he freely admits to lol. it is quite sloppy indeed

patrick: "i'm a drummer too, but andy and i are very different drummers. and it's very cool translating our things between each other, because he comes from metal (...) and i'm more a funk drummer."

lotsa joe layering in heaven iowa and smfsd : )

it was patrick's idea to do a lyrical callback in lftos/smfsd, and pete was hesitant about it. but patrick pushed for it, becasuse it made sense as "story beats"- "it's like 'empire strikes back'!"

patrick doesn't like to putz around the studio that much, he just wants to be recording something.

patrick: "my routine [during the writing of the album] was just to make it to the studio as on time as i can be- i have adhd, it's very difficult- but i'd be there within 10-15 minutes of when i was supposed to be there, and then we'd just work through it."

patrick's advice: FROM ELTON JOHN: when you find your producer that understands you, stick with them. patrick: "and that was on a record we didn't do with neal, and i remember thinking [makes unsure noises]..." also prioritize in the short-term, what's important. take a step back.

neal's advice: if music is your passion, do it, and do it all the time

patrick was afraid people wouldn't like him "rambling" in songs, even though it was honest and natural to him. he was terrified of doing it again, thinking people wouldn't like it. but people did! "don't subvert yourself too much."

the host asks for them to choose a stardust song to close out the podcast, and patrick chooses what a time to be alive :)

the end

#recap #: 3 #i missed doing these #there's also a bunch of technical music stuff they talked about that i didn't put in here because i don't understand <3 love and light

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dix0nvix3n · 1 year ago

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➳જ⁀➴ 𝕯𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗'𝖘 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 ⟡

₊˚✩ ₊˚ 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶/𝔥𝔢/𝔰𝔥𝔢 | 21 | 𝔈𝔑𝔉𝔓 | 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔩𝔲𝔦𝔡 | 𝔞𝔲𝔡𝔥𝔡 𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢 ₊˚✩ ₊˚

⭑✧˖°𖤓 Hi!! On this account I would prefer to be called Dagger as I would not like to reveal my real name here. I write X Reader fics for Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and Scud from Blade 2. I'm completely new to writing so please be gentle lol. 𖤓°˖✧⭑

𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔩

⛥ 18+ to interact with me and my NSFW work, NSFW will always be marked as 18+, those works will say mdni but if you are a minor and do end up reading those fics, remember that I am not responsible for your media consumption.

⛥ Although I'm genderfluid I feel the most comfortable writing the reader as afab with she/her pronouns, I may potentially write gender neutral reader fics though. These things aside, anyone of any identity is of course allowed to read my work.

⛥ My fics will always come with a warning description of some kind and if I ever miss something you think should be in the warning, please let me know!

⛥ As I said I currently only write for Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and Scud Frohmeyer from Blade 2, I hope to branch out to more Norman Reedus characters and maybe characters not played by him someday but I'm completely new to writing and really only know how to write for them so far.

⛥ Please note that I have severe anxiety when it comes to interacting with anything online which makes it very hard for me to reply to comments and comment on things, repost, and I often will love a fic and not even like the post because I get so in my head thinking that person will think of my interaction as weird. I know this probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people but please try and understand, I am currently trying to work on this but please know It's gonna take me a very long time.

ℜ𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔰

⛥ I currently don't take requests because they seem a bit overwhelming for me at this time being but you can send me any thoughts and ideas you have about Daryl and Scud (some other Norman characters too! I have lots of thoughts about other characters Norman has played I just don't know how to write for them yet!) and I will try and give you my thoughts and ideas back!

ℑ𝔫𝔣𝔬

⛥ Masterlist: Will be made at some point!!

⛥ Fics:

Stoner Daryl x Stoner Reader 18+ ✶❀

COMING SOON

Daryl x Reader Alexandria Christmas One-Shot ❀ COMING SOON

Scud X Reader Blade's Lair 18+ One-Shot ✶❀

COMING SOON

✶- Smut | ✧- Suggestive ❀-Fluff | ☽-Angst

𝔉𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔰 𝔄𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔐𝔢

⛥ I'm Autistic and have ADHD, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, probably several other problems I'm not aware of myself yet lmao, and I am also Anemic.

⛥ I've been to at least 15 concerts but need to recount actually how many, including 3 Warped Tours, so sorry to anyone who never got to go they were truly such unique experiences.

⛥ I have 7 piercings but have been pierced 8 times, fucked up my first eyebrow piercing lol. In order I got a septum, right eyebrow, daith, bridge, two helixes in one day, a conch and also my right eyebrow repierced on the same day. Also all the ear piercings are on my right ear cause I used to have the right side of my head shaved and an undercut so my left ear was never visible but with my new haircut,,, I really need some for the left ear.

⛥ Also, the conch jewelery is my only special piece of jewelery I have and I got it in memory of two things. The conch piece is a titanium dagger with a simple little jewel in the middle, when I saw it I immediately thought of Daryl and his big knives/daggers and also a reference to the band Witchdagger from Night In The Woods, a game that fundamentally helped me grow as a person.

⛥ The reason I changed my hair from the side shave was so I could actually grow it out and cut it to Scud's hairstyle, that fucker is soooo gender.

⛥ I don't know much about my zodiac signs but I'm a Cancer Sun, Scorpio Moon, Capricorn Rising.

⛥ My favorite fruits are peaches, oranges, and raspberries.

⛥ I edit occasionally when I have the mental energy which is rare but I post them @ daryldixonvixen on tiktok if anyone is interested, will possibly start posting my edits on instagram too :)

⛥ and uhhhh I'll keep adding to these when I think of more

And here's what the conch piercing looks like if anyone wanted to see it :]

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfiction #the walking dead #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon x reader smut #scud frohmeyer #scud x reader #scud x reader smut #scud blade 2 #blade 2 #norman reedus

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fluidstatick · 13 days ago

Text

"For more information join my discord"

listen, every time i've joined a discord i've ended up with less information. It gives me a migraine.

Incoming cranky essay about the declining availability of information --

"discord is great though, just curate your settings so it's less overwhelming, it's not hard" - that's cute. the settings are so opaque i can barely set my username and flair, let alone adjust the ui without falling into a shitty youtube tutorial wormhole first. 'what is up you g-' shut up and show me which tickbox i need to untick before i chew off my own eyelids.

i'm begging y'all to create dedicated forums for your stuff that aren't full of in-joke hashtags and nested threads that don't actually begin or end at the origin of any given conversation.

