#emilylawsons

[seethesunny]

Tell us about smoke signals!

smoke signals

Thank you for the ask! ❤️

I chose naming it as such because it's set in the winter section of the story, with Tess included ofc (I always loved imagining how it would've been like if she were there), and it's alluding to that one scene with Ellie when she burns down the building.

Also, because I'm predictable to use songs as fic titles and I'm a big Phoebe enthusiast, it's based on this song, too (it's my favorite of hers)

[clairenovaking]

What’s inspiring your writing lately? 😊

so i cannot lie- watching the last four seasons of supernatural in approximately three and a half weeks has kind of melted/reshaped my brain. i fell HARD for my sassy scottish little redheaded witch rowena and subsequently her ship with sam winchester and they are consuming my life/motivation/very being.

i have quite literally a notes app of fic ideas with at least a dozen ideas and i keep adding to it because they just won't stop!! i've already written a handful of fics, and i just started a new multichapter today that i literally dreamt about last night.

[rhaenyra-the-gracious]

7, 11, 92!

7.:

11.:

92.:

[bumblepony]

Tess Lives Fic Rec (Outbreak Version)

Hi all, I've been working on this for a little while, and I'm really excited to finally share it. Here are my Tess Lives fic recs in no particular order! These are all fics where the outbreak still happens, I have a separate list coming of non-outbreak fics.

the sun’s probably shining in wyoming by @march-flowerr - Tess lives. She and Joel build a life in Jackson. A day in each season over the course of a year. - Mature

but it’s golden, like daylight by @becomethesun - During their first days back in Jackson, Tess, Joel, and Ellie grapple with the weight of their shared and individual pasts, and begin to find a sense of peace, belonging, and family.

Drifters, a book of Tess and Joel by @hypnotisedfireflies - This series comprises of: 1. A mostly canon-compliant origin story of Tess, following the first 20 years between Outbreak Day and the events of TLOU and 2. A very non-canon-compliant fix-it fic that you can either take or leave, depending on whether you like happy endings or not and 3. A collection of stories based on reader prompts that further the tale. - Mature

Future Proof by Capricordinary on AO3 - Joel is somehow transported into the past, well before any of the events of the Last of Us Season One take place. Armed with the knowledge of everything that happened the first time around, he makes it his mission to find four year old Ellie, reunite his family and find a safe place for them in the Wyoming wilderness. Once he establishes himself as Jackson's leader, he gets to work giving Ellie the childhood and the family she deserves.

and in the end i'd do it all again (i think you're my best friend) by @seethesunny and @bradfordchens - More simply put: Tess and Joel each end up in their own time loop.

in flagrante delicto by @penandinkprincess - 5 times ellie interrupted joel and tess having some alone time, and 1 time they got all the way to the finish line - Mature

babyverse by @penandinkprincess - A series of fics where Joel and Tess find Ellie in the QZ when she's 4 and decide to keep her, the story evolves from there.

'Tess Lives' AU by @adhdprincess - Remember that crazy AU where Tess died? Glad that didn't really happen.

part of something good by @two-birds-alone-together - Tess lives. Some things change. Some things stay the same.

patching up by melforbes on AO3 - In Jackson, Tess stitches up one of Joel's injuries. - Mature

Bone Of My Bone by @emilylawsons - It takes him two years after they arrive in Jackson to convince her to marry him.

A New Dawn by @ameerawrites - One morning in Jackson, Tess reflects on grief and healing.

Taste your beating heart by @finnelfin - Tess's traveling companions are keeping secrets. (Werewolf AU) - Mature

A woman is a changeling by @treadlightlymydarlinggirl - Tess Lives and she makes the journey with Joel and Elle across the country. - Mature

where the heart is by queenkiller on AO3 - Tess makes it to Jackson.

dance by firelight by @raffinit - He’s filled with a rush of something he can’t quite place; a giddy sort of youthfulness he hasn’t felt in decades. A faded memory of prom nights and slow dances underneath disco balls lingers in the back of his mind. The overwhelming urge to touch her, feel her fingers slipping between his; to feel the weight of her body pressed against him as they danced — He moves before he can help himself. Guided, as he always is; blindly, devotedly, to her side. - Mature

At the end here, I am adding a few authors who have written so many good Tess Lives stories it's best to just go pursue their AO3 pages.

tessaservopoulos - @bradfordchens on Tumblr - Mature

Glitter_Gecko - @seethesunny on Tumblr - Mature

sillylily07 - Mature

Last, I am going to add my Tess Lives fics under the cut because I really am not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to have them on the list so I can have them all in one place.

