#The Beginning of Us

[companionjones]

The Beginning of Us (1/5)

Pairing: 36!Joel Miller x 23!Fem!Reader

Fandom: The Last of Us (could be applied to the video game or TV show)

Summary: You get new neighbours. One of them, a man very much your senior, might just be the most perfect man you have ever met. Where will this take you?

Warnings: Age gap, cursing, eventual smut

Author’s Note: Hi. Have you heard of @dbnightingale24​? If you haven’t, I highly recommend checking out her page, especially if you’re into Chris Evans and the characters that he plays. She is an amazing individual, inside and out. I would not be posting this story without her much-needed help and support. She even came up with the title! Thank you so much. Happy reading!

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

What got your attention was a loud and gruff “Shit!” and the sound of a box tumbling down the staircase in your apartment building.

You got off your couch and went to your door to see what was the matter. Opening it, you saw a girl disappearing into the apartment across the hall from yours, and another girl, slightly older than the one before, following her into the same space.

“Howdy stranger! We’re your new neighbours!” The girl still within your sight let you know. She then followed in the other girl’s footsteps in disappearing behind the door in front of you.

There was a man at the end of the hall, you noticed. He had his eyes peering down the staircase, but then he turned his vision toward you. “Hello,” he greeted and started to approach you with the two boxes he was carrying, “My name’s Tommy. Sorry if we were disturbing you.”

“Not at all,” you assured. “Are you and your daughters moving in?”

Tommy smiled as he shook his head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t handle those two 24/7. Those are my brother’s girls, Sarah and Ellie. Joel?” He called down the stairs.

Leaning into the hallway, you spotted a man one flight down, putting books into a cardboard box. Seeing that Tommy already had his hands full, you went down to help the aforementioned ‘Joel.’

Apparently, he didn’t notice you until you were knelt on the floor with him, helping him gather the books. You looked up the same time as he did, and the two of you locked eyes for the first time.

Joel had the deepest brown eyes you had ever seen in your life.

You gave him a shy smile, which Joel returned quickly, and you asked, “You didn’t go down with these books, did you?”

He must’ve said no, but you didn’t hear him because you were taking notice of the books. They were all war related, more specifically World War II. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the material.

“What?” he wondered with a smirk.

You shook your head. “Nothing. It’s just very on brand for a father like you to have books like these, no offence.”

Joel smiled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you; nothing,” you teased.

“Right…” he chuckled, and the two of you finished gathering the books.

Moving everything in took the rest of the day, and it was night by the time everything was out of the U-Haul and into the Millers’ apartment.

“Finally!” Ellie celebrated, “Let’s have more pizza!”

Tommy groaned, “Seriously? You already had it for breakfast today.”

“Come on, I’m hungry too!” Sarah complained, and the next thing you knew, Joel was ordering over the phone.

Tommy (reluctantly) offered to pick it up, and you said you’d stay back with Joel to start on the organisation of things.

“You really don’t have to stay,” Joel told you while Tommy and the girls were on their way out.

“Really, no offence Joel, but this place is a hazardous zone. I’m going to stay until there is at least a feasible way to get from room to room.” You were glancing around the space until you looked back at Joel. He was looking at you with a soft gaze that honestly made your heart flutter.

Joel softly let you know, “Help like yours…it’s extremely hard to come by these days.”

“You get it from Tommy, right?” you wondered.

He shrugged, “I do…Really, I do, but it’s not the same. He’s my younger brother, y’know? Half the time, it feels like I’m helping him way more than he’s helping me.”

“That makes sense,” you nodded, then took a chance and pressed on, “...Is it alright if I ask what happened to the girls’ mother?”

Joel nodded, “It’s alright. It all happened some time ago…Sarah’s mother left…five years ago now…? And Ellie’s mother, well…she died in childbirth.”

“Oh my god…Joel, I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

“It’s alright. It happened a long time ago.” Surprisingly, Joel chuckled. He was looking right at you.

You grew self-conscious. “What?”