'but that's what reddit is for.' apparently not? subreddits are where you go to 1. argue, 2. make esoteric inside jokes, 3. talk down to people that are confused, 4. answer one (1) question while omitting several crucial details.

'google is free, old man.' searching google (and duckduckgo, ecosia, startpage, brave, quant, gibiru, swisscows, neocities, all of em, i'm tired) points me to 1. amazon, 2. ebay, and 3. reddit; reddit throws a dogwhistled slur at me and tells me that google is free, if one more person tells me to do my own research and I end up with a discord invite i'm going to hack into their minecraft world and obliterate everything with tnt and lava

Curse of Knowledge, (n) : The cognitive bias that prevents people from understanding the perspective of those who do not have as much information as them.

This ↑ shit has worked its way into every corner of the internet and shows no sign of self correcting. Making information freely available is crucial to the endurance of literacy, independent thought, creative problem solving, and general resilience. Put the lore for your Creative Thingy in a format that won't decay, self delete, or be obfuscated by unrelated noise. Don't leave anything out because it's "obvious", or in the hope of giving your audience a mystery to play with. Encyclopedias aren't supposed to be escape rooms or crossword puzzles. Guidebooks aren't escape rooms full of shiny trinkets.

Information is not entertainment.

Information. Is Not. Entertainment.

Step away from the bloated four minute youtube intros. Put down the expired discord invites, the wiki stubs, the dead links to ebooks on defunct store pages, the reddit threads full of [deleted], the endless parade of abandoned dropbox links.

Write your shit down in a safe place. If it's digital, make multiple backups - post it on discord if you must, but convert it to as many file types as you can fit it into: pdf and epub, zip and jpg and rtf. Stick all your backups on an external hard drive, so when [chat client] and [wiki client] and [filesharing site] and [cloud storage] and [archive site] and [social media platform] die, you have your shit and you can still share it.

I said When, because there is no If. I was around when you could still read microfiche of 19th century documents at almost every library in America. I remember searching for books in card files, learning to cross reference an encyclopedia to a history book, and installing Encarta 2000 on my dad's desktop computer so I could check it against the article I'd photocopied out of my school's 1996 Encyclopedia Britanica. I vividly recall when Livejournal was a baby, and everyone swore up and down that Geocities and Angelfire blog rings would outlive it. I then watched Livejournal, Diaryland, DiaryX, Xanga, Digg, Soup.io, Yahoo, Scribble, Vox, Posterous, and dozens of other platforms collapse like wet paper. The internet is supposedly a digital library of Alexandria, and it sort of is, but only in the sense that it's perpetually burning down.

Don't rely on Internet megaplatforms for your information. We saw what happened to Facebook, Twitter, and all the others. FOSTA/SESTA isn't just a scary acronym. Capitalism and the march of time will devour Tumblr and Discord, Tiktok and A03 and YouTube.

In the meantime, quit being coy with what you know, and quit treating people with questions like they're trying to steal from you.

#god i'm so tired #anti intellectualism #enshittification #oobleck.exe

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enid-rhees · 1 year ago

Note

please can you write something for Tara? maybe an argument that ends in a love confession? 🩷 sorry I don’t have many good ideas but I love your writing

oh god i love Tara so much. tysm for requesting!! hope you enjoy <3 and this is an amazing request dont apologize! and tysm 🫶🏻

warnings: arguing, slightly suggestive.

a/n: hope you all enjoy! requests are currently closed but will be opened again very soon 🫶🏻! this is a bit short but i hope that is okay!

it had been two hours since you came back home just to discover that Tara wasn’t there. she never left the house without telling you. even if it was just a small run that would take an hour max, she always told you.

you asked Rosita, Glenn, Eugene, everyone, and no one had known where she had gone. your mind was racing a million miles a second with possibilities you didn’t even want to think about.

Tara meant everything to you. it had been around five months since you and your group made it to Alexandria. but before that, you and Tara met in the train cart at Terminus. you were with Rick, Carl, Michonne and Daryl.

the two of you got along quickly, mostly due to one thing: you both liked girls. you figured her out quickly, when you watched the way she watched Rosita. and with you, she just… knew.

you followed her when Eugene needed to get to Washington, well, before he lied about even being a scientist and knew a “cure”. the entire journey brought you guys closer. so when Aaron appeared and offered your group to live in Alexandria, you guys decided to live together.

as the months went by, you felt your feelings for Tara grow more and more. it was hard to keep it in, you wished you were able to tell her, and just spit it out finally.

you weren’t sure what was stopping you, because all you wanted was to finally call Tara yours, or be able to wake up in the morning and see her next to you, or just be able to finally kiss her. you’ve dreamt of it too much.

your leg shook under the coffee table as you sat with your head in your hands. this wasn’t like Tara, at all. she always, always told you where she was going. always.

this was killing you. not knowing if she was okay or not. not knowing if she’s gotten hurt, and is stranded somewhere where she’s defenseless, or if she’s gotten bit-

the front door opened.

Tara stepped inside, taking her shoes off and hanging her hoodie like it was nothing. you stood up and ran to her, “where the fuck did you go?!” you yelled.

her eyes widened as she took a step back. “i just went to the pharmacy a few miles down…”

“why the fuck didn’t you tell me? or anyone?! i was worried sick about you, Tara!” her face was full of confusion, not knowing why you were so upset at her.

“i-i didn’t think it was a big deal. i wasn’t gone that long, Y/N. i’m fine!” she defended. “but what if you weren’t?! i mean- what if you got hurt, Tara? you always tell me when you’re leaving. do you know how worried i was to come home and see that you’re gone? and when i asked everyone where you were, none of them knew. do you not know how scary that was?”

tears ran down your cheeks and you quickly wiped them away. you didn’t want to cry over this, but nothing had truly frightened you like this. losing Tara is something you try your hardest to avoid thinking about at all times.

“Y/N- i’m sorry, okay? i know i always tell you when i’m leaving, but all i needed was one thing. i don’t understand why you’re so mad-“

“because i’m in love with you!” you yelled, causing her to freeze. “i mean- fuck Tara! i’m so in love with you, and i can’t fucking hide that anymore. you’re everything to me. just the smallest thought of you getting hurt scares the shit out of me. i can’t imagine how i could ever live with myself if you’ve ever gotten hurt somehow. i can’t do this without-“

Tara lunged forward, smashing her lips onto yours. she held on tightly to your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to her as you kissed her back just as hard. your hands wrapped around her neck, not even leaving a millimeter of space between the two of you.

you pulled away briefly, but you immediately dove back into each other, unable to get enough of each other. one of your hands tangled itself into her hair, and she moaned into your mouth at the feeling.

