#she loves all the Ericson kids so much

[ericsonclan]

Lilly: Why? Why stick with a bunch of kids instead of joining the Delta?

Clem, about the Ericson kids: You don’t have all the facts

Lilly: Which are?

Clem: I love them

[spacedlexi]

it honestly frustrates me when i see people reduce the ericsons cast down to "just some teens in the woods" acting like theyre no different than any other group of lone teenagers from other existing properties and treating them like an overused trope

it is sooo important to acknowledge the "troubled youth" aspect of the whole equation. theyre not just some random teens in the woods clem stumbles across. these kids were abandoned by their families for their various "difficulties" and fucked up by The System before the outbreak even began. and then once zombies started roaming the streets their familes never came back for them and the adults that were in charge of taking care of them just left them there to rot in that old boarding school (except for ms martin who was like their lee 🥺 the only person who ever saw them as the scared traumatized kids they were and died protecting them)

the whole aspect of them already being fucked up by the adults that controlled their lives is like.....kind of important when discussing the whole "delta is stealing kids to force them to fight in a war they have no real part in and want nothing to do with" aspect of the season. and its important when comparing them to clem and her journey of also suffering at the hands of the adults around her forcing her to become self reliant. AND its important when discussing the "just trying to build a safe home (and future) worth fighting for in this world that wants them dead" aspect of the season as well

these kids were forced to come together to survive. and a Lot of them didnt... theyre the only family they have left and you can tell that even when they argue with each other theyre still a close knit group who looks out for each other. theyre a Real family before clem even gets there (and its why what really happened with the twins and brody and marlon hits them all so especially hard)

all of this is what REALLY makes ericsons such a perfect home for clem. its a Real community of her True peers. theyre not Just teens. they mightve had a layer of safety clem never had by at least having walls to keep them safe. and having the benefit of the school being hard to find. its the only reason theyre still alive when clem shows up. but theyre also some of the only people who can Truly understand where clem and aj are coming from. and its why it hurts so much when they vote to kick them out. but its also partially why she merges back into the fold so easily when she returns. plus the fact that shes Really the only one who has any idea what shes doing. shes their rock and she makes them feel safe because underneath it all theyre still just those scared traumatized kids ("EVERYONE is scared, clem..." vi was Definitely including herself in that 'everyone'), and on some level, so is clem

they saved clementines life. and she saved theirs. "the school was supposed to help them with their trauma, now they help each other" its about the LOVE the COMMUNITY the SUPPORT!!!! and thats the shit that makes good zombie media honestly ���

[theoneandonlycoralinejones]

Some General Ericson's Kids Headcannons

Louis

Despite it being the zombie apocalypse, he still takes a great care in his appearance. Maybe this could be tied back to his insecurities, but he generally just finds comfort in looking nice. He kept a few colognes from before, and maybe even still has a few hair products. Of course he’d had to be resourceful to make them last this long, probably pours water into the almost empty cologne bottles to make them last longer. He also just dislikes being dirty in general, always wiping down his clothes and typically taking breaks to freshen up. 

He wants to keep the artistic spirit alive, even in the apocalypse, and he really admires people who feel the same. Everyone knows he loves piano, but when somebody actually shows interest in it he can't help but get giddy. He can ramble about musicians and songs for hours and hours and hours, and if you ever found him some new records or sheet music you'd officially be his new favorite person; ever.

Definitely was an only child; his parents put all of their focus on him, watched his every move. He was expected to get good grades, go to a good college, get a hard well-paying job afterwards. He was definitely spoiled money-wise, but his family lacked in the love and affection department. 

Violet

I’d like to think that if she ever got the chance to, she’d try to give herself a piercing. Obviously it’d be unsanitary and sort of implausible during the apocalypse, but if you think about it, all she’d need would be a needle, the piercing itself, and some sort of disinfectant, so it could possibly happen. If she did get one, probably an eyebrow piercing or a septum. She definitely isn’t the type to care too much about her appearance, but she would feel super cool having a piercing. (She wouldn’t say it though, lol)

Violet lacked any sort of hobby in the game, and this upset me. (Ruby has gardening/being a nurse, Louis has music, Tenn has art, Mitch has weapons, Omar has cooking, Aasim has writing, etc.) I feel like if she had a hobby it'd be something she'd do in secret, maybe poetry or writing songs. She definitely is the type of person to bottle her emotions up, so writing poems about it would definitely be a nice way to cope with them. She’d never share her poetry with anyone though, it's just her thing; she's way too embarrassed of it. 

If she was able to listen to any music she would definitely like indie or punk music. (Pavement, she would LOVE pavement) She’s definitely the type of person to crush on more alternative people, so I could see her trying to get into goth music just to impress a girl she likes. 

Marlon

It's obvious that he's definitely got some hefty mental issues going on, he's the type of person to bottle things up forever till he just blows up. He panics a lot in tough situations, scrambles to fix things himself, but has a hard time making things work out alone. I'd imagine his parents were probably perfectionists of some sort; who pushed a lifestyle he didn't want onto him and he tried hard to succeed for them but could never be enough. Eventually one day he acted out, sick of being forced to live a life he didn't want to live, and then was sent to Ericsons's.

A lot of people hate Marlon, for reasons that are obvious, but I really don't think he was a bad guy. He was simply misguided, and made mistakes. 

