#carol peletier deserved better

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on TBOC 202

I'm not going to do a full review of this episode because it would require a rewatch and frankly I have no desire to rewatch anything more than Carol's clips online. Here are a few thoughts though...

Melissa McBride is amazing. She gives me goosebumps even when she's performing Carol's composed side. I never would've given this episode a try if it weren't for her (and if it weren't for @that-left-turn letting me know exactly when to tap out before Daryl's character went through the shredder AND if it weren't for the episode leaking early so I wouldn't have to give AMC my money for that unforgivable narrative choice). She and Carol deserved so much fucking better than a really heartfelt arc being upended by the carelessness in Daryl's arc.

Shoutout to Manish Dayal, who is a wonderful addition to the show despite Ash being whitewashed and made a victim of Zabel's gross misrepresentation of women as manipulative and weak for men.

Special shoutout to Clémence Poésy for still delivering strong performances despite her character being reduced to something straight of out of the "TV book of tricks" and for speaking out about it the only way women in the industry can. If only the men in charge understood the power of silence the way she and Melissa do. They'd be doing themselves and us a huge favor.

A sincere fuck you and how dare you to every man in power on this show who used Daryl for whatever personal agenda they had and ignored every fan (Daryl, Caryl, Rickyl, and GA alike) shouting and pleading with them since the S1 finale not to take away what made Daryl special. His loyalty. His unconventional masculinity. His devotion to Carol. His devotion to his family. He was a role model to so many men and women, a man of honor. He was supposed to be different from the toxic men many of his fans have had to face in their own lives. He was supposed to be the man who didn’t hurt them. But instead of acknowledging that he has, that he’s fully unrecognizable now, the male EPs kick fans while they're down. They gaslight them into thinking it's their fault for not understanding "art" when they see it and they tell us repeatedly that we're not welcome to our favorite characters anymore. Case in point, Zabel's entire SFX interview. Nicotero saying they don't write the show for the fans. Norman trying to cyberbully fans who are upset, or rather encourage his diehards to do it for him. Shame on all three of them and shame on AMC for letting them do whatever they want no matter how much it hurts their bottom line.

I believe it's possible to redeem Daryl, but only under a different showrunner who actually values his trajectory on the flagship show, understands his nuances, and respects his fans. In the meantime, I feel like I'm mourning him.

(Note: Gimple does not qualify as a different showrunner)

[gunmetal-ring]

If i dont see carol news and/or melissa mcbride spoilers soon im actually going to cry

[itsmymeaningoflife]

The ONE thing I can thank the walking dead for is the fact that they never killed off Carol.

Like for a hot second towards the end I was terrified that they would

But that woman meant so much to me and so many others. It was refreshing to see a tragic character survive the show.

[lola-andheruniverse]

"K" for the ask game ❤️

Oh, hi, dear anon! Sorry for the wait!

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

UGH! This is a tough one. I want so much to answer Carol from The Waalking Dead, my dear babe who started as an fearful, abused, "mousey" wife and through so much fire and pain (and love, she has so much love) became the ZA badass queen....BUT, and I hate this but, unfortunately, TPTB put her so many times on endless cycles of misery and grief, rewashing the same narrative over and over again, that they stunted her development arc and ended the main show without giving her a happy ending. So, because she's victim of a very bad storytelling, I can't choose her.

I have to go with Clara, from Doctor Who. Moffat had a lot of issues as a showrunner but he had a clear plan when he created Clara. Her character is a celebration of all things Doctor Who and a love letter to the show. At the beginning, she's a cute, intelligent and stubborn girl (more afraid than she appears but trying so much to be brave), nothing groundbreaking except she already died twice saving The Doctor and he can't understand why she keeps coming back, why she keeps saving him. A "mystery wrapped in an enigma, squeezed into a skirt that's just a little bit too tight", as the 11th Doctor describes her. We discover that she's not a mystery, she's just an ordinary, magnificent girl who made an impossible choice: to split herself over time and space to save him because she loves him. She's just human. And, because of that, she's capable of the most amazing and impossible things. She gets older, and smarter, and braver, until the point she's not only the ultimate companion, but Doctor Clara. A force to be reckoned with, the only one to truly match the Doctor on his cleverness and his recklessness. She starts as the girl who was born to save The Doctor and becomes a Doctor herself. Her development arc comes to a full closure with a bittersweet and a little-bit-happy-a-little-bit-tragic but so fitting ending, leaving the door open for a bunch of new stories that could be explored on a spin-off without changing her ending on the main show. Its chief storytelling, beautifully written and executed. So, yeah, anon, what would I give to see Carol's arc planned and developed like Clara's. Sorry for the most convoluted answer ever. This was fun!

