#but i hope we see firefly's crew in game

[ruii-cha]

i'm not the only one who thought the new firefly trailer is a /whole/ lot like evangelion right-

artwork-minus-poster under the cut! and some other things. anyway yeah hope someone likes this! actually kinda proud of this but also they all look so similar how do i distinguish these four-

look guys come on it's evangelion- ooohhh i should have added fireflies- no i took like 5 hours plus to do this. nooo. artwork here:

[musubiki]

how was playing hsr? was there anything that you liked in the game and the story?

ITS BEEN AMAZING AS EXPECTED!!!!!!!!! i actually havent played genshin in a while since starting it, i have no motivation to do the filler event while a perfectly good star rail is sitting there waiting to be played :')

but for mechanics, i love they have auto battle so you dont have to nessecarily sit there and invest in every little battle you gotta do....and i love that the resin (resin??) system is a lot more forgiving with a higher cap, lower cost, and allow for overflow...thats nice...i also love that the mc and starter units are very useful. im so emotionally attatched to the star rail crew so im glad they never have to leave my team !!!!

storywise im LOVING IT SO FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i started playing it at the beginning of spring break 2 weeks ago and im almost all caught up!!! i went through belabog and penacony and now im just doing those leftover intermission main quests which im only now realizing i shouldve done before going to penacony LMAO

and of course.....danmarch....im so soft for them......and also i love sampo i cant wait to see what they do with him

[alexa-fika]

First off i love all of you one piece fics. I just recently got into the fandom again and i found you fics and they are just amazing

I wanted to request whitebeard crew x teen reader

This js kinda based of my cat, so here's the backstory, we originally had 2 cats until recently when my mom brought back a "stray", really cuddly cat and we all loved it, unfortunately later it turned out that this stray was already someone's cat so we gave it back, but while it was here one of the original cats was really jealous. Usually she hates being picked up except when it's me, but while the "stray" stayed with us she became really mean and not even I was allowed to pick her up

And I wanted to ask if you could write something similar to this, were the whitebeards maybe pick up another teen or just a new crewmate and the reader is kinda jealous/mean and scared the they might be replaced (abandonment issues) and maybe add one person they usually have a great relationship with but suddenly they completely avoid/ignore them and won't let anyone be near them.

I hope you can work with this, sorry for writing so much

Have a great day/night and know that you are amazing!! <3

First Envy (teen!Marco x winged!teen!reader)

A/N . Throwing a tantrum because I left the app to get a pic of young marco to share and tumblr deleted my progress. Anyhow something about young marco just tickles my fancy, he’s just such a goofy guy and even more lovable

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for reader in japanese for the enjoyment of both reader and oc characters both!

Dividers by @/firefly-graphics

“Come on, Dokucha! Join the party!” Vista called excitedly

“You can’t drink yet, but there are a lot of other things you can do; we have set up a lot of games since we have more kids around,” he prattled on, only to pause and wince at the glare the teen sent their way.

“Okay… I’ll leave you be then,” he muttered as he backed away from them and turned around, making a quick exit.

Dokucha sighed, watching from their place on the nest as the rest of the crew below them partied; what brought a scowl to the face, however, was the center of the celebration: their newest addition to the crew, Momonosoke.

They enviously observed as everyone fretted over him, ensuring he didn’t run anywhere dangerous or, God forbid, fall and start crying. Oh, the cries. Every time they cried, it was as if everything had to stop in order to check on him.

“If you stare any harder, Momo won’t survive-yoi!”

“Huh?” They snapped their head around at the sound only to see an empty space beside them rather than a person.

“Up Here-yoi!” Marco laughed as he called to the teen, his devil fruit activated as he used his wings to hold himself upside down in the air.

“Agh! Marco! I told you to stop doing that!” they called, scurrying back to make space between them.

“Haha! But your reactions are just the best-yoi!” he cackled, righting himself up and perching on the railings of the nest.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was lonely down there-yoi! I was missing my best mate!” he called jovially.

“Din’t seem that way, you seem to be just fine with the new people,” they sneered, taking hold of a rope and swinging themselves to an adjacent crow’s nest, their wings flapping on instinct behind them.

“You mean Momo? Well, it is refreshing to have new faces, not to mention that they are quite adorable!” he gushed, a small blush on his face as he did.

“Then, by all means, please go and spend your precious time with them.” They scoff, turning away from them, earning Marco a frown as he glided his way down, straight onto Whitebeard’s shoulder.

“Hey Pops! Something’s going on with Dokucha.”

“Hah, What do you mean?” he grumbled, looking up at his youngest

“Well, they are kind of snappy-yoi”

“They are always snappy, Marco,” he called with a roll of his eyes.

“Huh? No, they’re not. I mean, they aren’t a ray of sunshine, but they aren’t snappy, either. But now they seem to have been avoiding me. They seem to have been like this since Momo arrived,” he mused as a thought hit him.

“Are they jealous of the baby-yoi?!”

“Marco, you idiot!” he growled, bringing his fist down on the armrest of his chair, scaring Marco enough to make him jump off the older man’s shoulders.

“P-Pops?” he called as he took to hovering in front of the man.

“They’re scared!” he snapped.

“Of a baby?!��� he cried.

“Listen Here, Marco, the kid has been here for a month. Do you remember where we rescued them from? How they were?! They were close to dying with their wings completely mangled! They are still trying to get used to the fact that not everyone out there is an abusive bastard that will sell them for some spare change!” Whitebeard barked

“T-They think we’re going to leave them?! But we aren’t! Can’t you talk to them, Pops?”

“That’s no good; they won’t listen to me,” he muttered as he tilted his tokkuri all the way, u,p, taking in every drop of the sake inside.

“What is that supposed to mean-yoi? Who would they listen if not you, Pops?” he asked as he flew closer to the man, his worry increasing as time went on.

“You! You Moron!” He boomed

“Me?!”

“Marco, I took them in, but they only trust you at this moment; they relate the most to you physically,” he started, gesturing to his avian features

“And you are the closest in age to them, too,” he finished. It was a small detail, seeing as the next youngest, Vista, was only 2 years older than Marco, standing at seventeen, but it seems that to the thirteen-year-old, this was a significant gap that his older sons were still unable to cross. However, he thought this to not be the defining factor, unlike the features that they both seem to share, Especially now when the teen found themselves in a stage where they had to re-learn everything that had to do with their wings as the appendages slowly grew back, as such they did the most reasonable thing and looked for the person who could guide them, Marco.

“I thought I told you to leave,” they snarled, hearing the flapping of wings behind them and the breeze of wind that came from them.

“You did-yoi.”

“You talked to the old man? He put you up to this?”

“Not really-yoi, he did made me realized you might be feeling lonely though!” he called flying In front of them, giving them no other option but to pay attention to the teen.

“You know we’re just excited for Momo to be here, right? We’re happy you’re here too,” he asked, getting excited as they hummed in response, knowing that they had caught their attention.

“You’re one of us, too,” he grinned, putting himself upside down once again.

“Besides! can’t imagine being without a flying buddy! t was starting to get on my nerves to be the only one able to do air scouting-yoi!” letting out a snicker as he noticed their bashful response at his honest words.

“I can’t really do much of that right now, though,” they muttered, glancing at their tiny stubby wings.

“You will, but you still won’t be able to beat me, so don’t get your hopes up,” he teased.

“As if! give it a few months, you will be eating those words!”

“You’re on-yoi.”

“Ha! I don’t need them to beat you now!” They smirked, taking hold of the ropes once again as they swung away, grabbing a hold of another rope as soon as their current one ran out, effectively gliding around the ship with little to no effort.

“You better not regret taking me on-yoi.” He called as he righted himself and propelled himself forward right after Dokucha.

“Ha! You show that prick, Dokucha! Someone has to put him in his place!” Fossa grinned as his crewmates joined in, cheers and whistles sounded across the Deck as the two avians traversed the ship, their own glee evident.

Look at this goofy guy

Was trying to find the one of him upside down but this will do. Also this fic just made me realized that Marco isin’t the oldest one in the crew :p I had thought he was older than the other commanders but theres like five older than him.

Taglist:

@Imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

@hannahbarberra162

@epochal-oracle

[polarolds]

hiii i js wanna know if you have any ellabs fic recommendations?

hi anon! hoo boy i definitely have a few! here are some favourites that come to mind:

Unbroken by thedreadslayer

nobody is surprised, yall know i'm a slut for this fic as i've drawn fanart for it multiple times (and still have doodles and full ass comic pages that i haven't shared to tumblr).

This is THE ellabs fic in my mind. The character moments, the dialogue, the settings, the atmosphere... the slowburn is SO well-written. it is basically tlou 3 for me because reading it really captures the feeling of playing the actual games 😭😭 still ongoing but so many chapters to enjoy. There are SO many great key moments (don't want to spoil, but i'm looking at you chapters 10, 17, 21 and 26), but even the small, quiet interactions stand out to me. have admittedly re-read it more than once,,, maybe more than twice,,,

two hands digging in each other's wounds by michirukaioh

i believe this was the first ellabs fic i've read!! and it is a classic. Love this one for the progression of the ellabs relationship, but also for dear sweet lev and his interactions with ellie. Love the big reveals towards the end of the story with a new character that is introduced - keeping it vague because of spoilers. And the beach scene near the end is chef's kiss iykyk.

i've admittedly not been keeping up well with the sequel because i've been super busy and wanted to marathon the whole thing at some point, but would recommend checking it out too! both parts are complete :)

The Way Sorrow Tastes by painted__black

really interesting premise where abby and lev show up in Jackson at the start of the story and we see how all the survivors of tlou2 deal with the fallout. the continuation of the use of abby's dreams as a manifestation of her trauma/guilt was also interesting to me. starts pretty dark and gets even darker as we move further in the story, but still very good all the same. sadly idk if the story will be continued :( one can hope

oh, and I drew something for this one too! hehe

tail lights by junewax

another goodie and i loved how Cat (a character only mentioned in tlou2) comes into play in this story. i really like the feel and atmosphere of this story idk how else to describe it - it just captures a certain vibe that i really dug yknow? completed fic.

Both Sides Now by Fuckingvideogames

AU where ellie leaves Jackson after finding out the truth about the FireFlies from Joel and stumbles into Seattle. i LOVE this concept so much and this was such an interesting read. we get some nice early ellabs moments, and also get to see ellie interact with the Salt Lake Crew. sadly another fic which i don't think will be finished, but very much still worth checking out!!

and since this post is getting kind of long, here are links to some other fics i really enjoyed!

iron to the core by houndstoothed

bone chill by houndstoothed

Afterlife by maharetr

Assumptions by inspoburst

hope you find something you like fellow ellabs-enjoying anon! :'D and thanks for the ask <3

[oh-my-may]

LET'S TALK HSR PENACONY 2.1 (or rather, have my impressions and thoughts on the main quest and some other stuff)

First of all, I went out of it with so many thoughts and emotions. This is not gonna be spoiler free (duh).

