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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 4 years

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TWDG: The Final Season | Character Discussion | 1/2

Part 1 | Part 2

“Everyone’s counting on me to step up. Be the leader they need me to be... I really want to be that for them.”

So.... let’s talk about Marlon.

I mean, let’s really talk about him. Ever since I started this blog, some common questions I get revolve around Marlon- “How do you feel about Marlon?” “Do you think he deserved a redemption arc?” “Why do you think he was sent to Ericson?” “In your opinion, is Marlon a bad person?” and many others.

Some ask with expectations that I’ll express a distaste or hatred for him, while others ask with a more sympathetic approach. If you know me, if you’ve been here for a while, then you know that I do indeed like Marlon as a character, and today I want to talk about him from my perspective while playing this game.

And with that comes a seemingly unnecessary disclaimer, but one I feel I need to add in order to make it abundantly clear: I will be discussing MY thoughts, experiences, and feelings about Marlon within TFS and give my take on his character. Because we’re not the same person, you may have a different opinion or perspective on his character, you may disagree with something I say, and that’s perfectly okay. You’re entitled to your opinion as I am mine, and I do encourage you to join in on the discussion and express your thoughts about Marlon, but I also want to let you know that you can do that without attacking me or anyone else.

Really, this is pretty much me looking at Marlon’s role and arc within TFS, discussing points of his character that I find interesting, exploring the why’s and how’s of his actions, maybe coming up with a couple theories as to why he was sent to Ericson, and basically giving a lot of personal opinions of him. It’s a discussion meant in good fun, that’s all I’m saying.

Before we dive right in, I do want to thank @pi-creates for providing me with most of the screenshots used in this. I appreciate the help! If you haven’t already, go check out Pi’s blog for some of the best screenshots and model swaps in the TWDG community! Thank you, thank you!

[First and foremost, y’all are sleeping on Ray Chase’s performance as Marlon and it really shows]

“Looks like I was announced as Marlon, the central focus in this first episode of The Walking Dead Season 4 coming in a few weeks. I've been playing this series since the beginning, and it was a real honor to be a part of the canon. I hope you enjoy!“ - Ray Chase’s Twitter account | July 26, 2018

I want to start this off with praising Marlon’s voice actor, Ray Chase, for doing such a perfect job of bringing Marlon’s character to life. Every emotion and infliction feels genuine, and there’s isn’t a single moment where I don’t “see” Marlon, y’know? I mean that in the sense that every line delivered is believable and doesn’t break my immersion with, “Oof, they really used that take?”

I know we throw praise upon Melissa, Tayla, Sterling, and Gideon [and for good reason, they’re all fantastic, too!] but even with them there are a couple of lines that I notice have a lack of flow or sound just a bit off. I’ve played TFS how many times? And not once have I had that issue with Ray Chase as Marlon, so bravo to this man. Credit where credit is due, his performance is damn near flawless.

Especially in the confrontation scene at the end of Done Running. I’ll get into that scene as a whole later, but just looking at the performance and the intense, impactful emotion brought to that scene, just..... *chef kiss*

Thank you, Ray Chase.

[What’s up with your haircut, Marlon?]

“Uh, I look cool... I say, I look cool.”

Lemme talk a little bit about Marlon’s design- I think he looks great.

I love the little details in the Ericson varsity jacket he wears... including the fact that it looks just a tad bit too snug on him. Like, either the boy doesn’t have another jacket or he’s grown so attached to this one that he’s not willing to admit that he’s outgrown it a bit.

I’ve had a lot of people point out that it’s nice to see a teenage character in these games with actual acne since most media pretends that acne just doesn’t exist, and I agree. We all know that if this were more realistic, then everyone would have terrible, greasy, dirty skin but... y’know.

And y’know what? I like the mullet! It’s unique! And I choose to believe it’s a representation of Marlon’s past with bad decisions he’s too stubborn to admit were bad decisions... I mean, he’s had it since he was a kid and hadn’t grown it out or cut it off [to our knowledge, I suppose] sooo... there’s that.

Or maybe he does actually think it looks badass. Either way.

