#daryl has some things to work with but not a lot which means i have to fill jn the blanks

[typhra]

Still thinking about the story I came up with Daryl and raven. Too bad I can't write so it will probably never see the light of day.

[corvidcrossbow]

It's late when I'm writing this and I'm sleepy and I'm (again) thinking about Daryl falling asleep during sex.

Not in a mean way; say like he comes home from a run pretty late in the evening or night, you get him some food then help him through a shower and maybe a massage that ends in both your clothes gone and missionary.

Your bodies are about as intertwined as they could be; your legs hooked behind his back, arms around his neck and shoulders, his arms curled around your torso and head buried into your chest and crook of your neck.

He keeps murmuring about how much he missed you, how warm you feel, how good you smell, how soft your skin is; just how much he loves you. His thrusts are slow, almost lazy, kisses accompanying his words of admiration.

He's purring again, completely lost in you, melting into the feeling of your body beneath his cause it's the most comfortable thing to ever exist. His body's on autopilot to maintain his movements, but eventually his brain drifts a little too far to keep it up and he just falls asleep in your hold.

You whisper his name just once to check his consciousness, confirming that he's gone, then smile to yourself and resist your chuckle as to not rouse him. You brush hair back from his face, tenderly tucking it behind his ear with sweet little goodnights and a kiss to his forehead; to which he subconsciously cuddles closer to you. You watch him for a little, then fall asleep yourself.

Daryl groggily wakes up a couple hours later (he practically never sleeps more than a few hours without waking up), disoriented from drifting off mid action. Awareness trickles back to him, remembering what he was doing, only now pulling out of you and shuffling to the space in bed beside you, accidentally waking you in the process.

He tries to get you to go back to sleep, but is a little distant which just wakes you more. Truth is; he's embarrassed. In his perspective – from things he's heard and been told – falling asleep during sex is not only bad, but insulting: essentially saying you're disinterested and find it so boring you snooze.

Of course you catch onto this without him even needing to say it, but still persuade him to explain it himself since it's part of working with him on getting better at freely expressing his feelings and being honest. He keeps apologizing, saying he didn’t mean it like that at all and he was just really beat from the run; if you wanted to restart right now he's willing (he definitely feels like he disappointed you and assumes you're upset with him) (again that stems from preconceptions, not actually you)

So you shift up against him, wrapping him back in your arms and saying you understand he was really tired, and that's okay. He didn't hurt your feelings at all. In fact, you love that; the fact he fell asleep – that he felt so safe and comfortable with you, even during such a vulnerable thing, that he fell asleep.

He's confused. I mean… you were having sex, and seemed to be enjoying it, then his exhaustion essentially ‘ruined’ the moment, and your pleasure (this was early on enough in your relationship that he's still wrapping his mind around the fact you're in love with him, and not the sex – you love that too obviously, but that's not why you're with him. He struggles a lot with seeing relationships as 50/50, rather more 75/25, or 90/10 even, where he's most of the weight. It all stems from his upbringing and experiences, and feels he has a debt to be constantly repaying you simply because you're claiming you love him – he just feels like if he's not meeting expectations he set, he's not good enough, and if he's ‘fumbling’ in something as crucial as sex that's a major problem) (I gotta stop that here or ima get off track)

But anyway, you continue to correct and reassure him, running fingers through the roots of his hair, holding him to you and periodically peppering kisses to his head, temple, jawline and such while you speak, lulling him to rest again.

It takes him a little while to accept that what you say is true, as do most things you reassure him about. A lot of the earlier chunk of your relationship was spent undoing the intricate knots of negative thinking patterns and thoughts that wove into his mind throughout his life – all this being one of them.

He comes to accept it eventually, along with other things, and can now just cuddle up with you in intimate positions, but not actually having sex, and fall asleep in each other's embrace.

Yes your Honor, I am guilty of loving non-sexual cockwarming where you just stay like that to feel connected 😔🤞

(I swear I will post a req fic soon I needa lock in 🗿)

[d1xonss]

H EY could you possibly write a fic where the readers been on some heat the whole day just overall pissed, then there’s a fight outbreak in Alexandria and everyone crowding around & people calling Daryl so he comes, just to realise it’s his girl and he has to restrain her, pulling her away so she doesn’t continue beating the shit out of whoever and she’s MAD so he has to calm her down and gets her to just talk to him so he can help her. Just a thought yk 😛

Sticks and Stones

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 5

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 3k

AN ~ I like this idea a lot! Just the thought of Daryl helping her clean up and take care of her after something like this just makes me melt. ps- Sorry for the inactiveness lately, April has already been such a crazy month for me and I've sadly had little to no time to write. But I'll definitely start getting back on track soon. Hope you enjoy!

The weather was hot, sticky, and humid. Your hair was a frizzy mess, sticking up everywhere as you worked in the miserable weather. You were sweating in places you didn’t even think were possible to sweat from. Bottom line was, you were miserable.

The bad mood that was embedded in you only seemed to grow as the day dragged on longer and longer. It was bad enough that your group joined this new community in the first place, having to live with all of these complete strangers after everything you had been through with your family. But what seemed to make it even worse, was this community had some high expectations upon your arrival. The leader, Deanna, made it very clear that she wanted each and every one of you working like dogs in order to do your part just like everyone else.

Meanwhile her sons were sitting in their air conditioned houses without lifting a damn finger.

Though you didn’t mind putting in the work, in fact, that was all you did your whole life. You were never handed a damn thing, needing to learn to find your own way in life and work for everything you got instead of being spoiled rotten. But again, you didn’t mind. The only thing that bugged you was that there were clearly a few favorites that got special treatment. Though you weren’t just talking about Deanna’s sons.

For the past couple of days you had been scheduled to work with a small group of others that you tried to play nice with. And for the most part, they all seemed friendly enough, willing to pitch in and do the part they were told to complete. Everyone…except for this one bitch who seemed to love getting a rise out of you.

You didn’t know her name, you couldn’t be bothered to learn it. But that didn’t mean the urge for punching her in her stupid, fake ass face wasn’t growing the longer you were in the same vicinity. She didn’t do a damn thing other than tell every other person what to do. And she always seemed to make it her mission to get under your skin at least once a day to really add to your sour mood, really wanting to see how far she could push you. But you, of course, always did nothing. It’s not because you weren’t capable of defending yourself, but you knew even one screw up could get you, and possibly the rest of your family kicked out of here.

You didn’t want to take that chance. After all, this whole opportunity and hard work was the chance to prove that you were all worthy to stay within the thick, sturdy walls they had built. You didn’t want to screw it up for yourself, but you especially didn’t want to screw it up for anyone else. Which is why you kept to yourself for the most part, only smiling politely to the ones who showed you even an ounce of kindness as they passed by with a friendly greeting. Other than that your eyes just stayed down, in hopes that somehow the day would go by faster that way.

You and a few others were currently in the large garden that was placed practically directly in the middle of the community, instructed to pick the fruits and vegetables that were ripe enough to bring back to the pantry. The job was simple enough, knowing that when this last basket of yours was full, you would take everything back, wash them off, and place them in the right sections before finally heading back to your new home. You could practically hear the cool shower calling your name from all the way over here.

Though subconsciously, your gaze traveled up a few different times to keep an eye out for Daryl, seeing if he was maybe passing the area. You didn’t necessarily know the job he was given for the day, but what you did know was that it was hot as fuck outside. And seeing Daryl with his arms exposed, the signature leather vest, and sweat glistening off of him…the sight would surely make your day ten times better than how it was going.

But everytime you did a subtle scan, he was nowhere to be found, and you couldn’t help but sigh a bit dramatically as all you wanted was to take him home and use that last bit of energy you had left.

“Hey!”

You were snapped out of your lustful daze suddenly when you heard a familiar voice from the other end of the space, seeing the one blonde bitch who wouldn’t get off your back, her face scowling into a glare.

You raised your arms up from your slightly crouched position, “What?”

“I can see you slacking off from all the way over here, get back to work!” she called with her hands sassily on her hips.

You sent her a bitter smile before ducking your head back down in attempts to pull yourself together, “Oh, I’ll get back to work.” you spoke under your breath, “Work on shoving this foot up your ass.” you grumbled as you began picking a few more ripe strawberries.

A few minutes of peace passed, moving down the line as you scanned for any more things that were ready to be picked off the vine. Your small basket sat by your feet as it was nearly filled to the brim with the amount of fruit you collected over the past hour or so. That is…until it wasn’t.

Out of the corner of your eye you could see someone’s shadow coming from your left as whoever it was seemed to just be passing by. But the sound of their foot coming in contact with the wooden basket right beside you is what caused your gaze to snap up, already knowing who the hell it was. Her blonde hair blowing behind her as she didn’t even stop to look at the mess she made was kind of a dead giveaway.

