http:// darktidings. atwebpages. com

(remove spaces - link won't work if you just click on it - FFnet doesn't allow links even with their own "insert link" option)

Posting Process:

I started a new job in August 2021, and it is slowing down my writing speed. Please bear with me.

That said, I do try to rotate through the stories/series evenly, although sometimes the Muse will lock herself a way and disturb the orderly process so that a story drops out of the queue longer than intended. On average, you should see new chapters for an individual story approximately every 7-14 days. Use the story rotation order below to see what is most likely to be the next updated story, based on whatever is currently the most recent update in my story page.

Format the stories are listed in is Series - Story Name.

Current stories/series:
Grandma Jean series - currently on hiatus. New Daryl/Connie story will premiere eventually.

Adventures of Daryl & Olive Oyl series - posts at random, whenever author gets a cool idea.

The Hummingbird collection will consist of one-shot stories with no intention of expanding to longer pieces later. If you enjoy Beth fic, please thank my pair of Beth "reviewers" on FFN. They are a wonderful source of inspiration to keep writing for my pretty little hummingbird. Over time, you'll get a Beth one-shot for every single review they leave me. And yes, I know I can delete guest reviews on FFN, or even moderate them... I prefer letting them fuel the Muse instead.

Claiming to be a "fan" of my stories, yet using reviews to trash one single character even when she's not actually in the chapter (or story)? It makes me wonder if you need a timeout, a nap, an entire case of Snickers, or something to comfort you in your zeal to hate on one of the most inoffensive characters in a show filled to the brim with problematic characters. My daughter suggested (kindly) that Beth may remind some people of a bully or mean girl, and if so, I'm sorry someone mistreated you. My stories are my stories, and all you do by bullying Beth in reviews is inspire me to enjoy the character that much more.

Rotational stories (post in this order):
Deputy - We Are Made Wise
Hell - Hell is Something You Carry
Grady AU - At Your Own Reckoning
Deputy - Swim in Strange Water
Greene - Dragons Can Be Beaten
Rooftop - In the Service of Others
HP - Love Mingled With Grief
Deputy - Time to Walk
Grady AU - Silken Wings

If you have questions about the process or an individual story or series, please feel free to PM me, or if you find the PM system clunky, I'm on gmail as darkertidings and don't mind shooting the breeze about my work, TWD in general, writing in general, or even beta-reading stories (as long as the subject matter aligns with my beta profile).

Regarding Requests:

I DO take TWD based requests! I do not promise when a request will be worked into the queue, because I do have a certain idea of how many series I want running at a time, and I reserve the right to refuse certain subjects I just don't feel comfortable writing. PM me, email me, or hop over to Ao3 (I'm DarkTidings there) and drop a request onto the Bunny Farm story (no registration or login required for Ao3).

I may decline if I feel can't do the POV justice (Dale and Andrea are two POVs that baffle me still). If it is a pairing, canon or otherwise, that I don't see as viable, I may tweak canon or offer a non-ZA story instead to exclude canon. Shane and Lori as a long-term couple are a hard no in most TWD canon. I also have problems with canon Rick and Michonne. I will not write canon aged Bethyl, Brick, or Meth.

I will decline for any of the following: noncon, dubcon, BDSM, incest pairings, underage/adult sexual pairings (16-plus with a young adult in a non-sexual relationship might be considered, but typically not), ABO, mpreg, anti-Shane, anti-Merle, anti-Lori, anti-Eugene, crossovers with any fandom I am not familiar with.

I do not write the canon LGBT characters as heterosexual, but I do write LGBT romances and slash/femmeslash, so those requests are welcomed.

Crossover areas I can write are -

Cop shows: NCIS, Law & Order, Justified, Criminal Minds

Supernatural: Harry Potter, Teen Wolf, The Sentinel, His Dark Materials, Dresden Files, Divergent, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Torchwood. (Side Note: those last four might be a difficult crossover, and I wouldn't include the Doctor for any Torchwood crossover).