Tara moved forward until you were pressed against the wall behind you. the deep kiss continued until you were both out of your breath. she leaned her head on yours as you caught your breath, still holding onto you tightly.

“i can’t lose you.” you whispered breathlessly. she nodded, “i know, i can’t lose you either. i’m sorry for leaving like that without saying anything.”

you shook your head, pulling her into another kiss. your head hit the wall when she suddenly brought her head down to your neck, bringing you nothing but complete bliss.

#tara chambler #tara chambler x fem!reader #tara chambler x reader #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #twd #twd x reader

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carlsdarling · 2 months ago

Text

Forlorn Hope

This is a slow-burn Carl x OC, so, don't like, don't read ;-) I decided to post it, as I started writing it a while ago and I am not writing anything new atm. It's about Sadie, a girl who is found by Carl in the woods and he brings her to Alexandria. Everyone is 18 or older.

WARNINGS: angst, violence, mention of rape, later on: nsfw, smut

In the forest, beyond the halo of light from the small campfire, there was a crack and Sadie flinched. Her tension eased as a deer stepped out of the thicket, eyed her ruminantly, then disappeared. “Damn,” she muttered. Her heart was racing.

Sadie Baron wasn't particularly brave, never had been. She had been ten years old when the outburst came. Almost, at least - she was fully occupied with planning her birthday party, who she wanted to invite and who she didn't, who was allowed to sit next to whom, what icing the cake should have and what kind of party games she wanted to organize. The party never happened.

She thought about how long it had all been and came to the shocking realization that it must have been about eight years. Since the outbreak, she had lost all sense of time; everything that went beyond the mindless sequence of day and night overwhelmed her, blurred into a single mush, even the change of seasons hardly helped. But she thought she could remember eight winters; right now it was summer, and her birthday was on the sixth of June. She was usually too busy surviving to think about trivial things like her age and how many birthdays she had missed. Still, the thought that she had (probably? actually?) come of age without even realizing it made her sad.

This hadn't been what Sadie had imagined. Not that, as a ten-year-old, she'd had any concrete idea of how she wanted to celebrate her eighteenth - her knowledge of what it was like to be 'grown up' was drawn mainly from the existence of Laurie, her nineteen-year-old half-sister. So Sadie's fantasies included things like glittery eyeshadow, having her own car - preferably a pink one! - drinking colorful liquids that made you funny, and secretly puffing on weird-looking, hand-rolled cigarettes. Freedom. And staying up as late as you wanted.

Definitely not this. Alone, filthy, hungry and thirsty (no, half-parched, to be precise), huddled in a forest, leaning against a rugged tree trunk, while she had completely lost her sense of direction - as always. The map she'd stolen from a gas station after she'd managed to dupe Mike and get rid of him didn't help her much - which wasn't the map's fault, of course, but Sadie's own, of that she was aware.

Fuck freedom. She simply wasn't made for this new world, daughter of a wealthy family that she was, with a huge room that offered every comfort and two ponies she owned, with which she had competed in equestrian jumping competitions. This is no place for princesses, Sadie thought bitterly, looking at her torn, bloody fingernails. Unintentionally, Laurie's beautifully painted nails stood before her eyes and she swallowed. Laurie. She didn't want to think about her sister, about her parents, no. Not about what had happened, how they had ended up, how Sadie had had to flee alone, two days before her long-awaited birthday party with a giant bouncy castle and a magician's performance.

She had to put it all out of her mind or she wouldn't be able to go on; she hadn't seen much point in her life for some time anyway. On the run, mostly alone, she had either lost her companions or had had to leave them for various reasons. She no longer had a firearm; near the petrol station she had come across two sinister types who had given her a choice: either she gave them everything she owned voluntarily or they would take it anyway and rape her as well. “Pretty little blonde bird,” one of them had said greedily, undressing her with his eyes. She had no chance, she realized, so she had thrown all her belongings onto the road and run, just run, into the forest while branches whipped her in the face. And now she had nothing left, nothing but the clothes she was wearing. Her backpack with the last photos of her family and her beloved animals, and the gun in it - gone.

Sadie was miserably cold and wanted to cry. The nights were freezing and the hoodie had been in her rucksack. At least she still had her knife, it was in her belt, which was better than nothing. She moved closer to the fire, discovered a tick on her left wrist and removed it without any emotion. The old Sadie, the Sadie from the mansion district with the swimming pools, the Sadie with her ponies, that Sadie would have freaked out. But the new world really wasn't for princesses, and Princess Sadie no longer existed.

Now there was the Sadie who was almost dying of thirst, whose long hair was greasy and matted and twisted into a messy knot, and who hadn't slept for three nights and was wondering whether she could dare to close her eyes for a moment here in the forest. The risks were manageable: she could be attacked and abducted. Or she could be eaten alive.

Not a great prospect, but she was shaky from lack of sleep and could hardly look out of her eyes. She had no other choice - she had to sleep, so she scratched a kind of hollow in the leaves where she intended to hide. Her head jerked upwards and she looked anxiously in all directions. Those had been footsteps, clearly. Walker or human?

Adrenaline shot through her veins and she gripped the knife. “Who's there?” she called out, and it sounded braver than she felt. No answer, the forest lay still. At least that spoke against walkers, as they kept on trampling mindlessly, usually making stupid sounds as well. Humans were not necessarily the better alternative, Sadie had learned that painfully. “Get lost, whoever you are,” she shouted, hoping it was only one. Maybe the guys from the gas station had followed her. “I'm armed!” she shrieked when nothing happened.

“Only with a knife,” a casual voice was heard, then the bushes parted to reveal a slender, tall figure. Sadie recognized a young man with messy, long brown hair. His outfit was strange - one of his eyes was hidden behind some kind of gauze bandage, and he was wearing a sheriff's hat.

“And I can actually handle this,” Sadie growled, holding the knife out in front of her. “So back off!” She realized that her situation was hopeless - unlike her, this guy had a gun. But she couldn't just give up either.

“I don't want to hurt you,” the stranger claimed. “My name is Carl, by the way,” he told her. “And yours?”

What the hell business was that of his? “Rumpelstiltskin,” Sadie hissed, not taking her eyes off him. “Don't come any closer.”