You shot up to your feet as annoyance began to quickly overtake you, causing you to open your mouth before you even got a chance to think twice. “What the fuck?” you called after her.

She turned around on instinct, as if she was expecting you to say something, a small smirk on her face as she shrugged. “What?”

You pressed your lips together as your annoyance grew, stepping up closer to her so you could keep the conversation quiet, “What the hell is your problem? You don’t think I can tell you’re doing this shit on purpose?”

“Oh I know you can.” she said with a bitchy tilt of her head, her arms coming to cross over her chest, “I’m just wondering when the fuck you’re going to get a clue.”

“Well, why don’t you just spell it out for me, because I’m getting pretty tired of dealing with the same bullshit from you.” you stated bluntly.

She scoffed, “You and your grubby little group don’t belong here.” she spat harshly, “None of you are what we need for this community, in fact, you’re only tearing us down. I don’t even know why Deanna let you people in here in the first place.”

Her words caused your eyebrows to fly up in utter surprise. You expected her to attack you, shoot insults directed toward you. But you never expected in a million years that she would have the audacity to go after your family the way she did with little to no reason at all. 

And in the end, that’s what pushed you over the edge as you laughed at her, not needing to come up with a single response as you had a few other things in mind.

Daryl was on the other end of the community, patrolling around the streets when he heard the sudden commotion. At first he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was going down, only seeing a swarm of people flooding toward one area where lots of shouts and panicked voices were coming from. Curiosity eventually got the better of him as his brows furrowed in confusion, his pace picking up as he approached the gardens, opening the white gates to step inside.

His eyes squinted as he could tell there was some sort of fight breaking out, the people surrounding them either cheering them on, or trying to rip them apart. He leaned from side to side, trying to see who was in the middle of it all as he silently prayed he was wrong about what he originally assumed. But then there was a small parting in the crowd, allowing him to catch a glimpse in between them, and his face dropped.

Some random guy was holding you back as you attempted to hit the blonde girl at the other end of the circle they created, clawing out of his grip every so often to get another swing in while she cried. Daryl then didn’t waste another second, harshly shoving his way through the crowd to get to you in attempts to stop you from doing anymore damage. It was almost like he couldn’t get to you fast enough, either that, or you were just quick when it came to nearly tearing her head off.

“Hey!” he shouted once he was close enough, pulling you out of the man’s grasp in attempts to hold you back himself, “Stop!”

You hardly even heard his voice, your ears ringing as you continued to try and pry his hands off of you, desperately trying to swing again as the woman sobbed. Her nose bloody and a bruise forming on her right cheek. She clearly couldn’t fight for shit considering she had such a big mouth.

Daryl groaned as he yanked you back harshly, “Damnit (Y/N), I said stop!” he shouted once more, his voice enough to silence everyone in an instant.

The familiar voice then finally registered with you as well, whipping your head around quickly to see him, smoke nearly coming out of his ears. Your face softened as you instantly came to the realization of the damage you just caused, the potential outcome of your actions suddenly terrifying you.

Your head shook slightly as you tried to speak, “I-”

“Get back to the house.”

His tone was firm, but somehow still held a bit of gentleness. You sighed as you took yourself out of his hold, not needing to be told twice as you slowly began to walk out of the crowded area. Now seeing the amount of people that witnessed your meltdown, you suddenly wanted to crawl into a hole and die, feeling all their watchful eyes on you as Daryl quickly ushered you the rest of the way out. The last thing you barely caught a glimpse of, was a few others crowding around the blonde as she continued to cry her eyes out with her beaten face.

There wasn’t a single word spoken between the two of you. Just silence. And it was killing you.

He didn’t utter a word, only gesturing you into the bathroom for you to sit at the edge of the tub, before pulling out a first aid kid from the closet. Your brows furrowed in confusion as she hadn’t laid a hand on you, but then your eyes traveled down to your own hands, seeing how cut up and bloody they were. The pain hadn’t even registered to you, you hardly felt the sting at all as if your adrenaline was still pumping fast through your system.

Daryl wordlessly kneeled down in front of you, taking your hands with such softness in his touch as he cleaned you up with precision. You could tell he was trying to be as careful as he could, despite the fact that he was probably upset. Hell, the whole group would probably be upset with you for a while, over something that you could now never take back. Something that you could never undo. All because you couldn’t keep your head on straight.

You were forced to think about it even more as the silence only lingered, playing the imagines back over and over again in your mind. You wanted to say it was worth it, to see her actually get somewhat of a taste of her own bitter medicine, knowing now she would probably never fuck with you again. But the fate of the future, what would come next, still weighed heavily on you as it was clearly unknown.

You then sighed softly as you looked down at him, “I…I’m sorry.” your voice spoke barely above a whisper.

He nodded as he kept his eyes down, finishing up your left hand as he wrapped it in some bandages, “I know ya are.”

“You don’t know the things she was saying…what she’s been doing ever since we fucking got here. God…I know I shouldn’t have taken it that far, but that bitch got what she deserves, trust me.” you spoke bitterly, trying to convince yourself more than you were trying to convince him.

Daryl’s eyes then glanced up to you, a small smile on his lips as he nodded again, “I know.”

Your brows furrowed in both confusion and surprise, “You’re���you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?” he asked, his voice a lot more gentle than it was before. But then again you could only assume it was all just the heat of the moment.

You shook your head softly, “I don’t know…” you muttered, glancing down to your hands as you slightly examined them, mostly to avoid his eyes as you knew he would be able to see right through you.

And he did. His brows furrowed as a few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again, “Yeah ya do. You just don’t wanna say it.”

A heavy sigh passed through your lips as you looked back up at him, “I just…I know that doing that was a big mistake.”

His eyes softened as he heard the timidness in your tone, “Everyone makes mistakes, sweetheart.” he said as he raised his hand to tuck some hair behind your ear, “It’s alright.”

“No…that’s not what I mean.” you said with a shake of your head, “I…I fucked up…I fucked up everything. Once Deanna finds out what happened, once she finds out that we can’t work with her people, she’ll kick us out. And then we’ll be back on the road without any food, or water, or anything. We barely made it last time, I-”

“Hey.” Daryl interrupted you softly, raising his hands to gently grip your forearms, “What are ya talkin about? None of that’s gonna happen.”

“But she’s already weary of us, we’re the big, scary outside people. The second she realizes that we won’t be able to fit in here, there’s no way she’ll let us stay.”

The man in front of you couldn’t help but smirk, which at first confused you, but then you found yourself rolling your eyes. “The big, scary outside people?” he repeated with a light chuckle.

You gave him a pointed look, “This is serious.”

“I know, I know.” he assured, “But I also know you’ve been bustin yer ass damn near everyday tryin to prove that you can be trusted here. That we can be trusted here. So…I think right now, you just need to take a second and breathe…okay?”

You stared at him for a moment before swallowing a bit thickly and nodding your head, taking a deep breath in attempts to calm your nerves. It felt like your brain was scattered all over the place and you knew he was right in saying that you just needed to fucking chill out for a second. You still had your worries about the outcome, but for some reason the longer you looked at the man sitting in front of you, the more those thoughts started to disappear.

After a few moments of silence, you felt him gently squeeze your arms again as he hadn’t taken his eyes off of you, “Ya got pretty worked up back there, killer. And I don’t think this stress and worryin is helpin. We’re here for a reason…to have a fighting chance. And you just gotta trust that over time, everythin’s just gonna work itself out…no matter what.”

He was so confident in his words, it made you want to feel confident too. It made you want to believe that this would all pass, and you didn’t completely screw up this opportunity like you assumed. Though there was still something else on your mind.

“But what about the fight? I mean…I messed her up pretty bad.” 

He simply shrugged, “Good.”

Your eyebrows raised in slight shock, “What?”

“That bitch got what was coming to her. Truth is, ever since ya told me about what’s been goin on, I’ve been dyin for ya to knock some damn sense into her. If anything, I wanted to cheer you on.” he winked.

You couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, you always have been my biggest supporter…” you trailed off as you looked down toward your hands again, “And the best doctor around.”

He hummed with a small smile before grasping your hands gently, raising them up to his mouth to leave a few kisses on the back of your bandaged knuckles as if to seal the healing process.

You smiled a little to yourself at his actions, “So…you really think we’ll be okay?”

“We’ll be just fine.” he muttered as he placed one final kiss on your skin, “It’ll breeze over, people will move on. Cause I think they all kinda know she was the problem to begin with.”

“God, I hope so.” you scoffed, “And even though I kinda lost it…it felt good.” you admitted almost a bit sheepishly.

He chuckled as he pulled at your hands a little, helping you stand back up to your feet as he did, “Looked pretty good too.” he confirmed as he held you close, placing a kiss on top of your head. “I think you could use some kinda award for doin that.”

You smirked as you looked up at him, “Well…I could use a massage.”