Seems like the type to smoke or drink as a way to cope. Did it more often before the apocalypse and when it first started but cigarettes and alcohol are pretty much nonexistent near Ericson’s now so he was forced to quit. 

Mitch

I see many people sort of stereotype Mitch as just this guy who likes carving knives and making bombs, which definitely is true, but I think there’s much more to him. He has a very rebellious personality which leads me to believe he probably grew up in a home where being rebellious was necessary to get any attention from his neglectful parents. They are in the boarding school for a reason, so he probably was the type of kid that almost burnt down his house or something.

Definitely seems like the type to be a big softie once you get to know him. Certainly not the type to be all soft in public, but if you're spending time one on one his more gentle side will show. 

Ruby 

She has such a motherly vibe to her, so caring and sweet. Even hands out some tough love when needed. I think that's one of the reasons why she likes the greenhouse so much, she loves to take care of things; plants included. (Obviously she also liked it because of Ms. Martin, but yk)

She's certainly not the type to accept compliments easily, she just can't imagine that when people compliment her they're telling the truth. I'd imagine that the reason she punches Aasim If you dare him to kiss her is because she thinks he's playing a prank on her or something; she just finds it hard to believe that somebody would like her. (I love her, Ruby is my bae omg)

[gplovestwdg]

hiii! loving your modern au!! do you have more info about brody <3, marlon and like the rest of the ericson kidss?

Thank you for your interest and sorry it took so long for me to respond to this ask! ^^

The main Ericson's group from season 4 is split across high schoolers and young kids in my au and they live in separate areas of the school. Characters that go to the Ericson's high school are exactly the same age and in the same grade even if they're a bit younger/older in canon while characters that are younger than high school age are their canon ages.

Everyone is mostly the same though, like I've mentioned before, their roles within this au are slightly different. Marlon and Brody are the President and Vice-President of their grade respectively and as juniors (yes they're in 11th grade) they're given a lot of responsibility considering they'll be graduating next year. Also they're in a not so healthy relationship...

They share most of their classes, and Marlon definitely has anger issues that are exasperated by Brody's anxiety troubles. Here's the two of them with some unnamed students during the gym class they share ^^

It's difficult to divulge all the information regarding every character without turning this into an incomprehensible block of text so I'll be brief with other characters:

Louis and Violet are mostly the same, Louis is Marlon's childhood friend and Violet is pretty closed off and in an also not so healthy relationship with Minnie.

Minnie and Sophie are both on the school's baseball team, Minnie is similar to herself in game personality wise. She can be pretty rude and is very prone to siding with authority figures (teachers in this case) compared to those close to her. Sophie is much brighter and values the independence of students over the authority of teachers. Also Sophie and Mitch have something going on (fueled by my silly crackship in middle school haha.)

Mitch is literally the exact same lol. So are Aasim and Ruby, Aasim is the same as he is in game but he puts up a front around teachers as he's grown attached to his fellow students and doesn't particularly want to go home, since in game he's canonically basically been rehabilitated by the time of the apocalypses start. And yes, he's still pining after Ruby in my au. Omar is also virtually the same as well, he volunteers a lot to help the cafeteria ladies and gentlemen with lunch and dinner.

Tenn and Willy live in a separate section of the school for middle/elementary school aged kids and have their own teenager that they get to see once a week(Minnie/Sophie and Mitch respectively), kinda like the big brother program if you've heard of it. Though Sophie and Mitch specifically are very adept at sneaking around and seeing them near daily.

Here's a little relationship chart with all the kids ^^ Some relationships are a bit one-sided and some are multifaceted as well! For example most of the friends/hate arrows are meant to show annoyance/resentment in the friendship.

Also AJ lives in this section of the school, unbeknownst to Clem for now. It doubles as a living space/common education for kids taken by CPS.

Finally all the teenagers mentioned are in a big friend group and since they're friends with their grades president and vice-president they're able to take advantage of certain aspects of the school like sneaking out late at night without much punishment. They like to hang out around the river near the fishing cabin and in the forest, but Marlon doesn't let them go outside his arbitrary safe zone cause he can't really make up an excuse for them to be out past there and the thought of getting into trouble with the adults terrifies him. Though they do take the train into the closest town and hangout on weekends!

Ahh movie night :')

[bourbonificould]

What do you think the ericsons kids like to read in their spare time? Who's reading fantasy novels and who's reading the old shaekespeare books from English class and Who's reading I Spy books and such?

Clementine just reads whatever she can find really. She's quite open to pretty much any genre and likes to read when she's on watch. Louis/Violet sometimes leave a book in her room, so she reads it and asks them about it to tease or impress them.

AJ definitely reads all the cool comics that the kids used to sneak into the school from stores in the cities. Perhaps a Disco Broccoli comic as well. Sometimes he'll ask Clem to read him an actual novel, but only things with names he's never heard of before.

Louis is the one who has the comic stash that he gives off to AJ. But sometimes you'll catch him sitting around in the main rooms just reading something like To Kill A Mockingbird, and actually be kinda invested, like making his own lore for the characters to yell about at dinner.

Violet reads the cute love stories. She doesn't like to admit it, but a little lovey dovey book stash is definitely sitting in her room somewhere. If you catch her lacking, you'll hear her crack a giggle or two, and she loves asking Clem if they wanna try any of the romantic things.

Willy doesn't read. Ever.

