#twd connie season 11

[guardando-edits]

connie icons 11x21

© @prideofstelena on twitter or like/reblog

[helie-brain]

TWD Finale SPOILERS!!!

Overall a very nice ending to a great series. 

Pros: 

The small connections to the first season. 

The emotional scenes; Especially the one between Rosita/Eugen (not many words but the feeling is there) and Maggie/Negan (I like how instead of laughing or taunting him, she talks of Glenn and of why she can never forgive him but doesn’t hate him (beautiful acting)). Even Luke’s death was sad thanks to the acting of Magna, Yumiko, Connie and Kelly. 

The Gabriel’s character arch; from being full of fear and closing doors to his people to willingly being killed to open the gate to citizens and zombies. 

The overall feeling felt like a finale. I mean overall it was sad; deaths, saying goodbye. But it was also happy because we get to see our favorite characters finally live a little. 

The time jump: the new memorial with those lost in the battle, Eugen naming his daughter Rosita, Ezekiel being mayor of Commonwealth, Carol taking Hornesby’s job and the overall feeling is lighter. 

The special effects were great; the size of the explosion and the after effect were just amazing. Even the smaller explosions were well done. 

Cons:

At times it was too corny. Like the scene in which Daryl gives a speech about how making things the way they were before was bad, it just felt flat and repetitive. 

The pacing was a bit fast. To me the episode felt really short for a finale, it was like fighting, crying, explosions time jump the end. 

The fact that only mid-way through the last season we are introduced to the variant walkers. If they were introduced earlier it could’ve shown how much of a threat they actually were.  

The whole shipping thing; I am a DarylxConnie shipper, but I can respect if Daryl ends up with Carol (I mean they have known each other longer) as long as he is happy. But the ending for all three characters felt weird. I mean through out most of the scenes between Carol/Daryl and Connie/Daryl it gave off a flirty even romantic feel to it. Like remember how protective Daryl was with Carol when he found out she was still alive in the Kingdom or how giggly he gets when he talks to Connie (he even learned ASL for her come on). Either have him end up with one or don’t have these kind of scenes. 

There are still quite a few open questions; what happened to Heath, What is happening in Oceanside and was it ever resolved, why are they so calm when there are walkers that can climb and hold weapons walking around, what happened in Connie’s past to make her save that baby in the cornfield, how come Connie and Magna not more effected by what they went through in the cave and after, Are there still Whisperers, is Hilltop rebuilt, what happened to Virgil, did the rest of the crew have to go through the processing to enter Commonwealth,

But overall I love The Walking Dead. It’s not just a show about zombies, its about how different people survive, family, community, lose, finding the joy in life no matter the hardship, everyone makes mistakes but what matters is how you resolve them. True not all the seasons were great but they were memorable, along with the characters.  I am going to miss it very much, I don’t think there will be a show like the walking dead. Don’t get me wrong there will be other great shows (like The house of Dragons). But nothing like the feeling of the Walking Dead. 

 Thankfully I have great fanfiction to read to maintain this feeling!

[tuppencetrinkets]

Sorted caps from The Walking Dead seasons 10 & 11, Walking Dead: Dead City S1, Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S1 and Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. You can also find sorted caps from TWD S 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 here.

Aaron - Ross Marquand - 10,000

Alden - Callan McAuliffe - 2,000

Alpha - Samantha Morton - 4,000

Beale - Terry O'Quinn - 1,500

Carol - Melissa McBride - 16,000

Connie - Lauren Ridloff - 4,000

Daryl - Norman Reedus - 25,000

Elijah - Okea Eme-Akwari - 1,500

Eugene - Josh McDermitt - 14,000

Ezekiel - Khary Payton - 7,000

Gabriel - Seth Gilliam - 5,000

Hershel - Logan Kim - 1,000

Isabelle - Aerli Austen - 10,000

Jadis - Pollyanna McIntosh - 4,000

Jerry - Cooper Andrews - 3,000

Juanita "Princess" - Paolo Lazaro - 6,000

Judith - Assorted - 8,000

Kelly - Angel Theory - 3,500

Lance - Josh Hamilton - 8,000

Laurent - Louis Puech Scigliuzzi - 5,000

Leah - Lynn Collins - 3,500

Lydia - Cassady McClincy - 6,000

Maggie - Lauren Cohan - 21,000

Magna - Nadia Hiker - 3,000

Marion - Anne Charrier - 2,000

Maxine - Margot Bingham - 2,500

Michael - Michael James Shaw - 2,500

Michonne - Danai Gurira - 10,000

Nat - Matthew August Jeffers - 2,000

Negan - Jeffrey Dean Morgan - 18,000

Pamela - Laila Robins - 6,000

Pearl - Lesley Ann Brandt - 3,000

Pope - Ritchie Coster - 1,500

Rick - Andrew Lincoln - 13,000

Rosita - Christian Serratos - 10,000

Sebastian - Teo Rapp-Olsson - 2,000

Siddiq - Avi Nash - 3,500

The Croat - Zeljko Ivanek - 2,000

Yumiko - Eleanor Matsuura - 9,000

This content is free for anyone to use or edit however you like; if you care to throw a dollar or two my way for time, effort, storage fees etc you are more than welcome to do so via my PAYPAL.  Please like or reblog this post if you have found it useful or are downloading the content within.  If you have any questions or you have any problems with the links or find any inconsistencies in the content, etc. please feel free to drop me a politely worded message via my ASKBOX (second icon from the top on my theme!

[euphorial-docx]

other twd characters in season 11: rebuilding in the aftermath of war, meeting new communities

connie in season 11:

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 95: Designation Two

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader ❧ Era: Season 11 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild language, violence ❧ Word Count: 8k

❧ In This Chapter: Everyone gets taken, including you. The Commonwealth has special plans for you, however, and Daryl has plans of his own, all of which involve getting you back.

❧ A/N: Um so it's been a little while. Lots of things have happened since I posted the last chapter. The finale of TWD premiered, I got to see the majority of the main cast in person in Los Angeles, Thanksgiving happened, I started my new job, and I kind of sort of got pissed off because someone didn't like that the reader was a vegetarian lol it's been a wild week. But please don't let any of that get in the way of enjoying this new chapter! I hated replacing Connie with this little side plot, but we also love to see Daryl being a knight in shining armor so I think it's okay. We still stan Connie. <3

They took everyone.

Ezekiel, Princess, Negan, Annie, Magna, Rosita, Gabriel, Maggie, Connie, Kelly… You, and the kids, everyone. 

Daryl had been waiting for you at the designated spot, where he prepared the wagon with the last of your belongings, along with Judith, RJ, and Dog.

They took him by surprise, no doubt knowing he would be the hardest to get. Daryl never went down without a fight, but this time, his fight wasn’t good enough.

Four men were sent to deal with him, two of which got away with both the children (and even Dog) while the other two engaged in a heavy tussle with the patron of the Dixon family, resulting in the deaths of both men, but not before the children were already taken away.

Only Daryl and Carol had avoided capture, and when Carol found Daryl, their only option was to seek the help of the maligned former deputy governor of the Commonwealth, Lance Hornsby.

Locked away in a heavily guarded prison cell, Hornsby promised to lead them to where you and the others had been taken, and when he outlived his usefulness, having revealed that following the train tracks outside of the Commonwealth would lead to the missing people, Carol killed him. 

Of course, you had no idea about all that. All you knew now was that you were shrouded in darkness, with a burlap sack over your head as you awoke.

You were sitting, but you were moving. It’d been a long time since you were in a moving vehicle, so long that it didn’t even register to you at first. When your eyes finally shot fully open, you shook your head to knock off the sack, and it was still dark, but there was a dim light coming from the headlights and the brake lights. You were in the back of a military vehicle, probably one of the vans the Commonwealth Army used. In the darkness, you could just barely make out three others, all with sacks over their heads, too. You could barely see over the front seats, but there were two soldiers there, one driving, the other looking aimlessly out the window into the darkness outside. 

When you tried to move your hands, you quickly realized they were tied. It felt like a zip tie, but you couldn’t be totally sure—they were behind your back. 

The last thing you remembered the most clearly was being separated from Robin and Westley, and after that, your senses were dulled from the burlap sack over your head, though you recalled a sharp prick in the base of your neck, where they’d injected you with some kind of anesthesia. 

It could’ve been days since then for all you knew, and wherever they were taking you, it probably wasn’t good. You weren’t going to stick around to find out. 