He smiled right back at you as he nodded, “Done.”

~ Thanks for reading!

[darylbae]

hiii! could you write something fluff with daryl and a Latina reader? they are in a established relationship and she always rumble things or talk to herself in her language and daryl really wanna know more about what she saying and also wanna know more her culture but is really shy to ask plss🥺💕

spanish for dummies — daryl dixon 🩰

in which daryl wants to learn more of your language, but he is far too shy to admit it

note: i made it a lil drabble because i don't know a lot of spanish, if i got anything wrong please correct me!

You and Daryl had made it exclusive very recently, so it was all very new to you. But the two of you were so infatuated with one another, that it made everyone sick. He'd always have an arm around you, or coming to find you at random points in the day. People would even see you whispering to each other and laughing. It was all very sweet. You'd been at Hilltop for a few days, helping Maggie with running things day to day, and beginning to build a few things. Of course, Daryl had accompanied you from Alexandria to Hilltop, and promised to stay with you.

“Y/N!” One of the Hilltop residents called out, and you’d turned to spot them waving you over. You had quickly separated from Daryl, who had his arm around your waist as you spoke about potentially making shields. Although he had followed you over.

You’d run over to see the new water system installed. You’d selected a group of people to start making an easier way to get water into the community, and to see the large basins of water finally come to life, you were amazed.

“Es asombrosa,” you whispered, mainly to yourself in bewilderment that the plan you’d made together worked. Things were really starting to come together now, and you couldn’t be happier. “Well done, guys.”

As you’d started to walk off, Daryl had caught up to you and smoothed his hand over his jaw. You’d come to notice it was a nervous tick of his. “What does that mean?”

“What does what mean?”

“Whatever you just said.”

“Oh, es asombrosa? It means it’s amazing. It’s a good thing.” You smiled, only now realising you’d have to translate some things that were natural to you.

Daryl just nodded, still curious about all your little phrases you’d come out with daily. You don’t really notice yourself doing it, but Daryl does.

Staying at Hilltop, you’d made some progress, you’d spent the whole of today tending to the crop just outside the walls. Whilst a small group had gone out on a run, Daryl included.

It wasn’t until you heard the roar of a motorcycle that you’d looked up to see your gorgeous man riding in, slowing as he approached the road next to you. His tough, brooding exterior shortly disappeared with a sweet smile, and you couldn’t help but throw your arms around his neck.

“Te extraño,” you sighed into his ear, breathing in the smell of his musk. You quickly translated for him, “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, sweetheart. Now let me take you home.” He cooed, taking your hand and helping you onto the back of his bike. To ride the extra few meters back into the gates.

That night, you and Daryl had settled into one of the rooms Maggie had allowed you to stay in whilst you were here. You’d crawled into bed long before Daryl did, as he was sitting through his backpack secretly.

“What you hiding in there?” You questioned, putting your book down and folding your arms. It was a playful prod but you weren’t expecting him to be so secretive.

“Nothin’.”

You huffed. “Come on, Dar. No secrets.”

“Just somethin’ I found today.” He admitted, throwing his backpack next to the bed.

“Ooh. Is it condoms?”

“No.”

“A stuffed animal?”

“Absolutely not.”

“A Halloween costume?”

“What? No.”

“Come on! Tell me!”

Daryl sat down next to you, an arm around you as you settled on his chest. “Fine”.

He reached into the backpack and pulled out a small book, and turned the title page towards you. Spanish for Dummies.

“Stop! Really? I think that’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.” You squealed, pressing kisses all over his cheek and jaw.

“Just wanna understand ya more.” Daryl reasoned, brushing hair from your face, “so ya don’t have to translate everythin’.”

[star-wrote]

Georgia Peach

Characters: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader | Farm Era

A/N: this is for @ghostboneswrites2 summer challenge!! my first time ever participating in a challenge, and i had so much fun! i obviously chose the peachy prompt hehe. daryl writers! you should join this here! deadline is august 31st :)

Warnings: slightly suggestive, reader has a southern accent, suggestively eating a peach?, mentions of walkers, mentions of death by walkers.

Word Count: 760

(peach divider from @strangergraphics )

The Georgia sun was known to create a wet heat that sticks to your skin if you go outside for more than a second. Your mama always said that the sun is fond of the softest skin. The amount of times you’ve gotten sunburnt growing up proved your mother’s words to be true.

A lot has changed since last summer. The part you miss the most was your mama rubbing aloe on your sunburnt cheeks. She wasn’t around anymore. None of your family was. You blame the biters for that.

You had to run from your farmhouse when it got taken over by the freaks. Luckily, your friend Maggie and her father, Hershel took you in on their farm. You had to work to earn your keep, but it was the amount of chores you were used to at your old home.

Another thing that has changed since last summer is the amount of people you live with. A new group had come looking for refuge on the farm a couple of days ago, and the front yard was scattered with tents of strangers.

Strangers were conflicting to you. Your daddy had the idea that you could never be too cautious around strangers, but your mother always treated strangers with kindness and warmth. Well, you always have been your mother’s daughter.

The first morning with the group, you had woken up at sunrise to go pick fresh peaches for everyone. You knew that they had spent some time on the road and had probably gone without the taste of a fresh Georgia peach for some time. Seeing the smiles on their faces after they bit into the ripe fruit made a sense of pride swell up in your chest. You made it a habit to bring them peaches every morning.

There was one man who had yet to take one of your peaches. Daryl, you heard someone call him. He seemed to be on the same schedule as you; running off into the woods every morning while you were out picking peaches. He always comes back home around dusk and goes straight to his tent, (which was further from the rest) skipping on socializing with the group.

You asked a woman named Carol about him. She told you that no matter what the group says about him, she knows that he’s a good man since he spends every day looking for her daughter. When you asked what the group says about him, she just shook her head and said “all kinds of nasty things.”

You took that as a hint to be weary around the mysterious man… but that didn’t mean he didn’t need one of your peaches.

This morning, you had decided to wake up before Daryl in order to catch him before his search. Hearing the song that the birds were singing, you started humming as you filled your basket with the juicy fruit. You saw Daryl in the distance, coming out of his tent with his crossbow slung over his shoulder, so you made your way over to him.

He eyed you as you approached him and stopped about five feet away from him.

“You’ve been missin’ out on my peaches.” You say to him with a smile.

He didn’t say anything as he took in the lacy dress and hair bows that you were wearing.

“Well?” You held the basket up. “Do ya want one?”

He stayed put as he gestured to your appearance. “Ya always go out here in that? Ain’t exactly practical.”

You bring the basket back down to your side and smirk while looking at his exposed arms that were starting to sweat in the morning heat. “Don’t exactly need practical when I’ve got big, strong men around here.”

He looks at the ground and brings his thumb up to his teeth to chew on the skin there.

“Look,” you start, “I’m just doin’ my part around here and making sure y’all have somethin’ sweet.”

He meets your eyes again and drops his thumb from his mouth. Daryl walks up to you, only stopping when you’re face to face. “Well ain’t you just a peach.”

He grabs a peach from your basket and bites into it in front of you. Some of the orange colored juices start to drip down his chin, but he wipes them with his fingers and sucks them clean.

As he walks away, you let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding in. Daryl Dixon was going to become a problem that you just can’t resist.

[mrdixon]

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.

[emeryhiro]

Part 2: My Thoughts on The Book Of Carol Episode 1 - Panel

-Spoiler-free edition-

This continues Part 1 of my thoughts [link here], specifically focusing on the panel.

There seems to be some confusion that's also upsetting some people, so I feel like, as someone who was there, it's my responsibility to clarify things and share some new things. I'll also be including my transcript from different relevant portions of the panel that don't spoil the episode itself, and just to make it clear, this transcript is word for word with what was said and has not been paraphrased by me; the only portions I removed were the pauses and instances where a speaker stammered.

Incorporating Carol into the Story

Zabel has been in conversation with Melissa (about Carol) for as long as he's been in conversation with Norman (about Daryl), which is from before writing & filming even started for season 1, discussing what they each had to say about their characters in detail. Once they began to approching season 2, Zabel then began to have more detailed conversation with Melissa about what she wanted for Carol going into the future, which we could see had already started to be from episode 1 in a huge way, with almost every single Carol scene having intention and deep meaning behind it.

D. Ross: What was it like starting to think about how to incorporate Carol into the story? Did you talk about season 2? How was that discussion? S.M. Gimple: I mean, Zabel drove those discussions. D. Zabel: I think it came out in our early conversations to make sure that the first episode which you just saw really planted Carol back into the world. You know, that was a very conscious choice because we spent 6 episodes of the show focused exclusively on Daryl, and knowing that we're bringing Melissa into this show, we wanted to make sure that we started the story off in a very strong way. To sort of re-establish the character after a couple of years, we hadn't seen her. And also to make her drive to find Daryl very compelling, motivated, and active. That came out of our early, like our first conversations about how to do it.