ACHERON IS SO FUN TO PLAY. Like, really really fun. Finally Simulated Universe is not an annoying pain anymore, and much quicker too. Thanks to a good friend of mine her relics aren't too bad either. She's already so fun to play with Black Swan, can't wait for a Kafka rerun now 💀

Aa for the story now: I FUCKING KNEW MIKHAIL WAS THE WATCHMAKER. I KNEW IT. Now to wait for them to confirm that Misha is connected to him, either as a ghost of his past self or a child or some sort. It's the only way.

It's also really refreshing to see that HSR is giving 4star characters significant roles in the story. First it was Tingyun, now it's Gallagher (and maybe Misha? I'll die on this hill).

Loved the pacing. Story was quite long and lots of gameplay but didn't feel overwhelming at all, probably because we didn't just stick to the MC the whole time. The characters split up and we didn't just follow the express crew but also Aventurine, I really loved that. It felt so dynamic and immersive.

WELT AND ACHERON INTERACTION. BRO. The way I gasped the whole time. We still don't have a canon confirmation of how Raiden Mei and Acheron or just generally HI3rd and HSR are connected but it's sp clear that Acheron is by far the closest connection yet. So sp excited to find out more about this. Raiden Mei, I'll love you in every universe.

Aventurine and Ratio are also very interesting to me. What does Ratio gain by involving himself in all of this? What does he get out of it? Anyway, their little journey through the mansion was nice. GIGANTIC RATIO. The kinda stuff my dreams are made of tbh.

Generally the whole Aventurine story got me right from the beginning. He's generally one of the most interesting characters to me (although this game has plenty of them). I gotta admit of course I was suspicious of him (as one should be of all Penacony characters) but I liked him nevertheless. This patch supported my feelings, my GOD HE xkdjjdjdjd. The way I cried. Since I played the story so late ofc I saw some spoilers/screenshots of his backstory but I never expected it to hit me this hard. Just wow. His ending, too. It's so bitter. Kinda hope we get to see him again, since he'a mot really dead, right? Just in some limbo.

His boss fight was really something. Not a lot of different patterns, but I still had to try a bunch of different teams, since you're kinda fucked even with just a single single target character in your party. Had to unbench Clara, and I gotta say, she came through for me. I might not have used the most meta team, but it worked soooo...

And just as I was glad I had managed the fight they hit you with that big cut scene, woah. AND THEN WITH THE FIREFLY SCENE? AND SUNDAY????

First of all, apparently it was common knowledge among the community since last patch that Sam was Firefly. Yeah, I gwt it bc of the leaks and stuff. But I'm just so confused as to HOW. Like HOW and WHY and just generally HUH. I can't wait for them to explain this connection (if you're reading this and you wanna spoil me with non-confirmed stuff then leave it, please, I might as well wait another 3 weeks).

And then Gallagher and Sunday... Just as I was admiring Sunday's beauty because he might legit just be one of the most gorgeous male character designs... THEY KILL HIM. When I tell ypu I was SHOOK. Mouth agape and all. Didn't know what to do. What a cliffhanger.

Now I don't have a real theory as to what I think will happen. If I remember correctly they said the main story will stretch until 2.3, right? I really wonder what else will happen, the story already seemed so huge this patch and I really wonder how it'll conclude. There's still so many questions and stories. Might add on to this post later when I have more thoughts.

Also Aventurine's banner just dropped but as of writing this I haven't pulled yet. Might add a little post later about it.

For now, have some screenshots I took during the story:

ALSO I GOT AVENTURINE. SECOND 50/50 WIN IN A ROW IN THIS GAME HAVE I FINALLY BROKEN THE CURSE. Now for the long and treacherous road of farming his trace mats and relics ... Since I never really prefarm 🥲

A pic I took in my excitement. Forgot the screenshot button exists.

[2baddiesfanfics]

Minute to Midnight

Pairing: Stelle x March 7th

Tags: New Year's Eve, New Years, New Year's Kiss, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering, First Time, Friends to Lovers

Summary:

The members of the Astral Express all have their own plans to celebrate the dawn of a new year, but March wants to make this a night to remember for the newest Nameless. Stelle suggests a special night for just the two of them that leads to a new beginning of its own.

Read on Ao3

“Now that we’ve put so much work into your new room, this’ll be the perfect opportunity to really break it in!” March explained excitedly. She’d always wanted to throw a New Year’s party on the Express, and now she finally had an excuse to make a big deal out of it. 

Stelle looked around the massive space she now called her own. The various knickknacks displayed about the cabin really put into perspective all the Nameless had accomplished and all the new people they’d met along the way.

“Uh, that’d be great, March, but I’m pretty sure everyone already has plans. Dan Heng told me he got an invite from Jing Yuan to attend the big celebration on the Xianzhou Luofu and was going to bring Mr. Yang with him. Himeko was being sketchy with details, but I think she has a date with you-know-who since she’s in between missions. And you and I both know Pom-Pom can’t stay up past 10:30 on a good night.”

The pink-haired girl’s smile deflated. Since this was Stelle’s first full year as a member of the Astral Express crew, she had been hoping everyone would stay to celebrate with her. “Well, shoot. There goes that idea,” she muttered.

Seeing how upset her answer had made her, Stelle drew closer to her. “Hey, now. Who’s to say we can’t have fun all by ourselves? I’ve got the fridge fully stocked with SoulGlad, Mr. Yang lent me some of his animations, and I can contact Silver Wolf and Firefly to see if they wanna game with us for a couple of hours. We’ll have our own kick-ass New Year’s party. And that way we can just crash together at the end of the night. The bed’s big enough for the both of us.”

March blushed at the thought of sharing a bed with her. They may have only known each other for a year now, but over that period of time, they’d experienced so much together. It wasn’t until just recently that she started to notice things about her that made her think they were closer than just comrades. Of course, Stelle never took anything seriously, so it was hard to tell if she might feel the same way.

“You know what? That sounds amazing. Let’s do it!”

————————

After seeing everyone off to their respective get-togethers, the two women retreated to Stelle’s room. They spent the evening in their most comfortable pajamas sharing snacks, reminiscing about all the adventures they had been on and the ones to come, and even invited Pom-Pom to play Super Clockie Party with Silver Wolf and Firefly. 

“Hey guys, we have to log out. There’s a weird sound coming from Kafka’s room and Blade told us if anything went wrong while he was out, we were in charge,” Silver Wolf announced over the video chat.

“It was nice seeing both of you again! Let’s catch up soon, ok? I think I might be able to score us all tickets to Robin’s next show. Bye now!” Firefly said before cutting the feed.

Pom-Pom let out a loud yawn. “Okay, you two. I’m headed to sleep. Don’t stay up too late. We’ve still got the duty schedule to think of.”

After reassuring them they’d get a reasonable amount of rest, the two found themselves alone at last. Stelle glanced at the clock and noticed it was just about midnight. There was a part of her that was secretly happy everyone already had their own plans tonight. She’d been thinking long and hard about how she wanted this evening to end. Or begin. She didn’t quite know what she’d classify it as.

Since she’d joined the Nameless, March had always been the one who stayed by her side. The first few nights she’d been on the train she had found it nearly impossible to fall asleep. The pink-haired girl had noticed she was uncomfortable and stayed up to talk with her until she’d gotten drowsy enough to call it a night. From Belobog to the Luofu to Penacony, March had been her constant companion. Lately she found herself not wanting to go back to her own room at the end of the day, but to lay down and find solace in the other woman’s arms after a hard day’s work.

“Stelle? Everything ok? We’re going to miss the meteor shower if you keep zoning out like that,” March said as she waved a hand in front of her face.

“No, no. Totally fine. Uh, here. Why don’t we move to the bed? We can see the whole thing from the window and at least be comfortable while we watch,” she suggested. Gathering on the spacious mattress, they checked their phone screens to see they had less than a minute until midnight. 

The stars shown so brightly it was like all the lights in the room had been put on full blast. March stole a glance at Stelle and noticed how much more relaxed she looked than when she first boarded the Express.

“Something on your mind? We’re about to start a new year, so it’s best to start it fresh. What’s up?” Stelle inquired.

March’s heart pounded so fast she was worried it might explode like a Stellaron. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how at peace you look tonight. You gotta admit, things haven’t exactly been a walk in the park since you joined the team. Seems like it’s been one thing after another without a moment for us to just…breathe.”

“Well, haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination?’” The other girl replied with a big grin. “I’m grateful for the craziness. The unpredictability. After all…it led me to you.”

At that moment, the glow of hundreds of meteors streaking across the night sky announced the dawn of a new year. Before March could respond to her declaration, Stelle closed the distance between them.

The taste of the SoulGlad they had drank earlier in the evening still lingered on their lips, and March was pleasantly surprised at how sweet she tasted. When the initial shock of the action wore off, she leaned further into her, wrapping her arms around the other girl’s neck. She could feel Stelle’s hand supporting the back of her head, her fingers entwined through the countless strands of hair at the base.

Resting for a moment, March contemplated her next words. “Stelle…I know it’s late, but…I don’t think I’m ready for the night to end yet.”

“I don’t think the others plan on coming back to the Express tonight. Do you…want to…?”

A soft blush appeared on her cheeks. “Only if you do. I couldn’t tell if you felt the same way and I didn’t want to make things awkward now that you finally feel like you’re a part of the crew.”

Stelle flashed the same charming smile she had when she first came aboard the Astral Express. “Now that I have my own room, it makes it a lot easier for us to not have to pretend. March, the only reason I didn’t say something sooner was because I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for you. With your missing memories and all, I didn’t think you needed one more thing to worry about. I just felt like this was the right moment.”

“I’m glad you made the first move. Now, allow me to make the next one,” March said as she grabbed the other woman and continued the kiss they had broken earlier. Her enthusiasm calmed Stelle, and she decided it would be best to let her lead for now. Both of them were inexperienced and it was obvious; as young twenty-somethings adventuring through the galaxy, there was little time for romance.

They followed instinct. March eased her down into the plush mattress, noticing the pillow she had given her was the one with the most wrinkles - had she fallen asleep the past few nights snuggled into it dreaming of her? She smirked at the thought. Stelle could be hard to read, but seeing a softer side to her made the other girl feel calmer.

Stop thinking, March - just have fun.

As she kissed down Stelle’s neck to her exposed shoulder, she realized she’d soon run out of skin. Tugging at her shirt, the other girl understood and helped her remove it. March knew she was athletic, but swinging that bat around had really shaped her arms nicely. She marveled at the muscular body beneath her and heard Stelle giggle.

“You gonna spend the new year looking instead of touching?” She taunted.

“Oh, shut up, Ms. Galactic Baseballer. I was just admiring the view. Gotta get these off, too,” she chastised as she helped her shift out of her lounge pants. 

“Well, now it’s only fair if I get to see the rest of you,” Stelle retorted as she deftly rolled them both over. March let out a squeak of surprise that turned into a chorus of laughter between the two of them. The trailblazer quickly whipped off the other woman’s pajamas, putting them on equal footing.