He raised his hands placatingly; Sadie's behavior seemed to amuse him. “All right, Rumpelstiltskin, I'll stay right where I am, okay? Maybe we can talk.” She just stared at him, her eyes wide with panic in that dirty pretty face. He registered her chapped, rough lips. “Are you thirsty?” He didn't wait for her response, but tossed a small water bottle over to her.

Sadie had been searching in vain for water for over a day, her tongue parched in her mouth, and now her thirst was so enormous that she promptly dropped the knife and lunged for the bottle. She hastily unscrewed it and poured the contents down her throat so quickly that she began to cough. The water velvety wetted her throat, which already felt like sandpaper. It was about time. She wanted to back away when she realized that Carl had come closer. “I told you, I don't want to hurt you,” he assured her gently. “Are you hungry too?” Sadie nodded miserably and he handed her an egg and ham sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil. He sat down next to her at a little distance and watched her eat. “Actually, I'm looking for someone else,” he then said. “Maybe you've seen her?”

(if someone wants to be tagged for this, please comment)

#the walking dead #twd #carl grimes #carl grimes fanfiction #carl grimes imagines #carl grimes x oc

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rimunagenius · 2 years ago

Text

Existing

pairing: Daryl x genneutral!reader

summary: Y/N realizes hiding their feelings is becoming far too much so their only solution is to distance themselves from Daryl. When Daryl confront Y/N, secrets are revealed and new bonds are created.

era: season 7 (Negan and saviors don’t exist, Glenn never died — that was purely to fuel my delusional brain that Glenn is happily living his life with Enid, Maggie, and Hershel (:)

words: i have no clue (sorry y’all….no im not.)

A/N: Whoo! This is officially my second Daryl x reader fic, and please please PLEASE if i slipped another pronoun like he or she, please comment or message me to correct me so i can fix it. Or if gender nuetral pronouns are wrong all together, correct me please i want to make sure it’s correct so no one feels singled out or misgendered on my page!! thank you sexies!! It’s a force of habit, i write a lot of fem!reader stuff on wattpad and stuff so thanks! Hope you enjoy, this might be shit bc it’s unedited or bc i just actually suck at writing 🥳

warnings: slight angst?? fluff

REQUESTS OR WTV THEYRE CALLED ON HERE, ARE OPEN!!

NOT MY GIF!!!

————

It was known to everyone that you liked Daryl and that he liked you. There was definitely no hiding it. It was common knowledge to anyone in the community.

Everyone saw the way you looked at him with the utmost admiration. He was strong — mentally and physically — he always treated you with respect, nothing less. He was there whenever you needed him and he understood you and never judged you. He was perfect. How could you not look at him like he was the human embodiment of perfection.

Daryl was never one to reveal too much about himself. He never found it in himself to tell anyone his past, never wanted to say too much before they looked at him like he was someone else and not the Daryl they already knew. He wanted to be seen, not judged and listened to without being left out of fear or inferiority. He just wanted to finally fit in and not be seen as the ‘redneck trash asshole’ everyone already thought he was. He was never seen as anything less but a human with feelings who deserved a chance when it came to you. He always felt unconditionally loved — protected. He always felt seen with you, and he never felt like you were judging him like almost everyone else did. He was grateful that the end of the world gave him someone like you.

“Hey sunshine!” You tried your best to mimick his southern drawl as you patted his back, falling in rythym with Daryl’s steps alongside him.

He looked down at you, smirk prying at the corner of his lush lips, scoffing his usual scoff when it came to you. Always playful, never malicious. Even though he had many scrapes and bruises, which you have yet to notice on the man, he took his time getting to the infirmary if it meant he spent just a little time with you.

“Hey.” His face dropped any trace of amusement when he saw your face fall into a look of worry.

“Oh my god, Daryl! Your bleeding!” You immediately stood infront of him, halting his tracks as you examined his body for any more injuries. “C’mon, let’s go.” Grabbing his hand, you dragged him to Denise, grabbing the supplies to do it yourself while she tended to other victims of the difficult run. You were a nurse before the fall so you spent most of your time in Alexandria helping Denise. You actually had the supplies to aid everyone, instead of scrounging for makeshift supplies when you were on the road.

Grabbing gauze and disinfecting liquid, you cleaned his blood crusted scrapes, and managed to convince him to let you clean up his face. “Why are ya like this, Y/N?” He flinched as you reached to clean the cut above his brow. You scoffed at the man. You were flabbergasted as to why he was questioning your motives.

“Uh, because I care Daryl. I’m never not gonna care.” You looked at him as it was obvious. Because to you, and apparently everyone else but him, it was. You truly loved that man. You truly cared for him and wanted nothing but the absolute best for him. He looked at you like you were crazy for caring this much about a guy like him. “But why? I could’a done this myself. I don’ need yer’ help.” He didn’t wipe the look off his face. He was genuinely confused.

“You have protected all of us. Ever since Atlanta, the farm…You never stopped caring and protecting us. No one really batted an eye to you for it. But it’s about damn time someone starts taking care of you, and I plan on doing just that til’ the day I die, Dixon.” You gave him a warm smile as you placed a small kiss on his forehead as you continued to tend to his wounds.

He recalled that memory everytime he thought of you and your beautifully kind heart. He remembered the warm fuzzy feeling he had gotten when he looked into your eyes that night. He felt like he was lost and your beaming light, your smile, you…brought him where he always belonged. Home.

You both felt at home with eachother. Regardless if both of you were aware of the others feelings or not. Regardless if you both met someone, neither you or him, would dare spend your borrowed time apart. You needed him like he needed you. Even if it had been purely platonic, neither of you would care. You two were eachothers anchors, keeping the other grounded. You saved eachother. You weren’t letting eachother go until the both of you were dead.

Although the idea of the relationship being platonic and you willing to be okay with that under the right circumstances, you hated the idea of it now. You knew Daryl wasn’t seeing anybody, or atleast you had a good idea. He would’ve told you, or Carol, which would’ve inevitably circled back to you. ‘I am going to die on this ship. A captain never abandons her ship’ Carol always teased you about your little crush on Daryl. She was infact very shameless of the teasing. It only increased when she learned that the feelings were mutual.

But the constant feeling of butterflies, the blush pink rising in your cheeks significantly everytime he spoke to you or said your name the way he always did, the sudden loss for words whenever you tried to speak your mind was something you couldn’t take anymore. Telling Daryl was detrimental to your state of mind from here on out. He needed to know.