When The Time is Wrong, We Make It Right - IE: Time Travel-Timey Whimey - What would happen if Tess, Joel, Tommy & Maria went back in time to 1992? What would change, and what would stay the same? - Mature

To Wash Internal Blackness White - IE: Five times Tess hugs Tommy, and one time he hugs her. A Tess Lives Storyline. - Mature

I'll Keep Us Together Whatever It Takes - IE: Tess makes it out of the museum, and she and Joel need a minute to process. - Mature

Above Thy Deep And Dreamless Sleep - IE: Joel and Tess are looking for a place to stay on Christmas Eve.

We're Only Going So Far - IE: Dying in your sleep isn't how anyone expects to go, not in this world, least of all Joel... and yet.

If Only We Were Pirates - Tess gets kidnapped, and Joel goes and rescues her.

Two Blue Lines Like a Crossroads - IE: Tess finds out that she might not be too old to be a mother after all. - Mature

[adhdprincess]

🚀 WIP Wednesday 👨‍🚀

Thanks for the tags, @roselees and @consultingzoologist!!

From the space AU: This is an early scene set in Ellie's orphanage.

Context: "The Belt" is a nearby asteroid belt where this planet keeps imprisoned "criminals." That location is a major part of the plot, so this scene is meant to introduce "The Belt" and portray the children whose parents were imprisoned.

No presh tags: @ketchupchipsaregross @punkassfrance @wordspinning @ellstronaut @wyked-ao3

@hypnotisedfireflies @seethesunny @emilylawsons @blessedcrow @paigegonerogue

[halfstayed]

olivia “altliv” dunham / fringe

tagged by @ronandreams to make a moodboard of my favorite villain! thanks for the tag chance I had so much fun with this 🖤

(cheating a bit because I don’t consider her a villain but I know some a lot of people do)

tagging @emilylawsons, @rhaenyra-the-gracious, @hers, @rhaelynn, @letojessica, and @danystargaryens <3

[renegadeknight]

WIP Wednesday - thank you for the tag @bumblepony

no pressure tags: @emilylawsons @becomethesun @captainredspade @lauronk and @barlowstreet

[hypnotisedfireflies]

Arien's Advent Calendar, 2024

25 days of TLOU fic

ALL CLAIMS FILLED, THANK YOU!

To say a big THANKS for supporting my fic throughout the year(s), I’m doing the Advent Calendar Fic thingamy again!  I did this last year and it became this collection of stories.

From 1 - 25 December 2024 I will be posting a short story (it will be short, I will control myself) as part of a new collection of works from Driftersverse, Making Mirrors, Interstellar Overdrive and Legend of Charro.

Beneath the cut I have a little information about the story to be written each day (universe, characters and date/era).  I’d like to dedicate each to a reader, so please claim one and I’ll write it for you.

I don’t think all days will fill up, but I’d like to give everyone a chance to get one they really like, so at this stage each person can claim ONE day only - I’ll open it up to more later on. You’re welcome to send me a few in order of preference in case someone has already beaten you to the punch on your favourite, and I haven’t yet updated the list.

If you would rather claim as anon, please give me a name or an emoji or something - just so I can identify you against your chosen day and so we don’t get multiple anons muddled up. 

Please send claims via asks so I can keep track of them in one place and if not anon, include your AO3 name (if you have one).

Happy Holidays! (And thanks to everyone who voted and helped me decide what to offer!)

DD – Driftersverse (my TLOU sandbox, Tess lives) MM – Making Mirrors (Snowqueen of Texas/Parallel Lines - no Cordyceps AU) LOC – Legend of Charro (the Western) IO – Interstellar Overdrive (70s AU) AU – Alternate Universe, unrelated

“OC/Canon, any universe” is a new entry this year.  This means I’ll write a story with the canon listed and you can choose either canon or one of my original characters to appear in the story with them, plus specify universe in which it takes place.  (Eg, Frank and Joel, IO).