“Wow…” she breathed. “You look…damn…”

“You’re being weird. Just say I’m beautiful,” March whined in frustration. 

“Sorry. Never been good with words. I’ll let my actions speak for themselves.” Stelle controlled her strength, palming the other girl’s breasts with just enough pressure to make her squirm. 

“Ahh…Stelle…” March bucked her hips into hers, trapped underneath her. The silver-haired woman’s hand wandered between them as she kissed her chest. She may not have known much, but it was obvious what she was doing was having its desired effect. Her fingers met with a warm, wet liquid, and she instinctively spread it around the area. The feeling of her digits, hardened with callouses from training, provided a contrast that made March’s head spin.

“I’ve got you, love,” Stelle whispered reassuringly. “Feels good?”

“Y-yes…don’t stop, Stelle…please…” she begged. The other woman wouldn’t dream of it. She coaxed the moans out of her, her fingers sliding in, out, and around every part of her, providing just enough friction to make her come. March held onto her tightly as she shook around her hand.

“Sorry if that was a bit much. It’s new to me, too,” she sheepishly apologized. 

March looked up at her endearingly. “Stelle, you’re always too much. That’s why I love you. There’s no one else like you. And there’s no one else I’d rather do this with,” she stated as she once again moved the other girl to relax on the bed. She started kissing just below her breasts and felt her exhale sharply.

Tracing the toned muscles of her stomach with the tip of her tongue, March reveled in the shiver she felt the other girl elicit. It was nice to feel like the one with the upper hand for once. Kissing from one of her hips to the other, Stelle groaned and slipped her fingers through the other woman’s pink hair, pushing her ever-so-slightly closer to where she wanted her.

Nestled comfortably between her thighs, March gave her slit a single, careful lick. Stelle gripped her head at the sensation. Her tongue moved in steady strokes, tasting the unique flavor of her musk as she traced patterns against her clit. 

“M-march…Aeons…k-keep doing that…”

The other woman smiled smugly to herself. Knew I’d be a natural, she thought. She slid a finger inside of her as she continued to work her mouth and felt Stelle clamp down on her. The intensity of multiple sensations caused her body to thrum with arousal, and all March needed was a final few strokes to push her spiraling over the edge.

Stelle orgasmed with a shout and it took a great deal of self-control to not close her legs around the other girl’s head. Utterly exhausted from the swirl of different emotions they had experienced that night, they finally curled up under the comforter of the much-too-large-for-one-person bed together.

“Uh, that was a ride,” Stelle joked. “What a way to start a new year.”

March nuzzled into her side and yawned. “Like you said earlier, whatever the destination, I’m just glad my partner on this journey is you.”

[igbylicious]

*BANGING AGAINST THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE* SCI-FI 99 LINE SCI-FI 99 LINE SCI-FI 99 LINE SCI-FI 99 LINE

YESSSSSS 99 LINE SCIFI ASDKJDSJSDJKSDKJSJKD <3<3<3

okay so this came to me when i felt nostalgic abt firefly lol, so there's a few obvious inspiration points from there. the basic rundown is this;

the 99ers are down-on-their-luck space smugglers who dabble in some minor piracy to make ends meet

the only thing their ratty old, cramped ship has got going for it, is its stealth; so they sneakily poach goods off of big transport ships. when all goes well, they're long gone before the stolen goods (and optional knocked out security) are discovered <3

they're a ragtag bunch, but they're good at what they do

one day, based on a tip from the notorious information broker Kim Hongjoong, the 99ers steal a very specific crate from a very specific corporate science vessel 👀

they don't know what's in it, but they do know Hongjoong will pay good money for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

so, um, so they're a little surprised when their stolen goods wake up and try to steal their ship 😬

...that's you. you're the stolen goods.

you're also a highly illegal science experiment, who escaped the clutches of famed nanobiotech developer / your ex-lover -> Park Seonghwa 😬

the 99ers quickly realise they're caught up in something way bigger than they're equipped to deal with; Seonghwa will want you back, but you and them also realise there's smth super shady going on with Hongjoong's interest with you

the fic is extremely slow burn

it's a shaky alliance between you and the 99ers

and at the start they only protect you in the hopes it'll get them out of this mess alive. they'd use you as leverage against either hongjoong or seonghwa in a heartbeat if they thought it'd help them

but as you survive dangers together, are forced to work as a team, (and live in extremely close quarters w/ off the charts sexual tension), things slowly start to shift

so when they finally have the perfect opportunity to throw you under the bus and make it out with their skin intact... they can't

and they risk everything to save you 🥺

(PS: Jongho is a hired gun who works for Seonghwa and makes the crew's life real damn difficult ♡ beloved monster of capitalism ♡ ♡ ♡ )

i don't have a snippet that i'm happy enough w/ to share, but i thought maybe i could share this outline of an early conversation between reader and the 99ers (minus mingi, who is busy fixing the damage reader did to their ship oop). it should give a pretty good idea of what the dynamics are like on this ragtag crew lol

(pls ignore the weird capitalization / grammar rip, my writing process works for me but that doesn't mean it's not a hecken mess ^^;;)

WIP TAG GAME

You: WHO IS IN CHARGE? WHO IS THE CAPTAIN AROUND HERE?

Yunho answers NO ONE simultaneously to Yeosang saying I AM.

It’s not arrogance or ego; Yeosang is genuinely confused. Isn’t he the captain? Didn’t they vote on it?

Yunho: YES AND EVERYONE VOTED FOR THEMSELVES.

I DIDN’T, San pipes up. I VOTED YEOSANG.

Yeosang, puffing up his chest: SEE?

Yunho: YEOSANG, WHO DID YOU VOTE FOR?

Thinks for a moment, then deflates. …AH. I VOTED SAN.

San beams at that, AW, and puts a hand on the back of Yeosang’s neck, gently squeezing. THANK YOU.

Yunho, staying calm but at his limit. OKAY, FINE, SO NOT EVERYONE VOTED FOR THEMSELVES, BUT WE STILL GOT NOTHING OUT OF IT. WE DON’T HAVE A CAPTAIN.

Yeosang still stares in silent disbelief, as though his entire world-view just got shaken to the core. Again; it’s not ego, it’s pure confusion.

Wooyoung flicks an annoyed finger at San’s forehead. WHY DIDN’T YOU VOTE FOR ME?

Immediate belligerence. BECAUSE YOU’RE BOSSY ENOUGH WITHOUT BEING IN CHARGE.

Yunho groans in despair — and though they might not have a formally elected captain, you’re pretty sure you have identified the guy who is, in all the ways that matter, their leader. (Or at least trying to be.)

[sun-marie]

xoti for character breakdown <3

How I feel about this character: I like Xoti a lot!! With all that goes down with the Gods in PoE1, I think it was very bold of them to feature a very faithful cleric in the second game and explore how she keeps her faith to Eothas/Gaun despite.... All That. I also like how she contrasts Edér and shows a darker side to the Eothasian faith, and the game never feels like it's out to "prove her wrong" for her belief, just to push her to explore it. Her design is also very good, it bridges the gap between monk and cleric very nicely!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: She's real cute with Maia imo, even if it sometimes veers a little into "manic pixie dream girl" for me (sometimes). Their relationship feels like they're finding a calm in all the storm and I really really enjoy that. And Firefly is an adorable nickname <3

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Honestly, with the exception of the obvious no-go's like Maia+Tekēhu and Xoti+Pallegina, I feel like the entire Deadfire crew could fit this spot for each other. For Xoti specifically, I think Edér is an obvious choice, I like how her infatuation evolves into genuine respect once they learn more about each other. In addition, I also love her friendships with Serafen and Aloth, I love the moment when Serafen looks into her mind and is like "uhhhhh HEY, watcher?", and the mentor-esque role Aloth fits into feels so cozy. She and Tekēhu also give me huge sibling energy, for better and for worse lol.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Again, no idea how popular/unpopular this is in the PoE fandom, but I personally really hate her accent. Like deeply. Like it's an issue I have with all of Deadfire actually, because in that game they decided to give nearly every Readceran a rural/southern American accent (including Adaryc who definitely did not have one before) and for me it dips into stereotype territory that I could really do without. Like, "oh the group of people with a strong belief in their "dead" god, who's all about forgiveness and redemption, and who are generally seen as uninformed suckers except when they're seen as sleazy religious cult-leading con-artists? yeah let's give them American Southern accents" like fuck offfff fr. At best it feels just kinda lazy when nothing else about Readceras really reads as "southern" (Xoti's name for example more brings to mind Chinese than Texan), and at worst I find it kind of offensive! It doesn't help that almost none of their accents sound very natural or well-researched, just kinda generic hollywood "cowboy accents" and that I've already heard plenty of that from CR's Imogen and FCG

It specifically bugs me with Xoti bc she can be both naive and super flirtatious, which imo is fine on it's own but those two traits + the accent rub me the wrong way soooo bad.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I hope we see her again, either in Avowed somewhere or in a future Pillars game <3

GIVE ME A CHARACTER: and I’ll break their ass down:

[urfavbooblover]

If your requests are open I would like Abby x female reader were the reader Is a firefly and she and a few others are in the city and Abby and the salt lake crew sees them and they talk and Join the fireflies

Hi, thank you for your request! It took me a while to finish this imagine, cause I got quite a lot requests rn, but I hope you like it!! Btw, I changed the “Salt lake crew” to Lev, because they searched for the Fireflies, at the end of the game, and I thought it fitted a bit more, so I hope that’s okay :))

Fireflies || Abby Anderson x female/non-male reader

Warnings: fluff, cursing

(remind me if I missed any)

- The last of us/pt2: masterlist link -

Y/N’s pov:

The warm summer breeze hit my face, as I walked through Santa Barbara. I’m with a few others from the crew, just patrolling.

I was a bit ahead of the others, not wanting to talk to anyone right now. I’m just trying to enjoy this weather a bit more, before autumn eventually starts.

My eyes were exploring the nature, as I suddenly heard a screech. I stopped in my tracks, and looked behind me. The others have seemed to noticed it too.

My hand lowered to my weapon belt, ready to grab my gun. We slowly moved forward, before the screaming zombie came in our vision.

We were about to get closer to the creature, but there was suddenly a gunshot, followed by the dead body dropping to the ground.

The rest of my people caught up with me, as we all watched a woman and a small boy, not so far away.

“Do you think it’s them?���

“Huh? What do you mean ‘them’”

“I got told, that there was someone getting in contact with us, over a radio. Their name is ‘Abby’, who’s searching for fireflies. They also said, it would be two of them to join us.”, I answered the question of my crew mate.

“Well, that would explain why they’re here.”

I turned around, seeing them already starting to trail off again. “Come on! We should talk to them!” I ran after them.

“Hey!”, I shouted, before slowing down, waiting for them to face me.

That’s when I finally got a closer look of these two… and holy shit, was she fine. I tried not to show my shock, playing it off.

“I’m not a treat! I just need to ask you guys something.”