That was the problem though, you had been avoiding him for days after you decided to distance yourself from the archer because being around him, feeling the way you felt, was something that was unsettling to you. You knew he knew that you were avoiding him. He would walk in your direction and you’d quickly turn around in the other. It was getting easier to avoid him because you had memorized the days he told you he’d be gone on runs and doing handiwork around the community.

This however, wasn’t one of the easier times. You were wrapping your conversation up with Maggie and Glenn when you turned heel, on your way to your home. You didn’t make it far before you bumped into a broad chest that belonged to none other than him.

“Hey, what’s up with ya’? Why is my favorite girl avoidin’ me. Did I do somethin’. If I did, I’m so sorry sunshine.” Daryl was quick to apologize. For what? He couldn’t tell you. All he knew was that he wanted the cold shoulder you gave him to dissapear and be replaced with the warm love you both mutually shared. He couldn’t do that if you weren’t talking to him.

“Nothing. Excuse me.” You tried your best not to look him in the eyes and let loose all the feelings you wanted to scream into his face to make him understand that you truly, deeply loved him. You trudged up your pearly white steps into the beautiful home you, Rosita, and Tara shared.

You were only able to unlock the door and take one step into the home before you were met with his hand connecting to your forearm, stopping your movements completely. “Hey, you can talk ta’ me. Ya’ know I would never do nothin’ to hurt you, right? Look, Y/N. I’m sor-“

“Can you stop apologizing! You did nothing wrong, Daryl. Hell, you never do wrong,” Your voice faltered at the end, your head falling as you collected your breath and gained the courage to just come clean. You looked into your favorite blue eyes, your eyes already starting to fill with frustrated tears; some betraying you, already cascading down your face. “Daryl. I cannot keep doing this. I can’t keep pretending that we’re just friends because I don’t think we should be.”

“Wait—you don’ wanna be friends no more?” Daryl felt his heart break in two. He hoped he misread the situation and it was just your horrible delivery. He prayed the only person he loved with everything in him, wasn’t leaving him. He refused to be left. Not again.

“Not when everytime I look at you all I think about is what it’d be like to hold you in my arms every chance i get. To know what it’s like to kiss you because that’s all I think about. Being the first person you see when you wake up in the morning and the last person you talk to at night. I can’t be your friend when all I want is for us to be more than that, Daryl.” Your frustrated tears were showing no mercy as you tried so hard not to cry infront of him. You didn’t want to make him feel bad into giving into what you wanted. The last thing you wanted was make him do something he didn’t want to. That’d hurt you more.

“Y/N-“ Daryl was ready to commit. He was ready, for you. He wanted this just as much as you did. He didn’t get to deliver his confession before you cut him off, wanting to get it all over and done with.

“No, Daryl. I can’t. I can’t think without you. It’s like my whole body relies on you. My whole damn life is you, I literally can’t breathe because i’m waiting for you. Hoping and waiting til’ the day you come to me and tell me you want me forver. You own me, Daryl. You control me. I belong to you.” There was no running now. You had just said everything you could ever say the best you could. You just hoped it was enough. Maybe, just maybe, he feels the same way too. Your chest heiving in big waves as you tried to catch your breath. You didn’t realize telling him how you felt took all the breath out of your lungs. Your words so powerful they left you breathless.

You were embarassed. You told him how you felt and as you spoke his expression, the look on his face, honestly terrified you. You weren’t gonna take it back beacuse you meant every word. You’d wait. No matter how long it took.

He wasted no more than a second to step foward, your chests almost touching. He wanted you to hear him. He wanted you to see him. When he talked, you always listened; he rarely talked because you usually did all the talking but he never minded it. He could listen to you all day long. Now, it was his turn and he’d be damned if he wasted probably the only chance he would ever get to tell you how much he loved you.

“You own me! You control me, I belong to you. I love you, Im in love with you, yer’ the love of my life. My every feelin’ is controlled by the look on yer’ face. I can’t breathe without ya’. I can’t sleep without ya’. I wait for ya’, I watch for ya’. Goddamit — I fuckin’ exist for you, Y/N.”

Both of you didn’t know what to say. You had both stood there screaming your feelings in the others face and now…neither of you had anything to say. You stood there, searching eachothers eyes, face, and body as you waited for the other to speak.

“So…that’s it?” You broke the silence as you looked up at the man. He didn’t know what to do other than look into your eyes. He slipped his hand into yours, slowly entangling your fingers as your lips curled up due to the gesture.

“I guess it is. What d’ya say we go wash up and you can be the last person I talk to before I go to sleep at night?” He swiped a piece of your hair behind your ear, and gave you a genuine smile. This was new. Well, not new but he rarely did this, even when you guys were together hanging out. You hid your face in your hands, the embarrassment blush creeping into your cheeks.

“Shut up.” You mumbled. “Nah. Ya’ asked for this.” He replied as he pulled your hands away from your face. You put up a fight, not ready to face the man with your cheeks being extra blushed. “C’mon. Where’s my pretty girl?” You felt weak in the knees as you looked up at him and pressed a soft, warm kiss to his lips.

“Theres my sunshine.” His smile now faltering to a smirk. He grabbed your hand and led you up the stairs into your room.

You both didn’t expect the outcome of tonight. The whole admitting your feelings, yelling in eachothers face to get them to understand that you loved them so fiercely you were willing to scream it at them, to hell with whoever eavesdropped. You both didn’t care who heard you that night. All that mattered was that you and Daryl now had eachother. Forever. That’s all that mattered.

“Do you think they saw us?” Tara looked down to the relaxed girl splayed on her lap.

“No I don’t think so. But I didn’t think Dixon had the balls to admit that to Y/N. Go him.” She laughed breathlessly as she took another swig of her wine.

“Ok because that would’ve been super awkward. Atleast we all don’t have to vomit in our mouths anymore after seeing how freaking clueless they were of eachothers feelings.” Tara looked up the stairs hearing the door close, and shower starting to run as she settled and finished her glass along with her friend.

“Dibs on telling Carol first!” Rosita shot up from her spot on Tara’s lap as she bolted out the back door, opening the gate to Carol and Ricks yard, bursting through the doors ready to tell the woman the news. Tara yelling incoherent curses as she didn’t make it in time behind Rosita to beat her to it. Their door slamming, echoing through the house and into the bathroom you and Daryl currently occupied.

“What was that?” Daryl asked as he looked down at you, your eyes closed as you washed the soap from your hair as he admired you doing it.

