This is a The Walking Dead blog that is totally devoted to the relationship between Carol Peletier & Daryl Dixon. You will find nothing but positive reinforcement here. You may use the ask box at any time. Check out the FEATURES to know what's...
Don't forget that I created a tumblr to host this year's Caryl fanfiction awards. You can find all the information you need @carylfanfictionawards! I have one set of nominations so far. But there needs to be more. Do the thing, Carylers!
Title: Walk This Road Together
Author: untapdtreasure
Rating: K+
Spoilers: 7x10 New Best Friends
Summary: She needed to heal the broken parts of herself, and there was no need to make them shatter further.
A/N: This was written for a Valentineâs Day ficathon for thecaryldaily about what I want to happen during episode ten of season seven. This was written before new spoilers dropped on February 13th.
Daryl had no way of knowing if Carol would be accepting of him or not. After his altercation with Richard, he had immediately gone to find Morgan, demanding that he tell him everything since theyâd arrived in the kingdom. And so with bloodied knuckles and only a knife and handgun that Morgan had procured for him, he had set out to visit Carol, despite the warning from Morgan that all she wanted was to be left alone.
He spotted her standing on the small front porch, and his heart skipped a beat. He was seeing with his own two eyes that she was alive, that she was breathing, and a part of him that had been holding his breath since heâd found out that sheâd packed up and left Alexandria slowly let it out. And yet, his feet refused to move.
It wasnât until she turned and let herself back inside her little fortress of solitude that he felt his legs carrying him towards the house. He took the steps in one stride and just as heâd been about to knock the door swung open.
He reached for her, not caring that she hadnât wanted him (or anyone else) around, and pulled her into a tight embrace that seemed to crush the very breath from his lungs. âYou ainât gonna get rid of me that easily, Carol. I donât care if you go half-way to Mexico. I ainât letting you pull away. You earned your place.â
Carol saw a flash of a faint memory from back at the farm flash before her eyes. Sheâd said almost the same thing to him back when heâd tried to distance himself after Sophia had emerged as a walker from Hershelâs barn. She had meant it then, and she knew he meant it now.
Her arms came up, reminiscent of when theyâd shared their first hug just outside Terminus, and held him tightly pressed against her chest. Tears stung her eyes as she relaxed into his embrace. âDaryl, itâs not that simple.â She swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat as she pulled out of his embrace.
She stepped back, inviting him inside without saying anything more. She moved to place another log on the fire before she turned to face him with her arms crossed in front of her chest almost as if to protect herself from the conversation to come.
âThe hell it ainât.â He snorted softly as he strode into the room and deposited himself onto the couch. He picked up a book that lay spine up and splayed on the arm of the chair. He tossed it onto the coffee table and met her eyes. âYou can just walk away after everything we been through? Like we was nothinâ? Like I was nothinâ?â
Her eyes snapped to his as anger, and shame, bubbled in her stomach almost making her lash out. âThatâs not fair.â She was surprised at herself with how calm her voice had ebbed forth, without a hint of that anger. And absolutely no shame. Sheâd perfected the art of acting all these years thanks to Ed and his abuse. And then fine-tuned it with her display in Alexandria until the mask has slipped and cracked, revealing who she truly had become.
He leaned forward, rubbing both hands tired my over his face to calm himself and give him a moment to think. âLife ainât never been fair. We know that better than anybody.â He watched her, narrowing his eyes. âYou wanted him to tell us you died, Carol. Only he couldnât do it.â He snorted and pushed himself up to stand.
âIt was what I wanted, and he should have respected my wishes. I needed to be left alone.â She gestured to the walls around her. âI needed to sort myself out, Daryl. You of all people should get that.â Her face fell into a deeper frown. âYou escape to the woods when you canât handle reality. Whatâs the difference?â
He advanced on her, making her take a couple steps back until her back hit the wall behind her. âDifference is I always come back. Didnât leave no damn Dear John letter for the man I was shagginâ to give to my goddamn family.â The jealousy over Tobin was clear in his voice, forcing him to look away before he continued.
âDarylâŠâ
He shook his head. âNo, I ainât done. Damnit, Carol.â His hand shook as he raised it to place against her cheek. âI get it. I do, but I donât, too.â Tears pricked his eyes as he placed his other hand on her hip just as her hands were placed on his chest to keep a bit of distance between them. âI need you. Can you just leave me behind like Iâm nothinâ?â
Her eyes flooded with tears. âWhy do you think Iâm here? Why do you think I havenât moved on?â Her voice wavered as she closed her eyes and tears spilled on her cheeks. âI just need to be here. I have to sort things outâŠâ
It was then that the hand that laid against her cheek moved to the back of her neck and pulled her head forward and his lips brushed against her forehead right along her hairline. âYou have to let yourself feel it. Carol, itâs the only way.â
She smiled then as her own words were echoed back to her. She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. âStay for supper? I was about to put on some squirrel stew.â
He nodded, knowing that he had all the answers in which he needed. The rest of which he came to tell her could wait. She needed to heal the broken parts of herself, and there was no need to make them shatter further. The timing was wrong, but heâd be sure to help her understand when it became necessary.