What mattered most now was finding the others, finding the kids, finding Daryl. You couldn’t even let yourself think too hard about what might’ve happened to them, lest you break down and start crying. No, you had to get out of here. That was the first thing, then you could go looking for them, and then you could grieve, if you needed to.

“Hey,” you whispered to the others, trying not to catch the attention of the soldiers. “I’m gonna get us out of here.”

One of the other captives sat up straight, seemingly in response to you. “(Y/N)?”

You recognized that voice, it was Heather, Robin’s former teacher from Alexandria, and the mother of Emily, your former student. “Heather… Just follow my lead. I’ve got a plan. Kind of.”

The plan you had developed in the meantime was primitive, but it could work. You just had to believe it would. 

“Hey,” you called out to the soldiers up front. The one in the passenger seat turned to look at you through the cage that separated you from him. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

The driver scoffed. “That’s too damn bad,” he called back. “No one gets out till we get to Outpost 22.”

You paused for a moment, thinking of anything you could say to get them to stop. “If you don’t let me out,” you said, “I’ll pee all over this van.” It was a sentence you’d never thought you’d say out loud to a stranger, but then again, it wasn’t too far off. You’d just given birth, and your bladder wasn’t as strong as it used to be. 

“Shit,” you heard one of the soldiers mumble under his breath. The van came to a slow halt, and you sighed a little in relief, though the hard part was coming up. 

The soldier in the passenger seat opened the door and slammed it shut, shaking the van. From the front seat, you could hear the other soldier speaking into the walkie. “One of them’s gotta piss,” he said. “Keep the convoy movin’, we’ll catch up in a few minutes.”

It wasn’t lost on you that these two soldiers most definitely had powerful automatic weapons, but you also were confident you could wrestle with one and snatch his gun before the other could notice. Well, you weren’t really too confident, but it was worth a shot.

The back doors of the van opened thunderously, causing Heather and the other two captives to flinch at the sound, while you squinted desperately to see beyond the burlap. You could just barely make out a figure approaching you in the darkness, until he ripped off the burlap sack and grabbed your arm to escort you out of the van.

“Hurry up,” he said, pushing you out until you hopped onto the ground below. 

You scoffed, wiggling your hands in the confinement of the zip tie. “How am I supposed to pull my pants down with my hands tied?” you asked. 

The masked soldier tilted his head and huffed. You could tell you were pissing him off, but it was now or never.

He went behind you to loosen the zip tie, pulling it off your wrists. “It’s going back on when you’re done,” he said. “Try to run and I’ll shoot you.”

“I’m not going to run,” you said, and it wasn’t a lie. You really weren’t going to run. You were going to fight, even if it would’ve been smarter to run. Sometimes, life requires stupid decisions.

“Good,” he replied, stepping back. “Now hurry up, lady.”

You swallowed hard, rubbing the rash on your wrist from the zip tie as you thought of the next move. It occurred to you then that the soldier was staring at you, not allowing you any kind of privacy in which to relieve yourself. 

You turned to face him. “Do you mind?” you asked. “I can’t go with you watching me.”

For a moment, you feared the man would refuse to allow you privacy, but, to your immense relief, he slowly turned around, facing his back to you. “I don’t get paid enough for this shit,” he said.

With a deep breath, you wasted no more time. Lunging at the man’s back, you tackled him with all your might, wrestling him to the ground as you tried to take his gun. You were able to quickly yank off his helmet before grabbing the gun and bashing the stock against his head until he seemed to lose consciousness. Powered by adrenaline, you pried open the back of the van, without even thinking of the other soldier, who you hadn’t noticed was no longer in the driver’s seat. 

You quickly untied Heather and the others, two men you didn’t recognize, but who must’ve been other citizens of the Commonwealth. “Let’s go,” you said. 

Heather’s eyes widened as she peered over your shoulder. “Behind you!”

You turned with the gun held high, but before you could shoot, the other soldier already fired several rounds into the two men, and then one into Heather.

It all happened so fast, but you lunged behind one of the seats, about ready to raise your gun to shoot back. 

Before the next shots could be fired, you heard the voice of the soldier you’d knocked out. “Don’t shoot her!” he said. “She’s designation two!”

Designation two?

You looked over your shoulder to see Heather’s body bleeding out, the blood pouring from her lower abdomen, the life already drained from her eyes. You huffed a deep breath, processing another death of an Alexandrian. The gun in your hands wouldn’t be enough to take down the guards. They were heavily armored, and you knew from examining Daryl’s Commonwealth uniform that it was nearly bullet proof, except for the spaces in between the armor plates where only fabric covered the skin, but it was too dark to aim properly, and you were too exhausted to focus. 

You felt the van rock as the two men slowly climbed up into the cabin, with one saying, “Stand up. We won’t shoot.”

Fat chance, you thought. 

If they weren’t going to shoot you, they were going to do something with you, and whatever “designation two” was, you didn’t want to stick around to find out. You wanted to find your child and your newborn. They needed you. Daryl would be fine on his own, wherever he was, though you hoped he was somehow with Robin and Westley. If he wasn’t, he was looking for them, and you. Worst case scenario, he was dead, but if you knew Daryl, and you were pretty sure you did, you knew that he was a hard son of a bitch to kill.

You, on the other hand, weren’t so tough.  

When you stood to aim your gun at the two guards, one was quicker this time. The barrel of his rifle smacked you across the head, knocking you to the floor of the van. You were just barely still conscious, with hazy eyes as you watched the guards close the back door of the van. Wherever you were going, you’d have no idea where you were until you woke from the uncomfortable slumber you soon fell into. It was daylight outside when you awoke, hands tied once again, and now in the backseat of a jeep, driving alongside some train tracks. 

Hornsby’s lead had taken them to the train tracks, somewhere quite far outside the Commonwealth, but Daryl wasn’t entirely focused on the distance now, since wherever his family was, it wasn’t in the Commonwealth. 

He and Carol watched from the cover of the woods that morning, Daryl with his binoculars as his eyes scanned the scene. A train had just arrived, stopping on the tracks. With each guard standing around, he counted.

“There’s six of ‘em,” he said to Carol. Just then, another train arrived, with several Commonwealth Army vehicles on it. Soldiers shouted indistinguishably to each other, barking orders as the second train came to a halt. 

“Think we can follow it without them seeing us?” asked Carol.

Daryl lowered the binoculars for a moment. “We hang back far enough, we’ll be fine.”

Then the sound of a much smaller engine, and Daryl raised the binoculars to look towards the mechanical gurgle. From his view, he could see one Commonwealth soldier in uniform, driving the topless jeep, and a man he didn’t recognize sitting behind in regular clothes, but his hands were untied—he must’ve been with them, Daryl figured.

In the passenger seat, it was hard to see past the bulky Commonwealth armor adorning the guard driving the jeep, but there was someone there, too, and on top of their head was a familiar white beanie, with a poof on top. He’d gotten you one just like it as a birthday present one year, when you said you needed more hats. You loved that hat, he loved when you wore it. You were wearing it before he left to meet up with you, before his plan went awry.

The man in the back seat jumped up to grab the passenger’s arm, and the soldier stood up to circle around and grab the other one. Daryl knew now. Well, he knew from the minute he saw that hat poking out over the soldier’s silhouette, but he didn’t want to believe it. Maybe a part of him did, just because he wanted you to be alive, and now he knew that you were, but your wrists were held together with zip ties, no doubt so tight they’d leave a bruise or even break the skin. Your face looked tired, confused, scared… All feelings he had always tried his best to never let you feel. 

There was a bruise on the side of your face where you’d been hit, and that disturbed him the most. It made him instinctively tighten every muscle as his heartbeat began to race until it felt as though it would burst from his chest, grow wings, and fly to you. 

The soldier and the other man pulled you to another soldier, and the men all proceeded to talk, though it came across as only a murmur. 

“They got (Y/N),” Daryl breathed, without moving his gaze from you. “They got my wife.” 

His hands grew weak, handing the binoculars to Carol. As soon as she lowered them, searching through her bag to pull out a walkie talkie, Daryl snatched them back. He brought them to his eyes once more, just to study every single detail of the scene in case it would prove to be what he needed to get you back. 

Carol switched through several channels on the walkie until a man’s voice surfaced over the grainy static of the radio. “Guy’s saying I have to put an exile on here,” he said. “It’s a cargo transport and against regs. Over.”

Another man’s voice replied. “It’s been cleared from up on high. She’s not gonna be a worker, she’s designation two.”

