"Sorry," Daryl said as he kept watching the road, "guess I was out of control." lol

"Sneaking in to some asshole's residence with a fully automatic rifle used to be an everyday activity for me. You babysit Gandhi, while me and Daryl put the Wolves to sleep."

two of my favorite lines so far--still reading

 

Wow good chapter Raps! I thought the meeting between Morgan and the Alpha wolf was interesting. But is she really going to listen to him?

Now I'm interested in this Mikey kid and wonder what his story is and if he can be trusted.

 

@Rapscallion

This chapter was all I was hoping for! I had to delay my reading because of the dumb site server issues. It was a great chapter!

The wolves seem so much more of a threat when you continue on with the arc with the remaining wolves. I really disliked how season 6 handled the wolves. I wanted more and this is what I needed.

Reading this chapter makes me miss Abe so much. I began to shed a tear along with Glenn. You write the characters so well, I couldn't help it. Keep it up!

Spencer is such a coward, so glad Michonne put him in his place. It reminded of 7-04 "Service" I wished Rick broke his jaw then lol.

I'm so pleased you mentioned
Mikey! I know I talked about it with you and what they done with him. It's a relief to see if he still exist unlike the TV series stopped showing him. Disappointing! ( I know the actor broke his arm or whatever but come on) but come on he isn't shown in the background anymore.

Also from last weeks episode of "Rock In The Road" I've gotten very annoyed with Morgan in the episode but in the chapter I was at the same level with him. Go Daryl!

Overall this was an enjoyable chapter to read. Thanks for letting me know. I can't wait to read more! Because I want to know what happens next.

 

"Why did you use the street howitzer, you shit beetle?!" Abraham shouted.

"Why don't ya'll get in line and kiss my ass?!" Daryl replied as he gave them the finger.

LOL

that was just the first exchange i wanted to highlight, but there were so many more just as perfect.

i really enjoy your dialog. you have every character's voice down. it startled me to hear glenn's voice again--really i could hear him--and i felt so sad.

the battle at the end of the previous chapter made me so tense, i had to keep taking breaks to let the adrenaline hit go away. i hate that feeling. i know some people like it but it makes me queasy. that just means you wrote it well, though.

it's very impressive that you can do this, raps.

one sentence confused me in this new chapter--the wolf up on the warehouse shelving threw something, but i couldn't make out what it was. i would also say the crowbar should go clank when it lands.

i had forgotten the wolves would kidnap. i'm glad mikey won't spend a short wretched existence as a wolf. poor kid co-opted into a soul-killing death cult. cheerful ending note for the chapter to discover him.

 

@Rapscallion -- here is my review of Chapter 1!

I like the recap you gave of what happened in Season 6A. It helps as it sets the setting of the story, and also the tone, where the characters are at emotionally in this fic. You wrote it very well so that I was able to picture everything again.

I enjoy the interactions between Carol and Daryl. You can tell they have chemistry and really care for each other. It's like if everyone else was to die around them, and they still had each other, then they would make it.

Daryl has a wry sense of humor which is fun to read.

I really liked the confrontation between Daryl and Rick. I was shocked that Rick blamed nearly everything on Carol. Yes, Carol killed the two people in the prison to make sure others didn't get sick, but she's not at fault for the Governor returning, Hershel's death, the situation with Beth, and just about everything else he mentioned. I got the sense that Rick is upset with himself and rather than accept responsibility as a sensible leader should (or what one would expect them to do), he totally blamed everything on Carol. Maybe he's upset with Carol as she was the one who told Rick that he couldn't just be a farmer.

I'm glad Daryl knocked out Rick, and when he threatened to put Rick in a coma again....Wow!

I was hoping Carol would answer back Rick. On one hand, I like that Daryl defended Carol's honor. That was great. I just wonder if Carol was so shocked that Rick would blame so many of the group's trials and tribulations that she didn't know how to respond to it.

I hope Daryl and Carol will find a home in Alexandria just for them, so that they can live in peace. And I hope no one from the group will judge them for being a couple. Michonne questioning Carol came off as curious, not judgmental when I read it. If anything no one in the group should judge the love between Daryl and Carol, considering that there are many pairings in the group.

This was an excellent first start, Raps. I look forward to reading and reviewing more.

 

You're welcome @Rapscallion. I took forever, but I'm here now and ready to read/review/comment!

Yes, exactly! Daryl and Carol have each other's strength!

I was glad Daryl punched Rick too. Rick went overboard with blaming Carol for all of the group's tragedies. So unnecessary. Agreed: Daryl and Rick have a great bond, but it would be nice to increase the tension with Daryl calling out Rick on his decisions.

I'm glad Michonne was curious and not judgmental and I look forward to seeing what other secrets are revealed by Daryl and Carol.

Keep up the excellent work!

