Tyreese is unable to separate the fact that he killed walkers vs. living people and Eddie sees this. I wonder if Tyreese would’ve changed if he had stayed on the show longer. I like the allusions made to your other stories when Eddie asks about didn’t Dixon bury Merle and didn’t Michonne go to find The Governor? That was clever.
I like that Tyreese caught Eddie’s subtle hint about not liking Rick in charge. We know that Rick isn’t anything like The Governor, but after what Eddie’s been through, I don’t blame him for being wary. The details of The Governor offering a car with gas and supplies vs. staying in Woodbury illustrates well how he managed to manipulate people into staying by giving them two very good offers, so that matter what they would be entangled, although the first choice, much less so than the second.

When Rick and Carl meet up with Tyreese and Eddie’s, Carl’s response to what Tyreese had done to the walkers is comical, but I can totally hear both Carl’s amazement and Rick’s stern response. You characterized them accurately.

Alicia is way more naïve than Andrea ever was. She actually believed The Governor would send Merle all the way to California to pick up her daughter in California? How could she have fallen for that bold-faced lie, knowing the state of the world? If Alicia was only in the Alexandria Safe-Zone and then went too Woodbury right after with no stopping in between, then I can see why she’d be so gullible into thinking that someone is going to cross the country to bring back her daughter.

I caught a tiny error. When Carl and Rick enter where Beth and Hershel are, it reads “Beth looked at Rick and Carl and smiled proudly. Beth looked at Hershel’s youngest daughter and blushed.” I think you meant “Carl” in the second sentence. The exchange between Rick and Hershel was very nice, you can see the bond between them and how Rick looks to Hershel for guidance and direction.

I like that Rick reflects on both Lori and Shane. It’s a lot for him to process and forgive – from both Lori’s and Shane’s actions against him. At the same time, Lori and Shane gave him a gift with Judith. A poster on the old forum mentioned how Judith is the one thing Rick has that is a piece of both Lori and Shane, I always liked that idea.

I like how Rick’s ruminations mirror Carl’s from the earlier chapter. Both father and son have a lot on their mind that they aren’t openly sharing. Lori was both idealistic and unrealistic for wanting to shelter Carl, Shane gave Carl a gift in teaching him how to shoot a gun and therefore defend himself and others, and now Rick has the middle ground where he has to try to still raise Carl in an upside-down world—where Carl can be that protector, but not lose his humanity. That line you wrote about humanity made me wonder what it would’ve been like if Dale had survived to be with the group in the prison as he did in the comics.

Carol remembering her life with Sophia before the ZA was very touching. I liked how you described it. The ending with Carol and Daryl agreeing to work on the deer was sweet. Overall, this was a lovely fic about the family bonds between Carol and Daryl, Rick and Carl, and how the group altogether is becoming a family. Great job, Raps!

This was another good chapter of yours. I like Tyreese's struggle with having to kill walkers, of course others are going to see that as crazy but Tyreese has his reasons. I liked the dialogue between him and Eddie, seemed there's potential for a strong friendship in the making.

Carl is still behaving like a kid at this point, in awe over Tyreese's walker kills which worries Rick about him becoming too desensitized to the violence.

Then we got a nice emotional conversation between Michael and his wife Alicia over their missing daughter who went to UCLA. They wonder if there's a possibility of her still being alive and it's probably that hope that keeps them going.

I liked the convo between Rick and Hershel. They always have the best conversations. I liked Carl's reaction to Beth as well as him spitting out his oatmeal over the thought of him and Beth having kids in the future. Cute. Glad that Rick is finally going to let Carl come on the supply run with him. Carl needs this honestly, he needs that chance to prove himself but I also understand Rick's concern.

The ending scene with Carol waiting for Daryl was nice and touching. When he returns she's so elated to see him and he feels the same too. I liked seeing that kind of bonding between them as that's the kind of Caryl moments us fans long to see in the show.