The muscular woman gave me first an unsure expression, till her eyes dropped down to my necklace.

A frown formed on my face, when I realized I’m wearing my firefly charm. Fuck… what if they recognize the symbol? I mean, not everyone liked the fireflies back then.

“You know what? I think you’re the one we’re searching for.”, she muttered.

“What do you mean? Wait… are you-“

“Abby. Yes.”, she chuckled, her face now lighting up with happiness.

“Oh man… so you guys were the ones from the radio, right?”

“Yeah! That was me.”

We couldn’t believe, we found each other this way. My teammates seemed to be confused though. They’re just standing further away, watching with confusion written all over them.

“Usually here’s almost no human being out there. We were pretty surprised, when we saw you two wandering around.”, “I must admit, we got really lost, but now that we’ve found you, we should definitely return, right?.”

“Yeah, forget our patrol, new people joining our small group, is much more important anyways!”

On our walk back to the fireflies place, we kept on building a conversation with each other. The boy wasn’t very talkative, but I at least got to know his name. He’s called “Lev”.

Our base also wasn’t that far away, and we eventually arrived. I helped Abby and Lev get to the sign in, and the boss was very exited, about them being here.

I waited in front of my bosses office, when suddenly the door opened. Abby and Lev walked out, making my attention go back to them.

“How did it go?”

“It was going really well! He gave us keys to our rooms, explained everything, and tomorrow we’ll get some gear ya know.”, “But… she also suggested, that I should ask someone to show me around.”, she continued.

Her face already told me who she was thinking about.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there whenever you need help, newbie.”

____________________________________________

It’s been like a month now, since Abby arrived with her little company, and we already began a great friendship. We often hang out, whenever we could, and met up at night when we couldn’t sleep.

I can’t even see her as a friend anymore, I actually felt a little more than that. Anytime she’s around, I feel this little tingling in my stomach, and I know I like her.

But is it even worth it, falling in love in this world?

Maybe live doesn’t have to be so bad, I don’t need to make it worse than it already is. I should enjoy the moments I have, and spend them with someone who I truly love.

But I only want it, if it’s with her.

I didn’t realize me zooming out, until a certain person brought me back to reality. “What are you thinking about?”

I quickly looked to my left, seeing Abby standing right next to me. “Oh, just about random stuff.”, I shrugged my shoulders, giving her a kind smile.

Please let go of this theme-

“Well you seemed pretty ‘into it’, huh?”, she teased, with a laugh escaping her lips. Shit.

“Uhm… really it’s nothing.”, I chuckled awkwardly. “Sure…”, she nodded her head. I know she’s not believing me, but as if I’m going to tell her about my actual daydreams.

Especially if they’re about herself.

“By the way, I was thinking you and me, tonight. We could meet in my room this time. I found some stuff on patrol today, and you need to see this.”

“I’ll be there.”, I smiled, as she gave me two thumbs up, disappearing again.

I let out a sigh, after finally getting this conversation over. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely enjoy talking to her. I could do this for hours, but right now was just fucking awkward.

I watched the clock the whole evening, waiting for it to hit 12 am. That’s the time we always meet up.

And let me tell you how damn slow time went by today. I just can’t wait to see her again.

I made my way over to her little apartment, and knocked on the door as quiet as possible. No one knows about us visiting each other this late, and it should stay this way too.

“Hey there.”

“Hey.”

She moved to the side, letting me in.

“Okay… so what was what you wanted to show me?”, I asked with true curiosity. She hid something behind her back, as I furrowed my eyebrows.

And that’s when she showed me a bottle of… alcohol.

“Oh come on! Alcohol?! That’s what got you so excited?”, “It’s my favorited! Plus it’s pretty hard to find!”, she defended herself, as I could only shake my head and laugh.

“So… you want a glas?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“Your loss.”, she shrugged, making me roll my eyes playfully.

I watched her take a sip, as her expression changed to a very pleased one. I never understood how someone could be so happy about this shit.

“Your face tells me you’re enjoying the company of alcohol more than mine.”, I remarked, hoping she would also just take it as a joke.

“Your company is the only I truly could not get tired of… okay, and maybe Lev’s.”, she grinned. That’s a nice compliment actually.

We laid on our backs, looking at the ceiling. Gladly, she only drank two glasses, I don’t wanna hang out with a drunk woman. Never could handle drunk people…

“Abby…”

“Hmm?”

“Did you ever like somebody? And how was it feeling in this fucked up world?”, “Pff…you’re funny, Y/N. But to answer your question, yes.”

“Oh, really? When?”

“Right now.”

My stomach dropped, as silence took over the whole room. No one said a word anymore. I don’t know how to feel about this…

I don’t even know who it is, it could literally be everyone.

“You’re not going to tell me, right?”

“Believe me, I want to.”

“Then, what’s stopping you?”

Her head turned to me, while she wore a serious expression. “Well… would you find it easy, confessing your feelings to the person you like?”

“But- you just did?”

“Huh? Oh- shit…”

I couldn’t hold in my laugh, after I saw how dumbfounded she looks right now.

But it didn’t last for so long, when I suddenly was pinned down on her bed. She held deep eye contact with me, before I placed my hands on her cheeks.

“Don’t be embarrassing Abby… I like you too.”, I whispered, and pulled her head more down.

Our lips almost touched, as I felt a smile forming. I was proud of myself, getting a woman like her all flustered.

“You should see your face.”, I chuckled.

“You should see yours, after this one.”, she mumbled, when she all of a sudden closed the gap between our lips. Well… she wasn’t wrong.

I melted into the kiss, her lips moving passionately on my own. If we wouldn’t be running out of breath so fast, we wouldn’t have pulled apart so soon.

She pressed her forehead against mine, glaring at me with loving eyes.

“I wanted to do this for so long…”, she said, in a slight raspy voice.

“Yeah, me too…”

[zippy-reacts]

Sonic the Comic Liveblog: Issue 23

An Easter issue huh? Doesn’t feel that long ago we were covering the Christmas issue

So Amy, who was rescued in the last issue has gone missing again? I’ve heard good things about StC Amy, but I hope she doesn’t have a long string of stories of being the damsel in distress before reaching that point.

Wait… is that the official name for the firefly badniks?! …when I hear the word flasher something different comes to mind

New character! His crew all seem to be animals, but I can’t really tell what species Plunder himself is supposed to be.

Not counting the sentient extra life capsule, I think this might be the first non-Robotnik affiliated antagonist in the Sonic comic?

Everyone has a little oops moment like that every once in a while

I imagine that was a little awkward when he first appeared as a ghost. They appear to be buddies now though

Pretty clever of you Amy. Hopefully this points to her continuing to have a more active role in future stories.

The news section has a little snippet on Virtua Fighter. It’s so funny to read old articles that call these early 3D graphics realistic, when nowadays on some games you can practically see every skin pore of the characters

[carnationcreation]

Could you write a Firefly imagine where reader is a little extra reckless on jobs and around the ship just so she can go to the resident doctor with her minor injuries and see him more often?

TITLE: Accidents (Simon Tam x reader) 

✌🏻Masterlist Taglist, Requests, and Works in progress!

Please check bio to see if requests are open before sending any in! 

Request: Could you write a Firefly imagine where reader is a little extra reckless on jobs and around the ship just so she can go to the resident doctor with her minor injuries and see him more often?

Prompt/summary:  Reader isn’t too careful around the ship resulting in many visits to Doctor Tam

Word Count: 664

Authors note: Sorry it’s super short but I just started writing for Firefly and haven’t found my style for it yet. Regardless I hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How did you even manage to do this?” Simon sighed. 

His patient on the table let out a light giggle as he pressed a cotton round onto her shoulder. The gash looked nasty, running from her collar bone down to the top of her bicep.

“I told you, I was helping Kaylee with the engine.”

Simon rolled his eyes, “Let’s just hope you won’t need stitches.”

(Y/n) lifted her arm up so the doctor could wrap a bandage around the wound. 

“Thanks doc!” (Y/n) said hopping off the table.

“You’re welcome,” he said, he yelled as she ran out the door, “Don’t go near the engines again!’

 She tried this time. Really really tried to keep herself out of trouble. And this time it technically wasn’t her fault. The crew was playing calvinball in the cargo bay to pass the time in between planets. 

Everyone knew I always played to win during these games, and as I turned to make the shot I got an elbow right to the nose.

“GAH!” I yelled, pulling my hands up to my face and covering my nose. The others kept playing. I pulled my hands away from my nose to see bright red blood on my finger tips.

“Uh, guys?” Kaylee said, bending down next to me.

The others didn’t hear her and continued trying to score.

“GUYS!” Kaylee yelled. Finally getting their attention.

“Are you okay?” Inara said, rushing over to me.

“Yeah,” I said, wiping blood off my face with my sleeve.

Simon gently moved Kaylee to the side and helped me stand up, “Let’s get you to the med bay.”

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it against my nose.

The walk to the med bay was quiet except for the light hum coming from the engine room. Everyone had dispersed to other areas of the ship after my blow to the nose, leaving the ship quiet. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, “Just a nosebleed Simon.”

“Who elbowed you? Jayne?”

I chuckled, “Not sure, doesn’t matter much anyhow.”

Simon shook his head and helped me onto the examination table, “I hate these violent games.”

“They’re not that violent.”

“You’re bleeding (Y/n)-”

“Yeah and it was an accident. Accidents happen.”

Simon rolled his eyes, “Yeah and they always seem to happen to you.”

“And I have an amazing doctor to help me out when I get hurt,” I smiled.

He sighed, taking the handkerchief off my nose and looking up my nostrils with a flashlight.

“You really need to be more careful,” he said, “I think you have a slight nasal fracture.”

“I try to be…”

Simon reached for a cold compact and placed it gently on my face, brushing hair away from my head. 

“We’ll give you some pain meds, I don’t think it's bad enough to need surgery but if you’re breathing becomes worse we might need to consider it.”

“Alrighty doc.”

He turned and grabbed the bottle of pain meds. After getting out the dosage he gave them to me to take.

“Well, try to be more careful. I hate seeing you on this table,” he said. 

With a gentle kiss on my forehead he turned to leave, leaving me shocked with my face heating up against the ice pack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*If you signed up for my taglist but don’t see your name please message me!

Taglist:  

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[abbystanaccount]

a Jordan analysis

Misunderstood? Or just an asshole? Let’s delve in

Firstly, Jordan is one of the more memorable Salt Lake crew members. There’s the main three, who are Abby, Owen, and Mel, then the secondary, Manny, Nora, and Jordan, and finally the extras, Nick and Leah.

Jordan’s got quite a few lines, quite a few scenes where he plays a significant part. Firstly, he’s one of the more prominent characters in the Joel death scene, he’s shown kicking Ellie after she cuts him in the face and has to be restrained to stop. On first playthrough you might remember him doing this, you might not, doesn’t matter too much because you’ll get reminded of it later. Jordan’s role in this scene is to put a pretty negative light on this invader group and portray them as being overly cruel and vicious. Thinking about it though, he’s the only one with the bad temper here, mostly everyone else is just restraining people (Nora, Nick, Manny) or staying out of it (Mel, Owen, Leah). Then of course there’s Abby enacting her revenge and Manny spitting on Joel which is shocking and adds to the anger you’d feel in this seen.