Brody likes writing her own stories, but much like a lot of people, she never actually finishes the damn stories. Her drawer is a mess of half stapled booklets that have at least 10 scrapped pages.

Omar has his cook books obviously, but generally he'll read a drama or a comedy comic. Something that fits his laidback style.

Aasim has already read like half of the library. He'll generally read back on his own massive journal diary thing. He doesn't tell anyone, but the stuff he writes is from his point of view, so he'll find himself cursing himself out and scratching over a page from 6 years ago.

Mitch reads Shakespeare sometimes, and calls him stupid for writing in this weird style, but still finds himself invested in the story. When a character dies or is in a deadly situation, he thinks its cool and makes sure to bookmark.

Marlon is sick of reading. Like genuinely sick. It's all he ever does in the office, whether its a book or if its his own notes. Throw a book his way and he'll fall asleep on page 5.

Tennessee takes books from Violet's stash. He doesn't really understand it all too much, but he thinks its nice. AJ gives him comics too, so he has his hands in both pots, sometimes asking AJ about stuff that he reads.

Ruby is all about the comedy. From kid's books to general nonsense stuff, she's not afraid to burst out into laughter at the sight of a funny passage.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

what do you think about the concept of the comic kids stumbling upon ericsons instead of clem leaving?

It's a fine concept that I doubt anyone would actually implement into their fanworks because comic bad. Most fans are too pissy about the comics to see any further than the tips of their nose, and I totally get it but it's kind of unfortunate for me since it limits the discussions significantly. I can only hear the same, "the comics ruined Clementine and TWDG, Tillie Walden bad, Skybound bad," so many times before I'm so tired that I retire to my chair with a glass of tea to stare disappointedly into the great nothing and deteriorate.

So, for fun, some ideas to toss out there:

As I said in my previous post, Amos would love Ericson. The dude would be all over the place and determined to make as many new friends as possible. I think Olivia would enjoy it, too, and maybe Georgia wouldn't be a half-assed villain... or she could've been made into a great villain... just saying, Georgia could've gotten in good with Marlon, learned about the raiders, and then convinced him to trade Amos away as a means of keeping him away from Olivia. Though, she might not have anything to worry about in this case; I maintain that Amos would've had a major crush on Ruby.

But then we get to Ricca. Within the comics, her character falters due to being Clementine's main love interest. As a concept, Ricca isn't actually that bad. It's the execution and how she's portrayed as a love interest that makes me not like her, so if we remove that, she has a shot at being a compelling character... because we're not sending her to Ericson to be a love interest, or shove her into a love triangle/square with Clementine and Louis/Violet. I think she'd get along with most of the Ericson crew, except I think she'd really butt heads with Marlon and Mitch. I can see her getting on well with Violet, too. I know saying they're alike in a lot of ways could be considered as offensive by some sensitive fans, but they're both queer girls with religious backgrounds and familial trauma and I think it's okay to entertain the idea that they'd get along. Also, they both have snark to them that could easily be bounced back and forth... or at someone else. Probably Louis, or Amos.

And honestly bring everyone except Morro from Book Two to Ericson. Get John away from his abusive mother. Let Amir be friends with AJ, Tenn, and Willy and teach them to play new games and stuff. Emi could teach them better ways to fish and could even go on longer trips to bring back bigger hauls for the group. Fen would love the school setting and would search everywhere for different maps and information about Taiwan. Hell, bring Giles and Ginette, the old French couple who don't speak much English. Let them settle down with little Mercy at Ericson where they can teach everyone how to knit and build stuff and just be grandparents to all these troubled youth.

Yeah, the comics suck, but what's a fandom to do other than take things they don't like and change them to be something they do, yeah?

[hexisssssssss]

What’s a twdg fanfic(s) that you really want to exist but don’t particularly want to write?

At the moment i have a few specific ideas. With two of them of course being Lilly centric (i heart my smoking hot wife 🫶). Also bare with me if theres like horrible grammar or anything is confusing, i got like 3 hours of sleep lol.

Starting with the Lilly ones, I really want to see a fic about what happened to her after she took the RV that lead her to the delta. Which im sure has been done before, but there was a few specific ideas i’d love to see. Starting at a pov of her alone in the RV while the others deal with the train, just to show the thought process that led to her stealing the RV. And i feel that she would end up tangled with a group or community a lot like Carver’s, or the 400 days group that Becca and Shel are in. And at some point that group has a confrontation with the Delta, maybe similar to Ericsons where they are looking for people to take as soldiers. And Lilly see’s some opportunity for some level of greater purpose or control/command and betrays her new found group to join the Delta. Some smaller details i’d also like to see is a moment where she makes some sort of small memorial or grave for Larry. And when she is alone in the RV just driving i like the idea of her reflecting on the spiral she had after Larry died and the action she ended up taking and feeling some guilt, but in the end doubling down. And moments like that to see where her head was at to lead to her personality change in s4.

The idea has been floating in my head for a while but at the moment i just don’t feel like starting it.

The other Lilly idea is basically a s4 rewrite but from her POV. I am not sure if this exists because i have not gone looking specifically. Starting probably a bit before s4 just to give some insight to what the delta may look like (which is the part i would find most interesting to see but also what makes me not really want to write it at the moment because it seems a bit of a daunting task to execute well.). Then having her and her group set off on the boat for Ericsons. For a specific cannon timeline i think it would work best if Lilly gets away alive in the end. I see it working as a better emotionally satisfying ending than if it just ended abruptly cause she gets shot like 50 times by a toddler lol.

