If you’ve read Repair Broken Men, please be aware that while this story uses characters and some plotlines from that story, it is not a regurgitation of Repair Broken Men.

If you dislike the storytelling elements used in the Redux and prefer the original, I respectfully suggest you go re-read the original rather than complain about any differences here. Otherwise, it’s a bit like going to Wendy’s and complaining they don’t serve the Taco Bell menu: a waste of my time and yours.

Author Notes

When I originally wrote Repair Broken Men in 2019, I had no idea the juggernaut it would become thanks to amazing readers and the story landing at a time when TWD fans longed for the early days and characters of the show. But it was the first work I wrote after years of not writing, and I’ve always wanted to rework it.

I felt the Quarry days did a vast injustice to Lori as a character, and worse, the entire work largely ignored the POVs of primary characters: Scout and her siblings. Expect a more militaristic Scout, and I’ll be bringing in some elements from other stories: Lori’s background as developed in We Are Made Wise and for fans of the Grenade series, Alex is crossing over.

Expect five works, with chapters expanded and POVs streamlined. The timeline has changed and histories may change, rooting out some harsh dramatics that I was never quite pleased with, so this isn’t just RBM all over again with Scout & sibling POVs. Things will change; consider it an AU of RBM. The major pairings aren’t changing, but I’m not tagging ones not present by the end of the book in question. Edit 2025-10-01: Six books, not five.

Scout’s POV and changes to the Dixon background

Bringing in Scout’s POV was a lot of planning. The original “we were in Florida on spring break and battled our way to Atlanta” storyline has hit the cutting room floor. Scout will trickle out the details of how she got from California to Atlanta as time goes by, because this time her military history will be used as more than just Badass Marine Background the Author Forgot to Properly Take Advantage Of. Some histories have changed a little bit, ages tweaked, and some of the more telenovela level drama smoothed out. Never fear, they’re still the same people, just with a few less reasons to be completely bonkers in this world – or to go bonkers in different ways entirely.

The convoy also changed a bit to adapt to Scout having an entirely different mission in this AU, and time in the quarry won’t be just drama & runs, but actual training (plus drama & runs).

While the Dixon history is somewhat the same (number of siblings, etc), one of my regrets the longer RBM went on was that such an important part of the Dixon history – Merle’s wife – was only known as a negative influence. Instead of the deep violent trauma of RBM and a sideswipe of the kids’ Chamorro heritage, Redux will explore a different type of trauma: what happens to a family when they lose their guiding light, especially when immersed in a matriarchal cultural background. Back in 2019, I did as much research as I could, but there are just so many more resources available now for Chamorro culture, so expect that to be more than a footnote this time around.

And as fun as the guessing game of “just how many Dixons are there” was back then, bringing in Daryl and Scout’s POVs sorta throws that out the window a bit. Slight age-ups have happened: Merle (46->51), (Daryl (30->33), Scout (27->29), Cricket (22->23), Jazz (15->17). The original Jazz/Sophia romance will be completely axed, as I want to leave her at 13. Any real consideration of Daryl as anything other than a sibling to the four younger Dixons is gone beyond the initial drama of the camp, although Scout will continue to tease Daryl by calling him uncle/tihu at times.

Reader Notes

• Comments where readers doxx themselves (revealing close locations and identifying details) will not be replied to and will be deleted. Please stay safe on the internet, dear readers, and don’t leave that sort of information in a public forum.
• Comments asking when x, y, or z story will be updated may be deleted depending on tone, and they will not be replied to. Writing is a break from RL, where my best friend, my person, ride-or-die, is dealing with cancer and where one of the sweetest people I know is watching her dad (also one of the sweetest souls on the planet) slip away day by day. It’s my happy pill so that when I get up in the morning, I am the best support both of them can ask for. If you don’t like what I’m working on, there are plenty of other TWD writers to go enjoy. Bless your heart(s).