Well done 5/5

This was a really nice chapter centered on Daryl and his thoughts on Carol and Merle when he goes to hunt deer for the group. I really enjoyed the actual flashbacks from the show (such as Daryl's confrontation with Merle) and that you added your own (Daryl observing Shane giving Ed a lecture.) It flowed very nicely. I like that Daryl wars with himself about his feelings for Carol-and how she feels for him. The tidbit about Daryl teaching Carol how to shoot during their time on the road after Hershel farm was destroyed was great. It explained part of why we see Carol change into she becomes later. I'm glad Daryl was able to sort out his feelings for Carol and acknowledge that he cares for her, just as she cares for him, how they both look out for each other. I also really enjoyed Merle's lines that you gave him, such as what it would be like if Daryl met him at the Pearly Gates. Although he's racist, Merle is funny and I always liked how he turned around and redeemed himself by helping out the group. I also like that you pointed out when Daryl became his own man - when he stopped following in Merle's footsteps. Finally, the scenes where Daryl was hunting the deer and how he gave the deer respect after shooting it. This was poignant - I have a friend who told me her family hunts and she told me that out of respect for the animal, they use every part and also try to make the kill a clean one. I saw this in your fic and thought it was great how you illustrated this. I look forward to reading your last chapter.

Loved Daryl's line - hunting is always trouble - game wants to stay alive, and the line about getting used to having her around. This made me miss the prison era.

I enjoyed the flashback to the quarry in this chapter and could really visualize Daryl chopping wood as they had that conversation because of the scene-setting. I also liked his internal dialogue about Carol liking him.

It's interesting to see the prison era "filled in" with a possibility of what wasn't shown us - seeing those Woodbury people acclimating, and I'm glad Carol is thinking about Daryl.

LOL at Daryl thinking Glenn and Maggie are planning their next "fuck session." That's just how he would phrase it. I especially enjoyed the flashback. Merle is spot on here, and it really made me miss Merle. You've captured early Glenn well, too.

The strongest part of this chapter was all the thoughts Carl had. There were so many things bothering Carl, including his mother and Shane's relationship behind his father's back, Michonne looking for The Governor, Rick not killing The Gove when he had so much more. Carl's section showed how being a teenager in the ZA is extremely hard. Carl hs to grow up fast, but he also is processing everything around him. I like that Rick pointed out that Carl wishes it was himself that went to get Michonnne.

As for the Woodburians...they come off sneaky here, especially Jon. I don't trust John right now, he just seems really off.

Good job, Raps!

I like the early exchange in this chapter between the characters. It is apparent that the group hasn’t solidified yet, especially with Daryl and Michonne being outsiders. I like Hershel’s optimism and strong faith. He’s a great patriarch for the group.

I liked Maggie’s and Glenn’s exchange about Merle. Although Merle did awful things to both of them, they’re able to see the good in Merle too, how he tried to redeem himself and how his actions saved the group. There’s good and bad in everyone and Merle is a good example of that.

The ending with Carol’s thoughts about Daryl, and her remembering when Andrea accidentally shot him was truly heartfelt. Daryl did all he could to find Sophia and that always meant a lot to Carol. I think it’s good that you pointed this out as some TWD fans may still wonder why would Carol and Daryl be an item—and Daryl’s determination to find Sophia is one of the very instances that solidified their bond. I love when Carol came to check on Daryl, reminding him he was just as good as Rick and Shane – just as I loved when Daryl gave Carol the Cherokee Rose to give her hope.

An excellent chapter about Daryl as he reflects on his past, missing his brother and remembering their last real talk together, about how they were both abused and that was the reason Merle left. Such a sad story, but also saddening that Merle had to die in order to give the others a chance.

I liked how Daryl felt sorry for the deer he had to kill. It wasn't CGI deer was it? LOL just kidding. But it showed that Daryl respects nature and only takes what he needs, kind of like the native americans did.

Then after Daryl makes his kill we see that he is wondering why Carol looks out for him, and determines it's probably because she likes him. Next, as he takes time to think about the way he's looked after her too, he wonders if he likes her just as much. But of course he immediately puts himself down, saying that he wouldn't be a good match for Carol when in reality he actually would. So what is going to come next for him then? I wonder if he has plans to tell her how he feels. That would be sweet.

Great chapter, was a joy to read.

So I enjoyed the intro with Daryl. His thoughts in italics made me laugh aloud especially when it came to Glenn and Maggie. I like the brief Caryl moment in the beginning too.