“Oh, shit,” the other man replied. 

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Get her there safely.”

“Copy that.”

Daryl’s heart pounded against his tight, strained chest. He had no way of knowing what “designation two” meant, but all he knew was that you weren’t safe, and that you belonged in his arms, not being loaded onto a train that would take you to God knows where. Daryl believed in simplicity, and what he didn’t need to know was of no consequence to him. He just needed to know that you were all right, and he needed you with him, in arm’s reach. If he didn’t have that, there was something very, very wrong. 

“What’s designation two?” asked Carol, though Daryl couldn’t even think to answer that question. 

What was going on in his head at that moment was much more practical. He needed to find the kids, but he needed to get you out of the hands of the Commonwealth, too. It was an impossible decision, one that he couldn’t really make, but it was clear what he needed to do. He needed to do what you would want him to do, and though you couldn’t see him looking at you from afar, watching you as your captors pushed you around and manhandled you far too much for Daryl’s liking, he could tell that you were thinking about the children, about your baby. 

That was the most pressing matter, and as much as he wanted to pick up his crossbow and wipe out every son of a bitch who touched you, he knew that wasn’t a valid option, and that he’d be dead in a matter of seconds. Still, it sounded good, even if he died doing it. At least he’d die for you, even if he was being stupid.

“We can’t go get her,” he said after a while of thinking. “They’ll radio ahead. We won’t find the kids.”

“Hey,” Carol replied. “We’ll hang back, and we’ll follow it to the others, and we’re gonna bust ‘em out all at once.”

As much as Daryl wanted to listen to that rational voice in his head, the one that kept him from getting killed, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to find you as soon as possible. That might’ve not quite aligned with his words, or his brain, but it was what his heart wanted. Every inch of his body was at war with itself. As usual, you made his heart beat so loud he couldn’t hear himself think anymore. Still, he would try. 

So much for trying.

Before the train got too far ahead, Daryl and Carol took out a few soldiers and hijacked their jeep, using it to follow the train on its way to wherever it was going, with you on it. 

When the train had gone where the jeep couldn’t follow, they got ahead of it, driving at full speed to reach a junction in the tracks that the train hadn’t hit yet. There was a barn and some farmland nestled not too far from the tracks, where they staked out. The train was surely going to stop there, and surely that would be the time to attack. 

“Train’s gonna hit that junction,” said Carol. “We should just sit tight till it does.”

Daryl scoffed under his breath. He’d grown impatient, his own emotions and fears getting ahead of that practical statement he’d made. Finding the kids first was important, and he stood by that, but the longer he thought of what could be happening to you on that train, the more antsy he became. 

“I don’t think I can do that,” he said, heading back towards the jeep to load up his bow. Carol called out to him, but he had already gotten in the driver’s seat, huffing and puffing as he tried to get a hold of his emotions. He’d known what it was like to be in this position. It was dangerously close to what happened a year ago, when he thought he really had lost you. 

Now, he knew you were alive, but any minute now, that could change. What if you tried to escape, and they shot at you? He didn’t even want to think about that, but he knew you, and he knew that you’d do anything to find those children. Not just yours, but Judith and RJ, too, and all the others, as surely there were other children that had been taken too. 

Carol had joked once that you were the “godmother” for every child in Alexandria, that you were the most motherly person she knew. You had always found this statement ironic, since you never even cared for children that much until you had grown to love every child that was part of your family, and at this point, you had a very big family. All of Alexandria, really. 

Daryl knew this, too. It worried him, how you’d sacrifice yourself for so many people, but then again, he’d do the same. For two people who, on the surface, were so different from each other, you were a lot alike. 

His hands tapped nervously on the steering wheel, his breath still deep and shaky as he tried to control himself for a moment. Carol’s voice cut through his thoughts, though not even the voice of an old friend could comfort him now. 

“When I saw her get on that train,” she said, “and I saw the door shut, I thought the same thing that you did.”

He huffed another anxious, impatient breath. “What’s that?”

There was a beat of silence as Carol thought whether or not to say what she was thinking. After all, Daryl had never vocally forgiven her for what had happened last year, but it was an unspoken agreement that he wouldn’t bring it up again. In fact, he’d never even brought it up with you, not since the night you returned home. It was difficult for him to deal with that again, thinking you were really gone. As much as he hated to admit it, he still couldn’t quite look in Carol’s eyes the same way he once did. She’d betrayed his trust so much during that time, and her carelessness had nearly gotten you, Magna, and Connie killed. Three people that Daryl was responsible for, that he cared about, and one that he loved. 

“The cave,” she said. 

The lump in his throat swelled so much he couldn’t speak, though a part of him wanted to silence Carol right then and there. As far as he was concerned, she had no right to bring that up to him. Whether or not she felt sorry for what she’d done, he didn’t want to hear it. It was the worst day of his life. No amount of death he had experienced could have prepared him for losing you, even if he had never actually lost you. It was too close, too real. 

“Do you remember what Kelly said,” Carol continued, “the minute they were gone?”

He had to think on it for a little while, since just about everything after that cave swallowed you up was a blur, and maybe it was self-preservation, but he wanted to forget that day. Nothing good came of it, and his body had never ached so much in his entire life. He swore he felt his soul leave when he thought you were gone, and when he almost died, bleeding out in that abandoned auto shop, he just wanted to be with you again, even if that meant never taking in another breath of air again. Air was nothing to him if you weren’t breathing it, too. 

But just then, he remembered—“We can’t save them if we’re dead,” he said. 

“She’s your wife. We can play this however you want, but if we go it alone, we might be making the same mistakes again… We might not be able to save her.”

It took him a moment to regain clarity, but he eventually let his breath go, and nodded ever so slightly. “All right.”

But it wasn’t all right. When Daryl had heard the whirring of a nearby motorcycle, he and Carol followed the sound, hoping to get some answers from whatever Commonwealth soldier was most likely on that bike.

When they got there, they didn’t just find a soldier, but Maggie. She’d knocked out the soldier, but also stabbed him in the side of his chest, just between the armor plates. Of course, Daryl was relieved to see Maggie, but his focus for the time being was doing one thing he knew he could do quite well: interrogating. 

In the barn back at the group’s stakeout point, Daryl had lugged the unconscious soldier. He was bleeding profusely, with deep red pouring from his mouth and onto the bright white chest plate that Daryl himself once wore. As he lifted the half-awake soldier to his feet, trying to get him fully conscious again, he felt a bit of empathy, like he could’ve easily been in this man’s shoes, too, if only he had followed the rules. 

But then again, it would be against his nature to follow rules he didn’t agree with. Sure, Daryl wasn’t opposed to following orders. It was one thing the Commonwealth had said would make him a good soldier, his loyalty. They didn’t know him well enough, though. They didn’t know that Daryl’s loyalty had limits. Some people just didn’t deserve his loyalty, and whatever loyalty he ever had to the Commonwealth, it was really loyalty to his family. 

His family was the only reason he cared to fight for the Commonwealth army. Promises of good pay and good housing were the only incentives that encouraged him to keep putting on that stupid uniform. He was never proud of it, never bonded with his co-workers or spent time getting to know them outside of work. Maybe he would’ve known this man if he bothered to remember anyone’s face, but whenever he had that uniform on, he tried to separate himself from the armor. 

When his body hit the hard, corrugated metal wall, his eyes shot open just before he sank down to the ground, coughing up more blood. Daryl let go as he knelt down beside the injured man. 

“Let me see,” he said, lifting the chest plate to reveal the bloody wound where Maggie had stabbed him near the armpit. It was a bad puncture wound, and he’d lost so much blood already that there was most likely no chance of helping him. 

Still, he was alive right now, and if he knew anything about what they planned on doing to you, and if he knew exactly where the kids were, and the rest of his people, he’d make sure the last moments of this man’s life were put to some kind of use.

“You’re runnin’ out of time,” he said, low and gravelly, as usual, but somehow soft enough to convey whatever empathy he had for the dying soldier. His voice and gaze grew even softer as he thought of what to say next. In a matter of seconds, he became so vulnerable, desperate for help. The lives of the people he cared about most might depend on the flickering light of life in front of him. 

What he next sounded more like begging than he had intended, but he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t desperate now. After so many times of almost losing you, and now maybe losing his children, he couldn’t bear the thought of it. Not another minute could be spent not looking for you.

“I’m gonna ask you to please,” he said, “do somethin’ good… with the time you have left.”