Others: Leverage, Grey's Anatomy

Absolutely Not: Anything Twilight. Not a Supernatural fan. 50 Shades is a big hell no. Prefer no CSI Miami (detest Horatio).

Best results may be to leave the request open ended, and I give no time spans on when inspiration may hit for a request.

Current Projects:

Several smaller works in The Walking Dead and one pretty big one. Two of the smaller fics were two of three initial starts (Rooftop Stories) I wrote for the Homestead Georgia series. After lovely discussions with another writer about the desolate wasteland of pro-Shane stores, I figured I would go ahead and post the two smaller stories as well. That made things grow even further, adding in the Hell series, Grandma Jean non-ZA series, and a collection loosely titled Lone Deputy.

Overall themes I follow: Pro-Shane. Pro-Merle (or just pro-Dixon). Accurate medical situations and treatments. Recovery from past abuse and addiction. Mental health recovery. Rick actually dealing with his PTSD instead of magically becoming the group's leader. Accurate portrayal of Southern and redneck culture and survival skills. Pro-Lori (I can't tolerate the slut shaming popular in fandom).

I do not kill off child characters for random shits and giggles in my ZA works - Sophia, Duane, Carl, Andre, Beth, etc all live in almost all my stories. Although most of the time the adults survive, too, like Shane and Merle and Glenn and... you get the picture, right? :) At times, for the purposes of a story, some/all canon deaths may be allowed to stand because they are essential to the plot of the story requested by a reader.

Grady AU stories

Grady is a collection of unrelated stories featuring some part of the Grady Hospital story arc from the show, either ZA or non-ZA. Each story will have one of the Grady officers as a primary character, typically Amanda Shepherd.

At Your Own Reckoning: After his divorce, Lieutenant Rick Grimes moves to Atlanta when Lori gets a job offer she can't pass up. Newly minted Sergeant Amanda Shepherd takes the plunge into discovering the true extent of corruption in APD. Beth Greene turns a dirty cop's interest in her into her own foray into undercover work.

Primary POVs: Rick, Amanda, Beth, Shane

Pairing: Rick/Amanda

Background Pairings: Shane/Michonne, Daryl/Lori, Merle/Carol, Jesus/Eugene, minor Rick/Beth, eventual Beth/Spencer

AU Notes: What if the fight described in the squad car the day Rick was shot for the show ended the Grimes marriage? Instead of being shot, Rick returns home to divorce papers. Four years later, he takes a promotion out of King County and comes to term with all the changes in his life at last as he assists Amanda Shepherd, Daryl's adoptive sister turned Atlanta police sergeant, with the problem of corruption in her precinct. Beth Greene crosses paths with Sergeant Gorman and his unhealthy interest in her results in the smokescreen of a sugar daddy cop, but also gives her insight into just how corrupt Gorman's little cadre of dirty cops is.

Lost Deputy stories

The Lost Deputy stories are not actually a series, but a collection of unrelated stories featuring Shane Walsh if he left the farm prior to the attempt to kill Rick. All are in response to reader requests (with one as a request from my RL beta reader). All three stories could also be called the Canine Collection, because all will features dogs of some sort.

Time to Walk: Shane leaves the farm after Rick's ultimatum about the baby in 18 Miles Out. Knowing he's near the point of no return, he heads north on an old idea to hike the Appalachian Trail. At times, a need for supplies will have him venture off the trail down to other areas, where he will come into contact with others and develop a post-apocalyptic legend as a rescuing vigilante that is related to Rick's group as they make their way north. After an encounter with Jesus in Virginia, he allows himself to be drawn back to civilization as it currently exists.

Primary POV: Shane.

Pairing: Shane/Jesus (Paul)

Dog: Missy, Shane's cowboy corgi companion of the Trail. (May also include Buttons the Horse.)

AU Notes: Many of the events of the prison and Woodbury still occur, but Hershel, Dale, T-Dog, Lori, and Merle live. Sophia and Andre live. Eventually, Rick's group ends up in Virginia, but the story will not include Negan and the All Out War storyline.