Hell, my biggest complaint about Marlon’s design is that I wish they kept more to this concept art attire:

Because Marlon looks super good in this concept art. I love the headband with the mullet and his clothes actually look more comfortable... but like, it’s fine. He still looks great in the game, his little jacket’s cool, bringing back the mullet...its fine. I’m just sayin’. He looks great.

[Marlon’s introduction in TFS]

“It's our little kingdom. I just do what I can to keep the peace. Wasn't always like this, though. There used to be a lot of us, but...you know how it goes.”

Let’s talk about how Marlon’s introduced.

We get our first look at him after Clementine and AJ crash their car during the walker attack. A bunch of arrows come flying, hitting walkers attempting to get ahold of them, and as Clementine glances over she sees a figure pulling AJ out of the car. And even though you can tell it’s Marlon, this closer shot from Pi-

-100% confirms that it’s him. Not that you had any doubt, but still.

What’s interesting, though, is that while snooping around for some insight about Marlon from the writers/devs, wandering around reddit, replaying the game myself, and even glancing over the all-knowing wiki that’s never wrong ever, it seems agreed upon that Marlon wasn’t alone, despite no one else being specifically mentioned to have helped Clementine and AJ.

Which makes sense that that’d be the case, but I did come across a handful of people who are pretty adamant that he was alone, which is an interesting take, though I disagree.

I’m pretty sure most people do, too. I mean, Marlon says, “It's good we found you when we did. It wasn't easy getting you two out of that wreck, and walkers were on the way.” So I don’t even think that was the writers’ intention of it being solely Marlon who saved them.

What’s funny is I came across a post Instagram [I know, the most legitimate source for info and thoughtful opinions] that was surprisingly trying to redeem/defend Marlon rather than chastise him by claiming he’s a hero who saved Clementine and AJ by himself.

The thing is, they’re both unconscious after the wreck, so unless Marlon has super-human speed to grab AJ, zip around the car to grab Clementine, and then uses super-human strength to carry both of them AND their belongings all while killing any threatening walkers coming after them with his bow... I’m gonna have to press [X] Doubt.

Besides, I like the idea of it being vague. I like to think that was the intention. “Who was Marlon with? A hunting party! You fill in the blanks!” That sort of deal.

With everything that we know about Marlon and the safe-zone, it does lead to questions about why he and whoever felt they had to go outside it to see what was happening. Marlon points out in his conversation with Clementine that they “had to work fast. I don't know what would've happened if we hadn't seen the smoke...” And later Violet mentions an explosion, so I think it’s safe to say that they heard the explosion and followed the smoke to the location.

If you don’t know about the raiders and the twins [like it’s your first time playing] then you probably assume that Marlon and his group were being kind in rescuing them, which I don’t doubt but it does make you wonder about things from Marlon’s perspective, y’know?

This is one of those “shhh, don’t think, just go with it” moments. If I had to give a reason, I’d say that the group he was with didn’t think twice about checking it out and even if Marlon did protest, he didn’t have much choice but to follow. Then, seeing that it’s Clementine and AJ, I believe he genuinely wanted to save them.

“All alone with the kid? Not a pleasant thought. I've seen some rough scenes. But that one would've been up there.”

We get our second and more official introduction to Marlon after Clementine escapes her dorm and confronts Tenn... and it’s pretty fucking good. I mean, everything from him being hidden in the shadows with his bow drawn, to the clear concern yet sternness in his voice as he assures Clementine they’re not going to hurt her and to put the knife down, to his sympathetic apology for scaring her is just an A+.

One thing this season does exceptionally well is introducing its characters. Marlon has such a confident yet chill way about him when you first meet that it’s actually disheartening to think that in two hours he’s gonna be pulling a gun and MURDER....

Sigh.

Let’s not jump that far ahead yet. I’m not ready.

What I find appealing about this next part is Clementine’s reaction to seeing the inside of Ericson for the first time and how taken aback she seems by it. I also love how easy and comfortable it is to talk with Marlon as they’re walking through the yard even though we just met him.