The soldier shifted as he coughed up more blood, holding the wound all the while. 

“Where’s that train goin’?” His voice was calm, not at all filled with anger. Maybe several years ago, he would’ve had the energy to scream and yell, to start off the interrogation with brute force and physical assault, but right now, at this precise moment, there wasn’t any aggression. At least, there wasn’t enough to allow him to raise his voice. Maybe the more the soldier ignored him, the more forceful he’d get, but for now, all he could see in his head was you—alone, scared, hurt.

“They put my wife on it,” he said, as the soldier still remained silent, despite a few grunts and coughs. “Said she was ‘designation two.’ What’s that mean?”

The soldier coughed again, then closed his mouth tight, avoiding Daryl’s gaze. He should’ve taken advantage of Daryl’s relative kindness, because his patience wasn’t going to last forever. 

Still, he only sighed a bit, and continued to speak in that hushed voice. It felt odd, since this tone was usually reserved for people he loved deeply. People like you, and Robin, and now his son. He just couldn't shake you from his mind. 

You would’ve been proud of him, he supposed. He wasn’t immediately resorting to harshness and violence to get the information from him. As he thought of what you might’ve done next, he recalled that you always tried to find common ground with people, to find a way to show empathy. Maybe now was a good time to try that approach.

“Y’know, I was like you once,” he said, still so quiet, soft-spoken, and yet confident that he could get something out of him. He had to believe it. “I joined the force… ‘Cause my family needed money.”

Inexplicable guilt rushed over him then, and he averted his gaze, as if in shame. He’d had to do many things he didn’t want to do, taken dirty money he didn’t want, but he did it for you and the kids, so at least he could say he was living for love.

“M’guessing that’s your story, too,” he said. 

The soldier still didn’t say a thing, just breathed heavily, slightly wheezing as his blood grew colder. Daryl’s patience was close to running thin, and as he stood back up to his feet, he examined the soldier with almost a look of disgust. He couldn’t believe he’d wasted his feelings on someone who couldn’t care less about his plight. So much for empathy. 

“They took my kids from me,” he said, his voice growing louder, more impassioned. Energy began to rise up in the pit of his stomach, adrenaline pumping through him. The next sentence came out in almost a yell as angry desperation took hold of him. “And I want ‘em back.”

He could feel the tether inside him snap when the soldier still didn’t respond. He figured he’d been good enough, and you’d be proud of his restraint, but he had his limits, and he’d reached it. 

“You hear me?!” That guttural, raspy exclamation echoed slightly between the walls of the abandoned barn. Daryl’s foot simultaneously rammed into the soldier’s side, jolting him back and forth as he grimaced and grunted in pain.

“Train’s gonna be here soon,” Carol’s voice came from behind. Daryl turned to see her joined by Gabriel, who must’ve found them. 

“That’s all right,” he replied, “we can hurry.” He pulled one of his knives from the holder on his belt, lazily brandishing it, but holding it tight. “You wanna die quick… or you wanna die screamin’?”

If Gabriel hadn’t stepped in, that soldier would’ve known just how serious Daryl was, but the priest knew the man, and was able to get through to him more than Daryl could’ve. 

When Gabriel had so eloquently and gently struck the fear of God into the soldier, he finally talked. He said that the “exiles” were being taken to a labor camp, but he wasn’t sure of the exact location, and that they’d need to follow the train in order to get there. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

And then, when the soldier turned to look at Daryl, he felt his heart sink. No good news could come from a dying man with that look in his eyes, a look of… pity. 

“I’ve only heard rumors about designation two,” he said, choking on his blood and tears. Daryl shifted uncomfortably, yet tried to keep his cool and listen intently to whatever the dying man had to tell him. “They’re taken somewhere far away… They’re never seen again.”

Without hesitating another moment, Daryl got to thinking. There was no way he’d let that train go past the junction with you on it, especially not now. The conflict was that stopping the train to rescue you would cause the Commonwealth soldiers on it to radio in and inform the outpost that they’d been attacked. In that case, it’d be much more difficult to find the children and the other “exiles.”

Carol, as usual, had a plan, and all you heard were gunshots.

The train had stopped at a junction, you supposed. You knew trains pretty well, having taken them back and forth to visit home from college. Those were different, much nicer, trains, and you’d never heard gunshots from inside the Amtrak observation car. 

At first, you figured it was routine walker slayings, but your common sense told you that soldiers wouldn’t waste their bullets on a few walkers. In that case, it had to have been many walkers, or people. Now, you’d killed many walkers with a gun before, and you’d never had to shoot in such rapid fire succession. These gunshots were going back and forth, the sounds coming from all different directions, and there were hardly even a few seconds between each shot. 

“What’s happening?” you asked the Commonwealth soldier in charge of you. He had his head poking out the car door, the last car in the train. 

When he ignored you, you stood from the makeshift seat. Thank God your hands weren’t ziptied anymore, and you could now use them to grab the soldier’s shoulder, demanding an answer. You were now, for lack of a better word, cranky. Your whole family had been kidnapped, you had no idea what was going on, and you had a real bitch of a headache. 

You’d also just given birth, lest you forget. 

“Hey,” you said, trying to peer past the man’s shoulders. “What’s all that—”

Something shifted in the air, and you were suddenly no longer important enough to “keep safe.” The soldier forcefully turned you around and grabbed your arm as his other hand reached for his pistol. “Shut up,” was all he said. 

The gunshots seemed to cease then, but you had a gun held to your head. It was hardly a relief. 

Without a choice, you hopped out of the train car in the arms of the soldier, disoriented and still trying to get used to standing after so long of sitting. Your legs felt a bit numb, but they kept you upright as the soldier frantically turned his body and yours every which way, as if looking for something. 

Your mind was both racing and completely blank, as every thought you conjured was too jumbled up to make any sense of, until the sound of leaves crushing and the feeling of a presence behind you alerted the soldier, turning the both of you around. 

Daryl. 

He held one of the Commonwealth standard-issue rifles up high, ready to shoot. Despite your wriggling and attempts to throw your head back and hit the soldier, he managed to keep his arm tight around you, with the gun still to your head. 

Daryl’s silvery blue eyes were locked onto the soldier as he kept the gun at eye level, not backing down. He had his crossbow strapped to his back, too, and a look you recognized as unbridled aggression. 

“Drop it,” demanded the soldier, while Daryl’s mind raced to catch up with the situation. He was looking at you for a moment, breathing heavily and searching your face for all the answers. “Drop it!” 

He leaned down slowly, letting the gun fall to the ground as he raised his hand in subtle surrender, eyes almost pleading as they locked onto the soldier. 

“Crossbow, too.” 

He lifted the bow from his back, dropping it next to the gun. As the soldier’s grip tightened, you found your hands grasping as his arm, trying to pry it off, but to no avail. 

“You took out that antenna, hm?”

Now, both of Daryl’s hands were up, but his body looked about ready to lunge forward, rocking anxiously back and forth. 

“Yeah,” he replied shortly. 

“You cut the wire or you shut it off?”

You weren’t entirely sure why he bothered to ask Daryl how he disturbed the radio communication, but you supposed that as long as you were both alive, for the moment, that was a good thing. 

Daryl’s eyes trailed to yours again, and he remained silent, only trying to communicate with you through the comforting softness in that look he gave you. There was something practical behind those eyes, too, as he thought about what on Earth he was going to do next. 

You realized that there wasn’t really anything Daryl could do now, and that you needed to take matters into your own hands for a moment. It might’ve been a risk, but if you threw your arm up and behind you with enough strength, you could momentarily dislodge the gun from the soldier’s hand. 

“Answer me!”

Without another thought, you lifted your arm and pushed back against him, knocking him backwards and disorienting him, until his arm swung back, intentionally backhanding you with enough strength to knock you to the ground. 

Without a gun, the soldier retreated back into the train car, while you rolled back over onto your back, catching your breath. The next thing you saw was Daryl standing over you, leaning down as his fingerless-gloved hands drifted down to gently touch your face. “You okay?” he asked. 

Honestly, you barely had any idea where you were. You hadn’t known where you were for about twenty-four hours now. Still, you reached up to touch his arms with both hands, as if grasping for the only thing you could really make sense of. He was standing right in front of you, the best thing you’d ever seen. “Yeah,” you huffed, nodding hard. 

He stood back straight, letting his hands slide into yours before turning to follow the soldier, not wanting to risk him getting away. Well, and he held a gun to your head, and hit you. Now it was personal. 