Swim in Strange Water: Beth escapes her Grady kidnappers before they reach the hospital, only to cross paths with a man she hasn't seen since before the farm fell.

Primary POVs: Beth and Shane.

Pairing: Beth/Shane.

Dogs: Biscuit the pit bull, his best lady Muffin (an Australian Shepherd beauty), and their three energetic pups: Gravy, Jelly, and Butter. To quote Beth: Shane should not be allowed to name pets. (Author's Note: Neither should my 13 year old daughter, who named all these dogs! o.O )

AU Notes: Beth is 20, not 18, when the prison falls. Sophia and Andre live. Most of the prison/Woodbury arc occurs, including the deaths of Lori, Hershel, and Merle. Most other post prison through finding Alexandria events follow canon (aside from Carol not needing to assassinate a child, as Tyreese saved Sophia, Judith, and Andre). Shane and Beth will not find the others right away, instead making their own rambling way north. By the time they reach Virginia, the war with Negan will be underway. Glenn will not die in this version of the story. Jury is still out on Abraham.

We Are Made Wise: Shane and three young teenagers are cut off from the farmhouse when the walker swarm descends on the farm.

Primary POV: Shane initially, later guest POVs from several people (Glenn, Hershel, Andrea). Later also primary Lori POV.

Pairing: Shane/Princess, Lori/Daryl. Teen romance Beth/Carl. Best buddies Sophia & Beth.

Dogs: The Pomeranian Posse - Nugget, Cupcake, Max, and Wolverine.

AU Notes: Sophia and Andre live. Age-adjusted Beth to place Beth, Carl, and Sophia as the same age, 13. Shane was shot by Otis instead of Carl. Lori hasn't taken the pregnancy test yet, but Judith is Shane's. Shane and the kids eventually end up in a safe community (one I designed for the Hell series and didn't use) a few months ahead of Rick's group. The crazy wandering has a good reason: three desperate families trying to find their lost ducklings. Expect more of an Uncle Shane theme than the fatherly one of the Hell series. No Woodbury or Governor.

Grenade Moment Series

The Grenade Moment Series: three parallel stories, filling multiple requests: Rick's nurse - who is/was she - and could she live, combined with a viable Shane/Lori story actually set in the ZA. Also requested - Daryl/Michonne, Merle/Princess.

This series will contain references to homophobia (especially internalized homophobia) typical to small town Southern culture due to a past relationship between Shane and Rick during their late teens and college years.

Life is Unknowable: Features an OC nurse who cares for Rick after the hospital massacre, but instead of dying before Rick wakes, she survives this time. But that is going to cause a major butterfly effect, because under medical supervision, Rick won't go haring off on a damned horse into walker-infested Atlanta. He doesn't get the magical resolution of randomly finding his family and has to accept and mourn they are likely gone forever.

Primary POVs: Rick and Alex (OC).

Pairings (as of 16 Sep): Rick/Alex

Background Pairings: Morgan/Jenny, Otis/Patricia

Group Members Planned (as of 12 Aug): Rick, Alex, Morgan, Jenny, Duane, Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Otis, Patricia, Jimmy.

Life is Unthinkable: Without Rick's arrival, the quarry group will face a different future and strategy. The grief and emotions behind the Shane/Lori pairing will be explored in their parallel story and how they, Carl, and the others of the quarry survive without the miracle of Rick's return. It'll backtrack to the fall of King County, opening with Shane's efforts to take Lori and Carl to safety.

Primary POVs: Shane and Lori.

Pairings (as of 3 Feb 21): Shane/Lori, Glenn/OC (may get a short romance story of its own)

Group Members Planned (as of 3 Feb 21): Shane, Lori, Carl, Carol, Sophia, T-Dog, Glenn, Dale, Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Jim, OC Lucia.

Separate the Old Life From the New: The Dixon brothers don't make it to the quarry, instead arriving at the Atlanta Refugee Center before it falls. They exit the city with Michonne and Andre, a partnership that makes both Dixons have to reevaluate past upbringing and Merle's racist ties.