I also think it would be neat to see an AU where Minerva actually ends up helping the Ericsons kids. And later ends up back at the school with them. With Louis being the one captured, because i have this idea in my mind of his “talking too much” maybe being him urging Minnie to help them and reminding her of Tenn. And when she shows a bit of a reaction/seems to falter and consider helping them, whoever is with her (probably Lilly) decides he needs to be punished/stopped and also in turn try and “scare Minnie straight”. But what Louis has said mixed with seeing Violet again, will still lead her to aid them. So the whole bridge scene will be avoided and both Vi and Tenn will be alive. AJ and Clem still get separated from everyone else and she still ends up without a chunk of her leg later. The bulk of the fic would be her adjusting to being back at Ericsons again. I have some ideas for plot lines/events:

- Trying to rebuild a friendship with Vi

- A longer Tenn reunion arc and her trying to be a sister to him again, with difficulty due to her literally fucking killing their sister before

- Feeling guilt over Louis’s injury and trying to make it up to him, leading to a friendship there

- Generally having to unpack/confront all that happened to her and that she did and get over the brainwashing

- Recovering from an injury she sustained while helping Vi with the bomb

- And these are just small things i feel would be interesting: a few interactions with a “overprotective/not jealous but angry at what she did to vi” clem and this fic would follow the violentine cannon. And AJ interactions because i feel like theres an interesting opportunity for a dynamic there or lesson for aj??? Idk lol

Would absolutely love to write that but i just think the idea is too all over the place atm and not fleshed out enough that i could really do much with it lol

And this last one is incredibly vauge lol. But i’ve seen a couple fics for mostly stuff other than twdg where it’s like based off/taking inspo from a song. And i think it would be cool asf to see that with Violentine/Clouis with like an Adrianne Lenker or Big Theif song.

[thecrusadercomrade]

Gonna throw this at you: but let's say the Delta did win against the Ericson kids, i.e everyone was captured during the 402 raid. How do you think life would go for the surviving kids past that point? Would they try and escape/rebel? Who would stay? I also sorta wonder how romanced routes would go, too. Would a Violentine route end with Violet opting to stay because of Minerva, or realize Minnie isn't in her right mind and would chose to escape? Would a Clouis route end with Clem protecting Louis from being maimed just to be hurt herself?

I know this is more like... a What-If or a fic all by itself than it is an ask but I have terminal brainrot syndrome and love making it everyone else's problem.

I think the group would still try to escape and get back to the school, but if they've been brought back to the main Delta settlement, I feel like it'd go pretty poorly. A few of them might survive in the end, including Clementine and AJ, but it'll be in a much more broken state than in canon. They might not even know the way back to the school, so they'll just become another lost, wandering group just trying to scrape by. A very grim ending to the season that's all about Clementine and AJ trying to find a new home.

I can't see a romanced Violet siding with Minerva and the Delta, but a non-romanced Violet just might. Perhaps she'd even become the "new" Minnie in a sense, killing another of the group after an escape attempt to prove her loyalty.

And for a romanced Louis, Clementine would definitely put herself on the line to stop him from being maimed in the same way. I don't think Lilly would hurt her to the same extent since she sees Clementine's potential as a soldier, but it still wouldn't be anything good. Louis would end up feeling very guilty for his role in getting her hurt.

[yellowsugarwords]

Clouis headcanons where Louis dies while saving tenn and then Clemintine walks into the music room and sees the "C+L" carving on the piano? I need some clouis angst

omg my heart

It felt like it had been lifetimes and seconds.

All at the same time.

All at once.

The moment was replaying in her head like a record skipping.

Clementine had felt like a ghost,

Floating from room to room,

Existing and worrying everyone she swept by.

She wasn’t the girl she used to be.

She felt empty.

Broken beyond repair.

She slowly made her way to Ericson’s front steps,

Offering gentle hums and replies to the other kids attempting to talk to her.

“Hi,”

“Morning,”

“Yeah,”

She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

She didn’t have the stomach.

She had been taking extra watch shifts to distract her mind,

But it wasn’t working.

Not when she couldn’t sleep.

Not when she offered to take the night shifts.

Not ever.

Her mind always wandered back.

Her mind was always active and replaying that moment.

That one moment.

There it was again. Back in her mind.

She squeezed her eyes, as if to push it away,

And pushed the front doors to the school open.

Visibly distressed.

Frustrated, even.

Frustrated that she couldn’t catch a break.

Not with a person. Not with life.

Not even with death.

She wandered aimlessly through the front doors,

Brushing past Tenn and Willy.

She didn’t deserve to burden them with her feelings.

It wasn’t fair to them.

They were young.

They deserved to have a childhood.

The childhood she never had.

Well, as much as they could.

Their world didn’t make it easy.

She made her way into the music room,

Her head low,

Not knowing where else to go.

She wandered into the room and her eyes locked onto the first thing she could see;

The piano.

Louis’ piano.

She wandered toward the seat slowly,

As if everything in the room was made of glass,

And sat down on the bench.

She closed her eyes,

Relishing in the feeling of sitting there again.

This is where Louis spent so many of his days,

And she felt connected to him.