[youmakethelight]

Not to be a downer, but the spin-off era has been so weird.

I waited since season 1 of twd to know where these helicopters were coming from, and then they make TOWL "an epic love story". .. why? Nothing against rick and michonne being in love, but.. I didn't need that. It just seems like such a weird decision.

And then dead city.. idk, again, just.. why? I'm so through watching maggie be miserable bc negan is in her breathing space. It's actually boring. Slow-burn will-they-won't-they, but it's about whether she'll forgive a man for gleefully murdering her husband with a baseball bat? Ok. I'm just not invested, sorry, lol.

And then they turn the Carol and Daryl spin-off into.. solo superhero man dresses like a European apocalypse model and everyone loves him.

What is going on.

[9lives2mics]

Quick Update & Announcement

Our thoughts on The Book of Carol reviews and what this means for 9Lives2Mics.

Spotify | Youtube

Please take care of yourself.

[strangerthingfanfic]

I’m going to write a fic where Carol from The Walking Dead and Billy from Stranger Things both have to stare down their demons and accept that they both were horrible people who have done horrible things but to save themselves they have to accept it and make amends

Random Thoughts

Will both or just one make it?

Whose more likely to do it?

Whose fan base would be more willing to push them to search inside themselves?

My theory is the Billy Stan’s would be willing to make Billy see his faults faster than any Carol fan 😂

[my-mt-heart]

All of this. It’s so important to tell AMC how we are feeling. I see people tagging them on Twitter, which is great. Use relevant tags as well.

I don’t want anything that Gimple, Zabel, and Nicotero are trying to sell. I want someone in charge who values Melissa’s input, understands Daryl’s and Carol’s characters/relationship, and is ready to deliver what the fans want.

But the studio isn’t pushing romantic caryl. They’ve played them as soulmate friends. And I believe them now. After the bad promo and zabel’s comments idk why some of us are trying to retcon what’s in front of us. I won’t watch and be disrespected.

I’d describe what the studio’s peddling as ‘ambiguous Caryl.’ The romance is there if you choose to interpret the tea leaves one way, or Caryl are just the bestest of buddies if you’d rather see it the other way. AMC has always tried to cast as wide a net as possible, often to the detriment of both the quality of the show and the viewership they could’ve had if they’d made some definitive choices.

I think a lot of fans try to retcon the show's marketing because they’ve made a large emotional investment in Caryl—understandable since they’re two of the best developed characters on television, and there’s very limited understanding of how a TV production is run. After the last two years, people want things to be hopeful, so they curate a narrative that puts a positive spin on the promotion. There are probably also fans who didn’t watch S1 and haven’t seen anything else that Zabel has showrun, so they don’t know his style or how he writes women.

AMC wants Carylers to watch the show. They’ve spent the last few weeks promoting specifically to that demographic. I’m not saying they’re pro romantic Caryl, but they’re anti something which’ll nuke their Caryl audience out of existence. Zabel’s quote doesn’t serve AMC. They want you to watch, even if they give you nothing and telling you upfront that they’ll give you nothing will result in less viewers and less money. That’s why they’ve spent 14 years playing coy with all factions of fandom.

I wish fans would look at the bigger picture. Some other EP wants reunions (and is probably pitching shows to AMC) only to have Norman shoot down any questions about Rick with a joke. He’s not interested. Norman’s also been pretty vocal lately in hyping Melissa and Carol. He’s buffering her with the fans at the shoot, etc. That’s all part of the job and yes, it serves him too, but who doesn’t benefit from a successful S2 and/or Caryl and McReedus chemistry being well-received?