âGood. You can wash up in the bathroom. Waterâs from a spring, and I can lite the stove if youâd like to take a hot bath.â When he shook his head, she smiled again before she ducked from beneath his arm and moved toward the kitchen. âJust make yourself at home.â God only knew she had been trying to do just that, but it had taken an angry redneck showing up uninvited to make this place resemble anything like her home.
He watched as she walked away. A relief washed over him as he let out a tired sigh. âDonât mind if I do.â Heâd have to be getting back to the Kingdom soon but a couple of hours wouldnât hurt. Especially, if that time was spent with his best friend.
The rest of the world could wait until they were both ready to say goodbye and go their separate ways knowing theyâd meet again someday when the time was right for her. Thatâs all that mattered to him. She hadnât turned him away. She was still there.
Title: Creepy Little House
Author: daisylou2013
Rating: T
Prompt(s): 7x10 What Might Happen
Words: 1736
Summary: Takes place after their dinner date and Daryl is getting ready to leave.
A/N: Focuses on that second hug, the elephant in the room-Tobin, and how they each react when Daryl leaves.Â
âCarol, I gotta say, this day ainât exactly turned out like I was expecting when I woke up this morninâ.â  Carol quirked an eyebrow at him and said, âYouâre telling me! I was ready to throw a frying pan at you when you knocked on that door. That wasnât a hug I gave you when you got here, I had to hold on because I about fell over seeing you here.â With a look of concern Daryl shot out, âYou expecting trouble?â âNo. Not trouble, just- Oh I donât know. Like I said earlier, I wanted to be left alone and Morgan and Ezekiel didnât get the hint. l thought it was one of them stopping by. Again.â
 Daryl nodded but didnât say anything. They stood there for a few seconds and then he cleared his throat and broke the silence. âYou upset I come here?â Carol looked up at him and with a sad smile and tears in her eyes whispered, âI told Morgan to tell you all I was gone. But Daryl, I think I suspectedâŠÂ No, I knew you would come find me. I thinkâŠâ Carol shook her head and chuckled a little under her breath thinking about the absurdity of her thinking that Daryl would just let her go like that.  âI think I counted on it.â
 As she went to lower her eyes to the floor Daryl caught her chin with his finger. âYou know I will always find you. IâŠâ Daryl took a big breath before he continued, but kept his eyes on hers, âCarol, I donât know all the details about what you went through out there when I wasnât with you. I canât even say I completely understand whatâs goinâ on in your head right now, but thereâs one thing I know for sure. I know I donât ever want to lose you. Iâll put up with having to huff it out here to visit you while you figure things out, but I wonâtâŠâ Daryl swallowed then continued, âNo, I canât lose you. I just canât.â Â
 Carol didnât say anything because her throat had gone dry at the emotion in Darylâs words. She waited for him to continue. âListen, Iâm gonna go now and take care of some stuff.  Thanks for dinner. I ainât ever had food as good as when you cook.â Carol smiled and said, âDaryl, you eat raw squirrel, you are definitely easy to please.â  Daryl huffed out a laugh. âYeah, maybe, but thereâs no one can cook a possum like you.â Carol tilted her head and gave him a sarcastic smile and said, âHa. Ha.â Daryl lost his smile and took a step closer. âI want you to promise me something.â Carol nodded her head and said, âIf I can I will.â Daryl huffed out a breath and said, âHowâd I know you were going to say somethinâ like that?  Seriously though, I want you to stay here. Promise me that you will stay here at least until I can come back. Let Ezekiel and Morgan bring you the food and supplies you need.âÂ
Carol rolled her eyes at him but she lost her humor when he gently grabbed her shoulders and pleaded, âPlease, stay here. Itâs safe for now. I need to know youâre safe.â  Carol choked out, âOk. Iâll stay.â  With a sigh of relief Daryl slid his hands from her shoulders to encircle  her back until he squeezed her to his chest. Â
Daryl was used to hugging Carol, but this time something was different. It felt like Carol was a magnet drawing him to her warmth and he couldnât help but close his eyes and bury his face in her hair. As his hands slowly made circles on her back he inhaled and felt like he was buzzed.