Please be kind and keep it to characters I am known to write (I may refuse a claim if you start waving Owen or Mel at me) and who could reasonably interact with one another.  I’ve got enough writing to do, don’t break my brain!

“Mystery AU” is exactly what it sounds.  Last time one of these spawned IO so who knows what could happen?

“Crack box” is the one crack fic I’ll write.  Last year’s took me by surprise, but this year I’m reserving a space for it.

Where are all the Tommy/Maria fics?  They’re still getting three more stories to themselves, so that’s coming probably 2025 at this stage. O_O

1. DD Tess/Joel, 2022 @justplainsalty 2. IO Joel and Ellie, 1977 @march-flowerr 3. LOC Tess/Joel, sweetheart years @seethesunny 4. DD Tess/Joel and Tommy, 2005 @dancingonmoonbeams 5. Ellie and OC/Canon, any universe OR IO 1980 (but whom?) @finnelfin 6. DD Joel/Tess 2024 @ belantana 7. Mystery AU @finnelfin 8. DD/MM Joel and Sarah, 1993 @march-flowerr 9.  IO Tess/Joel, 1974 @emilylawsons 10. Maria and OC/Canon, any universe @ameerawrites 11. LOC Tess/Joel, bandit years @adoringhxxd 12. MM Tess/Joel and Sarah, 2005 @ammotraguslervia 13. DD Tess/Joel and Ellie, 2025 @ameerawrites 14. Tommy and OC/Canon, any universe @adhdprincess 15. Crack Box OR third Mystery AU @toomanytookas 16. IO Tess/Joel 1976 @flckrsoflight 17. DD Tess/Joel, Tommy/Maria 2027 @bumblepony 18. LOC Tess/Joel and Ellie, family years @chujo-hime 19. Mystery AU @bignosebushybrows 20. DD Tess/Joel 2011 @betweentwoceremonials 21. IO Tess and Ellie, 1970 @becomethesun 22. MM Tess/Joel, 2004 @bignosebushybrows 23. Frank and OC/Canon, any universe OR DD Tess/Joel 2007 @justplainsalty 24. DD Tommy/Maria, 2022 @bumblepony 25. Mystery Christmas Story @adhdprincess

[pettson]

movie tag game ❤︎︎

rules: without naming them, post a gif from ten of your favorite films, then tag ten people to do the same.

tagged by @arthurhowlett 💕🌹

no pressure tags @justplainsalty @seethesunny @emilylawsons @elialys @dilf-din @hypnotisedfireflies @finnelfin @consultingzoologist @kattangeln @rahullkohli

[elialys]

WIP Sunday

I thiiiiink @emilylawsons tagged me at some point this week, but don't take my word for it 🤣💀 In any case, here's some Helen x Dale drama from the 1st draft of the next chapter of Splintered 😇

Dale calmly reaches inside the sink, dipping his hand in creamy water, pulling on the plug to let it all drain. He watches it being sucked down, along with his ability to feel anything, welcoming his somewhat dissociative state. The last of the water is disappearing with an ugly gurgle when he hears the front door opening and closing again, Helen’s unexpected return confirmed seconds later by the sound of her voice. “We need to talk about this,” she declares, her voice thick and a bit enthused. Dale slowly turns to look at her, back to standing in the doorway. The flush in her cheeks is a familiar sight, so is the gleam in her eyes, matching that restless energy oozing out of her. She’s as incensed as he is numbed. He doesn’t even focus on the fact that she’s come back, only moments after fleeing, something of a departure from her typical behaviour, apparently refusing to do what they usually do—running off and away from each other, burying their heads in the sand. Helen wants to talk. Dale doesn’t. “We don’t, actually,” he replies evenly, his voice back to sounding more empty than anything else. He senses as much as he sees her restlessness going up a notch. “So what?” she almost snaps. “We’re just gonna pretend nothing happened?” The hypocrisy in her question is such that a burst of resentment floods his guts, his detachment dissipating for a moment, finding it rich that Helen would dare complain about that, when she’s been known to pretend their whole relationship of two years never happened. He will not lower his walls again, though. He’s been a fool long enough. For better or for worse, he knows how to make her stand down. “Believe it or not, Helen, the last thing I wanna do right now is talk about how we just made out in my dead mother’s kitchen.” It works like a charm, sparking that lovely temper of hers. To her credit, although he sees every sign of that anger taking hold of her, from her blazing eyes to her flaring nostrils, the air crackling around her, she manages to keep a grip on it, when he knows she wouldn’t mind throwing a couple of half-peeled potatoes his way. She merely lets out a frustrated hiss, in the end, clicking her tongue as she spins around, dashing out of the kitchen, already halfway through the living room when her next incensed words reach his ears. “I’m going back to Melbourne.”