The player will likely have some remembrance of Jordan, his hat sets him apart and he was one of the most cruel in the situation, kicking Ellie after she stabbed him and to again knock her out. She’s even later left with a bruise which you’d see in cutscenes afterwards.

The first Salt Lake crew member you meet is Nick, but he’s already dead. Players are like where’s the rest of them?? That is until they meet up with Jordan in an abrupt series of events. Jordan cements himself as Bad Guy, threatening Ellie again. But he also shows some bit of sense, wanting to get info out of Ellie rather than letting Mike kill her immediately.

Anyway, Jordan isn’t long for this world and has a satisying death. This is also the start of the action in the game, prior to this was largely exploration.

You read his note from Leah, then hope to meet up with her but she’s already dead too 🙄. Also side note... to think about how Leah would react if Seraphites didn’t attack and Ellie and Dina did end up meeting Leah. I think they’d have to kill the other WLF’s first and then Leah would be in like the top level and they’d somehow talk to her. But, she’d freak out when she realizes they found her through her note to Jordan and realize he’s dead. So she probably wouldn’t spill all the beans as to why they were there and Dina would prevent a Nora situation. Her explaining everything would also ruin the mystery of the game pretty quick too so I see why she didn’t get to talk but it still kinda blows... anyways

When flashing to Abby’s POV of the Joel death scene Jordan kinda further cements he’s an asshole. He picks a fight with Owen over getting cut in the face then Owen throwing it back, saying “Fuck your face, you should have been posted upstairs like I told you to!” 

He cares about himself and his vanity, Leah is also crying over him getting hurt which probably further upsets him. Tensions are extremely high and Jordan even threatens to shoot his longtime friend. People realize this is ridiculous, Manny and Mel who were on the side of Jordan to shoot Ellie turn on him after Jordan points his gun at Owen. But, Jordan is hot headed and in denial, embarrassed that he was wrong to ignore Owen’s orders that led to this mess.

You re-meet Jordan on Abby’s Day 1. Players are probably pretty anti-Abby at this point and anti-Jordan. You finally have a civil conversation with him, he seems pretty normal and is playing a PS Vita, he and Abby seem chummy again despite the clusterfuck in Jackson. 

His relationship with the other Salt Lake crew members at this point? Manny doesn’t interact with him, but Abby seems cool with him. He’s probably not on good terms with Owen who has isolated himself from everyone in the crew. Jordan is still dating and missing Leah, and earlier about Nick he states “They’re from Jackson. That’s why Nick was fucked up like that.” 

 So we could just write off Jordan as just being an asshole hot-head, but in each situation there’s motivation behind him acting the way he does. He is aggressive towards Ellie on the ground because she cut his face. Then, he sees Leah crying that he’s hurt and he realizes he fucked up ignoring orders which had led to Ellie coming in. He is not thinking clearly, which leads to him threatening his own friends. Jordan was friends with Nick, and he finds Nick’s body brutally tortured. He’s obviously on edge and paranoid it’s the Jackson crew. When his suspicions are confirmed, he is worried about himself and Leah who is away from him. 

In addition, Jordan eagerly joins the others on the trip to track down Tommy/Joel. He’s young, probably the same age or even younger than Abby, meaning he was also a teen when the assault on St. Mary’s happened. I don’t think he was a soldier like Owen and Manny, maybe he was but I think he’d be too young. These eight aren’t the only survivors from St. Marys, for example, Manny still has his dad, but I highly suspect Jordan had a parent or some other family that was a Firefly that was killed.

Jordan with no hat... I missed it the first time but his hat pops off after he dies. He was hiding this fabulous hairstyle that whole time??

I totally missed that Leah was tall af and the same height as Jordan, I thought she’d be shorter than Abby. A little analysis on their relationship, I don’t think they were dating during Firefly days like Owen and Abby, their relationship still seems a bit fresh to me, writing each other notes and the teen-girlishness of Leah drawing a heart on their polaroid. Leah is obviously quite comfortable in their relationship, she was flirty with Jordan, sending him that saucy polaroid with her boob out. Pure speculation but maybe Jordan didn’t want to date Leah until he grew as tall as her 😆. Ellie also states that Leah was more preoccupied with the fact Jordan got hurt than doing any of the restraining on Joel.

Leah like Jordan was probably a younger Firefly or child of a Firefly who was affected by what Joel did. But, she doesn’t seem to overly have a grudge and she likely just tagged along because Jordan and her friends were going. She took all those pictures too, she probably thought it was a fun trip for a bit, and maybe for half of them it was for a bit. They did leave with the intention of finding info from Tommy, they weren’t expecting to just suddenly find Joel witness Abby torture him to death.

All in all, I’m just saying we caught Jordan at some bad times in his life. He was probably not an asshole 24/7. 🤘

[cosmiccandydreamer]

Stability Chapter 11

Otis Driftwood x Reader

Masterlist is here.

"You listen to me, and you listen well! I am gonna kill every member of your family! I'm gonna hunt them down like the animals they are, and I'm gonna skin em' alive! They are going to feel the pain and suffering of every last victim!" A disgusting squishy sound-filled the empty void of the cell. Sheriff Wydell had stabbed Mama Firefly in the stomach and twisted it until the light left her eyes. 

He was done playing this cat and mouse game. Mama's last taunt and laughter that ran through the station after more questioning pushed him over the edge. He had grabbed a large knife from his office and stabbed her in the stomach. As she fell to the ground he stood and took in the scene of what he had done. There was no turning back now, people like these people are monsters he thought to himself and the only thing monsters fear are other monsters. He had discovered through the interrogation that his brother was indeed murdered by Mama herself when he had come to investigate the cheerleader's disappearance.

 Sheriff John Wydell's eyes widened at the sight of his dead brother getting up from the couch he was sitting on, he began stuttering "I'm, I'm walking the line on this brother. I'm... I'm walking".George Wydell scoffed and answered sarcastically "Well, mother pin a rose on me, that is so great! I want these motherfuckers dead! Kill 'em!" John Wydell jumped up in a cold sweat… oh it was just a dream he thought, or was it? It couldn't be this hard to be signed by his brother that he needed to avenge him. "I'm brother, I'm trying," he thought to himself. 

"Why are you over here all by yourself handsome? Married or not you don't gotta be all alone"... Candy had slinked over to where Otis was laying on the couch downing a bottle of Jack Daniels. The rest of the crew was partying with the ladies at the brothel. Otis wasn't in the mood to party though. He wanted to get out of here and get moving. 

He felt guilty which was surprising for someone like him, that he was here enjoying a safe environment for the night without knowing where you were. "What do you want woman" he scoffed and attempted to get up.. "now now lay down You look like a mess Is your back hurting or something I can give you a massage I am a masseuse Well at least I can give a good enough massage that feels like I'm a masseuse" Candy said in a sultry voice twirling her hair, "listen here woman I said I ain't fucking you so go on and get" Otis said shooing her away with his hand.

 "Hey now no one said anything about fucking! How about I help you out friend to friend? You just must be tense worrying about your old lady out there". She sat next to him on the couch, he slowly got up to face her, "just a massage right No funny business or I'll throw your ass through the window". "Duly noted" she laughed and helped him stand grabbing his arm. She led him to a soft mattress on the floor. 

Sheriff Wydell on the other hand was not having the best night either, he was racking his brain on what was the next step to take for finding the four of you. He found himself staring at himself in the mirror talking to himself "You know I got to tell you, that's some catch phrase you got there, Devil's Rejects. What? You got something to say to me clown, huh. I bet you scare lots of folks, don't ya? Yeah, regular fuckiin' killer. You want a piece of this motherfucker? You want a piece of this? Huh, what you got! What you got! Lord I am your arm of justice. Lord I am your arm of justice. Lord I am your arm of justice. Your righteous sword of vengeance. Let my blows be true. From the illusion leads me to truth. From darkness leads me to light. From death leads me to eternal life." 

"Ah sir? That guy you asked for is here" his deputy Ray Dobson knocked on the door to his office breaking him out of his trance.  It was his deputy, who made the connection that  the aliases the family members usually went by and their connection to the old Groucho Marx films. He also discovered that the Fireflies were associated with the local clowns celebrity Captain Spaulding. Hoping to gain some insight into this connection, Wydell brought in film critic Marty Walker for consultation. 

The over the top Marty illustrated how each of the killers named themselves after characters played by Groucho Marx throughout the course of his career. Things between Wydell and Walker quickly became unsavory when the critic made a remark about Elvis Presley. Marty head scateched his head while looking at the clues pinned to the board "that goddamn fucking Elvis Presley." Sheriff Wydell looked up at him with his eyes wide and full of rage. 

"What'd you say about the King?!" Marty was clearly taken aback by the sudden tone change and looked around at everyone else in the room before sputtering out "I said he died three days before Grouch…" Wydell walked very close to him, looked him deep in the eyes and slowly said "Marty... if you ever say another derogatory word about Elvis Aaron Presley I WILL KICK THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF YOU!". 

"Boss don't you remember we had to run in with that guy Charlie not too long ago didn't he stay around with the guy named Spalding?" Ray quickly replied trying to defuse the situation. "Well goddamn you're right Ray… let's go pay Mr. Charlie boy a visit" he backed away from Marty and grabbed his hat. "Be seeing you Marty" 

Spalding had told Charlie that if he went and bought some fresh chicken He whipped them up some fried chicken on the house as a thank you for letting them hide out there. Unbeknownst to Charlie Sheriff Wydell had spotted him leaving the funtown and heading towards the chicken stand. He corners Charlie and demands that he give up the three of them and if he had any information on where you were he needs to give that information up to or it would not end well for him.

 He also asked him if he catches Otis in any compromising situations if he could snap a photo. It would be in his best interest. "I was also wondering," Wydell said, closing the car door a bit more on Charlie. He had closed his car door on Charlie's hands after instructing him to approach the vehicle once they cornered him in with their vehicle. "Is this girl with them by any chance? and I'm only going to give you one chance to answer me honestly" he held up a picture of you, Charlie shook his head viciously "no no naw she ain't with them gods truth man god's truth".. "god's truth hmm well you know where she is? I would like to have a little chat with her" Wydell replied. "Oh c'mon what's that lil girl gonna do" Charlie attempted to chuckle. "Hmm" Wydell said "looks can be deceiving, anyways tonight midnight I'll be seeing you". He released his hand and drove off in a cloud of dirt and smoke.

Back at the house unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it for Otis, Candy was actually a very good masseuse and actually did just give him massage without reaching for his penis which is what he assumed was going to happen. His back was killing him from the hours of driving and that shit van they had stolen from the family back at the motel. 