I enjoy that you can tell he’s trying to get a better idea of who she is without pressuring or overwhelming her and doing his best not to offend. And even when Clementine questions if he doesn’t think she can handle herself, he’s decent about apologizing and explaining that’s not what he meant. But he’s also not afraid to be upfront about AJ’s behavior since they brought him here, either.

He does come off as annoyed when talking about AJ being a handful. We don’t know how long Clementine’s been passed out or how long they had to deal with AJ after he woke up, so who knows how much of a little terror AJ was before they either dumped him with Louis or Louis decided to take him to the music room to chill... where he then bit Ruby.

Anyway, the first impression I got of Marlon is that he’s genuinely friendly, trying to help Clementine and AJ even if AJ’s been a nuisance, and he’s confident in the system he has in place for them. He is rather forward and proud about being the school’s leader when first telling Clementine.

Having played through the whole season several times and knowing how Done Running ends, it’s interesting to look at Clementine’s first conversation with Marlon with that all knowing perspective- knowing what he did to the twins, knowing that Brody’s involved and that Marlon’s going to eventually kill her, going to try and frame Clementine for the murder, knowing that he was planning on giving Clementine and AJ away...

I can definitely look at this conversation with a more skeptical lens and say he’s more so trying to sell the idea that he has everything under control in this kingdom for kids and he’s a proper leader with a system in place despite being so young with no adults around. But hey, that’s the natural progression- Ericson is a perfectly chill safe haven and the Ericson crew get along swell... except no, the cracks slowly begin to surface as the episode goes on until all hell breaks loose with Marlon at the center.

[Rosie is best girl]

“You said dogs brought back bad memories. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were so scared of them. But I swear, Rosie's not as frightening as she seems...See? She's harmless. She just needs to get to know you, is all. Here. I'll show you. Do you trust me? “

I’ll be completely honest- the thing that initially sold me on trusting Marlon the first time I ever played this episode was his relationship with Rosie.

If you know me, then you know that I love dogs. I have a pup named Piglet that I adore, I’ve grown up with dogs my whole life, and I have a huge appreciation and soft spot for animals. I’m one of those people that can’t stand others who are mean or cruel to harmless animals. It’s different if you’re hunting for food or if an animal attacks you and you’re defending yourself... but I’ve known people who have gone out of their way to hurt animals. I’m out in a country area with a lot of dangerous roads for wandering animals, and the amount of people I’ve driven with who’ll swerve to hit a squirrel, a cat, a dog because they enjoy it is too many. After those incidents, I cut those people out of my life. If you don’t have that love and appreciation in your heart, then I want nothing to do with you.

So when I saw that Rosie, while the school’s dog, is more portrayed to be Marlon’s dog above everyone else, I remember thinking to myself, “Okay, I trust him. He clearly loves this dog, wouldn’t mistreat her, and that’s a step in the right direction.”

While I wasn’t skeptical of him and his intentions before, it really was that natural relationship he held with Rosie that kind of sealed the deal for me- “I like Marlon! He’s probably going to die because he’s the leader and they never last but when it does happen, I’m gonna be super upset about it.”

And well, to be fair... I was super upset when he died, just more so than I originally planned because there was also that element of betrayal mixed into the pain, y’know?

Speaking of trust and Rosie- My second favorite Marlon scene is the office scene. But let’s talk about the Rosie bit specifically. After Tenn leaves and Rosie comes in, she scares Clementine and brings back those traumatic memories of when Sam attacked her.

Marlon comes in and cools the situation, and I love the way he talks to Clementine in this moment.

I love that he doesn’t immediately turn to Clementine like, “What’d you do?” but recognizes that she’s afraid of Rosie due to her previous experience, one that he remembers her mentioning. He also knows how well trained Rosie is to recognize scents and people, which explains why she’s behaving that way- she doesn’t know Clementine.

I feel like I’m using this word a lot, but Marlon’s approach to helping Clementine with her fear of dogs feels so genuine. He holds his hand out and waits for her to accept, and if she does, he walks Clementine through what to do, beginning Clementine’s bond with Rosie.

“Get down on her level. Let her get your scent. It's okay. She's not gonna hurt you.”

It’s incredibly sweet and humanizing to see Marlon like this.