AMC has paid quite a bit of money to have Melissa return and they want to see that investment pay off. They won’t pick up an actor’s option—her deal is for two seasons—if that actor doesn’t bring viewers, engagement and acclaim because they have to offer her more money. Who stands to gain and what is to be gained, if ratings don’t increase from S1? It’s a low-key way to sabotage an actor you don’t want on your show and there are three EPs who resent Melissa being foisted upon them. All three have their own reasons for it.

I think that’s where things currently stand. Choosing not to watch helps a misogynist agenda and choosing to watch sends a message to AMC that they don’t have to respect their viewers. It’s important that Melissa gets the praise she deserves and doesn’t get scapegoated, so I would suggest that fans are vocal about the reasons for their choice. No matter what your choice is.

Just, please, don’t pretend that Zabel’s anyone’s ally or that Melissa’s EP title overrules whatever he says. Unless she specifically goes on the record to say that she wants Caryl to be platonic soulmates and nothing else, don't assume that her silence or deference to someone who’s her boss means she agrees with his decisions. She's not free to speak her mind at work events and even behind closed doors, it's hard to openly oppose men with fragile egos who hold the power.

I'm not trying to dictate what anyone should do. I just want there to be less misinformation, so Caryl fans can make informed decisions for themselves.

[my-mt-heart]

A wise woman once said:

Should’ve gone to New Mexico.

She was right, and we won't forget it.

[illusianation]

Carol: Love, Loss, + Survivor’s Guilt

-Inspired by listening to I’ve Never Been to Me and Crazy by Patsy Cline on repeat

Shared from a recent post I made on Twitter

It’s not news in the TWD fandom how Melissa McBride’s insight into Carol’s journey has always been spot-on, especially when it comes to the deeper emotional layers that drive her.

Carol lives and breathes inside Melissa and Melissa LOVES and KNOWS Carol better than anyone. Period. As we keep hearing, the way she describes Carol’s current headspace seems to be centered in unresolved trauma, PTSD, and confronting her survivor's guilt. Like so many of us here who love her, I AM HERE FOR IT. It literally brought me back to this fandom after years away because the promise of Carol Peletier is unlike any character from any medium, and Melissa McBride is just as rare and special. She and Carol have more story to tell and after episode 1 of The Book of Carol, it is BEAUTIFUL already.

For so long, Carol’s very identity has been shaped by loss—both the loss of others and the parts of herself she’s had to compartmentalize to survive. This compartmentalization was initially a survival mechanism, a way to navigate both the horrors of her pre-apocalypse life and the new terrors of the ZA. But then, she was so good at it, it became her superpower.

She became a master at putting up emotional walls, donning her many masks to navigate her compounded grief, loss, and trauma. But over time, what began as a means of survival and a means to find peace, has left her fragmented, and the only two people to have ever been able to see inside those walls are Sophia and Daryl.

Carol’s journey, especially in connection to Daryl, has always been about finding that elusive peace. Her origin story of connection with him is intimately tied to the search and consequent loss of her daughter, and he is literally the only one left in her life who was there. The fact that their bond was forged out of that loss is such a crucial element. Her struggle with survivor’s guilt now with Daryl being gone, links directly back to that time and feels like the ultimate test of her emotional endurance. Like she needs another test?!?! 🙄 But, I digress.

One of the problems now is Daryl’s situationship in France. Carol has always been so attuned to the needs of others, especially Daryl, but often at the cost of her own needs and her own healing. The way Carol perceives his survival without her now, and how it will reinforce her own insecurities, is fucking heartbreaking— because it’s not a reflection of her worth but of the trauma she’s carried for so long. She’s also constantly torn between protecting others and protecting herself, and her methods of self-preservation often come at the cost of personal connection, believing she doesn’t deserve the happiness and wholeness she craves.

Integrating all her masks, not dropping them completely, but integrating them and the pieces of her fragmented self, is key; to accepting that all these parts—her resilience, her vulnerability, her love for those around her—are not mutually exclusive, but rather, all facets of the same powerful survivor. And again, Daryl is the one person left who has seen her in her truest form, which makes his absence (and her perception of his ability to survive without her) even more painful. But with or without him, for Carol, this next step seems to be about reconciling her sense of worth, and realizing she deserves to heal and feel whole.