Great idea to do a flashback showing the group at the camp before the prison. (One little thing: Dale’s last name is “Horvath” – I think you forgot the “r” in his last name.) The dozen people whose names Daryl never got - all those extras – ugh, why so many extras?! I like the idea of Ed and Merle having a rapport. They did have similar personalities. LOL Shane is “Elliot Ness”! I also like that you showed the tension of trying to survive in the ZA in the earlier days. Each character seems to match who they were on the show, I can picture it. I also liked that we got to see more Merle.

I like that Daryl is protective of Carol from the get-go. I didn’t like Shane’s response of “it’s none of our business”. He’s a deputy sheriff, and as a law enforcement officer, I would think he’d step up, put Ed in line, and ensure that Carol feels safe—especially since safety is always a major thing for him. I know he beat up Ed on the show – partially I think he was fed up with Ed’s abuse, but it was also displaced anger from when Lori cut him off from Carl. So Shane was disappointing to me here—I expect much better from him.

I am shocked that the group walked towards Ed although the group didn’t care about him as much as Carol did. I appreciate that Daryl would understand the abuse that Carol is experiencing, since he himself was a victim of abuse (in S3 when Merle pulled his shirt and there were marks, scars on Daryl’s back come to mind.

I like that you show various sides to Merle here. On one hand, he wants to rob the camp blind, then he doesn’t want Daryl to get himself mixed up in Carol’s domestic situation, and he’s the one that gave Merle a crossbow, reminding him that he would need it to survive one day.

I agree with Daryl: let the people of Woodbury earn their keep.

Great job on your first chapter, Raps!

This was a nice little chapter, and with lots of character interaction and even conflict.

I liked the talk between Rick and Carl. It was good that Rick was able to talk some sense into Carl and help him let go of that anger. I could tell Carl was very angry over a lot that happened so remembering that his mother would want them to help the woodburians was a nice moment.

Speaking of the woodburians we have some sort of gun debate going on between them, where some want to be able to protect others and themselves while others see the guns as being the wrong solution. Wonder if that's just fear talking?

Then John has a brief talk with Rick and finds out that Daryl went on a hunt to bring back food but then Rick informs him that whatever Daryl is bringing back will feed only those repairing the fence, which angers John and rightfully so.

But Rick agrees that even his people are just as hungry and as soon as the fence is fixed they can go on a food run. John tells Rick he wants in but Rick isn't so sure of who to bring with him, meaning he doesn't fully trust John enough to have him go. Then the other woodburian Henry talks to Rick about the design plans for the new fence and asks how soon it can be completed.

But it all depends on how much of the materials needed are already there or if they have to go out on a run to get what they need. I'm sure that will all be answered in the next chapter.

Also curious to find out what Daryl is able to bring back. It would be nice if he brought back enough for everyone.

Nice short chapter here dealing with the thoughts of others regarding Daryl and the possibility of the Governor returning.

I thought Rick was a little too harsh towards Carl by sending him to his room just for saying they would kill the Governor if he came back.

Was nice that Glenn acknowledged he should have been present at Merle's funeral despite the mean things he said about him. But not there for Merle but there for Daryl.

And speaking of which, it seemed what Beth said about Daryl being all alone really got to Carol, especially since she reacted so emotionally over it later on after recalling the time Daryl risked his life to search for Sophia just to get grazed by a bullet and end up bedridden for a few days.

I think now Carol has just realized how much Daryl means to her and that she's going to show him hes not alone once he returns. Should be a nice convo and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

This was a very nice introductory chapter for Daryl's character. I liked the flashback scenes of him and Merle and how things were like at the camp before Rick arrived. It was nice seeing all those old characters that are long gone now.

Was also nice to see Daryl being the first person to stand up against Ed, it's just too bad Shane and Merle ended up fighting instead.

Speaking of which it was good that Daryl also stood up for himself and the group despite his and Merle's plans of robbing the camp. Daryl didn't want the people to go hungry and its something Merle thought he was crazy for doing.

And then we're taken back to the present moment and Daryl remembers his old crossbow fondly as a 16th year birthday present. And then he decides to go hunting despite Rick's plans for a food run.

Was a good chapter overall.

Like it!