 

@Rapscallion - here's my review of Chapter 2. There's a lot I liked here...

Denise's naivety - Her conversation with Rick, her harsh judgement of Carol shows how sheltered she is as an Alexandrian. She has no idea who Carol is, what struggles she's had in her life (abused by Ed, losing Sophia) and I'm not sure if Rick went into Carol's past, but I am glad that he set the record straight of how much is group has gone through. I wonder if Denise would feel differently if she knew Carol had saved the group at Terminus. Did Rick tell her about this? And at the same time, I'm glad you put in Denise' view about the Wolf who sacrificed himself for her. Denise, as a doctor, is trained to help and heal people, so when Carol shot a Wolf down, and now she finds out Carol killed two women in the prison -- Denise is going to react as she did--especially given her sheltered life in Alexandria.

I really enjoy the bond between Carl and Michonne. I like how Michonne has these maternal instincts that guide her in her interactions with Carl. I like that she gently confronts him and I was glad that Carl was able to confide in Michonne about what really happened with him and Ron. the mention of the samurai movies was a bonus too and ties in with her knowing how to use a katana.

I'm glad Rick was able to reflect on what he said to Carol and how unfair and hurtful it was. I'm glad he had introspection and courage enough to tell Denise that the reason why he kicked Carol out of the prison wasn't truly because of Tyreese, but because he didn't want her around his children. I definitely appreciate the nod to Shane, that Rick has learned that he truly can't be the good guy and expect to live. That was great. Rick has learned from Shane, but also through his own experiences that life after the outbreak hasn't been in the same, and very few things are black and white. There's a lot of gray and he understands that.

Finally, I like the sections focused on Carol and Daryl, and how they both have their own secrets that they are keeping from each other. It's intriguing to realize now how little they know about each other, and how they're both worried about what the other will think if their secrets get out. Daryl with his background and what he and Merle had originally planned to do to the camp, and Carol with the Lizzie/Mika situation. That was very well put. Even the small part where Daryl notes that Carol looks ridiculous in the cardigan sweaters...versus how she is dressed when she's the Carol that her family (and that we as fans) know and love. It's like when Carol puts on that sweater, she's keeping her true self a secret from the Alexandrians. She's disguising herself by blending in...and it's her own secrets that are for her to keep and not for others like Denise to know --especially if she's going to be judged so harshly.

Great work, Raps! I really enjoyed reading this chapter!

 

You're welcome @Rapscallion.

Yes, Denise is very naïve and what you said is true: she doesn't seem to think how the Alpha Wolf and his group almost killed people in her community. With the guy who shoved her away...I think he was manipulating her (to some extent) when he had captured her. I don't remember the scene fully, but I remember she started showing compassion to him and then he turned on her.

They have a wonderful bond. I think their bond still shows up here and there...but not as often as before.

That's a good point that Rick was sleepless, and that he would be concerned about how the Alexandrians would feel about Daryl and Carol moving into the vacant. I agree that Rick tried to make amends by telling Denise the history of the group---there's so much they went through. I hope that Denise has a change of heart afterwards. Thank you for confirming that he explained Terminus and Carol's past to her.

Yes, it really struck me how little the really know of each other. It's great that they developed this bond, but now it may be put to the test as they find out more about each other. I'm sure they will remain together.

You're welcome! I loved the sweater part! I'm hoping to read/review more tonight!

 

@Rapscallion - here's my review of Chapter 3

-I like how Rick reflects on his behavior being similar to Shane's. Both men wanted a married woman (Shane wanted Lori, Rick wanted Jessie.). It is questionable if both men loved the women they were pursuing, or if it was just lust. Because Shane has a history of messing around with women, I think Lori may've been the first woman he truly loved -- but then, he also couldn't let her go. With Rick, I don't think he loved Jessie, but I do agree with the part of the fic that mentions maybe he just wanted to take a break from all the fighting and struggle to survive to just have a normal relationship.

-Another similarity is that both men fought the abusive spouse of a woman -- Shane beating up Ed, and Rick beating up Pete. Thing is though, I saw the fight with Rick and Pete differently -- I didn't view it as him starting with Pete. Yes, he was in the house of a married woman, talking to her, but it was Pete who started with yelling at Rick and then took the first swing at Rick after Rick told him to stand down and leave the home.

-(The part that mentions Rick had a gun at Denise -- I think you meant DeAnna.)

-I'm glad that Rick is able to understand what Shane meant about "you can't be the good guy and expect to live anymore." I'm even more glad that he's able to admit that Shane was right about that -- it's just it took Rick a longer time to get there.

-I really enjoyed the Daryl/Carol scenes. You can tell from how Daryl and Carol went around the house with their knives out how much they've been traumatized from living outside of Alexandria. They are so used to having fight for their lives --be it against walkers or humans--that their first instinct is to kill their way out if necessary. That was very clear and written very well and effective -- I also like you inserting the flashback that Carol has when Daryl unintentionally triggers with a statement about shooting, and then she's brought back to when she killed Lizzie.