The hope for her in reuniting with Daryl, her soulmate, is not just about a physical reunion—it’s about the emotional closure she deserves. It’s about Carol finally allowing herself to not only protect those she loves but to be loved, fully and without condition. She’s fought for everyone else’s survival, and now it’s time for her to fight for her own peace and happiness. The question now is will Daryl fully understand that quest despite whatever the fuck he is doing. Oops, I mean despite the separate connections he is making and the emotional regression, confusion, guilt, and projection that seems to be happening. It’s going to be a bumpy road ahead in France, but then again, Spain is still out there.

Melissa’s love letter to Carol - Paraphrased from I’ve Never Been to Me by Charlene

Hey lady (Carol), you’re cursing at your life. Y

ou’re a discontented mother and regimented wife,

With a weary heart who’s lived a million lives.

I've no doubt you dreamed about

the things you'll never do, you’ve ran out of places and friendly faces

Because you had to be free

You’ve spent your life exploring

The subtle whoring

That costs too much to be free

You’ve been to paradise, but you’ve never been to YOU.

[my-mt-heart]

This is just one of many examples of how TWDU has been mistreating Carol and Melissa despite the critical acclaim they've brought for years and how TWDU has been testing the loyalty of a fanbase that has more than earned the right to enjoy compelling stories and promotion for an inspiring character like Carol and a one-of-a-kind relationship like Caryl's. It isn't a coincidence that we've been suffering the worst of the abuse over the last 5 weeks. It's disgusting behavior from the pettiest man on the planet and AMC is shooting themselves in the foot (again) by letting it get this bad (again).

Shit like this pisses me off so much. Carol has been there since S1 and yet they always seem to forget she exists. I adore Michonne, Rick and Daryl but come on, why keep pretending Carol doesn’t exist and not include her in these type of posts? It’s pathetic and stupid and whoever runs that account needs to be removed 👌

[emswritingsstuff]

Big Brother Talk (Carol Peletier x Fem!Dixon!Reader)

summary: basically, a reader insert rewrite of the scene where daryl and carol talk at the sacturary. except they talk about you.

note: we are so back? i'm very very very rusty with writing so i'm so sorry if this is garbage? i fear all my brain capacity went to my ceramics class in the fall lol. and if you can't tell i'm kinda in love with a dixon!reader x carol pairing

WC: 0.4k

--

Blowing the smoke out of his lungs, Daryl sat in the back of Sanctuary. The only light outside was the moon shining down. As he continued to nurse his cigarette, the sound of footsteps alerted him. Only to be met with Carol walking up beside him. Handing the cigarette to her, she took it. Only to drop it on the ground and crush it with her boot. Simply saying “These things will kill you,” before making her place beside the scruff man. 

“Why aren’t you in bed?” Carol asked, slight concern in her voice. “Why aren’t you?” Daryl was quick with his response as his best friend made her spot beside him. She sighed as she began to look up at the sky with Daryl. 

With another soft sigh, she spoke while fiddling with her hands. “We don’t sleep,” she paused for a moment. As if she was debating on what to say next. “(Y/N) on the other hand sleeps like a baby. It's annoying,” even when trying to act annoyed, a smirk crept onto her face at the mere thought of you. 

It was not a secret that you and Carol were together, the both of you making it official the minute you started to call Alexandria “home”. Daryl approved of it, obviously, and not like you needed much of his approval anyways. It always managed to make him smile when he hears Carol speak so fondly of you though. 

Doesn’t mean he can’t keep up his big brother act though. “Yeah. She still snore?” The sly comment caused Carol to softly whack him while whispering a “Stop it” while giggling. Putting his hand up again, he let himself get real. “No, she’s alright’. But she can sure be annoyin’ at times to ya.” Carol could only laugh and nod in agreeance with him. 

“Glad I have pookies approval,” Daryl just simply nodded his head while losing himself in thoughts about you. 