“I don’t know I think Rosita or Tara just got home. They’ll probably go straight to bed so we’re good until tomorrow.” Switching with Daryl, you scrubbed the soap in his hair out as the water washed the suds of his built frame.

You both continued your shower, totally unaware of the teasing you’d both receive for ‘finally making it official, Rick’s words not yours.

I guess you both would have to wait til the morning after you’ve woken up from the most blissful sleep you’d have in months before your friends had free reign. All that mattered was that you and yours were finally happy, with no more secrets. Just simply existing for the other, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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d1xonss · 1 year ago

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About Masterlist:

~ Currently I am only writing for the character Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead. But I’m likely to write for others later on down the road.

~ Genres very from fluff to angst

~ My main focus right now is the story I’m writing called Desert Rose which, as of now, is still incomplete.

~ New updates will (hopefully) be weekly.

~ I never have any good ideas for oneshots so I’ll be taking any requests people send me!

~ Most oneshots will be mainly female readers unless requested otherwise.

~ Feel free to request things regarding my series as well, oneshots, headcanons, etc. I’m always open to new ideas.

Fluff ~ 🧸

Angst ~ 🖤

Suggestive ~ 👀

Smut ~ 💋

Series!!<3

~ Desert Rose (ongoing) 🧸💋🖤👀

Series Masterlist Seasons 1-5

Series Masterlist Seasons 6-11 (coming soon)

Headcanons ~ Part 1

Mini Oneshots!!<3

~ The Olive Theory 🧸

Summary : You tell Daryl about an old theory you had heard a long time ago, claiming it proved you two were a perfect match.

Oneshots!!<3

~ Enchanting 🧸

Summary : After Daryl meets you at a dreaded get together in Alexandria, his mind is constantly flooded with the thoughts of you. When months go by and he still hasn’t made a move, someone gives him just the nudge he needs.

~ Potions 🧸

Summary : One night when you’re in the middle of your skincare routine, your boyfriend Daryl suddenly becomes intrigued.

~ Chicken Soup for the Soul 🧸

Summary : When Daryl returns home from a longer run, you notice quickly he had come down with something. It takes a little convincing, but eventually, he allows you to take care of him.

~ Don’t Go 🖤

Summary : After returning from a run, Daryl quickly finds out that you had been severely injured while he was gone. The sight of you was heartbreaking, but the thought of losing you forever was even more painful.

~ Older 👀

Summary : When confessing your feelings for Daryl after keeping them bottled up inside for so long, he ultimately rejects you. But you somehow find a way to make him regret it.

~ Older | Part 2 💋

Summary : Things only grow more tense between you and Daryl as you meet for dinner to “discuss” what’s been happening between the two of you.

~ Sunshine 🧸

Summary : Daryl has always been somewhat of a serious man, taking everything going wrong around him to heart as he stewed over them constantly. But lucky for him, you’re always around to cheer him up.

~ A Friend 🧸

Summary : Working and dealing with the walkers outside the fences one day had grown to be too much as you desperately needed to get away from the noise. When you found something else to occupy your time, you slowly realize how boring it became. But luckily, Daryl’s able to keep you company.

~ Bedtime Stories 🧸

Summary : You and Daryl stumble into a library after being chased by a herd of walkers, forcing the two of you to stay hidden in the building for a long while. Though amongst the chaos, a sweet moment seems to unfold between the two of you.

~ Pretty When I Cry 🖤🧸

Summary : From the very start you had been struggling to have a decent relationship with the Dixon brothers. Trying your best to show your kindness since they arrived. But one day Daryl seems to snap after an incident, sending you spiraling in a flurry of emotions. However, he manages to venture back and pick up the pieces he’s broken.

~ Forever 🖤🧸

Summary : For months now, Daryl has found himself going down a deep rabbit hole of the thoughts in which he cannot escape. His insecurities about his age and your relationship is all he’s able to ponder over. But in the end, you make a promise to stick around forever.

~ Sticks and Stones 🧸

Summary : After arriving in the brand new community, you quickly find it’s not exactly what it chalked up to be. An incident occurs, causing you to snap. But Daryl just so happens to be at the right place at the right time.

~ Cigarettes After Sex 🖤💋

Summary : Knowing Daryl for so many years, it was still unclear what was going on between the two of you. Having to get past the fear in order to finally see what you had been missing out on all along.

~ Soap and Bubbles 🧸

Summary : When first arriving to Alexandria, you noticed that Daryl is having trouble adjusting. So, you find a way to help him relax.

~ Fuck it, I love you 🖤💋

Summary : You and Daryl had always been close since the start. But when things grow a little complicated after the Commonwealth, a wedge is created between the two of you. Though when two of your people suddenly go missing, it brings the two of you together once more after being apart for so long. But the question remains; is it enough to save your relationship?

~ Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder 🧸

Summary : When your insecurities start to get the better of you, Daryl manages to come in at the right time to give you the reassurance you need. Wanting to show you how he sees you through his own eyes.

~ Practice Makes Perfect 💋

Summary : When Daryl opens up about his lack of experience with relationships and…other things, he finds your reaction is definitely not what he expected.

~ Something New 💋

Summary : In a fit of heated passion, you accidentally reveal a secret kink you had always wanted to try. But surprisingly, Daryl isn’t put off by the idea

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bookaddict24-7 · 11 months ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST A VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

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8. That Time I Got Drunk & Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First five-star read of 2024 🙏🏽

My friends have read this book and LOVED it, so I don't know why I'm lowkey surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I thought it would be a cheesy and slightly boring read (I didn't read the synopsis, okay? Sue me.) But what I got was SO far from that. Full of adventure, heart, sexual tension, and hilarious sass, I found myself laughing and paying rapt attention.

I loved the MC and her responses and commentary. I can see myself re-reading this just to highlight all of her sass. She's one of those contemporary characters set in a fantastical world that helps keep these kinds of stories light and fun. There's a scene where the demon just stares at her like "Okay, so we are definitely getting married" and I don't even blame him. This woman is a BADASS.

I loved their exploration of their world and how quick it was. Some readers might want more setting development, but honestly? I'm happy with how light and straightforward it was. I also really liked the side characters and how the demon just takes out anyone he wants, especially if they threaten the MC.

This was fun and everything I wish that other cozy fantasy book had given me. The new editions of the other two books have already been preordered 😌.

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9. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH perfectly encompasses the tortures of middle school, the changing of the people we once called friends, and the effects of grief and how a child's mind may twist in ways that might help them comprehend the reality of death.