“You didn’t say, ‘I’m sorry,’” he pointed out.

“Oh. Oh my god. I’m sor–” you tried correcting.

Joel cut you off, however. “No, it’s fine. I promise. It’s just…whenever I tell someone about the girls’ mothers, they take pity on me and say sorry. It got a little annoying after a while.”

“I would think so,” you relayed softly.

Not wanting an awkward silence after that conversation, you turned on your phone. “...Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep doing this work without any music. There we go.” You turned on your playlist and put your phone down on the entertainment centre.

Joel seemed surprised. “80s? Seriously?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Miller?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that. It makes me feel old.”

You chuckled. “Okay, Joel it is.”

Tommy and the girls came back with the pizza sooner than you expected. Sarah and Ellie were whispering and giggling about something that you could tell Tommy had been over with for a while. The girls shared another look when you sat next to Joel on the couch, and Tommy just rolled his eyes at them. You tried not to think about what that could mean.

The five of you watched a movie as you ate dinner, and Tommy was quick to leave after it was over. It almost felt too quick.

The girls didn’t waste time either.

“I’m exhausted!” Sarah yawned.

Ellie joined in, “Me too. I think we’re gonna head to bed, Dad. That alright with you?”

Joel was just as taken aback as you were. “Yeah. I guess so—”

“Okay. Goodnight!”

“Thanks for coming over, Y/n!”

Sarah and Ellie almost ran to their newly-set-up rooms.

“What was that all about?” you wondered out loud to Joel.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. But it’s not all the time that Tommy is let in on their antics.”

You chuckled, “Well, anyway, I think that’s my cue to go home. Lord knows it’s late enough.”

Joel followed you out into the hallway. “I really do appreciate your help, Y/n.”

You did your best to copy him. “It really was no problem Mist--Joel,” you corrected yourself.

Joel had been leaning against his door frame, but he took a step forward, which all but closed the space between the two of you.

The movement caused you to silently gasp, and you were so shocked that you barely got a hold of yourself in time for when Joel started leaning down--

“Joel, I’m 20,” you got out just before his lips would’ve touched yours.

Of course, Joel backed up. “Oh. Oh my god. Y/n, I am so sorry for putting you in that position–”

“You didn’t put me in any position. I should’ve told you earlier–”

“When? I didn’t ask. Shit, I didn’t ask. I just assumed ‘cause you’re living alone–”

“I know. I know. You didn’t do anything wrong, Joel. Okay?” You reached out and put a hand on his arm. Then, you realised what you were doing, and took your hand away. “I-I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, Joel.”

“Goodnight.”

The last thing you saw were his shame-filled eyes as you closed your door.

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[suzypfonne]

Before January 2025:

If you are a USAmerican in a relationship that might be affected by legislation that dissolves same-sex marriages, who may no longer be recognized as next-of-kin, especially if you have children, get your rights in writing!

Your marriage certificate may not be enough to prove you have rights to make medical decisions for non-biological children or for a same-sex spouse or partner.

Go to a lawyer, get it spelled out as clearly as possible that you have a voice in emergency medical and legal situations.

[fly-chicken]

A Pragmatic and surprisingly comforting perspective about the Trump 2nd Presidency from the ACLU

***Apologies if this is how you found out the 2024 election results***

Blacked out part is my name.

I’m not going to let this make me give up. It’s disheartening, and today I will wallow, probably tomorrow too

AND

I will continue to do my part in my community to spread the activism and promote change for the world I want to live in. I want to change the world AND help with the dishes.

And I won’t let an orange pit stain be what stops me from trying to be better.

A link to donate to the ACLU if able and inclined. I know I am

[doesephs]

win for traumatised individuals! local eldritch horror is here to rip it all out free of charge

[bet-on-me-13]

The cult of...Danny Fenton?

So! Way back when Danny first moved into his new neighborhood in Gotham, he had some trouble controlling his Powers. The different Types and Levels of Ectoplasm in the air when compared to Amity had thrown off his control.