 âMMMM. You smell sweet- like fruit or somethinâ.â Carol smirked into Darylâs shoulder thinking of all the fruit Ezekiel and Morgan have been bringing her. She couldnât possibly eat it all so she started experimenting and coming up with ways to use the fruits and veggies in ways other than for food. She used them as a conditioner for her hair, a mask for her skin.  No wonder she smelled like a fruit salad.
  Carol didnât want to do anything to ruin the moment and she really tried to be good, but she just couldnât help herself. With a giggle, she said, âSounds pretty romantic. Wanna screw around?â She waited for the stop. But the stop never came. Carol swallowed thickly. Slowly she leaned back and looked up into his eyes that were like laser beams threatening to pierce through her. Her breathing started picking up, but she noticed that he was cool as a cucumber.Â
 âWhat was that with Tobin?â Her breathing that a moment before had been erratic now suddenly stopped. She couldnât look in those eyes anymore so she dropped her eyes and answered, âIâm ashamed to say that I used him.â He didnât wait for her to continue when he blurted out, âYou just went with him because you was needinâ⊠you know- that?â Carolâs eyes that had been planted on the floor quickly shot up to his. âNo! It wasnât just about that.â
 âLook Daryl, I was sitting up in my bedroom making a list of all the people that I killed. Rickâs words going over and over in my mind that no one would want me around anymore. I was feeling like a monster! And this man who didnât know all the terrible things about me, didnât know about my life with Ed, about all that Iâve had to do, was telling me I was a woman, not a monster. For just a little while I felt desirable. Human.â
 Daryl didnât know what to say so he waited for her to continue. âYou know what he told me? He said I was like a mother to almost everyone in the group. But then he said that he didnât see me as a mother.â With a chuckle, she added, âI guess I fell for that. And the fact that I needed his humongous jacket for my getaway plan didnât hurt eitherâ.
 Trying to lighten the moment Daryl said with a smirk, âWell, if just his words got you into his bed, I guess Iâm outta luck than cause I ainât too good with the words.â Carol almost choked as her breath caught in her throat and she started to cough. Daryl started smacking her back lightly until she caught her breath. With a contrite look on his face Daryl apologized, âSorry about that. Was just jokinâ. Didnât mean to almost kill ya.â Â
 Looking straight at him and trying not to laugh, she forced out, âDaryl Dixon, what has gotten into you? If Iâm not mistaken I think youâre flirting with me!â She couldnât hold that smile off anymore when she whispered, âAnd I like it.â
 Daryl huffed out a laugh then shook his head and said, âWe are quite the pair ainât we? I think we just need to quit playing games here. Weâre so worried about hurting the other that we end up pulling away when we need each other the most. I absolutely hate that you had to turn to Tobin for what you needed. I hate it, but I get it. I know you Carol Peletier. Better than anyone else. I want to be the one to help you.â Â
Carol held off the tears for as long as she could, but when Daryl Dixon uses his words she canât help herself. âYou know Daryl, the only reason I pulled away from you was BECAUSE I know that you know me so well. I knew that you would know that something was wrong and I just wasnât ready to deal with it all. Iâm not like you. You get it out and move on. I mull things over in my mind and deal with them internally before I can feel it. Eventually Iâll let it out and let it go.â
 Daryl nodded his head in understanding and Carol smiled in relief. âIâm not saying either way is right or wrong Daryl- just different. I do need you, more than anyone else in this world, but I have to do it in my own way. I guess that means Iâm going to be spending a little more time in this creepy little houseâ. Daryl chuckled and looked around. He thought it looked like a mansion compared to what he grew up in, but he guessed that cemetery out front is what creeped her out.  âI get it. You do what you gotta do.â
Taking a big breath he nodded his head and said, âWell, I gotta go do what I gotta do also, so Iâm gonna go. You need me before I get back you send word with Morgan or one of Ezekielâs men.â  Pointing his finger at her, he barked out, âAnd do not go out alone, ya hear?â Carol couldnât resist being a smart aleck so she saluted him and said, âYes sir!â Daryl shook his head and smirked as he turned to make his way to the door.
  As he got there Carolâs stomach started twisting up. She was so relieved when Morgan, Ezekiel and Richard left, but watching Daryl walk away right now was making her feel sick. As he took that first step out of the door, Carol squeaked out, âDaryl!â Daryl spun around and breathed out, âWhatâs wrong?â  Carol saw the panic on his face. She didnât know what was wrong or what to say, she just hated to see him go. With a pained expression on her face she whispered, âStay safe.â His chest constricted. His hands curled into fists at his side. He was trying with everything in him to keep from grabbing Carol and marching right back into that house and locking the door.