Like he was still there.

With her eyes still closed, she placed her fingers on the keys,

Feeling them,

Imaging Louis’ hands wee on top of hers,

Guiding her to the proper notes to play her favorite song.

Oh My Darling, Clementine.

He was supposed to teach her how to play it.

He was supposed to be her dinner partner.

He was supposed to share watch shifts with her so they didn’t get bored at 3am.

He was supposed to be here.

He was supposed to be alive.

He was supposed to.

Clementine opened her eyes.

She needed to let a tear escape that was clinging to her lashes.

Then, she saw it.

C+L.

Carved right into the piano,

Immortalizing them.

She reached forward,

Her fingers brushing against the edged wood,

The feeling of softness,

Remembering what it felt like when Louis was sitting beside her as she did it.

The feeling of warmth.

Of acceptance.

Of love.

She broke.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Her face caved in,

And her arms slammed down on the keys.

And, burying her head in them, she sobbed.

Harder than she thought she ever had.

What was the point anymore?

What was there to fight for?

What future were they staying alive for?

What future was she staying alive for?

These days, Clementine didn’t know anymore.

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 💌☕️♡

[rrosiepetals]

Hey hey, I'm gonna do this here, because the text would be too long for the answer box below your post and I really don't wanna spam, so I'll just... yeah, do it here, if that's alright with you ^^

So, basically I got this character in mind, that grew up in the apocalypse and is 20 by the end of the game. She had a name given to her by her parents, but after losing them in the very early days of humanity's downfall, she kinda 'forgot' it. Not really, but she just didn't use it as often anymore, since she actually almost never met any other people after losing her parents.

The only thing she has left, is her little Golden Retriever dog, that she protects with her life (and vice versa). The girl is all he knows and even though he is well trained from the start thanks to her parents, he is very protective of her, resulting in some... not so pleasant situations with strangers.

The name of the dog is still debatable xD I'm thinking about calling him Rosso or Rufus, but haven't decided yet.

Anyway, they try to survive together, living of everything they can find and taking whatever they can to live a somewhat comfortable life together.

As they grow up, with the help of a few people they meet on the way but leave again, the girl and the dog become real survivors, developing certain routines when scouting out the area or when trying to reach food, that seems a bit risky to take.

They develop a strong bond and the girl has been given many names by the people they met now, never saying what her real name was and never telling anyone, what happened to her family. She wants to leave that all behind, even though she tries to keep the memory of her parents.

At one point, the girl and the dog even meet the Ericson Kids, but after a few days of staying there, talking to them and even helping 'em out, she leaves again (making her dog pretty sad, since he got to be good friends with Rosie).

But she decided for herself, that she's not made for groups and that her dog is all she needs.

After a few more years, her dog is 14 years old by then, he becomes really sick though. He couldn't walk that much before that, but now he can barely move a muscle without feeling pain. They travel one last time together, until they reach their hometown, where everything began.

The dog passes away after a few more hours there and the girl, well, young woman, is on her own again. For the first time since the apocalypse started. She buries the dog and gives him a nice little tree for his eternal rest, then she mourns him and leaves the next morning.

After being alone for some time, she finds herself in a big city, where she's looking for food. In a dumpster, she finds a young puppy, who's been abandoned by his mother and littermates. So she takes him with her, training him, guiding him, until he's big enough to defend himself. She gives him the choice to come with him or leave, but as attached as he already is to her, he follows her.

Just like her first dog did all those years ago. And with them, the story continues.

Well, these are my thoughts on her so far, thanks for listening ^^

So sorry, I just got to this as this month has been a very busy one for me!!!

I love this!! There’s a lot to be told with this story, the poor babies. Honestly in the apocalypse things get real fucked up to where you question if you can really put your trust in humanity, however no matter the given situation you can always rely on a furry friend.

I know throughout the series there hasn’t been any good luck with animals but in a case where you can have time to form a connection with them is all the more heartwarming! Ugh it does break my heart, but I’m so glad she has another puppy to take care of here! 😭😭 Thank you for sharing! I would love to hear more in the future! <3

[jntz0m]

Chapter I: Hajimari

       As I sit here, trying to find the right words, I can’t help but think back on all the steps I’ve taken to get to this moment. Every step I've taken feels like a small part of who I am, like a piece in a puzzle forming my story life. From the carefree days of my childhood to the chaotic times of growing up, and now, navigating the complexities of adulthood, my life has been a mix of highs and lows, laughter and tears. So as I write these words, I invite you to join me on this journey through the chapters of my life.

              

                         At 6:00 p.m., my mom was rushed to Mandaluyong City Medical Center. The nurses took my mom to the Labour, Delivery, and Recovery Room (LDR). By 7:00 p.m. On February 20th, I was pronounced born. Born at ninety-nine ounces, my mom was holding her youngest child. She gazed at me with delight. At first, my dad wanted to name me “Armando S. Monteclaro The Third” to take after him and my grandpas’ names, but my mom disagreed; I would also disagree; that was such a bad name suggestion. Maybe my father was joking when he said that, because I'm the third child, so he will name me “Armando the third.” My mother then looked back at me again with a bright smile and named me “Jonathan.” “Jonathan S. Monteclaro” was the third child of her.