He was used to being in places where his Ectoplasm meshed well with the Atmosphere, like a Water Balloon in a Pool, but in Gotham that analogy would be closer to a Water Balloon in the sewers. It was too different from what he was used to to fully control his Powers.

So it's understandable that he messed up a few times and his neighbors found out about his Abilities.

They took it well at first, Danny wasn't going to go Rogues or anything, and he never used them maliciously, but eventually they got curious.

They asked what his limits were, how he got them in the first place, and what the hell the Ghost Zone was. The answers "None Really", "I died and was reborn", and "A Collective of every Afterlife at once" did spark some interesting reactions from them.

Most importantly, a few of them joked about him being an Eldritch God that they needed to worship. He was good enough friends with them that at that point they felt comfortable pranking eachother, so they did just that.

Danny woke up one day on his birthday, and saw all of his friends and neighbors surrounding the makeshift Throne they had made and put him on while he was asleep. The entire day they chanted stuff like "The Great One requires Ms. Smiths Apple Pie for his day of birth!" And "The Great One Wishes for us to sing the Ritual Song! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birth-"

After his birthday, they kept up the joke.

It didn't help that his powers had evolved Again! And now he could bestow abilities onto his friends. The jokes they made about their God granting them Supernatural Powers to rule the world with were insufferable.

Then, one day while he was just resting at home, watching a movie on his TV, he felt a Pull at his Core. The same kind of Pull whenever he was being summoned. But why would they summon hi- Oh Shit! It's Mr Jenkins Party today! He was supposed to meet them at the Warehouse they used for special events an Hour Ago!

He quickly accepted the Summoning, but was met with a suprising sight. His Neighbors all tied up in a pile to his right, a spilled table of party food to his left, and right in front of him, Batman and his Family watching him with wary eyes.

Slowly, he opened his mouth. "...so, did you come for the party or..."

[mournfulroses]

Forugh Farrokhzad, from Let Us Believe In the Beginning of the Cold Season; "Sin,"

[snekky-arts]

oops i did it again~

still can't sleep so i'm making it into a series for the whole of HTTYD1

i need to practice water more. and rock

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

[riddleturner]

he's an apostate. he's a grey warden. he's on the run from the law. he's bonded body mind and soul to a spirit of the fade. he practices one of the rarest and most taxing magical diciplines known to mages. he's a cat dad. he was put in solitary confinement for a full year. he saves lives daily and asks for no payment. he's a massive bitch. he's personal friends with the hero of ferelden. he hates the church. he's hopelessly in love with you. he writes and distributes his own manifesto. he was forced to kill his own ex boyfriend. he doesn't see a way out. he's fucking blonde.

[heckyeahponyscans]

Keep protesting, keep boycotting, and keep talking about Gaza. This headline (from March 27th) would have been unthinkable a few months ago.

[choccy-milky]

how seb and clora get together in my fic 💕bc what better time and place to confess and share your first kiss than around a bunch of inferi + the dead body of a man you just killed?? 🥰💖

[companionjones]

The Beginning of Us (2/5)

Pairing: 36!Joel Miller x 23!Fem!Reader

Fandom: The Last of Us (could be applied to the characters in the video game or TV show)

Author’s Note: This is an AU where it’s normal times and both Sarah and Ellie are Joel’s (alive) daughters.

Summary: A few people talk to you about their stances on you and Joel. You’re surprised about what they say.

Warnings: Cursing, eventual smut

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

It had been two and a half days since that night with Joel, and you hadn’t seen him since. That was exactly how you wanted things to be. They weren’t your proudest moments, but the few times you’d exited your apartment, you had taken extra care to make sure no one else was around, especially the residents of the apartment across the hall from yours.

“There you are!”

Your luck had to run out at some point, you realised. Sarah had caught you sneaking out of your apartment around noon.

“Hey, Ellie! Y/n finally showed her face!” she called to her sister.

Suddenly, you were being bombarded by two assailants on your way out to your car.

“How did things go the other night with our dad?” Sarah curiously asked.