Since childhood you were always closed off and quiet, the exact opposite of him. When the world seemingly ended, that didn’t change. But if anything, Daryl started to become like you. As the both of you grew closer with Carol, he watched as you finally started to come out of your shell. He always thought it was like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, or a flower blooming in the sun. 

Carol was changing you, and all for the better. And he was grateful for her, not just for him, but for you.

“I'm happy for ya. Both of ya. If anybody deserves to be happy it’s y’all.” Daryl looked at Carol after he spoke, a cheerful smile being painting on your face. 

“I’m telling (Y/N) you said that.”

“Don’t.”

[cultofdixon]

No need to be embarrassed, hun

Daryl Dixon | Carol Peletier [PLATONIC] • She/Her Pronouns • It’s natural! It happens! People who say it’s disgusting in ill intent deserve to fall off a bridge—-Daryl and Carol have your back • SFW • TW: Periods / Blood

Requested by: Anon

“You’ve seen the kid?”

“No, not for a couple hours…you think—-“

“If you jump the gun, I will and then the Spencer guy will be dead”

Carol immediately gave the archer a concerned look. “Why would he be dead? He’s too old for her. She’s close to Carl’s age!”

“He’s a fuckin’ creep and freaks me out. He could literally breathe in the same room as my kid and he’d dead meat” Daryl scoffs bringing himself to go check the room Y/N has taken up in Carol’s house.

“I’m not gonna warn Deanna of your potential murder!” Carol chimes in one last time before checking the oven for the cookies she’s making.

But before Daryl could even check the upstairs bedrooms he watches Y/N anxiously come down the stairs.

“You okay pumpkin?” His voice instantly riddled with worry which triggered Carol to make herself present beside the archer.

Y/N shook her head as she held her stomach looking at the two on the verge of tears.

“is it just us…?” Y/N anxiously asks watching both of them nod as Carol slowly approaches her which made her start sobbing. “I don’t know what’s happening…”

“Oh hun” Carol frowns wrapping her arms around her, holding her until she felt better as Daryl brought himself over rubbing circles on her back to soothe her before noticing the few jackets wrapped around her waist.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Daryl asks wanting her to explain what’s going on before he jumps to his scary conclusions that his mind has at the ready. “You cold? Or coming down with a cold?” He made it obvious to Carol that Y/N was wrapped with a few jackets as she instantly understood.

“Hun. Did you start your period?” Carol kept a soft tone the entire time she said such watching Y/N start balling as she nods her head but she was still a bit confused on the matter. “You never…?”

“N-No…a-and now I have no mom to h-help me…I’m scared…I-I….”

“You’ve got me. I’m right here” Carol reassures with a smile brushing the hair out of the way of Y/N’s face, tucking the strand behind her ear.

“Phew…least yea ain’t bit or nothin’” Daryl states suddenly watching Y/N’s face turn mortified as Carol rolls her eyes.

“I’m gonna run yea a bath, then once yer in. I’m gonna make Daryl get everything you need. Okay? We’ll take it slow” Carol reassures wrapping her arm around Y/N’s shoulders directing her upstairs. “We’re here for you, sweetheart”

After getting the bath ready and Y/N situated, Carol met with Daryl in the kitchen writing down everything she’ll need from the pantry—if they have it.

“Yea sure you don’t wanna get this stuff?”

“Are you equipped to help Y/N in this moment without these items?” Carol question with a smile watching Daryl read the list and already look dumbfounded. “That’s what I thought. And if Olivia questions you? Ignore her. Y/N needs all these things. And Denise? Lovely girl in the infirmary, you can get pain killers from her”

“Pain killers? How fucking bad is this?!” Daryl started to sound like a panicked father who’s never dealt with this before. And he is. Y/N is like a daughter to both him and Carol.

“I’ll go into details later if you really wanna fucking know. But go!” Carol shooed him away before getting a pot of water on the stove.

In the old world there are two types of girl dads.

One dad knows exactly what he is looking for because there’s an isle for the item and if he really needs help. He’ll ask for it.

The other dad. Will get the wrong thing because he doesn’t want to stay in the women hygiene isle for too long. Or—he will get multiple options when he was instructed and shown which one to get before leaving for the store.