-I like Michonne revealing to Rick that Carl like Enid and that she tried to match them up. Ahh so now it will be the group finding out about Carol and Daryl. I'm shocked that Rick didn't see it before but then again he has so much on his mind being the leader of the group.

-Aaron is at the door? What's this about?! Hmmm.....Great work, Raps. Will read and review more soon!

 

@Rapscallion,

You're welcome. I'm hoping to get to Chapter 4 before the week is out.

Absolutely -- Rick has gone through hell and back with Alexandria and even before. Maybe he needed that punch from Daryl to really wake him up. Although Rick is trying to contain the truth about Carol, I wonder what the Alexandrians would think of her (aside from Denise) especially being that she blended in so well with them. It was an act, of course, but imagine finding out that the lovely lady who makes these yummy cookies....that she killed two people. I'm glad Rick will repair his friendship with Daryl and Carol.

I thought about your view about Rick and Pete. I see what you mean in that Rick didn't leave once Pete was there. The fact that he stayed there was crossing a line. The equivalent of that would be if Rick returned home and Shane and Lori there--and Shane doesn't leave--especially if it's an intimate part of the home (the bedroom). Also, there was tension between Pete and Rick and it finally erupted. Pre-ZA Rick would respond differently I'm sure...he wouldn't confront the abuser by himself for starters.

Yeah, I can see Rick being reminded of Lori when he sees Jessie, and it also reminds of his life before the Z. I don't fault Rick for wanting to relax and just have "down time" (not exactly the words I'm looking for) to just....be himself...and not the leader. Being the leader carries immense responsibility. It seems so strange that Rick would approach a married woman and then just move on...the fact that Pete was being abusive to Jessie brought out those killer/protective instincts.

There are so many similarities between Rick and Shane in season 5...I like how you brought that about here in your Season 6B reboot. As a womanizer, I think Shane treated women like sexual conquests...the way he and Rick talked about that in Season 1 brings that to mind. With Lori, it was different, and he seemed to genuinely care for her---it wasn't like how he treated other women. I agree that he was surprised he enjoyed the responsibility of protecting or taking care of a family. I also think being there for Lori and Carl gave Shane a reason to live, something to fight for. I'm thinking Season 2 when he tells Rick that "I didn't keep Lori and Carl alive--they kept me alive." Shane comes off as a very lonely person, in that even though he's had this history of messing around with women, he had never found stability like Rick did. No, Shane was never able to follow through on killing Rick. He probably knew deep down inside that to murder Rick would destroy him. If he kills Rick, then Lori and Carl will be against him--he'd lose everything. I'm sure there's more to it, but that's one aspect. Oh definitely--Rick would've killed Pete right then and there if Deanna didn't intervene.

I'm glad Daryl's getting new clothes! It's about time! I look forward to more surprises with Daryl in this story.

You're welcome and no worries --it's easy to get Denise and DeAnna mixed up...both female D names.

Looking forward to reading more chapters and I hope to be completely caught up very soon!

 

@Rapscallion - Review of Chapter4 - this was a great chapter focused on Carol and Daryl. Here's my thoughts.

1. I really appreciate the way you wrote Aaron in this chapter. He matched the character I adore in the series. He's kind, genuine, and perceptive. Very perceptive. The way he called out Daryl and Carol being a couple reminded me of how he assessed Daryl's character when Rick's group first came to Alexandria, how he took Daryl under his wing, and gave him the motorcycle. I also like how he and Eric made Daryl and Carol feel welcome in the Fremont house, and how he kept his promise to talk to the Alexandrian residents.

2. I enjoyed the snippets of Merle's dialogue haunting Daryl, and also Carol's flashbacks. I like how both of their secrets/pasts keeps coming up in small, but very significant ways. I felt sad that Carol was hard on herself for not looking for Sophia. If Sophia were alive now and were to disappear or be chased by walkers, Carol would waste no time in killing them and going after Sophia. Carol was such a different woman back then and it took Sophia's death and also Daryl's persistence in finding her...this slowly began Carol's change.

3. The story of the Fremont family was truly heartbreaking. I wonder how Aaron was able to keep it a secret from the Alexandrians--that one of their own had turned and even consumed a family member. That story was truly haunting. I like that you tied it into one of Aiden's failed trips, showing that the Alexandrian's inexperience had ripple effects/repercussions.

4. Squirrel soup was a nice patch of humor in the mix! Glad to see that Daryl hasn't totally shed who he truly is and what makes him unique! Although the idea of him looking like someone who just walked out of Starbucks is really funny!

Great job on this chapter, Daryl, I really enjoyed it!