Ellie jumped in, “He won’t tell us a thing. All we know is that you two didn’t bone.”

Both you and Sarah were taken way off guard by that statement. “Ellie!”

She defended herself. “What? Sarah, you heard Dad go to bed alone that night. I’m just stating facts.”

Sarah agreed, “Okay, but that doesn’t mean that you need to put that image in my head…Seriously, Y/n. We just want to know if you two…kissed or something.” She switched gears.

“Girls, I gotta tell you something.” You caved in, and stopped in the hallway.

Both of them looked at you intently.

“I am only 23,” you let them know. “It would be highly inappropriate if anything were to happen between me and your father…and I would honestly hate to put him in that position.” Figuring that was all they needed to hear, you continued down the staircase.

Understandably, that truth bomb silenced both girls for a few moments; however, the (surprisingly) wouldn’t give up on you yet.

Ellie called after you, “So what?”

“Yeah,” Sarah joined in, “Who cares? Age is just a number, right?”

Both girls barrelled down the steps after you.

You just laughed, “Age is not just a number when I’m 23 and–How old is your father?”

“Only 36!” informed Sarah. “That’s just 13 years.”

“Who gives a shit?” Ellie comforted colorfully.

“Come on, Ellie. Language,” you rolled your eyes. “Why do you two want me with your father so much?” you asked without thinking.

“Because…” both girls started.

Ellie continued, “Because it’s been so long since we saw dad happy.”

“He’s happy with us. We get it. But we want to see him happy with someone, y’know?” Sarah clarified.

“I do,” you sighed, “But I’m too young for him. I’m sorry, girls.”

At that point, they had followed you all the way out to your car. You got in your car, and waited until the girls were back inside the building before driving off. 

You went out grocery shopping, and returned home two hours later. You were preparing dinner when there was a knock at your door. You almost dropped the pan you were holding.

Please, don’t let that be Joel.

Thankfully, it wasn’t. But it was still somebody almost equally as surprising.

You opened your door. “Hey, Tommy. Is everything alright?”

He nodded. “It is, thank you. I was just wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

“Of course.” You stepped aside so he could come in. “Please, sit down.”

Tommy remained standing. “No offence, but I don’t think I’ll be here that long. I’d just like to talk about Joel.”

“Oh.” You froze. “...Did he tell you?”

“The girls did, yes.”

“Then, you have to know. I would never want to do anything that would hurt him or his reputation.”

Tommy stated matter-of-factly, “I know that, Y/n.”

Again, you didn’t know what to do. “You do?”

“Of course.”

“Then why did you come here?” The question rolled off your tongue before you meant to ask it. “I’m sorry–”

“No, it’s alright,” he told you, “It’s a valid inquiry. I just…I don’t know, Y/n. I think you should go for it.”

“Tommy—!” you gasped, not believing your ears.

He backtracked. “I know. I know it sounds crazy. Hell, maybe all this is just those two little girls whispering in my ear. But Y/n. I can’t remember a time when I saw Joel more at ease than he was when you were helping them move in.” Tommy turned and started moving back toward the door, and you didn’t know what to say. Tommy turned back around to offer you one last sentiment. “I work with the guy every day, and I know my brother. I know when he’s got something he can’t get off his mind. Goodnight, Y/n.”

“Goodnight,” was all you were able to choke out before Tommy shut the door behind him.

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

*******

Tags:

@dbnightingale24 // @kyuupidwrites​ // @minjix​ // @xxmusic13luverxx​ // @junmsli​ // @mmeerraa​

[egophiliac]

(almost) four years in, and I finally had time to draw something for the anniversary! woo! 🎉🎉🎉

[just-your-average-tangerine]

The line between binary and nonbinary trans people is nowhere near as clean as some of yall think it is

[baeshijima]

thoughts on being engaged to duke!sunday, the head of the oak family, an incredibly influential figurehead within society, the close subordinate of emperor gopher wood who brought him and his sister in and raised him like his own, and the villain who faces a tragic ending in a novel you recently finished — the very same one you just so happen to find yourself transmigrated into. he is as cunning as he is blinded, a trait which brought ruin to many in the empire, and one which ultimately brought ruin to himself at the hands of the protagonists.