Daryl is dead center. He knows what is asked of him to get, but still looked clueless looking at the options they had given it’s the apocalypse and the pantry will have limited options.

“Daryl…?” Olivia questions his presence as he instantly tensed holding all of Carol’s list in his grasp minus the main product he needed. “…why are you looking at pads and tampons?”

“Mind yer business” Daryl glared taking one of each and stepping out of the pantry immediately after. Leaving Olivia extremely confused before charting what he took given his list was discarded on the rack.

Carol watches Daryl spill all the products onto the kitchen counter as she grabs what she needed in the moment. The pads, pain killers, and the hot water pouch to pour the hot water in.

“You gonna tell me now?”

“Gonna tell you now?” Carol laughs a bit. “Let me take care of our girl and then you can ask all the weird ass questions you want”

“They ain’t weird!”

“Really? Once I tell you that women shed, and only that with no explanation? You’ll come up with weird questions” Carol smirks watching Daryl’s expression go from neutral to horrified.

Snakes? Daryl thought as Carol made her way upstairs. No…that ain’t. What the fuck he rest his head in his hand leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Y/N? You okay in there?” Carol knocks on the bathroom door hearing the girl say ‘come in’ giving her pets mission to open the door. “How are you feeling?”

“Gross…” Y/N frowns sitting on the edge of the tub wrapped in the darkest towel they’ve got.

“That’s normal.” Carol reassures handing her the box of pads seeing her confusion grow a bit. “It’s simple and again, a normal thing to go through. If it makes you feel any better I think I broke Daryl’s brain about the subject” she smiles when that got a laugh out of the girl to ease a bit of the awkwardness.

After Carol explained how to use the product before letting her get situated alone. Then once Y/N was situated back in her bedroom still uncomfortable but at least she had the hot water pack against her abdomen. It helped a bit. But being in the fetal position back under her blankets felt a lot better. Maybe the pain killers help a bit.

“You feelin’ better kiddo?” Daryl asks checking in after Carol didn’t come back down stairs after an hour.

“Meh” Y/N sighs curling up a bit more with Carol laying beside her propped up against the headboard rubbing circles on her back.

“Least yea ain’t a snake” Daryl refers to the shedding comment early as Y/N raises herself a bit to give him a confused look before giving the same expression to Carol watching her shake her head in a sense of ‘we’ve lost him’. “Brought some of Carol’s cookies for yea”

“Now where did you find where I hid those?”

“Better me then the little brat” Daryl scoffs handing the plate to Y/N once she brought herself to sit up resting it in her lap. “He always takes the goods”

“Are you seriously trying to fight another son in the community? One that is a child?” Carol tried hard not to laugh as Y/N mid bite looked at Daryl for an answer watching him take one of the cookies from the plate.

“I can push the kid in a bush and call it a day. The Deanna son? Gotta knock his lights out for him to shut up for once” Daryl took a bite of his cookie, hiding his smile when Y/N laughed at his words.

“Now hun, violence is—“

“—sometimes—“

“NEVER—the answer” Carol glares playfully at Daryl who always tends to shrug for his responses.

A few hours passed and Y/N got the hang of using the products given to her. Even if she made the choice to wait on tampons until she got used to this monthly virtue. She put everything given to her under the sink of the communal bathroom in the house before taking the now cold water jug downstairs with her to see if Carol would help her boil water for it.

Carol was situated on the porch swing putting out her cigarette at the right moment Y/N stepped out. “Hey hun”

“Hey Uhm…you think you can help me with this?” She held up the jug sheepishly as Carol reassures her with a smile.

“I’m happy to. You still feeling as bad as you were this morning?”

“No…feeling a bit better. The cramps are still bad” Y/N frowns bringing herself to sit with Carol for a moment as she instinctively wrapped her arm around the young one’s shoulders.

“It’ll be like that the first few days. Then it’ll get better. Meaning not as painful and you’d feel like yourself again” Carol smiles watching the teen rest her head on her shoulder. “It only lasts a week and if it gets too bad, no one is going to judge you if you want to stay in bed. And if they do. We both know Daryl is getting antsy to punch someone” She jokes smiling even more when Y/N laughed.