When you got to your feet, with the help of Carol, you caught a glimpse of the soldier hijacking one of the Commonwealth motorcycles, driving off. Daryl jumped on one, too, following behind. 

Maggie and Carol had taken the train conductor hostage, taking him to the barn in the hopes that seeing the now dead Commonwealth soldier would inspire him to help supply information. You stayed outside the barn, waiting for Daryl. Maybe that was a selfish decision, but you hadn’t found yourself wanting to hug anyone more than you wanted to hug Daryl right now.

Leaning against the side of the barn, you perked up when the roar of the engine approached. Daryl looked rather dashing to you, the wind blowing his wavy, chestnut-colored hair back to show his stoic face, but the closer he got to you, the more a smile seemed to creep up. It was slow, and very subtle, but you knew his face so well that you could identify every nook and cranny under a microscope. 

You walked forward as he kicked the stand of the bike before turning it off, then he nearly tripped over himself as he hopped off of it, fast-walking to you. 

With a laugh, you accepted his big hug, and felt him lift you a few inches off the ground with a grunt. Your arms squeezed him tight as you rested your chin on his shoulder, taking the moment to close your eyes and just feel him hold you close. Everything else might’ve been wrong, but at least you had one thing that felt so right again. 

“Thought I wasn’t gonna see ya again,” he said over your shoulder, his voice low and melancholy. When he pulled away, still keeping his body tight against yours, he cupped your cheeks with his cool fingertips, and he could feel the skin of your cheeks pulling as you smiled wide at him. 

“You know we’re stuck together,” you said. “Whether you like it or not.”

His eyes only left yours for a few moments to scan behind you, and you knew he was making sure no one was around to see him show whatever affection he had in store for you. When you caught a glimpse of the deep pink blush forming on his cheeks, you let out a hushed giggle, but you didn’t want to embarrass him too much, even if he looked incredibly cute.

His hands cupped your cheeks tighter, pulling you close to him until he could kiss your lips. It was a simple kiss, but it lingered for a while, until he pulled away with a soft, boyish smile, and let the tip of his button nose rub back and forth against yours. 

“You’re like a schoolboy,” you laughed, unable to keep yourself from poking a little loving fun at him. “Why are you giggling?”

He scoffed and lowered his head, still with that adorably crooked smile that brought so much youth back to his face, not that he really needed it. He aged so gracefully that you were almost jealous of him. Forty-eight years old, and yet he really didn’t look much different than when you first met him, besides the longer hair and the scar on his cheek. The few little wrinkles and crow’s feet he had were endearing and accentuated his handsome face well. His skin was perfect, really. You chalked it up to good genes, he chalked it up to you taking such good care of him.

One hand left your cheek to straighten your hat, the beanie he’d gotten for you. His eyes did a few circles around your face, admiring the glow you always seemed to have whenever he was around. 

“I got you back,” he said. 

“My hero.”

The blush on his cheeks darkened ever so slightly, but he tried to distract from it by busying himself with examining the bruises on your face. You’d been hit in the face twice now. Though you felt lucky to get away with such minor injuries, Daryl’s smile turned to a concerned frown. 

“You in any pain?” he asked. “You wanna sit down, drink some water?”

Bless his heart. 

The only thing about being on missions with Daryl was that he often worried about you a little too much, when he should’ve been worrying about other things. In that way, you supposed you were a bit of a distraction, but that was Daryl’s fault, not yours.

“I’m fine, sweetie. What about the kids? Do you know where they are? Have you found them?”

He froze for a moment, prolonging the inevitable answer. “No,” he said, his hands now rubbing the sides of your arms up and down, wrinkling the fabric of your windbreaker. “We’re still tryin’ to find exactly where everybody is.”

Your heart sank. Though you knew it was unlikely, there was a glimmer of hope inside you that Daryl and the others had somehow found the children, that you’d be able to see Robin and Westley again.

Robin was six, only a month away from turning seven. She was smart, but she was vulnerable. Westley even more so. He was a newborn, incapable of surviving on his own at all. He needed his parents, he needed you, especially. A mother’s milk could run dry without an infant to drink it.

Daryl knew this, and he saw the worry and fear well up in your eyes, though you lowered your head, trying to hide it. He lifted your chin as he spoke softly, barely above a whisper. “Hey,” he said. “S’gon’ be all right.” He pulled you back into his arms, forcing your face against his warm, inviting chest. Your hands grasped at his shoulder blades, nestled behind his angel wings. “We’re gonna get them back. We’re gonna get them back, and they’re gonna be just fine.”

You sniffled, holding back a few tears. “Westley…”

“He’s all right,” said Daryl, not knowing if that was true or not, but he’d say anything to ease your mind, to get you to focus on finding the kids instead of mourning them. 

You shook your head. “He’s just a little baby.”

“And he’s a Dixon, so is Robin,” he reminded you, pulling away again to meet your eyes. “Dixon’s can handle anything… even the lil’ ones.”

You laughed through your tears, nodding with his statement. “What about a… Dixon-by-marriage? Can they handle anything?”

His lips quirked into a small smile, the kind of soft, warm smile that had lulled you to a deep, lovely sleep many times before. “Course they can. They’re tougher than a blood Dixon, just for puttin’ up with us.”

“It’s not so bad,” you said, absentmindedly fixing his windswept hair. It was always a bit askew after a motorcycle ride. “You’re perfect, actually… And you’re right. We’ll find them.”

The hostage train conductor had proven to be a figurative and literal dead end when he killed himself instead of agreeing to help you all get to the outpost where your people were being taken to. The next solution was to get the radios working again, and use that to get some intel about where exactly the place was located. 

By nightfall, you were all gathered in the barn around a small fire, watching Rosita as she worked her magic on the radio. You were always impressed with her technological skills, which seems to come naturally to her.

When she had it working, she radioed in to dispatch, pretending to be a Commonwealth soldier who’d gotten lost at the junction asking for directions to the outpost.

The dispatcher gave a series of directions, all of which sounded pretty routine, but when mentioned one thing, you felt a pit form in your stomach. 

“Head down the road until you find a suburban neighborhood,” she said. “A section has been shored up and fortified with walls. You’ll see friendly faces in the guard tower.”

Suburban neighborhood… Fortified walls… 

That could’ve been any place, couldn’t it?

No, there was no place like home.

“When you get here, you’ll take the northeast gate closest to the railroad tracks, and we’ll have guards on the lookout for you. Unfortunately, we don’t have any spare units to send out your way for a pickup. We have a convoy coming in for colonial processing. Governor’s orders.”

You furrowed your brow, sharing a look with Daryl. That must’ve been your people, and you were willing to bet that this outpost twenty-two was also housing your children.

“Twenty-two, did you say a convoy is coming in for reprocessing?” asked Rosita.

“Yes, ma’am. Word is that most of the processees used to live here before the Commonwealth claimed the territory and turned it into an outpost, back when it was still called Alexandria.”

No… no. Please don’t be true.

It was a gut punch, a smack to the face. The third time you’d been smacked in the face that day in the last twenty-four hours. How could Hornsby and Milton do this to your people behind your backs? Well, you had expected it from Hornsby, frankly, but Milton… You’d talked to her personally. You’d sat with her in your brother’s house and talked about your pregnancy and your daughter and your family. You’d told her about the triumphs your people had overcome, and how Alexandria had come back stronger every time. 

And all this time, after Aaron and the others came to the Commonwealth, under the impression that Alexandria was being rebuilt, it was really being used as a labor camp, a place where the Miltons could send all the people they found unsightly or unagreeable. They had taken everything that was beautiful about your home and turned it into something ugly.

The place where you’d raised your family and carved out a future for your children was now part of the Commonwealth, part of something evil. 

As all this clouded your terrified mind, you felt Daryl’s large warm hand curl tightly around yours, his thumb rubbing the back of your hand. You flinched to look at him, his face illuminated by the soft orange glow of the fire. You saw sadness and disappointment in his eyes, too. You shared that look of betrayal, of guilt. If only you’d been less trusting, but what else were you to do? Alexandria was dangerous, and you were pregnant. There wasn’t much of a choice. Either move to the Commonwealth, or lose something else. Whatever that something might’ve been, you didn’t want to know. 

So now you’d have to face the consequences, but so would Pamela Milton.