as luck would have it, you became a barely mentioned side character from a marquis family, whose role was to be the villain's wife stuck in a one-sided love who, too, would get caught up in the tragedy alongside him. however, now that it's you who is stuck in this position, you're determined to try any means necessary to deter him from going down that path, all in an effort to escape your predestined doomed fate!

of course, you didn't expect it to be easy. the day of your arrival in this world was already the night before your wedding, so you had little time to prepare yourself for the nonchalance of your supposed family, how they viewed you as but a means — a tool — to boost their influence and prosperity, the dismissive mannerisms of the household servants, and the absolute beauty of a man you will be married to.

(seriously. the novel descriptions did not do him justice. he was like... like... like he was handcrafted by god himself! and not to mention his sister, robin, was the very epitome of an angel! perhaps you're destined to perish by the god-tier visuals instead...)

to say the least, the wedding ceremony went by quickly. safe to say you didn't spend the night; he was cordial and gentlemanly upon letting you know that he won't do anything until you're ready, that you can take this relationship slow, but somehow you ended up feeling a tad insulted. like, who leaves their newly wedded alone in a big cold bed as they walk out on their own? a sick bastard that's who!

well, whatever. it's not like you need nor want to consummate with him! besides, you have bigger things to worry about — things such as your impending death. and, of course, the only way to stop sunday that you can imagine working is by chipping away at his resolve bit by bit, and opening his eyes to reality.

he is a tragic character, one who cares more about the well-being of penacony and its people than anyone else, but was manipulated into getting his hands dirty in the emperor's stead. you knew this. you sobbed over his story, cursed out the protagonists, and even fought internet randos on novel forums about sunday's motivation and how,

no, he is not just a stupid villain. he is a complex character with flaws and humanity and was cruelly taken advantage of by someone he considered family. he was deceived through the suffering the emperor wanted him to see to make him easily manipulated, creating a rift between him and robin to have that prominent separation. you know what? maybe you're just a !%#@ who can't even #@?"% read properly!

and yet you still find yourself at a loss when faced with the walls he has in place. your initial efforts went as well as it possibly could have; you trying to earnestly help him, while he "kindly" dismisses your offers! well, "kindly" being more condescending since you could read between the lines of his mannerisms and amiable demeanour, but that's fine! you expected this! that just means you have to double down on your sincerity, get through to his heart (somehow), and help him realise humanity isn't as weak as he's led to believe!

you have three years until the novel's plot officially starts, and another year after that until your demise. that's plenty of time to get him to warm up to you!

it was easier said than done, but after your valiant effort and abundance of time put into this relationship, which admittedly you could do with some of that lost time back, you could give yourself a pat on the back with the progress you made! while you definitely could have done without a lot of the headaches, it's safe to say sunday has significantly warmed up to you in comparison to your wedding day. he now willingly eats all his meals with you with some real conversation, takes garden strolls with you in the early evenings, invites you out for dinner at a restaurant at least four times a week, hell he's even joked and laughed with you more frequently! but most importantly, he has begun asking for your opinion before finalising any decisions he is required to make. and he actually listens and considers your side! now, that certainly is the best outcome you could hope for after all this time, and it most definitely will help in your endeavour to save you both from the protagonists!

however, you've noticed he's been more... affectionate? well, at the very least he now willingly holds your hand when in private (not just in moments when you're in the public eye and he has to make sure the family's reputation is spotless), sometimes he will hug you out of the blue ("i just need to... recharge. you have a way of calming me down. i hope you don't mind." ...how could you say no to his supreme god-tier face card? that's just a losing battle you won't even bother fighting against.), oftentimes he opts to just gaze wordlessly at you (robin had mentioned over one of your tea times how it almost appears as though there is no one but you in the world when sunday gazes at you with, in her words, "the eyes of a man so deeply in love!" ...whatever that's supposed to mean...), but a more recent development has been his sudden interest in kissing you; well, more specifically giving you a kiss to the back of your hand or on your forehead — certainly not anywhere near the lips! (besides, he's probably just gotten comfortable with you, enough where he can freely act without judgement. nothing more, nothing less.)