Collaboration between Zabel, Norman, and Melissa

I said this before, but I wanna say it again that Melissa's voice was really obvious to me in the way episode 1 was done, and Norman has spoken many times about how he's worked really hard on Daryl's story in the spin-off. The below exerpt also shows that the collaboration was actually really there between Zabel, Norman, and Melissa, and that it had great influence on the direction of the show. Even Gimpel gives the credit to Zabel, Norman, and Melissa and greatly compliments their collaboration.

D. Ross: What were your discussions? Because obviously, Melissa and Scott have worked for a long time together, and obviously, Melissa and Norman forever, but this is, you know, your first time connecting David and Melissa, so what were those conversations like in terms of finding the character and getting the input and sharing new ideas? D. Zabel: Well, yeah I'm the new guy, and so as a result, I had to be hazed. It was great because I had a whole year with Norman working on the show, and part of that was my own learning process about the characters, the character specifically of Daryl, about all the show and the aesthetic of The Walking Dead universe, and so during that time I was also having conversations with Melissa and getting ready, so there was really a lot of leadup to when we brought the character back into the show and a lot of conversations that we had after those initial ones were really Melissa and me talking about how to advance the character of Carol and how to not let the character stay stagnant, same as the kind of conversations that Norman and I had in the beginning, how to continue to move the character forward and move the story forward and expand on the universe in general, and not let the characters and the world stagnate and say in the same place, 'cause it's easy to sort of keep going through the same things over and over again. So a lot of it was talking to Melissa and understanding how she saw the character, thought the character was and the things that she felt were interesting to play moving into the future. S.M. Gimple: And that is a huge thing with both Norman and Melissa. You know they have that executive producer credit, but that's the real deal, they provided a lot towards the narrative of their characters, towards the trajectory of their characters. This is them expressing themselves. And to watch this collaboration has been amazing.

Melissa's thoughts on coming back to the show and bringing her ideas

Throughout the entire panel, Melissa seemed incredibly happy. She constantly made jokes that made the whole room and panel laugh, and she spoke really proudly of the work she had done. She also seemed very comfortable collaborating with Zabel, Greg, and Norman and had nothing but beautiful things to say about them, and Manish (Ash).

I've attached a video below [link here] of the following transcript, which I recorded from my perspective. It's at a wider view and slightly longer than the ones previously uploaded by others, and it captures a lovely and respectful exchange between Zabel and Melissa.

D. Ross: What's it like from your perspective, Melissa? I mean you have so much ownership of this character for so long, so tell me about, like, in terms of coming to this new show and bring your ideas. Melissa MB: Oh, well, Scott, David, and I talked about some of the things that were really important to me, as far as what I thought Carol might want to dive into. Things you know… 12 years of The Walking Dead, there was a lot unsaid. I made a rhyme. But anyway, we picked some of the core issues, and we kind of built on that. D. Zabel: I think one of the things I'll add is building on that, things that were maybe not fully developed or resolved in the original series for the character and also and also making sure that Carol was coming because she loves and misses her friend and is worried about him, but also has a narrative of her own, that's about the things that she's dealing with herself. So, that was really important for us was that Carol needed to have a dual narrative. It wasn't all about just finding Daryl, although that's crucial,... Melissa MB: obviously. D. Zabel: but it was how is that somehow working through her own experience and what things that are still plaguing her.

Carol and Daryl as the core of every storyline in season 2

It's clear that they have made Carol and Daryl's story the centre of the whole season and that they will be heavily involved in all of the major storylines and resolutions. Using episode 1 as an example, it was already clear that even though Ash has a really interesting backstory, which they delved into in a very thoughtful and intentional way, it was still there to serve Carol's story and ultimately, Caryls story in later episodes. The same, I believe, can be said about the different storylines in France and how they're all ultimately going to come together to serve Carol and Daryl's story and development.

D. Zabel: Every episode is big, but the way that it resolves ultimately all these different stories and these different characters by the time you get to the end, I think that's the single thing I'd say was the greatest accomplishment of Season 2 is sort of the accumulation of story and character, how all the stories are resolved specifically through Daryl and Carol, of course.

Slight spoiler warning for what's below the line. This spoiler has already been shared and talked about for several days at this point.

Reunion episode.

Whether or not the reunion will be in episode 2 is up to personal interpretation. Below is the link* to another video I took from my perspective, where you can see everyone's expressions. I encourage everyone to come to their own conclusions on whether or not they think it's episode 2.

I personally lean towards it being true, firstly because Norman and Melissa's tone/behaviour seem genuine, while Zabel and Gimple seem to be more nervous and overcompensating with their counter comments (However, Norman and Melissa are so talented as actors that they could easily fool us 😅). Secondly, why tease/mislead the audience in that way? There's no logical reason, and they know that, ultimately, it would just leave us (the people who believe them) a little disappointed after building our excitement and expectations up.

This was everyone's reaction to Gimple saying, "You know what? Let's say it doesn't happen in episode 2. Let's just get into an argument now."

*Note: Tumblr only allows me to upload one video directly to the post, so unfortunately, the second video had to be a link. I know that the link may not work in some countries like Canada, so if that's you and you'd like to see the video, let me know, and I'll send it to you directly.

My final thoughts.

I know that there are a lot of concerns about:

How Carol and Daryl's joint story will fit into the season 2 narrative and whether or not their story will be handled with care

How will Carol be incorporated into the story, and will her character be treated justly (not overlooked/overshadowed)

Is Melissa being treated/billed fairly, and is she happy with the product that is Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol

Based on all the examples above and my thoughts in the part 1 post, I'm confident that the writers, showrunner, and, of course, the leading cast, Norman and Melissa, are handling both Carol and Daryl's joint story and their individual stories really well and with a lot of care.

Regarding Melissa's treatment and happiness, none of us knows what's happening behind the scenes, but from what I could see during the panel, everyone on that stage was treating each other as equals; no one was undermining anyone, and they were all clearly there to support each other. As always, there was also that special connection between Norman and Melissa, who were having really sweet moments just between them, smiling and whispering to each other and making each other laugh, which really warmed my heart. In terms of the audience's reaction, we all clapped, cheered, and reacted the loudest for Melissa and Norman, but especially Melissa. Everyone was so excited to see her, and I even noticed some people wanting to give her a standing ovation and were halfway standing when she came on stage but were motioned to sit back down by someone who looked like event staff or security.

And lastly, regarding the billing order, I feel that it's wonderful how some of Melissa's fans are really speaking up and standing up for her on how she should be equally billed with Norman, just like Danai/Andrew and Lauren/Jeffrey, which I wholeheartedly agree with; however, I think (and bare with me here) that we should be patient, especially for the moment. The order of billing within the credits does seem strange to me as well; however, the season is still three and a half months away (110 days) from its actual release, and these are things that could have been done in error and can still be amended for the official release. If it's not, then it's also important to acknowledge that whatever the agreement is that was made between AMC and Melissa/her agents, Melissa is a very intelligent and capable of making rational choices that are in her best interest, and as long as she's happy with it, then we should be respectful of those choices because, ultimately, we are not part of that contract and therefore can't really know why certain choices were made unless we're told by one of the parties who hold the contract.