Her laughter faded along with her smile as she thought about it. “You sure I won’t get judged for staying in bed?”

“I bet you a million dollars, or the equivalent to such in the apocalypse, that our favorite archer would rather spend all day in bed if he could”

“Damn straight” Daryl makes his presence known looking at the soft display as he smiles to such before showing what he caught outside the walls. “Found this guy outside the walls” he presented the possum to both of them watching their faces turn into disgust. “You look like that now, but y’all like my cooking”

The two looked at each other watching Daryl head inside to prepare the meat.

“I mean. Food is food”

“Exactly”

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

We’re Burned for Better

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Carol Peletier

Setting: Commonwealth (Series end, No France)

Warnings: Allusions to child abuse, mention of injuries/scars

Summary: They’ve always survived. Now they’re ready to live.

*Click here to be added to taglists.

It was uncharacteristically quiet on the streets of the Commonwealth. Even the usually jubilant marketplace remained dark and empty long after the sun had poured her rays over the seemingly normal little community. The days that preceded had been filled with uncertainty as the darkest of evils threatened to snuff out the light. Pamela had failed and the people had survived, though not unscathed. On this particular morning, they would rest. They would heal. And then, as they always managed to do, they would move forward. 

Ocean blue eyes squinted against the unwelcome light. No, she was too sore, too tired, too done to leave the comfort and safety of such a soft, warm, welcoming bed. Carol raised a hand to her face and scowled from between her fingers at the part in the curtains. She soon gave up and allowed her arm to fall, landing limply across her side. She closed her eyes once more, her fingers brushing across a patch of still sensitive skin just below her sternum. The previous few days had taken a grueling toll on her body. Only a dull ache reminded her of how close they had been to failure before Daryl had stepped up, being the voice that drew opposing sides together. 

The mattress shifted and she did not even try to resist the smile that tugged upward on the corners of her lips. Against the protest of sore muscles, she slowly rolled onto her right side to gaze upon the man that shared her bed. Her archer.

His bare back faced her, a myriad of lightened scars telling their tales of a life before and after the end of the world. Instinctively, she reached for him, feeling the raised skin of a particularly intense scar that decorated the area between shoulder blades. ‘Daddy’s belt,’ he had told her. She had bore witness to the tolls life had taken on his body too many times before she had been given the chance to kiss every scar as he told the tales of their origin. Those moments were more intimate than the lovemaking that could have followed but didn't. He had shown enough vulnerability that night and, though she was certain he would have been willing, they spent the night simply lying in each other's arms. 

“Daryl.” A whisper as she drew herself closer, molding her front to his back. Her thin shirt did nothing to shelter her skin from his warmth. She found herself hoping she hadn’t woken him after all. Refusing to separate, they had practically crawled upstairs and collapsed after the streets had quieted, physically and emotionally drained after the turmoil of the past few days. A few more hours like this were well deserved and long overdue. She didn’t even try to resist when her eyelids began to droop, his soft breathing and steady heartbeat lulling her into a dreamless but restful sleep.

The sun was well into the sky when she next knew anything. Carol couldn’t remember the last time she had slept in that late. She was even more surprised to find herself still twisted around Daryl. Pressing a featherlight kiss to his shoulder, she smiled against his skin when he began to stir. “I thought you were always up before dawn, Daryl Dixon.” 

"Most’a the time.” His voice was thick and laced with sleep. He pulled away slightly to stretch tired limbs before settling back into their previous position. “Ain’t usually in bed with no one neither.” She could almost feel his smirk, but chose to snuggle closer as opposed to the playful smack she thought about giving him. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, Carol’s fingers skimming up and down Daryl’s arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She finally allowed her hand to close around his, their fingers lacing together.  

Sitting up slightly, Daryl rolled over to face her, their foreheads nearly touching as he laid back on the pillow. He reached for her hand and smiled at her before he began to lazily trace circles into her palm. 

“Do you think it’s over?” She whispered. 

His smile faded as blue met blue, a plea for reassurance reflecting in her cyan orbs. It was obvious that the question had been expected, but the answer was not at all easy. 