well, either way, development is development! soon enough, the time for the main plot to start has arrived. it of course follows what you remember, from the organised balls to the protagonists meeting to the political aspects of it all. the only difference is sunday's less active involvement in all the schemes and the emperor's ploy. rather, he seems more focused on you and the future of your marriage and even displayed a sudden interest in your practically non-existent relationship with one of the foreign diplomats, aventurine— wait...

"[name]," he calls your name out so sweetly you nearly disregarded it as someone else he was talking to. well, perhaps you would have done had he not suddenly appeared before you, a tight-lipped smile tugging the corners of his lips as he steadily approaches you.

oh. he doesn't seem very happy, if his tense figure is anything to go by. you wonder if one of the nobles grated his nerves a little too much this time?

sunday comes to a halt a step away from you. "i don't like that... gambler being so close to you. it... it brings me a rather unpleasant feeling." there's a slight, trembling pause. not a moment later does he close the gap between you, one knee on the ground as he matches your seated height on the fountain rim, your hands gently enclosed in both of his.

you idly wonder if this is what robin meant by the so-called "eyes of a man so deeply in love" she constantly gushed about, for the way in which he gazes up at you is enough to render you breathless.

"tell me, [name]," he begins once more. there is an underlying desperation woven within his tone, one which has your head spinning and heart thumping wildly as his trembling gaze holds you in place. "tell me, what am i to do with this fervent love and overwhelming adoration i hold for you?"

oh.

...oh.

perhaps your impending doom should be the least of your concerns when you now find yourself in the arms of a clingy husband...

(though, it's safe to say you did, in fact, manage to prevent him from succumbing to his tragic fate! you just gained a loving, yet slight slightly emotionally challenged husband along the way.

well, you can help him work through it; you have the rest of your lives now to figure it out, after all.)

[canisalbus]

Side note, managed to sketch this dog's silly little bike seat head from a challenging angle and then got immediately terrified of potentially goofing it up in the inking stage.

[bluerosefox]

Selina's New Kittens

Once again. A new DPxDC idea/prompt.

(Deaged! Danny, Dan, Ellie, and Jazz!)

Enjoy my random ideas.

Look.

Selina....

Selina wasn't expecting this when she decided to have some fun and do what she does best.

She just meant to sweet talk her way into Master's gala/party. Flirt and get info, maybe some blackmail. Steal away the rare cat themed artifact he had recently gotten (and also steal away his actual cat, such a lovely little diva it is too). then she was going to disappear into the night like always.

So...

Selina casted her eyes into the mirror of her car and could see the tiny children she had rescued from Master's hidden basement lab. All but one was asleep, the oldest out of them, although she seemed to be losing that fight from the way her head was falling forward, eyes closing but would jerk herself back awake when she realized she was falling asleep.

Curled up as hard and as much as they could towards the little redhead was three dark haired children, Selina mused that they'd fit right in with Bruce and his little bats/birds.

Two were near identical boys, though one seemed to be much paler than the other and if she remembered right one had red eyes and the other had blue, and the last one of the sleeping kids was a tiny toddler, a girl she heard was named 'Ellie' from the others.

Selina took note that the red head, Jazz, had finally fallen asleep a few minutes later. With a deep breath as she drove further and further away from that... that insane Fruitloop (she overheard the two boys call him that as they ran to her car) Master's place, she blindly reached for her phone and pressed a single digit on the screen, knowing it will connect to her car and call up the only person she can trust to help her with this.

"Selina." came the gravely voice after a single ring, sounds like she caught him on patrol but he seemed to be in a spot where he was okay to say her actual name over coms or she caught him before his night shift started.

"Hello Darling, I need your help with some kittens I found and to help me... Put away their terrible old owner."