 Now wasnât the time for that, however, so he smiled and shot back, âHey.  I think we both still got a few lives left so⊠See ya.â  Daryl turned and flew off the porch and made his way back to the kingdom before he changed his mind. He had to get back to Ezekiel and get this taken care of so she didnât have to. Then he was coming right back here because thereâs nowhere else heâd rather be than at this creepy little house.
The Valentineâs Day Fic-A-Thon is going to be small. So far only two people signed up. There was three but one had to pull out, so only one of the two fics have been submitted (the other being mine which has yet to be put into words) so there will be at least one fic to be posted on Valentineâs Day. I wish more people would participate but I understand that people are just busy and that the fandom has had its ups and downs lately. But you can still sign up if you want. Just click here to see the rules and stuff.
What do you think the odds are that Caryl doesn't become canon in episode 10?
Honestly, Iâm not one that is going to get my hopes up just so that I wonât be disappointed when it doesnât live up to higher expectations. I would like to think that regardless of Carol & Daryl becoming canon that we will still get something awesome and have development that includes Carol showing Daryl some kind of comfort. We havenât seen that from her in so, so long, and I want to see that on screen because Daryl deserves that from her so much more than anyone else.
So far there is only two signed up! I really thought Caryler authors would be excited and jump on this theme. So where the heck is everyone? Don't let the two of us be the only two who are participating! Come join us! Follow the link above to the complete list of rules and get signed up!
Graphic artists and photo wizards - Nine Lives needs you!
Graphic artists and photo wizards Nine Lives needs your help again.
After the huge success of the graphics auction last year (last year!!) we have decided to make the most of the talents of our amazing members.
We already have an amazing artist who makes all our banners and graphics. However, in the spirit of expansion weâve decided to bring more artists into the fold to spread the increasing work-load.
So, if you would be interested in being added to our pool of artists that we can call on to make banners, skins, buttons, and generally pretty images for the site, please PM me on Nine Lives to volunteer.
Chances are you will only be called upon to produce something a handful of times a year, so itâs not a full-time commitment. And obviously the more people we have, the less often youâll have to do anything.
So, if youâd like to be part of the Nine Lives family in a more interactive role, please sign up.
1. Go to this link: http://thecaryldaily.tumblr.com/submit
2. Make sure the Submit Text is selected
3. Use the Title of your fanfiction and by tumblr urlname (ex: Title by TumblrUrl) as the Subject of the post
4. Then I would like you to use this format to start your post before your fanfiction:
Title:
Author:
Rating:
Prompt(s):
Summary:
A/N:
(Then the fanfiction itself)
5. You cannot enter a readmore in the submit box I will do that for you on my end as well as tag your fic appropriately.Â
6. Agree to the terms & etc.
7. Submit.
8. I will let you know when I receive your fic. You will get a message from untapdtreasure (that is me.).
Valentineâs Day FIC-A-THON
Date: February 14, 2017
Time: 12:00 a.m CST - 11:59 p.m. CST
THEME: 7x10 What Might Happen - This theme is based on spoilers about 7x10. I will not be directly putting spoilers in this post or any post at this blog, but you can find the spoilers at both twdzone and thespoilingdeadfans. Basically, the gist of this theme is what do you (the author) think will happen or want to happen when/if Caryl is reunited.
Rules:
1. You must send an ask to sign up for this fic-a-thon.
2. The fanfiction must either be a one-shot or a complete multi-chaptered posted in its entirety before February 14, 2017. This means no work in progress pieces can/should be submitted.
3. Fanfiction must be more than 750 words but less than 100,000 words.
4. You may NOT post the fanfiction until the official Valentineâs Day Fic-A-Thon post has been put up at here at thecaryldaily.
5. We ask that you do not post at any other fanfiction hosting site until itâs posted here.
6. All fanfiction are to be submitted in story format.
7. Fanfictions can be of any rating that you wish (K+, T, NC-17). We just ask that you label it correctly.
8. Please use the phrase âwe ainât ashesâ somewhere in your sign-up ask so that I know you read and understand the rules.
9. Your fanfictions must be submitted no later than 10 p.m. CST on February 13, 2017. You may submit them at any time between now and this deadline.
10. You may sign-up anytime before the submission deadline.
Please Note: They will be queued up in the order in which they arrive in the inbox. There will be a more detailed post in coming weeks on the proper format of sending in your fanfiction.
titsay
ellievsbear
areudirty
janainaart
annaxmalina
tangentwithtanner
discoholicmusic
origamiaround