He also was holding a lot of stress in his shoulders from the anxiety of the plan not going his way and not having any word from you now for multiple days. Unfortunately now she wouldn't stop following him around which was starting to piss him off because one she was annoying and two his back was still hurting and he could have used another massage. "You sure you don't want another one I mean you passed out during yesterday's massage just let me do your shoulders just a little more" she said skipping toward him.

 He wasn't sure if she was just trying to be nice or she was trying to wear him down to fuck her or something. He sat cleaning his knife while staring off into space thinking about you and when you gave this knife to him. You were in town with Baby and wandered into an antique store. You knew as soon as you saw it you had to have it.. he was overjoyed at the knife and vowed to never go anywhere without it. 

"What took you all so long? You said you were just heading into town for some supplies tonight" He asked , slamming the screen door behind him and walking out towards the car. You had insisted on driving your mustang into town with Baby on a girl's trip while he was in the middle of a project. He was hesitant but he allowed it because he knew that you two could probably use some girl time, he wasn't the easiest to always be around. 

"Oh shut up Don't know why you always got to be rushing people" Baby replied flipping her hair and strolling past Otis. "Fuck you" "no fuck you" "no fuck" "Hey!!" You yelled waving your hand in his face. "I took so long because I got you something, I saw it and I couldn't pass it up". You pulled out a dark paper bag and handed it to him. He looked inside and got silent, it was a large beautiful knife. Taking it out the bag he held it in his large hands and studied it closely. "Shit darlin this, this is beautiful..for me huh?" "Yeah of course!" "Why though?" He asked looking back at you with general confusion on his face. You walked over and stepped up on your tippy toes to softly kiss him. "Just wanted to do something nice because I love you". You said patting his chest and walking inside after Baby.

 He stood there for a few more moments looking at the knife and tucking it in his boot. Once inside he grabbed you by the waist and kissed you deep. "Thanks.. ah.. I just don't know how to accept gifts, not used to 'em." "Well I'm glad you like it" you smiled up at him "had me worried for a second I was starting wonder if you didn't like it" "naw I love it it's going everywhere with me always" he said wrapping his long arms around you "just like you". 

"Stop hovering woman!! If I need anything from you I'd ask now get" he huffed at her looking back to his knife. She stood for a moment and turned on her heels and headed away. Charlie headed back to the house trying to swallow the anxiety in his throat. He didn't want to betry the group but he also wanted to protect his business and livelyhood. He stopped at the liquor store and grabbed a bunch more bottles of Jack Daniels, might as well get them drunk and make this shit easier. 

[felassan]

🔍👀 Ok, what are we looking at here? Concept art for the next Mass Effect game? I don’t remember ever seeing this image before.

Planetary exploration not unlike what we’ve done before in the Mako and the Nomad, only with a bigger than usual vehicle (well, more like shuttle). Alternatively, our ship this time around is smaller than the Normandy and the Tempest were, and it lands directly on explorable planetscape surfaces like the Tempest did in MEA. A squad of 4 (or 3+PC), or a crew roster of 4?

The image filename says that the vehicle is a “mud skipper”. The environment looks like mud flats or maybe salt flats, but it’s hard to guess what they intend the surface the figures are standing on to be due to the size of the right-most celestial body. The mudskipper has “XT8″ emblazoned on the side - Normandy SR-2, ND1 Nomad... Mudskipper XT8 / XT8 Mudskipper? Mudskipper could be a ship name or a class/type of ship. Mudskippers irl are amphibious fish that can survive both in and out of water. They live in swamps and estuaries and on mud flats and are noted for their ability to climb, walk, and skip about out of water. I wonder if this ship is also amphibious in capability?? I’m reminded a bit of the underwater chase scene in The Phantom Menace. “XT8″ doesn’t seem to bring anything to mind or bring up anything on the Mass Effect wiki etc, though I did find some non-ME-related telescopes [irl] with XT8 in the name (e.g. Orion SkyQuest XT8) which, while probably a coincidental thing, is interesting as the space connection is self-explanatory.

Picked my astronomer friend’s brain bc I couldn’t resist (@breezytealy. thanku!!! ♡) and they think that: from left to right the celestial bodies look like a moon, sun, and planet (possibly a gas giant) respectively. The planet looks too big in the sky when taking realism into account, so its size is likely a function of artistic license etc (as in like, it’s the artist’s impression of a planet in the sky, it’s big because it looks great that way). The figures then seem to be standing on another moon. If the big planet is big enough, it could be a double planet system or triple planet system that we’re seeing here. And if the big planet is a gas giant, the moon could be an Earth-like moon; a gas giant with a habitable moon is a sci-fi trope, like Pandora in Avatar and the forest moon of Endor in Star Wars. I wonder then if there are any known systems in the Milky Way or Andromeda which have a gas giant with 2 moons or a gas giant with 1 moon and 1 inner planet? For an Earth-like moon, if it’s following irl astro ‘rules’, we’d be looking for a Saturn- or Jupiter-sized planet in the star’s habitable zone. It could be that the moon is tidal-locked, so the planet hangs in the sky, but as there’s likely a second moon maybe not. Looking at the planet size it’s like if Jupiter was where the moon is from Earth. There’s some issues with this we think as there’d likely be strong tidal forces which would cause massive volcanism, especially if there’s a second moon, but artistic license.. I feel some ME wiki-crawling coming on, in case there’s any potential candidates for matching these kinds of criteria.. Breezy is leaning towards gas giant with two moons. 👀 (Hope this paragraph makes sense because I’m pretty sure I’ve garbled Breezy’s explanations)

The right-most figure is definitely a Salarian. Next to them it could be a drell. I’m less clear about the other two. The Salarian and the drell don’t seem to be wearing helmets so perhaps the atmosphere is breathable, survivable? Jack-style breather-facemasks are a possibility though, we probably wouldn’t be able to see the outlines of those from the perspective we’re viewing the figures at imo.

Overall this image has a smaller-scale-story, ‘exploring frontiers’-type feel going for it, as opposed to something massive and galaxy-saving in terms of stakes and scope like the Reaper War. It kinda reminds me of the Serenity and its crew from Firefly actually.

[lilsunshiny]

Thoughts on The Last Of Us Part II

WRITING (creative process)

the game’s storyline is straight to the point, you can see from the trailer that it’s going to be a timeline about revenge. the whole game happens around joel’s death in the beginning and I guess that’s the whole reason why people are upset. but guess what? neil druckmann’s goal was to make you upset, angry and nostalgic. he accomplished his goal and that’s why you’re feeling the way you are.

you not liking the the way things went down does not mean the game’s writing is awful, it just means you were expecting something and got another. not liking something isn’t a crime and it’s totally ok as long as you respect the creators and don’t use your hate to put others down, it’s a valid opinion and that’s it.

what makes a story good is the writing and the thought put into it to make the player/reader/viewer feel a certain way, and the developers did an incredible job to do that. we feel frustrated, anxious and weird the entire gameplay and that’s exactly what they wanted from us, which means they won. I’ll talk more about my opinion on the storyline far ahead.

the graphic visuals of this game are RIDICULOUS, they’re perfect. every detail is insane to look at, they worked so hard to get it right and it was so worth it. every time I entered a new scenario I would just go into photo mode and appreciate the art because that’s what makes the game unforgettable and groundbreaking. the red lighting scenes were so perfectly made and so badass, the sky when ellie goes outside the farm with JJ is breathtaking just like every other view in the game. by far the most beautiful game I’ve ever had the honor to play.

STORYLINE (joel’s death)

the first game gave us a story about love and hope, making us guide joel into taking ellie to the fireflies looking for a cure based on ellie’s immunity. we spend the whole game thinking we’d get to the fireflies, make a cure and live happily ever after but that never happened in those terms. the gameplay made us slowly fall in love with joel and ellie as characters, joel for his tough personality that would fade under the influence of a little girl and ellie for her nativity and innocence as a young teenager who really wants to help other people by making a cure. that’s the whole situation of it, joel getting attached to ellie while she developed a paternal affection for him but in the end joel ends up doing an unforgivable thing, basically destroying the hope for a cure and ruining all hope for the world to heal from the outbreak, so he decides to lie to ellie blaming the fireflies for everything so he doesn’t lose her trust and love.

I do understand liking and loving joel as a character, myself included, because they made the game thinking about it and they knew the audience would develop a major caring for him and ellie as daughter and father, that’s how it was supposed to go and it worked it.

now let’s talk about joel’s death. I think we were all surprised to watch him die so early in the game but considering the game time and storyline, it would have never happened differently. his death was brutal, violent, merciless and inhuman, abby and her crew tortured him until he couldn’t take it anymore and he obviously suffered with ellie being held to the ground begging them to stop. I agree that it was a horrible death but we can’t just pretend joel was a sweet innocent hero because he wasn’t, the audience portrays him as a hero when he literally stopped the human race from being saved, killing the fireflies and acting out of pure selfishness. joel isn’t the angel some people paint him as, he’s not a good person and if ellie herself could never forgive him for what he did, who are we to do so? she said she would try but she never got the chance to and it took her years to even come to terms with it.

most importantly, it’s obvious that people forget these characters are human beings, not real people but they’re real in that universe and technically speaking, they run and feel the same way we would feel if we were in their shoes. they’re people, every character in the game is a person, with feelings, a background, a past, a personality and thoughts. they’re no different than us except for them living in a post apocalyptic world were morality and ethics aren’t taken into consideration since there is no law or living lifestyle.

for us to understand this storyline, we need to step away from our society’s view of morality and wrong or right, because that does not apply to them, everyone in the game has killed people and/or have done something morally questionable in their life since it’s the apocalypse and there is no wrong or right, there’s only how the characters feel about certain situations and how they act on them, which is basically what guides the entire game to happening the way it did: human feelings.

joel obviously changed after the first game, since he starts living in jackson and having to raise ellie as a daughter in a relatively normal town with other people, he’s not the same person as he was in part I, now he turned into a father and a friend, not a merciless mercenary who doesn’t care about others. we see that when he and tommy decide to help abby, a complete stranger who was about to die in the hands of infected, and maybe that’s what led people into hating abby with their heart. but ending this topic, joel’s death was bound to happen, you can’t just expect someone to destroy the world’s hope for a cure and leave with no people being angry at him and wanting revenge, that cure could’ve saved many people’s loved ones but he chose to save his loved one. if joel is indeed a terrible person or not, that’s up to you to decide, that’s more of an internal turmoil within yourself that is different for everyone depending on their experience from part I and how they view joel in the end. it’s kind of messed up if you think about it, would you let the only person you care about die for a not confirmed chance of a cure in a world that is already doomed? that’s a question for yourself.

joel’s death happened so you could see things from multiple perspectives, which is the whole fucking point of the game. there are multiple sides to every story, it’s the same world we live in except in different circumstances. your actions affect others, people have feelings and if you hurt them they might act a certain way, those characters are no different than us because they were based on genuine human thoughts and actions.