I'm not saying we shouldn't speak up if we believe she or anyone else is being treated/compensated unfairly; however, we should still keep celebrating with her for her return as Carol to the series, her incredible performance in season 2, and all the hard work she has put in, alongside the rest of the cast and crew, to give us this new season.

~~~~~

There will probably be more parts to this as more information comes out, but for now, a huge thank you to those who read this ♡♡♡ I'd love to know your opinions if you agree or disagree with anything I've said. One of my favourite things about this community is how passionate everyone is, which allows us to have some really deep and meaningful conversations about the show and characters we love.

If anyone has any questions about the episode or panel that I haven't addressed yet or would like further information on anything I have shared, please feel free to leave me an ask, anonymous or not, and I'd be more than happy to answer and discuss it. However, I will refrain from giving away any spoilers that haven't already been released.

[throwing-in-the-towel]

okay this is gonna be a tad bit long but ur post about a certain actors sibling kind of made me want to put this into words lol,, i feel like “respecting actor’s boundaries” has become such a nothing phrase that people just throw around now 😭 mostly comes from the tiktok population but the amount of times i have heard that phrase churned out and the same person just do the most bizarre parasocial things …

like i truly do believe in the phrase itself but it’s so aggravating to see people yell that out then turn around and like. tag actors in EVERY SINGLE VIDEO THEY POST, call the actors weirdly intimate nicknames (certain ones i understand like josh or even trevi bc he refers to himself as that a lot! but like… why are we calling daryl dee 😭😭 yall DO NOT KNOW THAT MAN), or interject themselves into comment sections (ex when brent’s dog passed away a lot of the cast commented their condolences and a LOT of people replied to those condolences saying “omg you guys so kind 🥺” and it’s like… dude if they were just regular people in your day to day lives you would not be going out of ur way to reply to their personal/emotional comments calling them sweet for saying sorry to their friend for their loss??? 😭😭 ) it’s just soooo aggravating because people think as long as they’re not literally “following someone home” they’re not being overfamiliar and parasocial when it’s WAY more than just the most extreme cases

and i firmly believe that constantly theorizing on an actors absence or making fun of them for being out is a form of being parasocial bc once again. you literally do not know them beyond their jobs and what they present to you through curated social media content. and MAYBE a 2-3 minute interaction at a stage door. you would not react this weirdly to some other random guy taking an absence from work. you just feel entitled because he is famous lol. which makes the whole #Situation you had much more aggravating bc to attempt to call YOU out for “not respecting actors boundaries” is so annoying considering the constant theorizing about #Someone’s absences that comes from that specific tiktok audience.

like i really truly feel people have no concept of what the phrase truly means so it’s annoying as hell to see people use it as a weird mental “wow i’m SO much better than these other fans who don’t respect actor boundaries” when most of the time these fans r the exact same 😭 ugh idk this just became a rant so u don’t have to post this i just have had a lot of thoughts about the dialogue that’s kind of been taking shape over the past few days lol

absolutely posting this b/c i feel like you made so many good points here that haven’t been previously brought up,,,especially with the nickname stuff and social media comments, etc. (i say this while also referring to csolak & sarahgrace as kcso & sg btw!!! quite literally only do that bc they’re easier to type and its not in a friend way!)

but i totally agree that people think what they’re doing is fine as long as it’s not criminal stalker behavior,,,which is sooo not the case LOL. im sure older fans have realized this too,,but the cast (& their friends) often have poked fun at fans who behave that way and i cant say i blame them LOL its probably funny to them b/c they’re just random people on broadway😭😭i hope that makes sense and no one gets offended at that

ug know i try to emphasize boundaries and privacy sooooo so so much,,one of my #1 priorities on this blog so i have no issue bringing this topic up and speaking on it!! i appreciate this ask🫶🏼

[notalkingbusiness]

The Billing Situation Continued: She's Earned Her Place

So, I talked about the billing situation the other day but I want to reiterate why billing matters and why unequal billing is so troubling. 

First things first, there is no way that the current billing arrangements were accidental. It's not an honest mistake. An honest mistake is leaving a plastic water bottle on the table during shooting (à la GoT).  People signed this billing off and lots of people will have reviewed the title credits before they were approved for Tribeca. Anyone who distributes materials to clients or consumers will know that things are checked and checked again before being sent out into the world.

The order of billing can't be an honest mistake because it's tied up with professional and commercial negotiations. Your position in the billing and credits matter because it's intrinsically linked with pay and your position within the cast.  Staggered but equal billing signals that you and your co-star are equals.  AMC have rightly opted for staggered but equal billing for the other TWDU shows - Cohan and Gurira deserve to be up there with their co-stars. Why won't they put McBride's name up there with Reedus'? Why break protocol?

There is no way in which you can positively spin this billing.  It will matter to Melissa because this billing means that she's getting paid less than she's worth, and this billing will impact future pay negotiations because she's starting from a much lower level than her co-star.  No professional is okay with accepting less pay and recognition than they deserve. There's a world of difference between being happy to accept something and *having* to accept something in order to keep your job.

AMC have a track record of treating their talent badly. Remember when Lauren Cohan left TWD over pay disparity? I've seen people talk about how Melissa was behaving at Tribeca - how she seemed happy. I wasn't at Tribeca, but I think it's worth bearing in mind that panels, cons etc. are work events. We all have to put on brave faces at work events. You can't say to a client or customer, "Actually, I'm being undervalued and I'm really unhappy about it." Not if you want to keep your job. The entertainment industry runs on contacts.  If you're labelled as "difficult" because you've advocated for fair pay and recognition, then it's potentially game over for your career. That's not to say that she's not excited about aspects of Carol's journey, but I don't see how any professional actress could be happy with the current billing situation.

Like I've said before, if something feels off about this billing that's because something is off.  The same way a lot people felt something was off when they saw the title for the show. Carol is Daryl's equal - that should be reflected in the title. Melissa is Norman's equal - that should be reflected in the billing. Melissa McBride has earned her place.

If the idea of Melissa being treated as an unequal partner bothers you, please make some noise about it.  Here's hoping AMC come to their senses and do the right thing.

[strawberryblondebutch]

Is Ken Klee getting a bad rap with some of the Ian Kennedy telephone game Minnesota drama? I wasn't a Minnesota fan but I remember being sort of happy that team won because they weren't burying their fourth line players with like three minutes of ice time, it felt like everyone had a settled role. At least from the outside it looked like a real team instead of, for example, Poulin, Ambrose and Friends. Even when they were in their horrible losing streak and when they were in playoff elimination games, he didn't shy away from that.

I thought it was good for the league moving forward that they won and that Boston, another team that was pretty solid in this regard, came in second. In a league where there clearly aren't enough spots, hopefully there will be fewer "fake spots" like an Ottawa third defense pair or a New York fourth line where the coach just tries not to play you.

So to hear him get criticized so much for something he did better than every other coach in the league feels a little bit off, like he sounds like a piece of work but not for that one very specific reason.

I think one thing a lot of people who haven't been in a locker room miss out on is that the head coach actually fills two roles: coach and game manager. Coaching is what happens at practices, in team meetings, in the locker room before and after the game. Game managing is what happens, well, in the game. You can be good at one and not the other.

My personal distaste aside, those who have played with him largely* (*some exceptions apply) praise John Tortorella as a good coach. He doesn't give stars special treatment, and he wants to pull the best out of every player. However, and I'm sure the Flyers fans in the house will agree, he's a pretty atrocious game manager. He constantly plays shorthanded at the expense of the team. Towards the end of the 2022-23 season, he was running out 5 D a game because he couldn't trust DeAngelo. Which, fair, but that hurts you in the moment.

Conversely, Klee has showed himself as a competent game manager when it matters. A lot of that was out of necessity - when your stars aren't producing, you can either play them more to hope it breaks the slump, or you can give more minutes to role players and let them pick up the slack. Heise was playing hurt most of the season, and when she wasn't playing hurt, she was playing scared. Take it from me: if you get hurt by battling against the boards, you really need to train your brain to get that physicality back. Kendall's last regular season goal was March 16, and Zums was a liability on defense during that losing stretch.

In case it wasn't already clear, I really dislike Ian Kennedy. I don't like the way that he positions himself as the savior of women's hockey, to the expense of the other reporters (men and women!) who have been covering it for quite a long time. I can tell you right away he doesn't watch college hockey based on how he talks about Daryl Watts like she came out of nowhere. He made a comment about the collective bargaining agreement (possibly since deleted?) that made my skin crawl. His conversations with Nicole Haase and Alex Azzi trying to recruit them to work unpaid cemented him as a grade-A asshole. That being said, his reporting on the Minnesota locker room has been corroborated by other sources who I'm more inclined to trust.

Klee is a better game manager than someone like Troy Ryan, who I've bitched about for years - no one loves putting players out of position more than Troy Ryan so he can reverse-manufacture a "perfection line". But game managing is only a small part of what it means to be a coach, and it seems like he's failed in every other aspect.

As for New York, well. Draper was clearly out of his depth and didn't seem to know how to utilize anyone on the team. With Ottawa, it's hard to reconcile the Carla McLeod that got the best out of her national team with the one who made baffling ice time decisions on a more skilled PWHL roster. I'm hoping those are just growing pains.

[my-mt-heart]

