One Step Backward Taken by cranperryjuice
The wind carries with it the smell of wet fabric and rotting flesh. Nowadays Rick can almost ignore it, along with the distant rattling of chain-link fences, if he leans close enough into his work that his eyes and nose fill with the bright greens and browns of young leaves and tilled earth. (Set in the prison, after the season 3 finale.)
The characterization was on point and the development of the relationship felt natural and could’ve happened on the show if they went that route and if they showed the in between days
Without lying by JamesJohnEye
His father laughs, ‘since when do you listen to Daryl?’
Carl looks at him coldly. ‘The prison?’
Cute story and I loved how Carl interacts with Daryl
Southern Discomfort: Cursed by KatyTheInspiredWorkaholic
When Rick is 8, he visits his family out in the middle of nowhere Georgia and gets lost in the woods. He stumbles upon something he isn’t supposed to see, and is saved by another little boy that gets him home safely.
AKA: the story where Daryl continuously keeps Rick from getting killed as they grow up, Rick is a nosy little shit who doesn't know boundaries, and Daryl's family practices a bastardized version of Folklore Hoodoo and New Orleans Haitian Vodou.
The Dixon Family and their associates use this practice to prosper their bootlegging business, but their rituals are corrupt and their actions anger the spirits they communicate with. The forest and town become cursed, and the horrible things the townspeople do in their every day lives makes everything worse. No one discovers the damning combination until it's too late.
I can’t tell you how much I love this series! Part 2 is WIP but guys READ THIS! The characterization is amazing, the world building is phenomenal, the voodoo elements are super well written, and this story has stuck with me since I’ve read it a week ago! I want to read it again and I am not usually a person who re-reads stories so that tells you how good this is!
Shadows Where I Stand by skarlatha
After the events of "This Sorrowful Life," Rick wakes up in the hospital with the name of the man he can't live without forgotten on his lips and a doctor telling him that the last two years have been a dream. He then begins the long, arduous process of readjusting to life in the real world, but he can't get the image of the beautiful archer out of his head and soon signs start to appear that the dream may actually be real. Could Rick actually find his hunter? Could they actually have a shot at a happy ending? And will Rick finally be able to tell Daryl that he is the love of his life?
I loved the supernatural/mystic element of this story and how the author dealt with Rick and his maybe crazy maybe not actions and how the people around him reacted to him
Waking to a world he doesn’t remember Rick Grimes finds himself trying to slot into the life of the man he used to be. As he attempts to relearn who he is and his place in the world, he leaves the safe familiarity of his home and family to travel the road and learn this new world.
On the road, he meets drifter Daryl Dixon a man who is running from his own past. Together they carve out a place for themselves on the roadways of Georgia.
What I really like about this fic was how the author built Rick and Daryl’s relationship almost fully through their actions. It was subtle and even though it was the main focus of the story, it didn’t feel like it, which I found refreshing
A Thousand Shards of Glass by TWDObsessive
Midnight Quarry frontman Rick Grimes is not happy that his ex-band is still under contract for one final tour. Rick and Shane can barely stand the sight of each other, and the close quarters of the tour bus just make the tensions spike even more. Luckily for Rick, there's a free seat available with one of the roadies. All he has to do is get through this damn tour, then he’s done.
I liked getting both POVs and watching Rick and Daryl find each other even when both have been burned by love
The Wild Runs in Me by Bennyhatter
Daryl has always thought of the Wild blood in him as a curse.
So this is a werewolf AU and I’m always a little skeptical of stories with A/B/O, but this one was well written and I enjoyed reading it. I did not read the sequel so I have no comment on that
At the End of the Day by TWDObsessive
Rick catches Lori in bed with Shane. He immediately moves in with his openly gay, best friend from pool league, Daryl Dixon. While Rick tries to get through the impending and eventual divorce, Daryl carries on with his compulsive-dating, going from one guy to the next because none of them are quite right.
Both are determined to never settle down again. Little do they know, they are slowly starting to settle down with each other.
What I liked about this one was that Daryl was written as being experienced in the relationship field, which he usually isn’t so it was a nice change of pace
Lost and Found by TWDObsessive
I remember that first day at summer camp like it was yesterday. It was a profound moment in my life even though I was a mere eight years old. It was where I met Daryl in the woods. My parents were concerned that entire school year afterwards, thinking I had an unhealthy imaginary friend. Took me to shrinks and everything.
But just ‘cause the camp counselors said there was no Daryl that didn't mean there was no Daryl. He was there. He watched us from the woods all day alone until a baseball went into the brush and I went after it and found him. He became my best friend. He became everything.
This was a cute coming of age story if you want something fluffy