“The Warden will debrief you when you get to base,” the voice of the dispatcher on the radio continued. “In the meantime, keep an eye out for any more hostiles on the road. If you have to engage, shoot to kill. Watch your 6, and godspeed, 301.”

Rosita reluctantly held the radio back to her lips. “Thanks, 22. See you soon.”

Silence settled in among all of you. With your arms crossed, you leaned against the barn, shaking your head as you still processed everything you’d just heard. “They turned our home into a prison camp,” you said, voice shaky with rage. “They can’t get away with this.”

Your gaze met Maggie, who nodded in agreement as she thought, her face so incredibly serious. Some days, you saw the same carefree farm girl you met in Georgia, feeding the chickens and talking with you about men. The world had a way of hardening people, burying those parts down deep inside. Your old friend was still in there, but you knew that until this was over, Maggie was going to rip heads off with her teeth. 

“Milton has underestimated us since day one,” she said, lips tight and voice deep with anger. “We are gonna get our kids, take back our home, and make it right.” 

You didn’t notice it until Daryl squeezed your hand, but he’d never let go. Thank God he didn’t, otherwise you might forget you still had him to keep you strong. You’d need him for this. You’d need each other. That much was certain. 

After a short silence, Maggie spoke once more. “And Pamela’s never gonna see it coming.”

~

Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs of any kind are always appreciated!

Series Masterlist  Next Chapter ➳

I couldn't do a taglist for some reason ugh so please turn on post notifications for the next best thing!

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Bethyl Ask Videos #1 - #50

***Please ignore. Just updating my index.***

Bethyl Ask Videos #1 (10/30/2023)

Bethyl Ask Video #2 (11/01/2023)

Bethyl Ask Video #3 (11/02/2023)

Bethyl Ask Video: Beth and Beta Symbolism 11/03/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #5 11/04/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #6 - Showrunners, Spinoffs, Interpretations 11/07/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #7 - Ansel Elgort SM Post 11/08/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #8 - The Leah Storyline, Multiple Seasons of DD 11/09/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #9 - Streaming Rights, Unseen Events in Alone 11/10/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #10 - Yellow Flash From the Opening Credits 11/11/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #11 - The Symbolism of Rick and Jessie 11/15/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #12 - Articles About Headshots + Maggie in S5 11/14/2023

Bethyl Asks Video # 13 - Where Beth Got Her Gray Sweater 11/17/2023

Bethyl Asks Video # 14 - Peach Schnapps and Spinoffs 11/18/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #15 - Other Ships, Jadis vs. Morgan, Grady Survivors 11/21/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #16 - Daryl's Lost Wing + TWD Destinies 11/22/2023

Bethyl Asks Video #17 - Grady Philosophies + Tracing As Back Throughout the Series 02/27/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #18 - Beth's Hearing + Filming in Atlanta 02/29/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #19 - Daryl and the Question of Connie 03/02/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #20 - Reunions, TWD Destinies, and Setting Beth Apart - 03/06/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #21

Bethyl Asks Video #22 - Timelines and the Age Gap Question 03/09/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #23 - S11 Symbolism, Rick + Bullet, Stilliversary 03/09/2024

Bethyl Ask Video #24 - You're Gonna Miss Me So Bad When I'm Gone 03/19/2024

Bethyl Ask Video #25 - Sus ScreenRant Article + Daryl as Jacob Template 03/20/2024

Bethyl Ask Video #26 - Super Suspicious "Welcome Home" with Beth and Rick 03/21/2024

Bethyl Ask Video #27 - Upcoming Louvre Scene + Sleeping Arrangements in S4 03/22/2024

Bethyl Ask Video #28 - Where Dead City Might be Headed + More Age Gap Stuff 03/23/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #29 - Daryl and Sophia, Future TWD Conventions 03/26/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #30 - Claire De Lune, Loss of Limbs, Daryl's Silence 03/27/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #31 - Will Beth Return to the Funeral Home 03/28/2024

Bethyl Asks Video #32 - Beth's Gray and Yellow Clothing, Beth's Memory 03/29/2024

Bethyl Asks #34 - Changing Placement of Beth's Head Wounds 04/02/2024

Bethyl Asks #35 - Bethyl Kiss + Deep Dive Into the Wolves 04/03/2024

Bethyl Asks #36 - The Solar Eclipse and Emily's Social Media 04/04/2024

Bethyl Asks #37 - What the Actors Do or Don't Say Openly 04/05/2024

Bethyl Asks #38 - Black T-Shirt Guy on Coda Set and in Opening Credits Flash? 04/08/2024

Bethyl Asks #39 - 5x09 Strangeness + Blonde Walker in the Trunk 04/10/2024

Bethyl Asks #40 - Dead City Timeline + "New Sheriff" Parallels 04/12/2024

Bethyl Asks #41 - The Pizza Symbol - 5 and a Wedding Ring + Pineapple 04/15/2024

Bethyl Asks #42 - The ID of Beth's Shooter + Size of TD 04/17/2024

Bethyl Asks #43 Theme Music and Filming of Missing 17 Days 04/21/2024

Bethyl Asks #44 - Whether We'll See Beth in DD S2 + What Actors Know and Say About Their Deaths 04/22/2024

Bethyl Asks #45 - The Sheriff's Hat, the Color Red, Dawn's Last Words 04/23/2024

Bethyl Asks #46 - Rick Following the Template of the Missing 17 Days 04/24/2024

Bethyl Asks #47 - Rick's Focus on Beth in 9x05 + Length of Rick's Coma 04/25/2024

Bethyl Asks #48 - Orville Peck Music Video + TPTB Hinting at Beth's Return 04/26/2024

Bethyl Asks #49 - Characters Still Alive from Coda + Whether TD Knows About Td 04/29/2024

Bethy Asks #50 - AMC's Caryl Friendship Campaign + TSDF 05/06/2024

[my-mt-heart]

The finale is old news by now, but I have to go back to it for a minute if that's alright. After watching it, I lay in bed teary. Can't really explain why. I've been invested in the Caryl relationship since Cherokee Rose way back when, surviving on scraps. Then S10 came around with a wealth of scenes. The renewed focus given to their relationship, the conflict, was appreciated and encouraging of things to come. Well we know how s11 turned out. Resignation set in around ep. 20, but I kept waiting for a conversation. 40 min into the finale, couple missed opportunities already, I was screaming at my laptop. Intellectually I know the ilys are a big deal... yet it fell kind of flat for me. Technically it's payoff for 11 seasons, but it still didn't really feel earned. It felt kinda tacked on (which I suppose it was). It's not a kiss or the implicitness that bothered me. It was the build up of a narrative that fizzled out. They were put on the back burner. Conflict and tension was barely addressed, then dropped with the time skip. That a resolution happened essentially off screen was unsatisfying. Not to mention the lack of sense that ending made. What drove me up the wall about TWD is even when characters were having conversations, sometimes they weren't really saying anything. And other times they would say nothing at all.

I feel this sentiment deep in my bones, friend. We can give credit where credit is due. Caryl's narrative as a whole was leading up to those I love you's which are a huge deal no matter what, but when their narrative suddenly collapses in the show's last season and becomes about pushing one of them into a nonsensical spinoff, the impact absolutely gets lost and its hard to get over it. Not to mention, after rooting for these characters for so many years, we want to see them get everything they deserve in the end, but ultimately neither of them have. Daryl is alone. Carol is taking care of everybody else. They're supposed to be each other's happy ending.

I'm sure we can make a list of all the unanswered questions. How did Daryl get his scar? Why did 9x07 make it seem like Carol knew what happened? Why did Caryl talk about New Mexico throughout season 10? What happened to the trinkets they gave each other? Why did Carol stop wearing her bracelet? Where is Daryl's double capper? What was the purpose of all the parallels between Leah and Carol? Why did Caryl's fight amount to nothing except making Daryl look like a hypocrite for leaving? Why use Connie as a plot device if the reason would never be addressed? Why was there so much tension between Daryl and Carol if they were just going to shrug their shoulders in the end and say all's well that ends well?

It's just maddening and this is why everybody is wary about TWDU's future. It comes down to the storytelling and AMC should leave it to the writers they don't pay enough to tell it instead of noting them to death.

[lola-andheruniverse]

So, I just finished a rewatch of seasons 9, 10 and 11 of TWD because I miss my zombie soap opera and accepted long time ago that I'm going to die on this hill.

And it was mind blowing watching all these episodes back to back because when you compare S11 to S9/S10? It's just evident that something or someone 😬 heavily interfered on S11! It sucks so bad it hurts my heart.