                          I was born into a big family with two older brothers. Both of my parents worked at their own sari-sari store before they established their own store. Mom used to work abroad as a maid in different countries like Japan, Russia, and the UAE. Dad had different jobs, such as hotel manager, cook, and driver, to provide for the family. My two older brothers were jealous of me because of the way my parents treated me. I was spoiled to say the least. Before I was born, my family was poor and didn't have much money. So my parents didn't have much to give to my two older brothers. My father's side family’s reaction to my birth was exuberant. My grandparents celebrated my birth, and I felt the family's love; it was right to call it home. At a very young age, they were spoiling and protecting me. Looking back, I was a very cute and adorable baby. Who wouldn’t spoil a cute and adorable baby, right?

                     That was the only earliest memory that I can recall when I was a baby/toddler. Thanks to my mom for telling me some parts of the story. New memories covered up my old memories, so I’ve forgotten most of my memories. There are minor details of it, but not the whole picture of it. It's often like a blurry vision and a dream, almost. It’s there, but I cannot seem to remember all of it. 

             My eldest brother’s name is "Ericson." . I like to describe him as a hard-working brother; at the age of 14, he was very mature. My brother realised that being delinquent won't help our family situation any better. So taking a step forward and being an ideal older brother for us to be disciplined, as he already had seen how hard life was at a young age. My older brother's name is "Biannong.” He is a very rebellious, stubborn, and troublesome older brother. He always causes trouble for my parents, whether inside or outside school. My brother Biannong was frequently getting expelled for cutting classes and fighting with his classmate in Addition Hills Integrated School (AHIS). He even stole money from my parents and got away with it and later found out he stole it. I was the favorite son out of us three brothers. Well, I can say that because my parents always give me whatever I want, From toys to clothes. I remember having three sacks full of toys. It was ridiculous that at that time, they had to sell and donate those toys to other kids. I was also the one who attracted most of the attention to the family, I was the favorite child out of the three brothers. 

     

          Regarding being a complete family, my mom wasn’t always there for me, and my aunt Elvie was the one who raised me to be who I am today. Well, I understand that because my mom used to work in Japan, and she has to go outside the country for work. But sometimes there are moments in life that we want a hug. A hug from the person you cherish. At that time, I never understood why Mom is always not there for me. It felt uneasy.

                      I cried,

                     cried,

                    and cried

           I cried. wanting, craving for my mom to come back, to feel her warmth and affection, and to hug her more. I couldn't do anything, and I felt lonely and then darkness. I asked my aunt Elvie if she remembered what I did, but she and I could not remember. This memory was hazy; my aunt couldn’t know what I was talking about. The story isn’t finished. It’s just starting.

- Next chapter Corpuz-

[ericsonclan]

do you have any personal headcannons for what some of the ericson kids home lifes were like?

Louis: He had a very privileged upbringing but also grew up in a very controlling household. Image is everything. Everything that he did was watched and critiqued by his dad and if he wan't good enough he didn't receive love and affirmation. His mom didn't agree with his dad's way of parenting but she didn't speak up for Louis. Louis' lack of self confidence and self love were caused by his upbringing.

Violet: She had a horrible upbringing. She had some people that were safe to her like her grandparents and her mom as well when she wasn't completely burnt out. But her dad was an abusive drunk who made her childhood hell. She had pockets of time where it was safe like being at her grandparents but the rest of the time she was in an intense abusive setting that she felt like she would never escape. Her defenses and the walls she puts up around people are an outcome of her life growing up.

Sophie, Minnie and Tenn: They had a really good home life. Their parents were really nice and loving but they died and for years the three of them were tossed around in the foster system. No one wanted to adopted three kids and as a result they ended up at Ericson because the system didn't know what to do with them.

Omar: He had very strict, hardworking parents so his home life had very much the same mindset. His parents loved him but didn't necessary like him. They blamed their inability to connect to be something wrong with him. Those "problems" being his quietness and lack of showing strong emotions. Thus they sent him to Ericson.

Aasim: He lived in a household that held him to very high expectations. He went above and beyond in reaching those but he could not hold back his love of fire. He ended up setting something on fire in the neighborhood and greatly pissed off the neighbors who threatened to sue unless his parents sent him somewhere.

Ruby: She had a very loving and accepting household. Her mom passed away when she was young which left her with her dad and her many brothers. Most of the time everything was great but once her anger issues started showing up then problems started happening. She punched a kid so hard they pissed themself all over the playground and so Ruby was sent to Ericson to learn how to be a proper lady.

Brody: She had the most normal, boring upbrining. She lived in a very plain household. Her parents had a kid because "that's what couples do" and so there was always a disconnect between her and her parents. Her anxiety was something very alien to them and they couldn't relate. When her anxiety kept getting worse they kept getting more frustrated and decided to send her to a school to "fix" it.

Mitch: He grew up in a low income household. His mom passed away when he was young and so his dad tried his best to raise him but it was a struggle. His dad had his hands full with just trying to get bread on the table so when Mitch started picking fights over neighborhood kids teasing him about his face and when he blew something up his dad didn't know what else to do but send him away.

Willy: He grew up with a more conservative family. So when he started touching himself they thought he was possessed by the devil. Prayers and church weren't working and they found a brochure for Ericson so they sent him there, partly to try and help him and partly to get rid of him because they were creeped out by him.