Look I'm not a caryler but I watch the show since the beginning and I'm seeing the constant discussion here about Melissa and the spin-off and I'm just giving my unrequested two cents, I think you guys are expecting two much from a dead franchise, we all know the only spin off that will make some noise is the Rick and Michonne one and only because people are curious to know what happened to them, AMC needs to capture a new audience, TWD it's their biggest product right now and they don't want to just please segregated fandoms.

Melissa is a great actress that's for sure, no one will question that but her and Carol were never the face of the franchise like Rick, Daryl and Michonne, so it's easy for them to push her aside and make a Daryl centric show, they see how Daryl was always the most popular one and don't twice to make that happened because Daryl is AMC property, they don't have to pay Robert Kirkman and co to use him.

My opinion on her being back it's because she signed a contract and needs to fulfill that, I don't see nothing changing in terms of her and Daryl relationship, it would make sense to make them canon in the mothership show but I don't see them bothering to pull the trigger in the spin off.

To me they will remain best friends and Daryl will stay single with the constant ship baiting.

Sorry if that's too long or if you find disrespectful.

There's a lot to unpack here. Bear with me.

You're confusing "most popular" with most marketed. Just because Melissa doesn't do as much promotion, which is something she gets a say in I should add, does not mean people find her less appealing or less remarkable. Melissa is the 2nd most lauded actor on the show right after Andy. She was the most respected actor on set along with Andy, and everybody wanted to work with her.

“One of those actors that just makes you better because she has no pretence.”—Josh Hamilton

"I love working with Melissa McBride. She's a remarkable actress. You look at her, then you look at the screen and you go – how is this alchemy happening?" —Andrew Lincoln

“One of the strongest actresses I’ve ever worked with…I got lucky because she makes you look so good when you work with her.”—Norman Reedus

She was not kicked out of her own spinoff to adjust to the market. She was kicked out because no one bothered to do any market research at all. If they had, they would've anticipated the insane amount of backlash they got last year. Expecting the majority of fans to welcome a solo Daryl show with open arms says far more about the people calling the shots than it does about Melissa or Carol. It says they're incompetent, biased, and misogynistic. It says they fucked up big time, and if you pay any attention to how they're marketing the spinoff now compared to last year, you might realize there's a huge focus on Melissa and Carol. Granted, they keep fumbling big time and if they don't get themselves organized right fucking now they're going to ruin everything again, but they wouldn't be dangling Carol like a carrot if they didn't think she was going to be an essential part of the show's success. They wouldn't have brought her back at all.

You say she's in S2 to fulfill her old contract, but that's wrong. She signed a new deal that would cover seasons 2-3. I don't know what's in it, I don't trust AMC not to find new and unusual ways to screw over their female talent, but I am 100% sure it was her choice to come back and she had plenty of power to get things she wanted. The excuses "fans" come up with for her being in her rightful place again are ridiculous and very telling.

You say she's less popular, yet you, other Richonne fans, Bethyl fans, and everyone under the sun spend time visiting a Caryl/Carol/Melissa centric blog. Why? If I can manage not to waltz into the Richonne/Michonne tags to try to invalidate their fans' opinions and feelings, why can't those who strongly suggest they aren't fans of Caryl/Carol offer me the same courtesy? Because popularity isn't pure love. It includes those who "love to hate" also.

You are absolutely right that TOWL will get the most buzz compared to Dead City S1 and Le Spinoff S1 and that's because it promises everything Rick/Michonne/Richonne fans have been waiting a really long time for. I have major doubts that Gimple can do right by anyone everyone, but I still hope fans get what they want. The one thing I can't stand about TWD fandom is the insistence on pitting female characters and actresses against each other, which I suspect is the real intention behind this ask. But Carol and Michonne are friends. Melissa and Danai are friends. There is absolutely no reason we all can't support a black woman leading her own show and a woman over 50 leading her own show at the same time.

I agree the best time to make Caryl canon would've been in the flagship show and that Caryl will always be best friends. But that doesn't mean best friends can't also be romantic partners, or that the spinoff can't right the wrongs that were made in S11 for unprofessional reasons, not creative ones.

AMC will not "capture a new audience" with a knock-off version of TLOU or from borrowing American exceptionalism and white male savior tropes from 80's movies. TWDU accounts for too much of AMC's revenue for it to go anywhere right now like you said, so they need to be mindful of their built-in audience. They chose to create different spinoffs for different characters, which means they have to niche down to audiences who are invested in each character's story. Believe it or not, Caryl's fanbase is huge and definitely worth hanging onto, but in order to do that, the show has to meet their needs. Treating Melissa as if she's less than, refusing to make Caryl canon for, again, unprofessional reasons, and shipbaiting relentlessly will just drive them away. So respectfully, I disagree that we're expecting too much (you don't work for the AMPTP, do you?)

I'm sharing this poll as a reminder to never underestimate Caryl's value (I have no interest in starting a ship war).

[scifigeneration]

The curious joy of being wrong – intellectual humility means being open to new information and willing to change your mind

by Daryl Van Tongeren, Associate Professor of Psychology at Hope College

Mark Twain apocryphally said, “I’m in favor of progress; it’s change I don’t like.” This quote pithily underscores the human tendency to desire growth while also harboring strong resistance to the hard work that comes with it. I can certainly resonate with this sentiment.

I was raised in a conservative evangelical home. Like many who grew up in a similar environment, I learned a set of religious beliefs that framed how I understood myself and the world around me. I was taught that God is loving and powerful, and God’s faithful followers are protected. I was taught that the world is fair and that God is good. The world seemed simple and predictable – and most of all, safe.

These beliefs were shattered when my brother unexpectedly passed away when I was 27 years old. His death at 34 with three young children shocked our family and community. In addition to reeling with grief, some of my deepest assumptions were challenged. Was God not good or not powerful? Why didn’t God save my brother, who was a kind and loving father and husband? And how unfair, uncaring and random is the universe?

This deep loss started a period where I questioned all of my beliefs in light of the evidence of my own experiences. Over a considerable amount of time, and thanks to an exemplary therapist, I was able to revise my worldview in a way that felt authentic. I changed my mind, about a lot things. The process sure wasn’t pleasant. It took more sleepless nights than I care to recall, but I was able to revise some of my core beliefs.

I didn’t realize it then, but this experience falls under what social science researchers call intellectual humility. And honestly, it is probably a large part of why, as a psychology professor, I am so interested in studying it. Intellectual humility has been gaining more attention, and it seems critically important for our cultural moment, when it’s more common to defend your position than change your mind.

What it means to be intellectually humble

Intellectual humility is a particular kind of humility that has to do with beliefs, ideas or worldviews. This is not only about religious beliefs; it can show up in political views, various social attitudes, areas of knowledge or expertise or any other strong convictions. It has both internal- and external-facing dimensions.

Within yourself, intellectual humility involves awareness and ownership of the limitations and biases in what you know and how you know it. It requires a willingness to revise your views in light of strong evidence.

Interpersonally, it means keeping your ego in check so you can present your ideas in a modest and respectful manner. It calls for presenting your beliefs in ways that are not defensive and admitting when you’re wrong. It involves showing that you care more about learning and preserving relationships than about being “right” or demonstrating intellectual superiority.

Another way of thinking about humility, intellectual or otherwise, is being the right size in any given situation: not too big (which is arrogance), but also not too small (which is self-deprecation).Having confidence in your area of expertise is different than thinking you know it all about everything. 

Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images

I know a fair amount about psychology, but not much about opera. When I’m in professional settings, I can embrace the expertise that I’ve earned over the years. But when visiting the opera house with more cultured friends, I should listen and ask more questions, rather than confidently assert my highly uninformed opinion.

Four main aspects of intellectual humility include being:

Open-minded, avoiding dogmatism and being willing to revise your beliefs.

Curious, seeking new ideas, ways to expand and grow, and changing your mind to align with strong evidence.

Realistic, owning and admitting your flaws and limitations, seeing the world as it is rather than as you wish it to be.

Teachable, responding nondefensively and changing your behavior to align with new knowledge.

Intellectual humility is often hard work, especially when the stakes are high.

Starting with the admission that you, like everyone else, have cognitive biases and flaws that limit how much you know, intellectual humility might look like taking genuine interest in learning about your relative’s beliefs during a conversation at a family get-together, rather than waiting for them to finish so you can prove them wrong by sharing your – superior – opinion.

It could look like considering the merits of an alternative viewpoint on a hot-button political issue and why respectable, intelligent people might disagree with you. When you approach these challenging discussions with curiosity and humility, they become opportunities to learn and grow.

Why intellectual humility is an asset

Though I’ve been studying humility for years, I’ve not yet mastered it personally. It’s hard to swim against cultural norms that reward being right and punish mistakes. It takes constant work to develop, but psychological science has documented numerous benefits.

First, there are social, cultural and technological advances to consider. Any significant breakthrough in medicine, technology or culture has come from someone admitting they didn’t know something – and then passionately pursuing knowledge with curiosity and humility. Progress requires admitting what you don’t know and seeking to learn something new.Intellectual humility can make conversations less adversarial. 