There are good moments, of course, mainly because the TWD cast is full of marvelous actors who turn shitty writing into gold perfomances, but, overall, S11 is bad and off-putting. There's so many weird choices timeline wise, things that were cut and should be there, odd camera angles and dialogue, weird soundtracks, flat emotional impact, yada yada yada. Just lots and lots of bad stuff.

I wish AMC never made the call of doing an extended final season. I believe if we had one regular season to deal with the Reapers/finding Connie/rebuild of ASZ, and another regular one for all CW/variant walkers, TWD would have had a much more suiting and satisfying ending (with no need for multiple spinoffs either). Everyone would have their story arcs completed with no rush and with plenty of screentime, including caryl.

Can you guys imagine? S11 would be for caryl to make amends, talk through their problems, like, actually talk, using words, rebuilding their trust and figuring out they love each other romantically. And S12 would be for dates and raising the Grimes kids and supporting Maggie and Ezekiel to end CW corruption. Richonne would come back in the end and they would be finally free to go to NM on a very deserved honeymoon.

Anyways, if anyone on this fandom ever finds out how to build a time machine, please let me know so we can go back to early 2020 and set things right. Actually, let's go back to 2016 and fix the second half of S6 onwards when things started to get disastrous under certain showrunner. Better to be on the safe side.

[holdmytesseract]

So... I just finished watching the series finale of the Walking Dead and man, I don't even know where to begin...

It's been one hell of a ride to say the least. And I don't mean just this episode, no... The entire series. I never thought that I would get so emotionally attached to this series. Hence, I never even thought that I was going to like TWD, back in August, when I started to watch it. And well, look at me now. I am an emotional wreck after the end of season 11. I cried - a lot. I can't believe it's over... Sure, I know this series for barely 5 months and I know that there are people out there, who watched it for 12 years, but... Damn, I love it. A lot.

I'm going to continue my rambling underneath the cut, because spoilers...

Where do I start? Luke and Jules. Gods... They both weren't my favourite characters, but nevertheless... I was sad when they died. Especially Luke. To see how Magna, Connie, Kelly and Miko suffered was heart wrenching.

Daryl saving Judith... I think we can all agree that it was a bad idea to bring her along in the first place, but yeah... It was very sweet. I can't deny that. It reminded me of when Rick saved Carl - and Shane, when he rolled that bed in front of the door to block Rick's hospital room. The parallels were killing me a bit. Just like the 'Hey lil' asskicker. Hey big asskicker.' thing - omg...

I am so so fucking happy Lydia survived. Honestly. I had a very bad feeling, when they had to amputate her arm, but luckily she made it. I learned to like her so very much - which brings me to Negan and Maggie. I loved the conversation they had. How Maggie can't forgive him, because everytime when she looks at him, she sees Glenn die - but she doesn't want to hate him anymore. That was the first time I almost cried. I hated Negan in the beginning. I did. But he had such a huge character development... He really changed. A now I have to say, that I like him. He deserves to live. I'm happy he's got Annie - and his kid.

I think the worst part for me, was watching Rosita die. That was the first time I felt the tears running down my cheeks. Gods, don't get me started on Eugene sitting by her side, crying. Or realising Coco lost both her parents... Luckily she's got Gabe. Yeah... Gabriel... He literally went from zero to hero, didn't he? I never thought he would be there in the end, but he is. And I am glad he is.

What I didn't like so much was how they got rid of the walkers. I mean, yeah, it was super cool and all, but... It was a bit too easy, wasn't it? And suuuper rushed, like... Idk... One second, the Commonwealth is ablaze and in the next they're having dinner together? Was a bit weird.

I love that Ezekiel is the new Governor, alongside Mercer. We all know that if somebody can do this, it's him. He's got his Kingdom back - and I'm happy for him. Ezekiel is a great guy - just like Mercer. I'm happy he found Princess - who deserves her happy ending. Just like Eugene and Max. Btw, I'm happy Aaron and Jerry survived as well. I mean, come on... Jerry is such a cool dude.

The end was, ugh... I can't put in words what I felt when I saw Michonne and Rick. When they talked about everyone who lives and who we lost on the way... Yeah, I was on the verge of crying again. But at the same time it was somehow utterly beautiful. We are never going to forget the ones we lost on this long journey, right?

Who/what else do we got? Oh right... My man. My knight in an angel-winged vest and crossbow. First off... He was super hot in that episode. Let me thirst about this man for a moment, thank you.

Secondly... AMC... WHY IS HE NOT WITH CONNIE, HUH? WHY??? We were robbed! Robbed! Well... Not much we can do about it, unfortunately... But I'm happy Connie is here. And Kelly. And Miko and Magna - who are super cute together. Thirdly... Ugh, that scene with Carol in the end... I'm not saying that I am a huge Carol fan, but damn... I cried. Again. The friendship those two have... Damn... But my personal downfall in the end was, when Judith said to Daryl: 'You deserve a happy ending too.' Right into the feels, because yes!! He deserves a happy end! I hope he finds it.

All in all, I can say that I enjoyed this episode. The season was a bit meh, but this episode... Holy shit.

Am I going to re-watch TWD? Hell yes! It's not over. It's never over.

Whoops... I didn't mean to talk this long, but well... Sorry guys! I just had to get this off my chest. Thank for coming to my ted talk.

If somebody likes to talk with me about the series finale or TWD in general, I am always up for a little chat!

[driluth]

hi it's been a minute

i have officially deleted my public tw*tter account, even before its "downfall" it just became too anxiety inducing and ultimately felt like a lot of people were being meanspirited and i simply do not have the energy for it!! fandom twitter, for whatever reason, is just so draining and i cannot keep up with all the hype for every new tv show that comes out lmao. it is also insane how much time i have without it.

i've read 50 books this year, and have currently listened to 40 something albums?? i'd like to make a list of my top 5 for both categories but i'm too sleepy for that rn. and i have a few more albums to listen to first!!

oddly i have not watched that many movies this year but it's probably bc i've spent so much time watching twd (11 seasons) and the spinoffs!! truly it is one of my favorite show of all time and rewatching it has been a very emotional journey.

it's funny bc back in 2020, she-ra was the only thing i'd watch on repeat bc i needed something lighter and happier and now my current fixation is one of the darkest tv shows of all time. (it's called range.) but as dark as it gets i'd argue that a lot of it IS about the love and hope that's still in the world. it's characters choosing to be kind to each other and doing whatever it takes to fight for each other bc that group of people love each other so much!! (wish it wasn't As dark tho and there are definitely some creative choices i would have handled differently but that's for another post, maybe. i have too many thoughts about that show i nearly made a side blog for it but i am too lazy for that haha.)

i moved in w one of my oldest friends and we live next to a lot of deer and it just such a peaceful and quiet place. i have a new job that still gives me plenty of time to write which i am so so excited about bc i have so much to do both in terms of original content and fanfiction!! (tho who knows how long that will last bc $$ wise i might need to take on a second job or find something else but it is Rough out there i'm just grateful to be employed at all)

i do have some catra/adora fics in the works (one goes soooo hard but i'm probably gonna save it for something special like valentine's day or something) but admittedly some of what i'm the most excited about is twd fic, was not expecting daryl/connie to have my whole heart but here we are. they currently have less than 150 fics on ao3 and it's a crime.

the book i started writing last year i want to turn into a screenplay and i have a new book i'm drafting and every day i am so excited to sit down and write for it these characters are everything 2 me. can't wait to share them one day!! got some very fucked up lesbians as i should!!

anyways, i've had a lot more space to myself and have been able to do a lot of reflecting. i feel older, i feel confident in what i'm doing, and i mostly feel grateful. i feel very grateful to live this life i have created for myself, grateful to live close to my friends and close to my family and close to my favorite area in my city!! and as many problems as there are w this site i am grateful for this lil space on the internet!! been through many different stages of my life on here and it's nice to have something consistent.

lots of love to you all 💕 

[guardando-edits]

donnie headers 11x21 

© @prideofstelena on twitter or like/reblog

[local-writer]

This will contain spoilers of season 11 of twd, mostly the last episode. This is my thoughts on it, so proceed with caution.

I will also be sharing my opinions and talk about some of my favorite parts, so if you want, lets share opinions and gush over this together! <3 Its kinda all over the place, hope y'all don't mind lol.

SPOILERS BELOW.

HOLY SHITTTT.