Marlon: A very all American household, white picket fence, working class but getting by, very patriotic. His dad voted for Trump. His mom didn't vote because that's not a woman's place. It was a miracle he turned out pretty okay. He had bad anxiety around things surrounding school like tests and sports. So one day he decided to steal a car to blow off some steam. He got caught with that stolen car that he took for a joyride. So to Ericson he went!

[spacedlexi]

HEY LEXI FIRST OF ALL WANTED TO SAY LOVE YOUR STUFF ! ANYWAYSS umm so I've seen a lot of it recently here on twdg tumblr and I'm not too sure if you've ever talked about him, but I wanted to know what you thought of Duck Lives AUs?

I imagine he'd be just as happy as Clem and AJ to find a place like Ericson's, but do you have like a vision of how he'd be like? He'd be 17-18 so like... maybe who he'd get along with most, if he'd romance someone just as Clem does maybe?

ik its hard since hes just a kid in s1 but ig i wanted to see what some of my fav blogs think ! thanks and have a nice dayyy

i dont think a lot about [character] lives aus since so many of the deaths were important character and plot beats, as well as growth moments for clementine. ducks specifically being the one that made her begin to reckon with her own possible demise (lees makes it feel inevitable. and every death after just solidifies that idea). and is the catalyst for lee teaching her how to survive

THAT SAID i will indulge just for you anon

youre right that its hard to say since he was just a kid at the time. its also hard to take into account how major plot moments would have happened if he was around, and how he would react to those moments to turn him into who he would be at 17/18. how hardened would he have become? how much of that goofy side of himself would have remained? like in clems case i always forget Just how much of a baby she was in S1 like Oh My God... angel... (im not even gonna think about what impact ducks survival would have had on how clem turned out too like there are layers here)

so 🤔 i can see him remaining more openly positive than clem but still hardened enough by his life experiences to turn him into someone just as tired as clem is in S4. he would have had to do a lot of maturing, but him wanting to help lee solve that "case" shows he wants to be a help to the group so i dont think he would be adverse to it. he was a typical kid but he listened to direction without real complaint. like he was a good kid. if he were to survive to S4 i could see him being on a similar level to clem but i do think she would remain the smarter one of the two of them. i like to think he would retain some of his goofiness, or it would at least come back to the surface the way that lighter side of clem did

in regards to who hed get along with most, i could see mitch and willy. maybe louis too. and i just honestly dont care enough about romance to be able to make a call on that. maybe hed think ruby was cute, he might like her bossy nature, but still kind and a little silly herself

and thank you :) 💕!!

[edorazzi]

i’ve been going through A New Frontier again (to recover from the entirety of season 4) and i live for javi being ride or die with clem no matter how hard she tries to be an ice queen. he can be such a dorky, embarrassing, loving dad and it’s wonderful! (´∀｀)♡

( twitter | patreon )

[ruewrote]

𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟.

PAIRING: louis x fem!reader WARNINGS: idk GENRE: angst but then alot of fluff SONG INSPIRATION: drama by roy woods [ft. drake] WORD COUNT: 1.3k

navigation | ask

it was dark when they had arrived

a commotion going on near the front gate, only muffled yells and the shuffling of boots were heard.

curious you made your way over to see what was happening. that’s when you saw her.

her unconscious body draped over louis’s shoulder, a little boy on vi’s. they hurriedly made their way to the twins old room, you followed in pursuit, trying to see what had happened.

your footsteps soon coming to an abrupt stop when louis had shut the door in your face, not acknowledging you were there of course — he’d never do that to you! well at least you didn’t think so.

feeling some sort of disappointment as you made your way back to the table you were sat at beforehand. hunting knife in hand as you started to sharpen the blade.

an unknown emotion bubbling up in the pit of your stomach, he'd always comes to you as soon as he gets back from a supply trip. you pushed the thoughts and the lump in your throat down — just overthinking like usual… well you can only hope.

well that was a week ago and you couldn't have been more wrong.

when the girl had awoken, she had most definitely been the defensive type, scrambling around the abandoned school more than likely trying to find the kid that she came in with?

soon discovering her name as clementine. such a pretty name, for such a pretty girl.

they both reunited in the music room, louis by their side — smiling at them happily.

her and him squabbled a little before he started singing a familiar melody, with a gasp shuffling so your back was pressed against the wall next to the door, tears stung in your eyes.

after that you barely saw him — making your best effort in avoiding him, he made that pretty easy since he was so preoccupied.

you definitely weren't the jealous type, well you at least you thought you weren't until you saw clementine laugh at something that louis said, grasping his arm as she did so.

you'd often volunteer to go out with another to hunt for food or supplies to try and escape the reality back at base. all of the realisation flushed over you as you made your way back, rabbits in hand.

it wasn’t in your head as he invited her over to the table for dinner each night…

in your spot.

it wasn't in your head as he leant in and flirted with her…

as he once did with you.

turning back to your own table you were sat on with tenn, him giving you a small smile, the young boy told you all about the new drawings he had made that day; trying to make up for your sadness, not knowing why. you did your best with smiling and powering through, trying to ignore what was happening behind you it was reassuring until the sound of lou’s laugh had fallen upon your ears.

your heart clenched in sorrow, feeling defeated as you swung your feet around the seat of the picnic branch. running off to your room not being able to handle the embarrassment of it all.

slamming the door to your bedroom, sobs racking throughout the room as you slide down the closed door, you knew what you were feeling now, an overpowering emotion of betrayal. jealousy. hurt.