[seethesunny]

🌹

Forgive the block of text I was in a mood :)

Who was Joel when they met on a random day? He had nothing. Nothing. And when that brother of his left, who gave the shell of a person another chance? To that brooding man who spent his time on the rundown bar, got himself in brutal street fights, and threw himself on the ring in Area 4? Sure, he’d earned his part most days, but having food on the table and a chance at surviving had been given by her own hand. She wanted to reclaim that back so badly she burned with the intensity of it, third-degree burns on her flesh. She wanted him to understand he was being an asshole and it was unfair. All the scars, all the pain, and the mistakes, she’d had to swallow them down and never bring them up again. She wasn’t stubborn like him. What good did it do?

for every "🌹" received in my inbox i'll post one random sentence of a random WIP i'm currently writing

[clairenovaking]

Ohhhh 10 and Tessjoel, and 21 and Tedbecca

10. guilty as sin? by taylor swift

ohh now this is one of my FAVE tessjoel songs because they're nasty and also <3 religious imagery <3

i would probably go back and expand on my priest!joel au! i'd really love to world build a little bit, especially the deliciously tense beginning when tess first arrives in town and joins the parish and they're both desperately trying not to act on their desires but they both feel the pull in their guts towards the other. each of them feeling the guilt eat them alive, not knowing that the other is thinking just the exact same thing...yum.

21. down by taylor swift

seeeeeee now this one i think fits tedbecca pretty well, especially with their bittersweet (terrible, in my honest opinion) ending, especially because i firmly believe they FUCKED that last night before ted went back to kansas.

the idea of only having that one night between them before an ocean separates them just HITS for some reason. then they're both kind of haunted by it, ted thinking all he needs is his son but his thoughts constantly straying to rebecca, the way her skin glowed beneath him, her fingers entwined with his. rebecca, just as distracted back at the club, trying to move on but constantly comparing all her dates to ted's bad jokes and silly accent and knowing no one will be able to fill the ted-sized hole in her chest.

[bumblepony]

Tess Lives Fic Rec (No Outbreak Version)

Here are my Tess Lives fic recs in no particular order! These are all fics where no outbreak happens. I have a separate list of Tess in the QZ fics coming in the next couple of days.

Making Mirrors, a Tess/Joel Modern AU by @hypnotisedfireflies - A parallel universe to Drifters - the life lived had Cordyceps not conquered the world. - Mature

Tin Star, a Tess/Joel Western AU by @hypnotisedfireflies - The Sheriff and the Outlaw: sweethearts, bandits, soulmates. Magic horses. - Mature

Night Fever, a Tess/Joel 1970s AU by @hypnotisedfireflies - 1970s Bodyguard/Boss AU. - Mature

Of Artists and Architects by @emilylawsons - A Cordyceps-Free Tessjoel AU. - Mature

littlest digit, you've got the world by the handle by @ketchupchipsaregross - Ellie turns one surrounded by family.

smoke, ash, and strays by @ketchupchipsaregross - Joel (a firefighter) just wants to do his job and go home smelling like a campfire, it'd be great if the raccoon child from the alley would let him do that in peace.

dodors (and other birds) by @ketchupchipsaregross - How Tess and Joel accidentally restarted parenting in their 40s.

put it down in the pleasure of your company by Nyxierose on AO3 - "Normal functional people who live in mid-ring suburbs occasionally ask favors from people nearby and it’s not weird at all." Or, in which Tess gets into a lot more than she plans, but what else is new. - Mature

sweeter than sin by @raffinit - MODERN AU: Joel is a single dad of tweeny bopper Sarah. Tess is a single mom of teeny bopper Ellie. They've established a pretty comfy routine of being strictly fuck buddies. Until they're not. - Mature

the conjuring by @bradfordchens - Married demonologists Joel and Tess Miller hunt the supernatural together, all while raising two daughters.

we could walk forever, walkin' on the moon by @boopernatural - The one where Joel, Tess and Ellie take a family road trip to see a shuttle launch.