“No.” Daryl replied quietly, releasing her hand to cup her cheek. “Maybe this, but somethin’ else’ll come ‘round. Always does.” 

“I just— I want a chance at this,” she wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed.

There was a ghost of a smile as she let go only to place her hand on top of the one he held against her face, dragging it over to kiss his palm before she sat up. She stretched and looked at him over her shoulder, accidentally drawing his attention to the skin now visible from the drooping sleeve of her shirt. Carol gave a yelp as he sat up and pulled her back against him.

Dragging his fingers up her arm, he reached her hair and pulled it aside to allow access to her neck. Carol hummed in appreciation, tilting her head. “You know,” she breathed between his gentle pecks against her pulse, “we’ve seen every inch of each other at one point or another but—" 

She heard a mumble that sounded dangerously like ‘less talk’ and had to stifle a chuckle. Carol spun to wrap her arms around his neck, finally kissing him with all the fire and passion she felt while pushing him back to straddle his hips. Just as he reached for the hem of her shirt and began to push it up⁠—

"Carol? Daryl?”

Daryl deadpanned. “I hate people.”

"Carol? Are you guys here? Daryl?” Maggie’s voice traveled up the stairs.

“Well.” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip while Daryl scrutinized her with a raised eyebrow. "Some other time, Pookie.” The archer sighed and dropped his head back against the pillow. He wasn’t angry. He was just pouting. She leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose before Judith’s voice traveled up the stairs.

“Are you guys here?”

Carol couldn’t help but laugh as she rolled off the bed with Daryl grumbling and grunting behind her. This was her “normal” life, and now, she was going to live.

[darylandcarol4ever]

With each passing day it’s more obvious that David Zabel doesn’t know Daryl’s character and background. And it’s even more obvious that they rushed to full damage control mode with their promo. The promo wasn’t even cohesive. Promo said something and the showrunner is saying something entirely different. Rushing to get it out 🙄👇🏻

Are they teasing that the next country will be Italy? 🤦🏻‍♀️

PS. Bassel Galal is awesome and his promo is carrying us better than the official promo, to be honest🤩

Nine Lives Two Mics (Caryl Podcast) | New Episode

🎙️The Ever-Changing Promo For “The Book of Carol”🎙️

We share our thoughts on the teasers, promos, and the overall marketing strategy for  “The Book of Carol”. Trigger warning: This episode gets very heavy so please be mindful of your mental health before tuning in.

Your feelings are valid, no matter what they are. If you’re excited for the show, we’re truly happy for you. If you’re anxious and on the fence, we see you and we get it. The common throughline of this spectrum is that we all love Caryl deeply & want them to have a beautiful & all-rounded story. We’re in this together (even if it feels like Thanksgiving dinner sometimes). Please remember to be kind to yourself & those who don’t share your opinions. We’ll be here if you want to chat, feel free to send us an ask.

(If you need mental health support, check out this resource) 

Spotify | Youtube 

(this episode is not spoiler-free)

[lines-we-cross]

13 years today since the pilot episode of TWD,and look how far our girl has come since s1 ❤

Melissa Mcbride performance as Carol Peletier is just beyond amazing, it's breathtaking. 

From Atlanta - Alexandria - Commonwealth 

Next stop France ❤❤❤

I can't emphasize enough just how exited i am for The Book of Carol,just thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

We have so mutch to look forword to,I know some of you are worried but to be honest you can put those fears to rest.

You know why I have such a strong faith? Because of Melissa.

Nobody knows Carol better then Melissa,and with her haveing creative control and being a executive producer on the show.

You know Melissa is going to do right by Carol,I trust Melissa's judgement 100%.

At the same time it's also vital that AMC gives the Caryl fandom what we want and deserve.

We want full cannon,we deserve for Caryl to have a happy ending.

The Caryl fandom has been more then patient with AMC,if they want our money and engagement they better start listing.

300 000 unsubscribed last year to AMC,that's a lot of lost income for a struggling network.

You want fans back?

Then start by listing to your audience,stop takeing them for granted and give us what we want. It's as simple as that

Caryl on ❤❤❤