SEASON 11 WAS AMAZING, I HAVE CRIED MULTIPLE TIMES.

They really went all out with the last season. I loved it and I crave the rumored movies to see how it ends. RICK MUST BE UNITED WITH HIS FAMILY. 😭

Honestly, I was super surprised whenever they finally had the balls to let the actors say fuck more then just once or twice 😂 I liked it, it felt more realistic and very much in character for a lot of the characters. I also very much enjoyed the horror this season gave off.

The reapers and the whispers have to be my favorite group of villains that have been introduced. Its been awhile since there were villains that really added the horror part to the show, and they deilvered, at least in my opinion. (*cough* glad Leah is dead tho *cough*)

Pamela and Hornsby also added the horror; those two were sadistic AF (props to the actors, they did a badass job). I could tell Hornsby was unstable from the moment I seen his creepy ass face. Oh, and I hated Sebastian. I felt bad for him because his mother is a gas lighting, abusive witch, but he's still a prick.

I was pleased to see that they had brought back the walkers from season one, where they open doors and pick up objects, and even gave them the ability to climb. THAT IS FUCKING SCARY DUDE. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW TERRIFYING THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IF THEY WOULD HAVE ADDED THIS SOONER??? One of them even picked up a FUCKING ROCK TO HIT JERRY WITH. THAT'S SCARY AF. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed they waited so long because that is wasted potential right there. Season 1 was so good because the walkers weren't entirely brain dead. They could even SPRINT THEN TOO. And the fact that they waited until the big final to bring them back is disappointing. 😔 But it was cool nonetheless, so I can't be to upset lol. I wish Rick could have seen the climbing walkers though DAMN.

I WAS AFRAID WHEN JUDY GOT SHOT. What is it with Grimes and getting shot? 😭 I think it was the same spot Rick got shot in too. COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. When Daryl called her lil ass kicker and she called him big ass kicker was my favorite moment, it was so precious. 😂❤❤

Now I wanna take a moment to honor Rosita. WHY

THE WAY SHE SHOT UP THROUGH THOSE WALKERS? TO SAVE HER DAUGHTER?? BADASS MAMA BEAR ROSITA MOMENT. Rosita will always be one of my favorite characters. 😭

I cried when Eugene named his daughter after her. You cannot convince me otherwise; Eugene will always have a special place in his heart for Rosita.

Speaking of Eugene, I am so happy he found Max. He deserves her sm.<3 They are adorable together ahhh 🫶

PRINCESS AND MERCER ARE MY FAVORITE COUPLE THIS SEASON. They just work so well together. And Lydia and Elijah too, they are to cute 🫶 🫶 🫶

CAN WE TALK ABOUT CONNIE AND DARYL? The way they look at each other? The way she makes Daryl smile? Although Carol and Daryl have this magic between them and they would work very well (I like Caryl, don't get me wrong), so would Connie and Daryl. <3 He learned sign language for her, even. I think that speaks volumes. 🫶 🫶 🫶

Dude, when Judith called Daryl daddy?? 💔💔💔

God, I love Daryl so much. He's an amazing dad, a helleva man, and a total badass. I hope he gets to reunite with his family too. 😭

I used to hate Negan, but DAMMIT HE'S CHANGED SO MUCH ITS HARD TO NOT LIKE HIM. He deserves his new lil family 🤧

Well, I think that's the end of my gushing lol. Seriously the final was worth every second of my time, it was incredible and I'm going to miss twd (thank goodness I can always start over tho lmao). I can't believe it's actually over. There will never be another show like it. 😭 I had literal chills when they were all saying "We are the ones who live"

[sunbeamsandmoonrays]

I fell off The Walking Dead a long time ago but omg this spinoff with daryl and the girl who signs are they together? It reminds me of my otp from The Eternals I'm still mad that no sequel with them has happened.

Omg aren't they adorable? So a couple things [putting under a cut because of spoilers]:

Connie (the girl who signs) is a character from the main show who was introduced in season 9. I believe I've seen screenshots of interviews with the showrunner at the time saying that they were supposed to be romantic, but unfortunately it didn't become "official" due to "timing". (The actress, Lauren Ridloff, left the show during season 10 and fully came back in season 11 so she could film The Eternals.) I have watched all of TWD, and even with her absence, I feel like they could have still done a romance plot with their characters. But at some point during season 11, I think the 3 main spinoffs were being planned, and Daryl getting with Connie probably would have gotten in the way of Daryl's Eurotrip spinoff.

Speaking of Daryl's spinoff - I haven't watched it, but I do know he does [spoiler] have a love interest in it. They actually just kissed in Sunday's ep. But [another spoiler] they're going to kill off said love interest (or she may have already died idk). And I also know Connie is mentioned?? If that actually is a hint for the future or just a regular ole namedrop, I'm not sure. But unless Connie somehow ends up in Europe, too, I feel like it will be a while before Daryl and Connie share the screen again (if they ever do).

I'm sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news! But if you ever attempt to watch TWD again, I will say Donnie was the highlight of the last few seasons (especially after my faves Rick and Michonne left). Their interactions were so cute and wholesome - he learned ASL for her! Got a little ASL booklet and everything! In the zombie apocalypse! And his dog loves her! I'm just gonna pretend that they DID end up together for my own sanity lol.

Thanks for the question, Nonny! You can ask me TWD related questions anytime!

[onefail-at-atime]

TWD lovelies,

If the AMC executives had followed the game plan, we would have had a season devoted entirely to the Reapers targeting Alexandria while Season 12 would have fleshed out the Commonwealth story arc.

What would you have wanted to see more of? Personally, I would have loved to learn more about the resistance from within the Commonwealth and to have seen more espionage on behalf of Max as she worked to help Connie uncover the truth behind the Miltons and the 1%. And I would have loved a worked out scene where Pamela just rage glared at Connie because she couldn't prove she was behind the anti-Milton newsAl while Connie just stared her down.

Also, a good number seem to love the Carver guy from the Reapers? Should we have had more of him? How?

This really just comes from me being unhappy with Season 11 and frustrated with AMC cutting the last season even after the showrunner and producers had already written and planned for a thought-out ending.

[theteasetwrites]

Can i just say how disappointed i am on how the last episodes of TWD are? Season 11 is a whirlwind of chaotic events, everything just happened so fast. They are trying to make this “Judith-Carl parallel” happen and forcing us to forgive Negan like it’s not gonna happen folksssss like stop it already.

And the spin offs? I mean Maggie and Negan? Glenn would be rolling in his grave if he knew this would happen. And please, Daryl’s solo adventure in France? Like in Europe?! Reading some comments and interviews abt what would the plot be like just doesn’t make any sense to me. Sincerely idc that Carol / Melissa is not coming with him because ugggh enough of Carol already, had too much of her in season 10. I mean I so LOVE Daryl but i dont think his character is meant for a solo tv series and to be honest i loved him more when he was just you know Robin to Rick Grimes. And for the record, I am still not used to him talking so much in a scene, haha.

And yes I totally agree w you, not a fan of Norman Reedus’ works either but I am into him because he is hot, like for a 53 year old, ugh he gives so much of daddy vibes but that’s it. 🥵🥵

So yaah, probably just going to wait for the next chapters of your series. Haha. They are so much better than the actual show, hihi. Much love as always and heyyyyy happy birthday, you look gorg! 💕

Yeah i agree. Except I also think they’re simultaneously going way too fast and way too slow. Like they wasted so much time in some of the other episodes (esp in 11a with the reapers) and now I feel like they’re scrambling to get shit happening in the last chunk of episodes.

God knows what the finale is going to be like. I feel like they’re going to cram so much stuff in (mostly random deaths lol). The only thing I actually want them to cram in is Daryl and Connie kissing because that would just make me happy lmao. I doubt that will happen tho 😔

The Judith and Carl parallel is annoying as hell. It’s pointless and just another waste of time lol. We want the story to get resolved and this whole Judith getting shot shit probably isn’t the important and I hope she dies 🤩

Lmao yeah I agree, I am not sure Daryl can carry a show on his own but we shall see. The whole plot is ridiculous and a slap in the face to Daryl’s character I think.

Norman is just some guy, Daryl is God.

Haha thank you! I will try to get them out soon. I want to wait to see the finale and then write the last chunk we have left. And thanks! I don’t think I look gorg but I appreciate it lmao

[misanrist]

everyone who says twd seasons 9-11 r horrible forgot connie exists and makes the whole thingsamazing