ELLIE (growth and development)

ellie is one of the most well written characters I’ve ever seen in my life. she’s the symbol of badass but fragile woman and that’s so amazing to me. as the game goes by we start seeing many sides of ellie, she slowly starts to turn into a completely different person after joel’s death and her urge for revenge. killing abby becomes her main priority the second she leaves jackson and that’s clear in the way she acts and treats others. I’ll have to play the game again to pay more attention to ellie and abby’s behavior throughout the timeline. ellie is the reflection of how the excessive amount of effort you put into a negative thought, the more it will bring you and your loved ones down. watching ellie during the story is such a nice experience, there are times where you love her to death, others you get annoyed with her or don’t agree with how she acts, and that’s exactly how the creators wanted you to feel. revenge takes ellie’s soul from the inside out, from her not being able to forgive herself for letting joel die to her going after abby for nothing but hate for herself in the end.

ellie’s journey is exciting to play and to witness as her relationship with other people (specially dina) starts to fade away and being consumed by hate and regret. we were manipulated into loving ellie since part I and I don’t think she’s a bad person, she lost everything in the hands of other people and went through a lot, losing joel was a deal breaker for her but she just didn’t realize soon enough that killing abby wasn’t going to make things better. ellie’s gameplay was meant to make you reflect on losing a loved one, grief, mourning and revenge, she’s not the lost kid from part I anymore, she’s a grown woman who just lost her dad and she doesn’t even know exactly why. the funny thing for me, which is what makes the story realistic, is that ellie didn’t fully forgive joel yet she still suffered from losing him and went after abby for revenge, when not even herself could forgive him, that’s pretty realistic in my opinion. it’s the human uncontrollable instinct of still missing someone you’re mad at and not being able to say goodbye.

for me, ellie is the perfect and most detailed reflection of revenge and what it can do to you. the game is much more than “revenge is bad don’t do it”, we all obviously know it’s bad but we still have an urge to fight back against it and make the person who hurt us suffer too because it’s not fair for us and it wasn’t fair for ellie until the very last moment.

ABBY (point of view and perspective)

by far the most controversial character of the game. I’ll star off saying I actually like abby and I think the people who hate her so deeply just didn’t understand how things go. hating abby is no different than hating ellie, they’re in the same situation for almost the entire game. abby lost her father in joel’s hands, she was still a teenager and seeing her own dad die for trying to save humanity isn’t easy, just like ellie watching joel being tortured and killed wasn’t easy. being fully honest ellie would’ve done the same thing abby did if joel was the doctor and we can’t deny that.

on the other hand, I do think the ellie and abby gameplays could’ve been distributed better, maybe switching from ellie to abby and back and forth so it wouldn’t get too tiring or confusing since we don’t know the exact timeline when we first play it. that’s the only slightly negative thing I have to say about the game.

I do think abby is a great character, they built her perfectly to make the audience hate her in the begging, painting her as a sadistic monster only to show her side of the story later on in the game and make you realize that you have been wrong all this time, making you see the bigger picture and understand that ellie isn’t the only person in the world, she isn’t loved by everyone, she’s just a girl in the world and so is abby. they both have fucked up pasts and they both lost a lot, and in terms of personality, they’re actually quite similar. we love ellie because we got to see her grow up and WE know that deep down she’s not a bad person, the first impression we had of abby was of her recklessly killing joel with a golf club when ellie was begging her to stop, since that we tend to think abby is a horrible person and that ellie is an angel, but it’s not like that at all. obviously ellie didn’t do anything wrong up to that moment to justify that happening to her, but ellie isn’t the best person in the world either.

the duality in this game was created on purpose and with a deeper meaning, ellie is ellie, abby is abby and the cycle of revenge goes on until both parts understand that it’s useless to keep going. abby let go before ellie could and let her and dina live because of lev, killing joel didn’t change abby to the better, lev changed her. tommy couldn’t change ellie, jesse couldn’t change ellie and not even dina could do it, ellie had to change and forgive herself alone. the point I’m trying to make is that abby is no better than ellie and ellie is no better than abby, they’re both emotionally drained women who are not wrong or right in the end of things.

DINA (support and reflection)

dina is the only character I will 100% defend because she’s flawless and did absolutely nothing wrong during the whole game. in my head she represents ellie’s good side, dina is the constant reminder that ellie hasn’t lost her humanity and hasn’t completely changed into someone else because of revenge, even when she has her downs (example: calling her a burden when dina says she’s pregnant). dina is the most forgiving and loyal character, she loves ellie more than anything and it shows. the sad part of it is that even with dina’s huge amount of love and affection, that doesn’t stop ellie from going in the wrong direction, which brings us to another life lesson: loving someone is a choice you make everyday and nobody can control your choices when you’re determined to do something.

ellie decided to go after abby, dina followed and supported her the whole way through, then she took that for granted and left dina and JJ behind to go after abby again (after abby let her and dina live) officially breaking dina’s heart. that was a choice, dina obviously cared so much about ellie, loved her so much but she couldn’t change ellie’s mind. but the point here is that dina is a reflection of ellie’s bright side, she keeps ellie sane until the very last moment, saving her life multiple times, going with her in a revenge journey, “you go, I go, end of story”, telling the wolves to fuck off and staying by ellie’s side, constantly putting her life at risk while being pregnant, she has loves ellie for such a long time even before getting with jesse (you can read ellie’s journal where she says cat told her dina is jealous of their relationship) and she probably took ellie back when she came back from santa barbara (a theory that I believe in because it makes sense).

dina is one of the few positive ends in the universe of the last of us, highly optimistic, funny, beautiful and an amazing support system for ellie. if it weren’t for dina, ellie would’ve become a monster.

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION (ellie x dina and lev)

it’s 2020 and people are still talking shit about the game just because of queer characters. that’s why I say people who hate the game are people who either didn’t capture the story or just didn’t even try to pay attention because of a closed mindset bigot sandwiches. representation is the best path to general acceptance, making people see different stories and realize that someone’s gender or sexuality does not influence on the quality of art.

ellie is a lesbian, that’s clear in the game when she says she’s “not into jessie’s type” (such a nice dialogue by the way), she talks about her ex girlfriend and clearly has had a crush on dina for the longest time (probably the reason why she broke up with cat).

dina is bisexual, in my opinion she always had a crush on ellie but maybe she lost motivation to to after her when she started to get close to cat and started talking to jessie because of that and it ended up working.

now dina and ellie’s relationship is probably the only thing that keeps us sane throughout the game, when we sit down to think “thank god ellie has dina, that means she’s not alone”, which is basically the whole concept of it, ellie not being alone because dina is there to hold her to the ground and stop her from becoming someone she doesn’t want to be.

lev being trans is something I can‘t have an opinion on, I have seen both sides: people saying it was a good approach and others saying it wasn’t an accurate representation. I’m not trans so my opinion isn’t valid and I can definitely see why many people think it was a bad reach but I also can see the other side, so I won’t comment on that.

the nice thing about representation in this game is that they brought it up as a normal thing, the only moment the focus is sexuality is when seth was being a dick and called dina the d-word, ellie got defensive but dina stopped her from getting into a fight. even then the main focus of that situation was how ellie dealt with joel saying she didn’t need his help. the point was never ellie’s sexuality, never, not even in a single moment, because it was never an issue. in a post apocalyptic society people don’t pay much attention to being homophobes (unless they’re in a fanatic religious cult or just assholes like seth).

the game approached the subject very bluntly but in a normal way, not making it that huge of a deal but it is a big deal for those who seek comfort and/or are dealing with their sexuality in a way. if a character they admire ends up being part of a minority group, they can relate to that and feel more comfortable in their own skin. we’re here, we’re real and we exist even in a fucked up infected world.

ENDING + THOUGHTS (moving on)

the last of us part II is a story about revenge, being completely different than part I which is a story about love and surviving. what happens in the second game are the consequences of the first, the choices joel made reflected upon himself, saving ellie costed everything; the cure, people’s lives and maybe a brighter future. people who are bashing the game for it’s storyline and how things went down need to understand that it’s not because we love joel that his actions didn’t matter to others. joel is a human being, so is abby and those who got harmed by joel’s choice to save ellie. joel killed abby’s dad, abby went after him for revenge, a predictable and reasonable thing to do if you just try to see it from her point of view, keep in mind that ellie would do the same exact thing.

if you can’t get yourself to see things from other people’s point of view, you missed the whole point of the game. the storyline isn’t summed up in “revenge is bad don’t do it kids”, it’s just based on the fact that death can never and will never bring you any sort of relief.

the game is the reflection of the cycle of revenge. abby going after joel for killing her dad, ellie going after abby and killing all of her friends in the process, abby finally breaks the cycle letting ellie and dina live but ellie couldn’t get over the guilt and went after abby again, yet she ended up letting her ago and officially breaking the chain for good.

the whole concept of the game is how seeking someone else’s suffering can lead to full destruction of someone’s character and values.

if ellie had killed abby she would’ve turned into the monster she was fighting against and she would lose literally everything she hadn’t already lost: her humanity. I don’t actually know the exact reason that compelled ellie to let abby go, maybe it was losing her fingers and realizing that she’ll never be able to play guitar again, which was her very last memory of joel and what he taught her. it could also be thinking of lev and how he’s the only thing abby has and vice versa, which is what she had with joel and what was taken from her, therefore she didn’t want to turn into the person who put someone through the same pain she was going through. technically if she killed abby she would have to kill lev to avoid him coming after her and continuing the cycle and doing that would kill ellie even more.

to make this shorter, abby moved on earlier than ellie. mostly because abby actually got her revenge killing joel but you gotta look through things before you put all the blame on her. ellie lost everyone in her life, her parents, riley, tess, sam and then joel, going after abby was a defense mechanism since she couldn’t have done anything to save those she lost before, but losing the one who took care and raised her was something she couldn’t bare, specially when she thought joel was the only person she had even though they weren’t in good terms and she and dina weren’t a thing yet.

ellie needed to revenge joel at all costs because that’s what she thought he would want, but in the end she realizes he would want her to move on and be happy, because that’s what he always tried to give her: the best shot in life that he couldn’t give sarah. ellie thought that by killing abby she would be able to let go, when in reality she would just feel more guilty for leaving lev alone like she was having no emotional relief concerning her PTSD. ellie got to that beach fully aware that killing abby wasn’t going to solve any of her problems, but a single memory of joel made her make the decision that she wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. their final fight was silent, in the middle of nowhere, they had absolutely nothing to say to each other because they were both fighting for nothing but excessive mental emptiness. they both knew that nothing would bring their loved ones back and they were ready to move on.

what the game wants to teach you is that nothing good comes from searching revenge and other’s suffering. ellie gets consumed by her own view of justice and ends up losing herself both inside and outside, when she comes to terms with the fact that killing abby won’t bring joel back from the dead, it’s already too late. she lost jessie, her friendship with tommy, her good memories with joel, her fingers which results in her not being able to play guitar anymore, the love of her life and her son.

in the last of us part one ellie says that her biggest fear is to end up alone, and the saddest part of all is that her actions led her to making that fear come true. the ending is ambiguous, it can mean something different to different people depending on what you choose to interpret things and how you view the characters. for some, ellie could just end up alone looking for a life purpose that doesn’t involve anyone from her past. to others, ellie returned to jackson and proved dina that she loved her and that now she’s ready to fully commit because she let go of her anger and is at peace with herself and her inner struggles. but that’s all up to you to decide what you want to believe in.

at the end of the day, this storyline is beautiful, heartbreaking, breathtaking and emotionally draining. it makes you think and open your mind to new perspectives, which is honestly one of the best things art is able to do, create a new universe for you to deep your thoughts in and take your own conclusions. the last of us didn’t have a bad or good ending, it had a realistic ending. just because they didn’t make this the way you wanted it doesn’t mean the writing is bad, it means you’re probably disappointed and that’s fine, but hating on it isn’t the way to make a point.