Ali Benjamin does a fantastic job of drawing out the history of her MC and her friend. The way they both changed and how the MC came to choosing to stay silent verbally for the majority of the book. Watching her trying to find reasons for why her friend has died was heartbreaking. I can't imagine being a parent in that situation, where you know you can't help your child comprehend the change in their reality.

Also, middle school is a cruel place for a lot of kids (hi, I was one of its victims) and the levels of evil some of these kids get up to is truly astounding. It broke me a little watching this friendship fall apart and this poor, young MC having to remember the last moment she saw her friend alive.

Sometimes things just happen and this whole book is, ultimately, a great source for children grieving. Life can be messy, confusing, and sometimes heartbreaking. Benjamin's novel is beautiful and this is another one of those middle grade books that I think adults AND kids should be reading.

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10. The Skull by Jon Klassen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If no one has read any other Jon Klassen books, then they're in for a surprise. If they have, then they'll recognize the eeriness of his writing.

You can't tell me that the hat books aren't creepy (there's a couple of pages where the big fish CLEARLY eats the little fish in the long grass). This guy is morbid and props to kids' authors who can write a book both for kids and adults.

The artwork was beautiful as always and the story was a very, very quick read. Perfect for those 5-7 year olds who want to try something themselves but don't mind a talking skeleton or skull.

This also got reeeeeeal dark at one point and I was just thinking of how some of the Gen Alpha kids are.

Highly recommend--especially for those littles who love a little spooky with their bedtime stories.

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11. The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Romantic, at times funny, spicy, and full of characters I wanted to punch in the dick, THE FIANCÉE FARCE was entertaining from beginning to end.

Much like many of my reading experiences, I jumped into this without knowing what I was getting myself into and imagine my joy and surprise when the trope of "marriage of convenience" popped up. I loved watching these characters fall in love with each other, and I loved seeing the thwart the horrible people in their lives. I also loved that one of the MCs has a massive love for reading (shown through her family's bookstore).

Was this the best romance I've ever read? Not really--it had some pretty obvious climactic points and some very over the top villains--but it held my attention and I fell for the couple. I loved that one helped the other find her confidence that had been stripped from her at a younger age.

One of the things that keeps me from giving this a five star rating is how...in a bubble this story feels? Like, we meet other characters as they serve their purpose (as is the usual) but if they're not in the scene, it's like they don't exist. There's one scene where one particular character doesn't speak and it's a pretty pivotal moment for the reader to pay extra attention because this is a huge hint about this character, but Bellefleur doesn't even hint at it? It's like that character is deleted from the scene. This is like taking the adage of "when you're with me, I only see you" and using it to the max.

Other than that, this was an entertaining and sexy story of proving assholes wrong and falling in love despite you believing that you're not deserving of love. Highly recommend for enough looking for a cute romance full of family drama and fake relationships!

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12. Ana On the Edge by A.J. Sass--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a powerful story!

One of my favourite messages that ANA ON THE EDGE could potentially give young readers that it is OKAY to be in the process of trying to figure out who you are, but also that it's okay to not have all of the answers at once.

We see the MC struggle with their identity and their relationships throughout the whole book, especially because their world has always seemingly had such clear cut gender norms (Ice skating is a huge part of her world). I can't even imagine trying to find who you are when everyone around you is imposing who they think you are on you.

I also enjoyed that we got to see some of the more pivotal relationships in the MCs life and that messy in-between with friendships when big changes happen--like sudden schedule changes, or new friendships blossom. While this book tackled pretty big topics, I liked that its core it was still truly an MGLit book that explored the importance of friendships and keeping the good ones alive (even when life gets a bit hectic.)

Finally, I adored the relationship between the MC and their mom. I loved that they were a team and even though it took a little bit of time, they had some good communication between the two of them. There were some heartwarming moments and I loved seeing them understand each other better as the story progressed.

I think this is another great LGBTQ+ book to have in my back pocket for when I need to recommend great Queer books to readers!

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13. Mindy Kim & the Birthday Puppy by Lyla Lee and Dung Ho Hanh (Illustrations)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's been a while since I picked up the last MINDY KIM book but this was just as cute as I remember the last two books being. There were some moments that made me tear up a little, but I'm just an emotional mess sometimes.

I loved seeing Mindy come into her own with her brand new puppy. A couple of my best friends have a puppy and as I read Mindy's adventures (or misadventures), I thought of how difficult it was for my friends to parent a brand new puppy. This is a kid's book, so I'm not surprised Mindy was able to be so successful so quickly, but in reality, puppies are a lot more work than what was shown here. BUT this didn't take away from the story at all! I love that this could be a really great resource for littles who want a puppy, but need a further understanding of the responsibilities behind it.

And much like the last two books, there were some important topics explored here: how families might look, grief, multicultural traditions, and responsibilities one might take on.

Another great addition to the series and I'll hopefully be reading the next one soon!

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14. Suddenly by Isabelle Autissier--⭐️⭐️.5

I had a lot of expectations for SUDDENLY by Isabelle Autissier, but we all know expectations are sometimes the death knell of a story. The cover enticed me, the synopsis further pulled me in, but the clunky translation full of thesaurus-level words and the random time-jump totally took me out of the story.

Normally, I DNF books that aren't working for me because hi, I have a massive TBR to get through before I die. But I will give Autissier this: she wrote a very intriguing beginning to her book. I wanted to see these characters survive and thrive in their new environment. A morbid sense of intrigue had me continuing the story as they mercilessly killed creatures I never thought someone could kill so coldly, and as they had massive introspection about their super privileged lives (and their first world ignorance about their importance in the grand scheme of things.)

These two characters were severely unlikable, but I couldn't help but get attached. I felt such a mixed bag of emotions towards the FMC and when the time jump happened, I felt further disconnected from not just her, but the story as a whole.

I'll be blunt: the second part of the book (or more like 3/4 way through the book) ruined this for me. I understand the importance of seeing the story of the "after" but I hated it. I think it went from being an interesting exploration of survival and humanity to the superficial experience of society marking you as a hero for surviving. I get that this is also the point: the further examination of how society is in (the character's) reality vs. the truths they realized about the societies they had grown in and how wholly unprepared they were for the battlefield of survival. I get that, but I still disliked it. From there, I felt like the story dragged and my attention wavered even more.

And don't get me started on the ending--the page I thought was going to be the last page was a better last page than the actual last page.

Overall, I liked the first half of the book. Despite the dark aspects, the gut churning choices, and the heartbreaking conclusion, I enjoyed that part. The second part of the book brought the whole story down for me.