yeah, you and louis weren't official but at the time it had never felt like that bond could be threatened. ever since you had gotten to ericson he had been your constant.

nine times out of ten he would be bringing you a coffee, giving you a kiss on the forehead to start the day. it took one look, one hi, one laugh and you felt like all of it was over.

with blurred vision your eyes scanned the room, god you hadn't really been in this room since you two had gotten close. you remember when you had first stumbled upon the school, when you had first laid eyes upon the boy that you... love?

your parents had told you about love when you were much younger, before the apocalypse, the type of love they only talk about in books or movies. where you'd do literally anything for the person you cared about.

you hadn't realised how strongly you had felt for the boy, but the more you thought about it, the more it made sense. you were in love with louis.

your sobs soon turned to slight sniffles here and there as you gathered yourself, wiping the tears that had previously most of them already dried on your face leaving marks on your splotchy pink cheeks.

thinking more about your new discovery, you knew you had felt this way about him since you had met him. you'd never use the word love, but it was the one to describe it the best.

a knock at the door interrupted your scattered thoughts.

"come in!" as soon as the words fell from your mouth you regretted it seeing as he walks through the door, face full of worry, it became more concerned as he sees turns from the door to be met with your red and puffy eyes.

"what happened? why are you crying?" he continued to question you, not giving him any answers, you couldn't. the lump in your throat was back and your bottom lip wobbled.

falling to your knees as the tears once again streamed down your face, louis ran to your side - holding you. it was nice, the feeling of familiarity. soon remembering this past week, shoving him off of you. scooting away with your back pressed up against the wall.

the cries became louder.

"fuck you! you don't to come in here and act like e-everthing's perfectly fine." words coming out rushed and spluttered.

"you left me, you dropped me out of nowhere louis! do y-you know how that m-made me feel?" his expression was pained and voice was silent.

"oh my god! even now you've only just realised it. really? is that all it took a pretty face to come along and now she's got you wrapped you around her f-fucking finger?"

"it's not like that y/n! of course i didn't forget about you. ive just had alot on my plate and i-i have missed you." he moved closer to me, trying to reach out and reassure me.

pushing him off of you again, knowing ill cave if i let him touch you right now.

his voice echoed back and forth with yours. emotions running wild.

"i'm in love with you louis."

the room fell quiet. all but staggered breathing was heard.

“w-what?” not hearing the answer you wanted, you started to get up to walk out, reaching the door but stopping when a pair of arms wrapped around you.

weakly trying to escape them but failing miserably.

“stop! just stop! listen to me!”

your struggling only stops when you hear the six words back. melting into his touch, turning around to him — looking up into his eyes.

he begins to wipe the tears away with his thumbs and nods with a goofy smile.

“i’ve been in love with you since you got here, if i didn’t make that obvious enough as it is.”

“b-but what about clementine? you’ve been—”

louis throws his head back dramatically the tilting his chin back down to look at you. that's when he leaned down to leave a soft peck to your lips shutting you up.

“all i’ve done is talk her ear off about you ever since she’s got here, you’re the one i want, i’ve only ever wanted you.” he leant his forehead against your own.

after a week you finally felt at peace in louis's arms.

© ruewrote.

[bourbonificould]

okay, i LOVED your headcanons and you told me to ask if i wanted more so here i am. any and all of your favourite headcanons 3.2.1 go!

Sure! Let's go for it

Carley hated her job, and wished everyday that her news editor would retire or just leave. But when she died, Carley couldn't help but feel strong guilt over it despite not having much to do with it.

Carver definitely had a girlfriend/wife before the apocalypse, but never had a child. His fixation on Rebecca is due to him really wanting a child, and he would do it no matter what.

Doug loves cookies, and kept a pack on him quite often when he'd go on his IT Guy services.

The Ericson Kids had a car in the past, but Brody and Marlon didn't let anyone use it, eventually losing it when one of the dead kids stole it and crashed it.

Alvin killed George due to accidentally believing that he was one of the Howe's guards and panicking with his pistol. It's one of the reasons why he doesn't give Clem the gun when she asks for it, not wanting her to make a mistake like him.

Lee definitely wanted a daughter first with his wife. He seems glad to treat Clem, and it felt like he wanted to learn and grow up with her around. He was friends with the State Senator, which is how the affair ended up happening.

Clementine and Christa went days without talking to each other after Omid's death, and did the same after her baby died. Clem was fine with the silence for a little while, but at some point she began having constant nightmares and would force conversations with Christa to stop thinking about them.

Ruby and Ms. Martin would spend nights together with the elder teaching Ruby how to stitch wounds, even giving Ruby a cut on her arm to see if she could stitch herself up.

AJ's first walker kill came when Clem was sleeping in, and their little spot got infiltrated by one lone walker. He also has a scar on his left ankle from getting cut one time at the McCaroll Ranch.

Carlos isn't actually a doctor, he just has good knowledge on medicines and that area, but was never qualified or anything.

Uncle Pete actually wanted to keep Clem around and was glad to teach her some things, considering how Nick turned out.

David Garcia divorced/broke up with Gabe & Mariana's mother due to his military services. She didn't like how much he stayed away from the family, and eventually left.

Tripp is a gym bro, he has great genes and got really big, but never actually learnt to fight or anything.