If I Had To Stay In A Haunted House With Anyone, It Would Always Be You by Steph_Puppet on AO3 - If someone had told Joel a few years back that he would end up traveling across the country with a self-proclaimed medium, sending ghosts back to where they belonged, he would not have believed them.

This section includes stories in which Tess is a Part of the story, but the story revolves more around a different pair's dynamic. So, Tess is more of a supporting cast member. These are still great stories, but Tess is just not a primary player.

a light in the dark of this danger (bookshop!au) by @two-birds-alone-together - The Bookshop AU! Joel Miller owns The Back Shelf, a bookstore located in Back Bay. He has no idea that his life is going to change when a girl walks into the store on an oppressively hot Boston day.

Ellie Williams' Guide to Teenage Rebellion by @simoncowellstits - Ellie is the president's Daughter, and Joel is her secret service agent.

Right Where We Belong by cauldron_zeta on AO3 - Frank has upheaved his life to move to almost the middle of nowhere. His closest neighbour isn't really a people person but Frank has always liked a challenge. - Mature

Compassionate Friends by @mildredellie - Ellie & Joel meet at a grief support group they were both forced to attend.

move so quickly (it can't catch me) by @howtotrainyourdoofus - Ellie navigating her first job as a professional ballet dancer and all the joys and strife that come with it.

Stubborn Love by @renegadeknight - Your favorite feral father-daughter duo repackaged, now with 95% less zombies and 99% more modern problems (golfing isn’t one of them)

world around you by @boopernatural - Joel's first date in two decades gets interrupted when his kid needs him.

To Have Loved Someone by Joels_revolver on AO3 - On her way back to Jackson, Ellie is teleport into a world where the cordyceps doesn't exist and Joel is very much alive.

At the end here, I am adding a few authors who have written so many good Tess Lives stories it's best to just go pursue their AO3 pages.

tessaservopoulos - @bradfordchens on Tumblr - Mature

Glitter_Gecko - @seethesunny on Tumblr - Mature

sillylily07 - Mature

Last, I am going to add my Tess Lives fics under the cut because I really am not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to have them on the list so I can have them all in one place.

Fate Makes Fools of Us All - Tess is Ellie's foster mom AU. - Mature

A Soul For Sale Or Rent - Ellie is a Ghost, and Joel is the only one who can see her. She needs his help to figure out what happened to her before it's too late.

In Another Time and Another Place - Joel and Tess meet at a bar in an Alternate Universe where the Cordyceps Outbreak never happens. - Mature

Ashes denote that Fire was - Behind Closed Doors - The Firefighter Joel Miller AU that only a few people asked for and I just had to write it. - Mature

Construction Corner with Joel Miller - Joel has his own TV Show on HGTV and Ellie is a foster kid who comes on as a helper and things progress from there.

And Baby Boy Makes Four - An AU where no apocalypse happens, and Joel has two kids with his ex-wife, Sarah, and a son called Junior.

[halfstayed]

type in 'my vibe' on pinterest and pick the first six pictures that come up!

because i saw gracie do it and wanted to do it too so i’ll just say she tagged me @letojessica 🤫

no pressure tags! @rhaelynn, @emilylawsons, @rhaenyra-the-gracious, @danystargaryens, @shinsabine, @ronandreams <3

[renegadeknight]

wip wednesday on a thursday

thank you for the tag @lauronk 💙 I am desperately trying to finish up time loop fic, hopefully in the next few days

no pressure tags: @becomethesun @emilylawsons @captainredspade @bumblepony @sixhours

[hypnotisedfireflies]

Day 9: A Man of Many Talents

For @emilylawsons

“When did you learn how to type?”

Joel picked up her glass of vodka tonic and took a swig.  “Used to live with a couple of secretaries.  Bosses gave them too many letters, they’d come home and work on them.”

“And you’d help?”

“Sometimes.”

“In exchange for …”

Joel ran his tongue across the front of his teeth and gave a nonchalant little shrug.

“Well,” Tess scoffed.  She was too annoyed to be grateful.  “I shouldn’t be surprised.  You adapt to transactional relationships very well.”

AO3