#and he said 'you have to build up calluses' and i said 'bestie they HURT'

[ellies-enrichment]

I used to call my dad bestie (as a joke at first but honestly it became part of my vocabulary after a while 💀) so every time you make ellie say it to joel I think ah yes that is father-daughter behavior (not to mention it also makes me laugh)

💀💀💀 this is so real i do the same thing bestie stuck to my vocabulary and i got him saying it back when we argue (lighthearted)

it makes me happy to hear too because honestly 99% of the commentary between Joel & Ellie and Sarah is based on conversations i've had or would have with my dad. if it's not straight from the plot of the show or game it's likely something we've said to each other

a really good example is this post when Sarah's talking about him not getting her cake or protecting her from mushrooms. My dad has told me plenty of times he'd risk his life for me but if aliens invaded im on my own and he's COMPLETELY serious i know if aliens showed up he'd feed me to them to save himself and that's ok

so i'm glad the classic father-daughter experience that i know is *at the very least* slightly universal when it's this brand of bestie & unhinged 💀💀💀

[justagalwhowrites]

3, 21, and 24! 😃

Hi Bestie!

I've answered these here for 3, here for 21, and here for 24 BUT I'll add some more!

This will be another long one so please see below the cut :)

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year - The one I linked above are bigger things but here are some smaller moments that I really treasure when I think about them:

Some of the first real physical intimacy we have with Joel and Bambi in Yearling, AKA the smuttiest not smut I've ever written.

Joel tried not to think about kissing you. Tried not to think about slipping into your warm, soft body, about how close he would be to you if he were inside you. How no one would ever be able to hurt you if you were that close.  “Joel,” you said his name so softly he wondered if he imagined it.  “Hm.”  He felt you take a deep, shaky breath before you slid your hand over his arm that was draped over you, your palm brushing over him until you reached his hand where it rested on the mattress, lacing your fingers with his own. Your hand trembled as you took his and brought it, slowly, to your stomach, slipping his palm beneath your shirt and pressing it gently to your warm, soft skin. Joel’s breath caught in his throat and he was hyperaware of your every move. You held your hand there, intertwined with his, before you eased your hold on him and pulled your hand away, leaving him touching your skin with nothing to hold him back. He tried to relax without getting hard against you, without letting his hand reach further up your body to feel as much of you as he could reach. He managed to let his arm and hand loosen, his elbow in the gentle curve of your waist, his fingers spreading wide over your bare skin, so soft below his callused touch.  “Bambi,” he breathed, voice shaky.  “I…” your voice broke. “I want you to touch me. I like when you touch me. Anyone else and… But I like when you do.”  You pressed yourself back against him and Joel closed his eyes tight, like it would somehow ease the desperate, clawing want building inside him.  “I’ve got you, Sweetheart,” he whispered instead. “I’ll take care of you. I have you.” 

Also, pre-outbreak Bambi seducing Justin lol because she's a hellion and I love her.

“You got some kind of problem with me, cowboy?” You snapped, getting so close to him that the brim of your hat almost caught his chin.  “No I do not,” he replied. “Unless you count the fact that your ass looks way too damn good in those jeans to be doin’ nothin’ but ridin’ horses all day. Otherwise, I got the opposite of a problem with you.”  “Oh,” you stepped back from him, looking him up and down. He was tall, broad, handsome. He reminded you a bit of the boy you’d lost your virginity to when you were 16 and he’d been working on your parents’ ranch back in Texas. “Well, I’m done for the day, headin’ back to my room. You’re welcome to join if you want to see what else I’m good at ridin’ on.” 

Doll trying to figure out where she and Din stand.

It made sense, this arrangement. You were convenient. You got along well. You really couldn’t complain, not when he was making you orgasm several times a day. It was your fault if you had feelings. You weren’t about to ask Mando “just out of curiosity, are you cumming inside me as a friend or is there more to it than that?” 

And, from one of the few things of mine that I do actually go back and read again, from chapter 21 in Lavender, Joel finishing off McCarthy.

Joel sat back, panting for breath for a moment, looking McCarthy up and down. He was covered in blood. He was weak, slumped over like he couldn’t hold himself up.   Joel wasn’t done with him.  “You know she was pregnant when you did that?” He asked. McCarthy lifted his head just enough to look at Joel. He shook his head. “Well, she was. With my kid.”  He stood up, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.  “I wasn’t there to protect her then,” he said, flexing his fingers before curling them into fists. “But I am now. Can’t let you live with what you did, McCarthy. I have to kill you for her. But when I make it hurt? That’s for me.”  He swung, punching him in the middle of his stomach, knocking the air out of him.  “And I’m going to like it.” 

Sorry for the length on those!

21. most memorable comment/review - I feel like I've gotten so much love and support it's so hard to narrow down! But I think the ones that mean the most are the ones when people share that my work has helped them through a hard time or has inspired them to start writing, too. I've been so lucky that so many people leave comments on my fics that picking one specific one is really hard but yeah. I also love the genre of comment where people reference a specific moment in the chapter. I love seeing what resonates with people!

24. favorite fic you read this year - More recommendations! Take Care of You by @theidiotwhowritesthings and When My Time Comes Around by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin!

Thanks for asking! Love you!!

End of the Year Asks