Compassionate Eye Foundation/Gary Burchell/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Relationships improve when people are intellectually humble. Research has found that intellectual humility is associated with greater tolerance toward people with whom you disagree.

For example, intellectually humble people are more accepting of people who hold differing religious and political views. A central part of it is an openness to new ideas, so folks are less defensive to potentially challenging perspectives. They’re more likely to forgive, which can help repair and maintain relationships.

Finally, humility helps facilitate personal growth. Being intellectually humble allows you to have a more accurate view of yourself.

When you can admit and take ownership of your limitations, you can seek help in areas where you have room to grow, and you’re more responsive to information. When you limit yourself to only doing things the way you’ve always done them, you miss out on countless opportunities for growth, expansion and novelty – things that strike you with awe, fill you with wonder and make life worth living.

Humility can unlock authenticity and personal development.

Humility doesn’t mean being a pushover

Despite these benefits, sometimes humility gets a bad rap. People can have misconceptions about intellectual humility, so it’s important to dispel some myths.

Intellectual humility isn’t lacking conviction; you can believe something strongly until your mind is changed and you believe something else. It also isn’t being wishy-washy. You should have a high bar for what evidence you require to change your mind. It also doesn’t mean being self-deprecating or always agreeing with others. Remember, it’s being the right size, not too small.

Researchers are working hard to validate reliable ways to cultivate intellectual humility. I’m part of a team that is overseeing a set of projects designed to test different interventions to develop intellectual humility.

Some scholars are examining different ways to engage in discussions, and some are exploring the role of enhancing listening. Others are testing educational programs, and still others are looking at whether different kinds of feedback and exposure to diverse social networks might boost intellectual humility.

Prior work in this area suggests that humility can be cultivated, so we’re excited to see what emerges as the most promising avenues from this new endeavor.

There was one other thing that religion taught me that was slightly askew. I was told that too much learning could be ruinous; after all, you wouldn’t want to learn so much that you might lose your faith.

But in my experience, what I learned through loss may have salvaged a version of my faith that I can genuinely endorse and feels authentic to my experiences. The sooner we can open our minds and stop resisting change, the sooner we’ll find the freedom offered by humility.

[punkrockisafulltimejob]

Re your tags on the ask post: PLEASE DO TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WRITING. You deserve to gush about your creative things!

AHHHHHHH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

So I have many novels in the works, but my most important one by far is Just Another Tomorrow which I've been working on for over a decade at this point. I started it as an escapist fiction when I was in high school and it has morphed into a novel about life, therapy, found family, and other strong topics such as familial abuse, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, hate crimes, unorthodox coping mechanisms, and what love really means.

Maddie, a 17 year old, has been stuck with her abusive father since she was 4 years old. She was told her mother walked out on her and her father (truth later reveals she committed vehicular suicide). In her freshman year, she meets Cameron, who notices how solitary she is and tries to become her friend. He learns about her home life and becomes determined to get her out of there, by any means necessary.

The book starts on the night they run away, and follows them through their road trip. The book is told from Cam's POV, he is a very unreliable and biased narrator, but he's also a 19-20 year old dumbass who of course has privileges he never considered (two parents, nice house, stable jobs, etc), so he learns A LOT through the book. Between chapters, we get excerpts from Maddie's diary, to show her perspective on things. We learn about their history together through flashbacks, shown through Cam's POV as well, because the novel very much follows his train of thought (poor undiagnosed ADHD man). So basically something triggers the memory in the book and it goes into the flashback, it's very fun.

Anyways they're just trying to stay away from their hometown until Maddie turns 18, so that legally they're in the clear from her father. However, they run out of resources and they don't know what to do, so when they're stopped in a small town in Arkansas, he's trying to get some cans of soup and peanut butter, and an older couple comes into the shop and notices him. This is Rob and Edie, cofounders and current owners of Summerfield Family Campground. Edie asks if he needs help, and he nods, on the verge of tears, because of course this was his idea, he was supposed to have all the solutions, he was supposed to help Maddie, and now he's struggling. So they couple offers help, Cam and Maddie follow them to the campground, to a smaller offset called Utopia. This is where Rob and Edie host their found family, all sorts of people who they've helped over the year. This includes their biological son Vinny, his husband Daryl (nicknamed Dare because in college he took every dare given to him), Jess and her toddler aged daughter, Elijah, [Wren] (I have gone through about 13 names for this character and I cannot settle on one, basically genderqueer AuDHD who was a troubled foster kid), and a few others. Ta da, found family!

Anyways, this is where most of the positive character development happens, Cam learns, Maddie heals, everyone is happy, until cops discover that Cam and Maddie are runaways and that their parents are desperate for them to come home, so they have to run again.

Later, Cam accidentally finds Maddie's diary open to a page where she talks about wanting to go home because things were easier there (it was an older entry but undated bc they lost track of the days during their trip) and he gets mad, storms off, and gets hit by a car. They're both taken to the hospital, and that leads to parents getting called and basically the end of the running away. Cam's parents arrive first and he starts explaining to them why he had to do what he did. Then Maddie's father arrives and starts laying into her, tearing her a new one, making a scene, and that's when Cams parents intervene and say she's not going with you. He's banned from the hospital and goes back home bc he didn't wanna keep paying for the hotel. Happy ending, Maddie and Cam are safe and (relatively speaking) well. Obviously Cam has a long road of recovery ahead but he's alive, so can't really be too upset at the circumstances.

There's a LOT more than that to the book, but that's the gist of it. I'm really proud of Just Another Tomorrow. Special thanks to @xmarinaryx who has seen this book from start to finish more times than I can count, and has marked up many a page with red pen.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Okay so I REALLY loved this first DD episode!! Now more than ever I am feeling hopeful for Beth's return. I mean, I've been here since day 1 (8yrs or something like that) but after all the times we thought she'd appear, this feels the most legit. It all comes down to what Judith said at the end of the flagship, "You deserve a happy ending, too." Like what else would a happy ending look like for D@ryl other than reuniting with Beth? I look at it this way, they had this line repeated, not once, not twice, but 3 times in the episode, and once directly to D@ryls face by Laurent. He even asks D, "Do you have kids, a wife, etc?" The look on his face says it all...this has been a major theme for D. R!ck mentions looking for a house together with Lori, trying to relate to him and his grief over losing his SO. Even Abraham asked him, "You ever think about it? Settling down?" Whether D wants to admit it or not, a wife, kids, a home, these are what he truly wants. Yes he loves TF and protecting them and all that, but what he truly wants is that romantic partner which we ALL know is beth. The only ppl who deny it are, well you know 🙄 This emphasis on his "happy ending" is making me so excited. Writers wouldn't start the ENTIRE show off on something like that without the payoff. Even if all we get is confirmation of her being alive, it's happening. It has to. D@ryl is finally getting his happy ending to his "damn romance novel" and his new found faith is instrumental in that!! Ahh, so excited! Thanks for all your hard work for TD! We love youuuu!!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚

Aww thanks so much. I love you all too!

And I completely agree with everything you said. You laid it out perfectly. I didn't mention the whole "do you have a wife" question because my mind was so much on other things, but it's super significant that they asked this in the first episode of the series. Just as, like you said, it's super significant that they start out with Judith talking about his happy ending. That's literally the thesis statement for the entire spinoff series. So yes, he's getting his happy ending one way or another in this spinoff, and I'll echo you in saying, we all know who that will be with.

I'm getting a lot of Asks where people are saying that, because the reviewers haven't said anything about Beth, she must not be coming.

That MIGHT be true for S1, though I would remind everyone that they were sworn to secrecy about the final two episodes. As in, if she shows up, they truly can't tell us. And if it's her name Daryl almost drops, they can't mention that. They would be all kinds of fired and sued.

But even if she doesn't actually show up the first season, I still think we'll get some clues about her. And, in the end, this show is about him finding his happy ending. So, it's gonna happen one way or the other.

My fellow theorists have also been looking into some of the weirdness of the filming in the Louvre. I have lots of things to post for you guys. It's just been a busy week and I haven't gotten around to much of it, but I'll try to get more of it out this week.

Anyway, love everything you said. Totally agree. Right there with ya! Xoxo! 🍁🍂😍

[heisfunkymonkey]

An Interview with Daryl Eisenhower

A large read but please do read in! It sums up most of Daryl completely and I believe you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating this for you all. Thanks!

@dt-oc-tournament

Morning, sir. Thank you for accepting our invitation to an interview.

It’s my pleasure, thank you for asking me to come around!

Would you mind stating your full name, age, current phone head, and occupation?

Odd thing to ask when I first walk in.

It’s for the transcript of this interview, sir.

Oh, well then sure. I am Daryl Eisenhower. My age as of the date of my birth is 105 yet I am physically 27, or so my doctor says. I have a world war II Handie-Talkie for a head and I work as a history teacher in a neighboring town’s high school.

What do you mean with “my age as of the date of my birth?”

I was born April 6th, 1918.

How is your body still, if you don't mind me saying, young after all these years?

Well, first things first, I died way back when. When I was in the service n all. They froze my body and I guess they woke me back up and put a phone on my head. I think it fits me pretty well.

What did you do all those years ago pre-dial up? You mentioned a service?

Nothing before the war, really, but I enlisted in the US Army as a tanker and worked up to being a tank commander. Don't remember much past that, it's pretty fuzzy when getting specific.