Primary POVs: Daryl, Michonne, Merle, eventually probably Princess.

Pairings: Daryl/Michonne, Merle/Princess (Juanita Sanchez).

Group Members Planned (as of 12 Aug): Daryl, Merle, Michonne, Andre, Princess, Tyreese, Sasha, Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Gabriel. Several OC young military members. Abe's Kids Live.

Series details:

This completely ignores any of the webisodes as canon. Larger scale plots like the Governor will probably be disregarded entirely. Characters from any season may be fair game. This will go pretty far afield on the AU stage, I think. As with all of my stories, the children actually featured in the show live or flashback will not die.

All three groups will eventually end up on the Georgia Coast near/on the Golden Isles around the time of Judith's birth. Eventually will include selected Kingdom-based characters (definitely Ezekiel, Jerry, Benjamin, Henry, and Dianne), some Alexandrians (likely Aaron, Eric, Denise, Olivia, and Spencer), as well as Jesus (Paul).

Clan Grandma Jean Series

A series of stories planned to feature various romances as they bloom into being, in the style of the Harlequin Romance novels that follow a series of people in a town or family as they find romance and marriage. Planned Couples: Shane/Carol, Beth/Eugene, Daryl/Connie, Merle/Lori, Rick/Michonne, Paul (Jesus)/Glenn, Tara/Denise.

Currently a non-ZA project, with a more modern setting. Character ages and backgrounds may be vastly different from the show. Opening chapter of the series is the night of Carl Grimes birth, so many characters will be in their early twenties. Possible beginning of a series that may turn to ZA 10-15 years in the future.

No Evil Dooms Us: A traffic stop in the October rain while his partner's on paternity leave allows Deputy Shane Walsh to provide a way out for Carol as she flees her abusive marriage to keep her baby daughter safe. Grandma Jean's house turns out to be exactly the sort of refuge Carol's looking for, as she meets Dixons, Greenes, and all the other colorful characters of King County.

Themes: Families of choice. Past child abuse. Past domestic violence. Past sexual abuse of an adult character. Single parents. Small town Southern life and politics. Unplanned pregnancies. Parental suicide.

Primary POVs: Shane, Carol.

Pairings: As of 5 August - Shane/Carol. Mostly background pairings are set so far (Rick/Lori, Aaron/Eric, Morgan/Jenny, Abraham/Ellen, Jacqui/Jim).

Past relationships: As of 26 June - Merle/Paula, Daryl/Denise, Beth/Dennis, Jessie/Pete, Carol/Ed.

One Corner of the Universe: Beth Greene didn't plan to be a divorced mother of a toddler juggling work and college at twenty-one. But she's got it all under control, if everyone will just stop seeing her as Maggie Greene's baby sister. Sometimes, small town life is frustrating, but she can't imagine life outside of King County.

Beth's independent story spin-off from No Evil Dooms Us.

Pairings: As of 5 August - Beth/Eugene.

Hell Series

A pair of companion stories that are set to run alongside each other, initially focusing on Sophia being missing. While originally intended to merge into a third story, plans changed. Development in each story will continue between the paired couple and their relationships with Sophia, the other children, and the other residents. Series has frequent parts that are NOT Rick friendly, but he's not a villain for the series... I keep getting Uber Rick fans griping here and on Ao3. Don't read a Shane-centric story if you can't handle Rick being criticized or think Lori is something to be OWNED.

Possible future stories to cover these pairings (and respective POVs): Beth/Tara, Jesus/Aaron, Rick/TBD.

Since I don't intended to explore the Virginia seasons, characters from those seasons will turn up in the Georgia stories.

Hell is Yourself: Shane is left for dead in the field on the Greene farm, but ends up saved by a person he's given up for dead. Sophia learns field medicine out of necessity and expands her need to control her life by adopting every stray that needs attention. Both realize a family you choose is as valuable as one you are born into. They manage to accidentally collect the others left behind by Rick's leadership decisions over time.