I can only thank everyone involved for creating this world and making me so invested in it, connecting me with these amazing characters and emotions that I never experienced playing a game before. there is nothing more to say except: endure and survive.

[of-tatooine]

mercy. | chapter 6 - life

you shoot first and ask questions later.

Obitus.

Death. It had been one of the first basic Latin terminology you had learned all those years ago in nursing school, back when you had thought memorizing ancient words related to your studies was the hardest thing ever. Waking up early for clinical trials and cramming through the tests, sometimes crashing on the library couch were most you could remember from those simpler times but above all the memories, etched deep within your very soul and mind had been your remarkable professors - how much they valued life.

Human or not, all forms of life had always been sacred and should have been protected at all costs - those were the teachings they all tried to instill into young minds, doctors and nurses alike. People who were going to dedicate blood and sweat into treating others in need. The recurring doctrine echoed in your mind relentlessly through the years - if you were going to save lives, you were going to do so by not harming life itself first. Every single medical procedure performed, no matter how unimportant and mundane they seemed, had to do with protecting and letting prosper, and thus was sacred in some way of thinking. If needed, and it often was, you were always ready to completely sacrifice your own health and well-being if it meant doing good for the ones suffering.

Nothing ever came close to the pure happiness and wonder, knowing that you saved the patient in the operating room who would die had it not been for your help - an almost daily feeling back in a better time.

It seemed like you took more lives than you helped live these days. The sacredness of the profession you had chosen for a lifetime had slipped through your fingers when you had first pulled a trigger on a human being, the very creature you had sworn to protect, turned or not. Killing became the new norm in the cruel world, and it contradicted the very essence of your soul. Saving lives had been a losing game in a world full of bloodshed and mayhem, you would learn over years of pain. One you could play only for so long before you succumbed to your own demise.

For the time being, it had to be another one's death in exchange for your life.

It was just the way the world worked.

"Fuckin' hell!"

The residual echoes of the loud gunshot rang in your ears combined with the panting and gasping of the other man. Waiting only a split second to see the guy on your right crumble down on the ground with a sickening thud, blood and brains splattering around the cream walls, you ducked back to cover fast. Faint smoke rose up in gentle waves from the barrel of your gun, your chest heaving up and down in anticipation of what was to come next.

It would have been great if you had a fucking clue yourself. The honed survival instinct within you had screamed less heads the better, and it was a rule you had found yourself following often lately which explained the freshly-dead, bleeding body somewhere in the living room. What the instinct did not tell you immediately was how to deal with a damn Firefly whose best friend you had just murdered in cold blood, who maybe knew you or about you - neither of them increasing your chances of survival against this enemy. Seemed like you would have to improvise once again, you had been doing that an awful lot lately that led you to this fucking mess to begin with - yet you had no other choice but to trust your muscle memory and the leftover bullets in your handgun to get you through this.

The lingering soreness in your injured thigh was making that trust run out in a pretty steady pace.

Mutters of the approaching man could be heard as he took a couple of steps that made the hardwood vibrate, no doubt glancing at his fallen friend for any vital signs. Not finding any hope, you would hear him cursing out again, frantically breathing as a metallic click sound echoed.

“I'm gonna find you, you fuckin' hear me? Come out!”

The knuckles clutching around the revolver in your hands became white from exertion, the grip becoming vice-like as the creaking sound of the wood under his heavy feet made stealth impossible. Coming closer and closer, you could hear his rugged breath - terrified because of the unknown source of death looming.

Holding your breath in haste of what was to come, the adrenaline coarsing through your veins was what made you slowly slide up the wall and land a violent, well-placed kick to the man’s calf as the toe of his boots showed up through the archway, sending his gun go sprawling off with him collapsing in a loud growl.

The blow to his tibia would not be enough to break it, but it was a well-executed one to send him to his knees. Eyes sparkling with determination, a couple grunts of your own slipped past your lips from sheer effort as you took quick steps approaching the man clutching onto his lower leg, left panting, one hand trying to reach towards his gun over at the edge of the wall.

“Alright, now,” slipped out of your mouth, words rather uncharacteristically laced with some form of cruelty as your military boots pressed onto his wriggling fingers in a sickening crunch which made him scream his damn lungs out for all the neighborhood to hear.

“You fuckin’ bitch! I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you!” he drabbled in his last stand, spittle on the corners of his mouth, body twisting and turning, trying to claw at your leg. He did manage to, his hand reaching up to tear the bandage on your wound, dirty fingers digging into the sore ache of a scab through the fabric, sending you howling in pain. Without thinking, you would slap the butt of the handle onto his tugging hand through gritted teeth, your leg buckling and threatening to collapse. Your supporting one swung in a desperate attempt to kick the guy in his guts, landing and knocking the air out of him for only a second, giving you enough time to sit yourself down on his stomach, straddling him with a hand viciously pressing against his windpipe.

The pain in your leg as you knelt was fucking killing you, sending warm waves of agony all over your body. You prayed the wound did not pop open again - if it did, you were worse off living than dead. It had been no time to lick your wounds and worry about possible blood infection - with the cold barrel of your gun pressed against the man’s throat, your hand cutting off his circulation bit by bit. He must have been a new recruit, somewhat young - his face did not ring any bells from your old days and maybe it was for the best.

“Here’s how this is gonna play out,” you ordered, voice dripping in dark, dark venom, eyes boring daggers into his terrified expression. “You’re gonna tell me who the fuck you were searchin’ for around here,” the words continued, causing the man to gulp and cough dryly, his foot tapping onto the ground helplessly. 

“Or you can join your little friend over there.”

In a matter of seconds, his blue eyes seemed to be damn near exploding out of their sockets as he took a good look at your face, making you raise an eyebrow ever so slightly as you clenched your jaw. “Please let me go,” he started to beg this time, frantically, the taunts he used to throw your way long gone, writhing under your grip. “Promise I won’t fuckin’ give anything away… not a word outta me. Just let me go.”

Not able to comprehend just what the hell the man was rambling about, you did what you knew best to do - pressed the barrel tighter against his neck, tilting your own head as you inched closer to his face. 

“What the fuck are you squirmin’ about? Give what away?” you asked, your patience growing thinner by the second. The hand on his windpipe eased just the right bit to allow him to form words.

“We were lookin’ for you,” he confessed after a moment of silence, beads of cold sweat descending his cheeks, voice cracking and hoarse. The shock on your face no doubt readable from his stance. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you would let out a growl, pushing the man more.

“Who the fuck sent you?”

“Who the fuck do you think? Marlene. She said she needed you and sent us over,” he gave out, pressure the barrel on his neck making the veins bulge on his temple. “There. I gave you everything. I swear to God I don’t know nothin’ else. Let me go,” the man would plead, not even giving you a moment to reflect on the new information you acquired that dumbfounded you, to say the least. He would stare at you from his position, see the unbelieving glints in your eyes.

What on earth did the Fireflies want with you again, let alone send men to gather you up? It seemed like you were pondering for a moment, mouth agape only for a second before you came to your senses and gave him a firm nod of your head.

“I believe you,” you would say before you pulled the trigger, sending one right through his throat as red splattered on your face from the impact, sending his head limping backwards as he gargled on his own blood in a relatively quick death.

“Christ...” you muttered to yourself, your brain running a hundred miles a second as you lifted yourself up and away from straddling the dead Firefly. It previously occurred to you that once you left the compound and got discharged from their service, you had been a free woman. That the Fireflies had way more to worry about than a surgical nurse who had escaped from their group. You had managed to get by on your own years after you left, and figured it would always be this way, only hearing about your old crew from the bombings in zones and the wanted posters. Why did the Majesty herself need you so damn badly, then out of all the moments, to the point that she sent actual men after you to your last known location?

Your thoughts were interrupted right away as the tall man and the small girl, who let out a loud fuck the moment the door swung open, stood in the doorway with Joel’s arm shielding her lightly from going further - until he was sure all danger had been gone, his other hand pointing his own revolver. His face that scanned the room intently, was a mixture - shocked, relieved, somewhat disappointed, and scared. It was some expression you could not discern but it gave away more than his usual demeanor - it did not take you much to realize they had stepped in after hearing double gunshots, maybe checking to see if you were dead and if they needed to finish the job themselves, though you had this hunch he had an eye on you as you infiltrated the house, watching from the windows.

It was ironic that a part of you wished you had been killed right there and then, after all. Any demise would be considered paradise compared to getting hunted down by your ex-kin, with you outnumbered and alone.

Yet the lone-wolf survivor in you, no doubt still running high off the pumping adrenaline, told you to put one in between both their eyes and just drive the fuck out of there, it was a good chance as any, but one quick lingering glance at Ellie who stood rigidly alert behind Joel - halted you.

Instead, you took deep, heavy breaths, with a bloody hand clutching onto your overworked recovering leg, all you could do was send a shaky, wide-eyed nod to the pair.

“You’re safe,” you would announce the visible fact in a breathy voice, as if you were trying to make yourself believe in that rather than them. “The keys should be around somewhere.”

Only after those words echoed in the house now littered with fresh corpses, Joel would lower his gun only slightly yet did not holster it, letting Ellie move a little move freely as he tossed you a brief nod.

Replying with a nod of your own directed his way, you let the pair rummage through the empty living room while you made your way back to your latest victim, kneeling beside. Crimson oozed in a lazy haze down what was left of his throat, coating the hardwood, the smell of copper sulking. His outstretched hand left in a sickening angle due to his broken fingers under your firm step. It was routine to search corpses for any goods that could help you survive, but this time, it scared you to death knowing what you could find inside those pockets of his.

“Found it,” you would hear Ellie announce with her innocent voice that should not belong in a world full of sins, the jiggling of a metal key ringing in the air much to all comfort.

Just as she found something in the means of her survival, you would come across the bane of yours, something you tried to bury so desperately in your past. From the breastpocket of his jacket, with trembling hands, you extracted the chain, its familiar twinkle surrounding you as the round pendant partially covered in dry blood rested in your palm before you tucked it in your pocket hastily.

And it proved all your fears, seeing that it had your name carved on it, in capitals.

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