So does that describe why your head is different in your past photos? Were those from before the dialup?

I don't think I ever thought about that. Must've just been changed I guess, made me forget about the old me. I do look handsome though!

I apologize for asking, do you want us to go on to the general questions?

No no, don’t apologize, it’s alright. Although that’s why I came here so please do continue.

Although this isn’t too serious, do you like your new vacuum?

Yes, it's nothing special but it works, thanks for asking.

What do you think about the tournament?

It's interesting! Some odd folks but I think they're alright people. Lots of younger people too. You don't always see people like me around anymore.

Why do you carry that backpack around?

I thought we finished with these personal questions but it isn't a backpack! It's my brain! This here radio head doesn't hold all the guts of letting me talk and live, I'm hooked up to this thing 24/7.

Does that pose any concerns?

Billy has put me in a coma before and ever since then I've been more cautious but yes, yes it does. I have also slipped on chocolate milk in my school’s cafeteria which made me break something back there. I don’t think Gabby has found out what just yet, nor has my doctor but Gabby is less expensive so I refer to her more.

Lastly, what’s your overall plan towards getting through this tournament?

If I had to pick one thing I’d say it’s my charm! I’m a stand up guy, aren’t I?

That will be all for this interview. Again, thank you for coming!

It was great coming out here, thank you for the invite. Have a good day!

[blueberry-ash]

I’m actually on break-of-sorts! There’s extra free time in my days, and I can do what I want with it! (Even better—after a couple days spent zombie-ing in front of a video game and tv shows—my brain even kinda wants to do things. How refreshing flsdafjsa;)

So! A fic author interview, which the lovely @lynne-monstr tagged me in half an age ago. :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

327, apparently. God knows how many have been let loose to swim in the sweetly-orphaned seas.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

863,428.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

How Impolite, How Imprudent (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl) - 1,108 kudos.

Stripped (Death Note, Near/Mello) - 720 kudos.

let’s embrace the point of no return (Guardian, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) - 669 kudos.

Hoping's Free (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl/Rick) - 639 kudos.

The Married Ones (BBC Sherlock, Sherlock/Watson) - 625 kudos.

Mostly this is just… happening to write for popular ships sometimes, I think, rather than any reflection on the actual stories themselves.

Although, The Walking Dead ones were very much just posted at exactly the right point in time—AKA right when the folks who were gonna be reading Beth-centric stories were turning up to find it…and when there really weren’t many. I remember finding it really fun to write for that ship, in no small amount because it felt exactly like writing for my usual rarer pair stuff… but with bonus readers. XD

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always plan to. They make me so happy! Unfortunately, my brain makes replying to comments a whole lot more complicated than it actually is… meaning I put it aside for when I’ll have the energy/capacity… and then my executive dysfunction sneaks in and eats my good intentions for breakfast. ;;

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t really write angsty endings very often. I guess… against the world? Probably? That’s pretty miserable through-and-through, and is definitely lacking my usually compulsive need to find a happy note to end on.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

…everything? XD

Honestly, my first thought was to crib off Lynne’s answer and say a story that goes real sad before it gets happy. But… that just makes me want to say my Reunion Dinner GaoQiao break-up fic (In the space of your leaving), except… I haven’t actually posted the final chapters for that yet. Meaning it’s happy ending is currently hypothetical, and it’s therefore disqualified from this category. 😂

In which case, I guess… maybe Hoping's Free, actually. I wouldn’t have thought of it, except that I was doing the sort-by-kudos thing, which made me look at it again. But it’s probably a better answer for this than my usual fluff, if only because it was written in this almost grimly hopeful tone that was very intentionally at odds with the canon I was writing from (TWD). (And was probably influenced by the fact I was sitting there writing a “pregnant at the end of the world” story whilst hugely pregnant myself, ha.)

7. Do you write crossovers?

As in, non-fusion crossovers? Where you have characters from both things interacting? Not really, to be honest. I used to, a fair bit, although I’m not sure I ever actually posted any of them. I just recently stumbled across some unfinished drafts for some Harry Potter x Bleach stuff, which was honestly fascinating to look at because I would not think of something like that now.

I do still write a bunch of fusion-style crossovers, though. Like, I’m plotting constantly plotting those bastard things. (Seriously, constantly: my poor SO cannot engage with a show or a video game with me without knowing that I’m probably sitting there thinking about where Qiao Yifan would fit into it jadlf;jasdfl.) Unfortunately, it’s just… a lot harder for me to actually finish those stories. Or sometimes, even to start them. They’re definitely one of those cases where I need to get much better at just… dropping my worldbuilding glee into a tumblr post or something, sigh.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Once. So very long ago that I don’t even remember what it was about, just that I had the sweetest group of friends who made it immediately less devastating for my rejection-sensitive ass (thereby saving me from quitting fandom not long after I had discovered it). <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

So much smut! Mostly the kind with a whole lotta feelings.

It’s not that I don’t write other things—I write so many other things—but smut comes with this bonus setting for me, where it’s just a hundred times simpler than anything else (especially when compared to anything that tries to grow Real Plot—see Question 7, so help me). And that just makes it wayyy easier to actually, y’know, write. And finish. And edit. And post.

(Not that sex can’t be complicated, or complex, because of course it can! But it’s still easier than so many other forms of human interaction, y’know? Or… maybe it’s just that sex is the perfect chill-switch for my brain, and that’s carried over into how I use it for writing, too? Who knows!)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. At least, not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yesss, and it’s always exciting! Translators are the best. ♥!!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I’ve planned to! Life got in the way, alas.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

What’s an all-time favourite anything, precious?

Whatever’s bouncing around in my head in the moment, generally. Although, that said, I do keep returning over and over and over to GaoQiao in a way that definitely should give it some kind of special status, so… there’s that. XD

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hey, that’s quitter talk, Question 14. Anyway, everyone knows I’m trapped in a fandom until I’ve had all my WIPs wrung out of me. (That’s how it works, right? Right?)

More seriously, though, I… am not really sure. There are definitely some WIPs I am constantly thinking I should just give up on and post as partly fleshed-out outlines—because I love them, but I’m not sure I have the spoons to genuinely finish them.

Like, uh, haha, y’know—the insane FangWang fairytale-esque thing, the structure of which was very purposefully built off Propp’s functions (the, uh, narrative elements of a folk tale, per Propp’s Morphology of a Folk Tale stuff), because… I’m a raging nerd who re-falls down the folk tale rabbit hole at least once a year…? I do really love that fic, so very much, because there’s so much going on in it (actual witches! changelings and neurodiversity! Lin Jie baggage! FangWang being insufferable and wonderful and full of feelings! fae folk being terrible! fae folk being So Fucking Right! trials being passed! trials being failed! homely cooking, and magical needlework, and grumpy softhearted healers chopping firewood, oh my!) But also… there’s so fucking much going on in it, dear god.

It’s probably my best candidate for being flung up as a dot-point fic, but… I remain swimming in a sea of self-delusion, haha.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think… I really like getting in the guts of things, when it comes to writing about characters as people-in-bodies. (Which… is a sentence I keep re-writing, but it’s not getting any less unhinged any time soon, so it can just stay there as-is.)

I really like that sense of grounding, anyway: of being grounded in skin and bones and body-connected feelings, which is… mildly hilarious considering—therapist noises intensify.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Executive dysfunction.

Uh. Yeah, so, I’m super bad at internalising that grammar exists for Reasons, and that those Reasons are that other people don’t necessarily think or read with the apparently weird rhythm that I do. And that means… y’know… that my own shit needs to confirm to at least a baseline of some kind or else it’ll become kinda unreadable. (I am getting better at it, I think. I am. It’s an endless project. Commas are my own personal hell.)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do kinda get why people might do this, because baby-me was pretty enamoured with it.

Now that I’m no longer Baby, however—at least, not when it comes to this—it’s not really something I would do. I’m also more likely to politely exit back out of stories that do choose to do it, although that’s mostly because it tends to be one of those markers that says Things about whether or not I’m going to jive with a story. (As a boring-ass adult with too little functional time on her hands.)

(On the other hand, I am deeply into terms of address/honorifics being kept and used. They can provide such a rich dose of information about intimacy, familiarity, and all the rest of it. That said, I tick-tock back and forth like a busted clock on whether I think they should be translated or not.)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Animorphs, probably, although I didn’t know what a fandom was at that point. My first posted fic was for Stargate Atlantis.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I’m going to find a way to write that sedoretu Gao Yingjie/Fang Shiqian/Wang Jiexi/Qiao Yifan story if it fucking kills me.

(Also this random Gao Yingjie/Qiao Yifan & Su Mucheng/Wang Jiexi partner-swapping thing that’s been living rent-free in my head for literal years, but which has never actually been written down as anything more than a one line note. C’mon, story, get out of my head and onto some damn paper!)

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

We play favourites in this house! Also… I’m just really bad at making those kinds of choices.

But—you know what? Fuck it, in the days this draft has been sitting here, I gotta say, I’ve kept thinking—probably the older the ginger (the spicier it gets). It’s peak rare pair, but I had such a blast writing it, and it’s one of those odd things I actually enjoy re-reading, too. <3