Themes: Families of choice. Redemption through good deeds. Accurate survival skills. Past child abuse. Medical recoveries. Abandonment issues. Mental health issues. Suicidal thoughts. Judith IS Shane's daughter.

Primary POVs: Shane, Sophia.

Featured Pairing: Shane/Michonne.

Current characters: Shane, Sophia, Morgan, Duane, Merle, Michonne, Andre, Patrick, Molly, Luke, Andrea, Eastman - and Lucifer the cat.

Hell is Furnished: Daryl's ongoing search for Sophia leads him down lonely roads and the lesson he doesn't have to follow any man's lead. Daryl slowly takes over leadership of the group and teaches Carol, Carl, and Beth how to survive their new world, while everyone in the group shields Lori and Carl from Rick's mental instability following his stabbing (and assumed killing) of Shane.

Themes: Families of choice. Accurate survival skills. Past child abuse. Past domestic abuse. Mental health issues. Difficult pregnancy.

Primary POV: Daryl.

Featured Pairing: Daryl/Carol

Background Pairings: Glenn/Maggie, Rick/Lori.

Current characters: Daryl, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, T-Dog, Hershel, Beth, Carl, Lori, Rick, Karen, Noah (Woodbury), Paul, Aaron, Denise, Olivia, Enid, Gracie.

Hell is Something You Carry: Merle's adjustment to life without intoxicants remains a daily effort to stick to the goals he's set himself. Sobriety is easier with a family to plan for, but playing uncle to Sophia, Andre, and Shane's Foundlings might not be all he's intended for.

Primary POV: Merle

Featured Pairing: Merle/ ???

Current characters: Any from the above two stories will appear as they interact with Merle.

The "Rooftop Stories" - Each will branch into their own series

The Violence of Coarser Souls: Merle's left behind on the Atlanta roof, and Merle's daughter and Glenn manage to retrieve him before he mutilates himself in order to escape. After abandoning a sick man to die, the group has to adjust to how far they've let their prejudices push their humanity.

Themes: Rick's recovery how it should have happened, medically. Loss of spouse and child. Past child abuse. Past sexual abuse of an adult character. Past domestic violence. Judith IS Shane's daughter. Merle as a father.

Primary POV: Shane Walsh.

Group Leadership: Shane, Daryl, Jacqui.

Pairings: As of 12 Dec - Shane/OC, fracturing Rick/Lori. Past Daryl/OC.

Future Souls AU series stories:

Antiquity of the Soul - Daryl/Glenn - Glenn never considers that masculine firefighter redneck Daryl might be anything other than a straight widower, thinking his crush is hopeless and unrequited, until the day he learns that "Rowe" isn't short for Rose... but Roland.

Sorceress in Her Soul - Merle/Jacqui - An arrogant asshole of a redneck and an assertive woman of color would have been an impossible couple before the world ended. After it did? They do say opposites attract.

Meet the Shadowy Future: The Atlanta group is prevented from leaving Merle behind by the appearance of a pissed off female Dixon willing to shoot Rick to protect her loved one. Sequel is underway (At This Moment).

Themes: Past child abuse. Past domestic violence. Reconciling racist upbringing with biracial family members. Sexual assault recovery. Mental health issues. Past addiction. Judith is NOT Shane's daughter. Merle as a father figure.

Primary POVs: First four chapters are Rick. Subsequent chapters are Shane. Occasional Quinn.

Group Leadership: Shane and OC (Quinn).

Pairings: Shane/Maggie, Daryl/Carol, Rick/Lori.

At This Moment - Glenn/Beth - Glenn and Beth are separated from their supply run group after a spring thunderstorm and tornado take out one of the major dams on the Chattahoochee River. Alone, injured, and miles from home, can they keep each other safe long enough to get home to their families?

Homestead, Georgia series: a multi-part TWD epic that reimagines the ZA with prominent POVs being good-guy Shane and good-father Merle.