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15. Fake Dates & Mooncakes by Sher Lee--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES was a pretty straightforward and easy read, but listen, it was FUN. This felt like I was experiencing a K-Drama or C-Drama. It was such a good time--the dramatic twists, the threats against the middle class guy dating the rich guy, and the CRAZY RICH ASIANS-like trip and event? Freaking amazing. LOL the love interest literally waits for the MC outside of his school standing by his Ferrari. This is juicy Asian-drama level stuff and I ate. it. up.

The romance was adorable and sweet and I won't lie, I sometimes forgot these were teenagers--not because of anything gross, but because these two were so mature in their actions and how they interacted with each other.

The familial relationships were so sweet and I loved how they clearly had each others' best interests in mind whenever something pivotal happened. They were adorable and I loved them.

Reading this was like experiencing some of my favourite Asian dramas again, with a dash of CRAZY RICH ASIANS. It wasn't an earth-shattering read, but five stars for solely being entertaining and making me smile with giddiness. If you want a cute gay story with some truly cute moments, then you might like this--especially as a read for when the warmer weather finally returns!

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

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akirakirxaa · 5 months ago

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Final Thoughts on Dawntrail

Final thoughts on MSQ. There are some positives that I will open with, but as I do have many criticisms and overall did not have as good of a time as I've had in other expacs, I will put it under a break. This will also be quite long.

I will start off by listing some of the things I enjoyed. I liked the overall themes of found and adoptive family, as well as family in general. Most of the plot threads and cutscenes around these themes tended to be quite good. I will admit, I bawled like a baby when they introduced baby Gulool Ja to Koana. I also very much enjoyed the plot revolving around the milalla and honestly wish there were more; I love Erenville's mom a lot as a character, but I feel like she took up comparatively a lot of narrative space when Krile's parents were much more plot relevant. I also liked Bakool's character arc as I'm just a sucker for the bully becoming a big well meaning lug. This is another plot I wish we'd gotten more about since, once we left the woods, we never see him outside of combat again; I'd have liked to see him struggling to connect with the people in non-life threatening situations and learning to not react to everything with violence.

Unfortunately, that is the end of what I actually enjoyed without a "but" that isn't "I'd have liked more". I am so sorry, but by the time I got to the end I did not like Wuk Lamat anymore. The sheer amount of time we spend with her and the sheer amount of that time spent on the same exact speech again and again grated by the end. There were some moments where she really shone though, and that's why I'm putting this to poor writing and misuse of her character than her character actually being bad. I loved her in the whole bit with Zarool Ja, and during the Rite it was fine because her learning to grow up was the point. Which leads to the second thing I really did not like; that we existed to be a camera for her story. 99% of the story could have happened even were we not there, and the last 1% is honestly iffy. I understand letting her have her time, and despite finding it excruciatingly dull to my tastes, the rite was fine and she should take point during it since it's to test her abilities. But...there was not one moment where we got to be the hero. Not one. Hell, in several cutscenes I could barely even see my character because it's her show the whole time. Even at the end, where it finally matters that we're here, because we have the magic crystal that lets us call backup and stay and fight...it still didn't, because she just broke into the fight anyways. Once again, we might as well not even be there.

"Well what's the problem with that!" I hear you cry, and the problem with that is this is a Final Fantasy. I'm here to play the protagonist. I'm not here to control the camera while the writer's NPC does everything. She can be the main character of the expac, but I should not be able to remove my character entirely and have everything go the exact same way. Literally any scion could've done the same things we did while we drank on the beach and nothing would change. A great example of this was when Gulool Ja Ja was killed. Not only did we just stand there and not even attempt to interfere (this could have been a good moment to push the difference of another culture by having an ally stop the WoL), we barely had any reaction at all to it and were covered up most of the time by NPCs. At that point, just have us not be there, have us out protecting civilians and we arrive too late. We've had cutscenes from other PoVs before where we show up right at the end (for good or ill) so no excuse.

I very much did not like any of the plot around Alexandria and Living Memory. It strikes me as that meme of "can I copy your homework?" "Sure, just change it a little so it doesn't look the same". Tell me if you've heard this one before. Immortal being, unable to bear loss, creates a city full of the memories of their lost loved ones in a recreation of their former home. They want to sacrifice the people of the Source to restore these loved ones. When we try to reason with them, they tell us that they cannot give up on their fallen loved ones and refuse to move on. They show us their memories of their loved ones in their former home. At the end, they turn into a big damn monster that we fight. We're close to losing when an ally falls from the sky to our aid. When we win, they ask us to remember.

It's knock off brand Shadowbringers.

Not to mention it seriously feels like the writer forgot while doing Living Memory that, not only does no one remember these people we're erasing, but their souls were eaten so that people can not worry about, idk, falling pianos and such. These people literally just do not exist anymore and we are now the only people who remember them. What's worse, there are probably millions more people we didn't get to meet that we still erased, so they're just gone forever. That's...literally the opposite of the plot of Ultima Thule from EW. We, in this case, are playing the role of Meteion, and not a single Endless seems to have an opinion on it outside of Erenville's mother and Krile's parents.

Never mentioning Dynamis really bugged me too. I was kinda hoping that Wuk Lamat's "specialty", the thing that set her apart, was maybe she was just very good at subconsciously wielding dynamis, letting her easily befriend others and draw greater strength when she needs it. But, like many many pieces of lore, it's never even suggested. In fact, if a piece of lore was in EW, you can almost guarantee it isn't mentioned. Like the boy with a lightning aether imbalance. We literally have the cure for that, but say nothing at all, not even to our allies when we meet back up. I'm hoping this will be addressed in a later patch since it was specifically pointed out (chekov's gun and all) but still. It felt over and over that things we learned in ShB and EW were glossed over at best or outright ignored at worst. The pacing of everything after the dome appeared was strange; some parts went too fast, then some went on forever.

Unfortunately, this comes in as my least favorite expac. Even below SB, which I famously dislike. I'm hoping moving forward we'll see some more interesting stories that once again require us to be present to be told, and I am curious about why the key bears Azem's symbol, but I will not be rushing to play through this expac again any time soon. And will most likely be tweaking the scenes in anything I write to make more sense, flow better, or actually require Akira's attention.

#ffxiv #dawntrail #review #thoughts #dawntrail spoilers #dt spoilers #7.0 spoilers #ffxiv dawntrail #long post

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