Part One (Repair Broken Men) will be around 600k and cover most of the Georgia seasons.

Part Two (In the Service of Others) will be of similar length and cover the Savior storylines.

Part Three will cover the Whisperers.

The series will end with an epilogue set 100 years post-ZA that gives the details of the original survivors lives, primarily through the diary of Judith.

Regarding "Repair Broken Men", spanning July 2010 through November 2011:

There's a lot of research behind the story, and I try to avoid big info dumps (not always successfully), but it does take a while for this to pick up steam because it's so AU and a lot of extra has to come in without killing off half the beginning characters for excitement. :)

This is very, very AU on the Dixon background. Merle is a father, although a bit of an idiot one in the earlier chapters, and that fosters a lot of changes. The age-gap between him and Daryl is a lot larger, and both of their backgrounds are immensely different in adulthood than the show (as demonstrated with cop-Daryl in the first chapter).

It will have a redemption story of the Shane/Rick brotherhood: they will not lose each other in this world. Lil Asskicker's existence in the world isn't going to tear her family to pieces, and Rick is gonna be one hell of a devoted uncle - her very own White Knight. Both get a lovely romance, but neither with Lori. Although early chapters may seem bashing, Lori does eventually get her own redemption arc.

There are multiple POVs. Early POV is Shane, with a good chunk of Carol. Chapter 8 introduces Merle's POV. After Chapter 15 or so, regular POVs expand to include several others, mostly canon characters such as Daryl, Glenn, Rick, Tara, Eugene, and Abraham. I take POV requests regularly from reviewers, although I do have characters I just can't write effectively (like Andrea or Morgan).

I wanted to explore different dynamics rather than the same avenues already done so wonderfully by so many authors. If you're looking for Caryl, Rickyl, Richonne, or Bethyl, unfortunately, none of those are in the plans. Canon LGBT characters will remain as such, although the show couples may not exist (Tara is happily married long before the Virginia survivors are discovered).

Many characters - especially children - who died in the show will not die in this story.

The show's content is brought in hodgepodge and it won't follow the episode timelines. Some comic book characters or backgrounds are used, and there will be a large number of NPCs/OCs.

Trigger warnings: This is the TWD world, and dark at times. Child abuse/neglect, off-screen non-con, and executions do occur or get discussed as having occurred.

Regarding "In the Service of Others", set with a story opening in May 2017:

The sequel may contain some darker content than anything I've put into Part One, primarily due to changes for the Saviors storyline. I know that Negan has a large fandom, and with the ultra-talented JDM as his actor, I completely understand the appeal. But the nature of the AU world developed in the Homestead stories does not truly allow for the redemption of a man with his history of violence and dubcon. It is NOT a Negan redemption fic, so please be aware that Negan will die in this sequel.

In the Service of Others is when the AU really rears its head. The Saviors have been held off from appearing in Virginia for many more years, and they will be facing communities already allied and stable. They're fully capable of wiping the Saviors right off the map, but not without a myriad of losses of their own. It won't be a contest of brute strength, but more of a tale of just how far a person will go to protect others even at the cost of their own soul... thus the title.

Pairings as of opening chapters: Merle/Carol, Daryl/Lori, Shane/OC, Rick/Rosita, Amy/OC, Glenn/Maggie, Tara/OC, Eugene/OC, Abraham/Michonne, Olivia/Other TV Series Character, Aaron/Eric, Jesus/OC, Jacqui/Jim, Beth/Alex (Terminus), Sophia/Carl, Tyreese/Karen, Hershel/OC, Gabriel/Jessie, Ezekiel/Dianne, Jerry/Nabila.

The Whisperers will not be featured until Part Three, with many AU adjustments, and there will be at least one other story arc involving a TWD universe villain (which one is still to be decided).

Older Non Walking Dead WIPs: To be honest, I can't promise they'll be completed. It's possible inspiration may hit, so I won't close them off, but as you can see, my Muse seems fully engaged in a bit of an epic at the moment.