The best part about this scene, though, is that you can reject Marlon’s offer and he won’t be upset.

“No problem. I'm not gonna pressure you.”

And he doesn’t. He doesn’t get annoyed, he doesn’t press, no questions asked, and he doesn’t say anything to make Clementine feel bad for her decision. He respects that she isn’t ready to get close with Rosie.

The reason I love this is because how many times have we made decisions in this game, big and small, and had the other characters get annoyed or try to guilt us? “Oh, you don’t want to bond with the dog? Rosie’s the best, everyone loves dogs! What’s wrong with you?” None of that here. That’s something I appreciate about Marlon in this moment.

It shows that when he wants to, he can listen and understand those around him... something he clearly struggles with when it comes to certain members of Ericson.

I’ll swing back around and talk about that entire scene in a bit, but one last thing about Rosie... can I just say how heart breaking it is to hear her whine at Marlon’s funeral? Solidifying that she was definitely Marlon’s dog more than anyone else’s? And the way Rosie lays on his grave several times in episode 2?

Oof.

[Ericson’s perception of Marlon prior to the final confrontation and after]

“...when the world went to shit, he bailed. All the other adults did. Left us behind to fend for ourselves... Now it's just us kids left.”

I want to touch on how the Ericson crew seem to view Marlon as a leader before and after the final confrontation.

When looking at and discussing a character, it’s important to not just focus solely on them. You can gather a lot about a character based on how others respond and perceive them.

Not everyone expresses something towards Marlon within Done Running. Y’know, like Omar or Ruby, for example. Though we do get a bit more from them after Marlon’s death, their perception of him is different now that they’ve learned what he’s done and witnessed his murder.

So we don’t know how Ruby, Omar, Willy or Mitch viewed his leadership prior to those events, y’know? It’s safe to assume that they’re fine following him as a leader since they’re background characters at this point and make no objections to his leadership at any time before the confrontation. But, after learning the truth, they turned against him.

Then things get complicated when Marlon’s murder traumatizes them.

What a mess.

But for this section, there are two characters I want to get into specifics about. They’re worth talking about because they further Marlon’s character, but they’re not the most important, y’know? Characters like Louis, Tenn, and Brody will get their own sections.

The one I find most interesting among side characters is Aasim. Right off the bat, you get a feel for what his relationship is like with Marlon:

Marlon: “How'd it go out there?”

Aasim: “How do you think it went?”

Brody: “Be nice, Aasim.”

Aasim: “The safe zone's nearly dry. I could barely find enough for tonight. We're gonna have to scout out further if we want food for the winter.”

Marlon: “We'll talk about it later.”

Aasim: “Bullshit, we should talk about this right now-”

Marlon: “I said later, damn it!”

So... they’re not exactly besties. The game makes a clear point that Aasim is more vocal in his disagreements and concerns towards Marlon than the others. They even reiterate it when you talk with him later:

“He keeps pulling back the safe zone. We have fewer and fewer places to hunt. Which means we're gonna have fewer and fewer things to eat.”

No one else opposes Marlon like he does, not counting Brody in the basement since that’s a whole other thing and Brody will get an entire segment to herself later.

It’s pretty clear that this isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation, but because Marlon’s in a place of power, Aasim doesn’t have much choice but to go along with it. Because no one else is speaking up, he doesn’t have anyone to back him up, and you can tell he goes with it reluctantly. He also voices annoyances when it comes to how Marlon treats Louis if you go hunting.

Knowing this, you can infer that Marlon doesn’t want to hear what Aasim has to say, and he doesn’t appreciate someone questioning his leadership. When Aasim steps in Marlon’s path and says, “Bullshit, we should talk about this right now-” what does Marlon do?

He shoves his shoulder into Aasim’s as he pushes past, and in a louder, commanding tone, replies, “I said later, damn it!” which leads to Aasim glaring after him... but he doesn’t pursue. Marlon has a hard time with someone like Aasim and his response is to shut him down rather than stop, listen to his concerns, and address them.

That’s something Marlon struggles with as a leader- control and listening. Control over his temper and anger, listening and addressing the concerns of the people he swears to protect.

The reason I bring this up is because Aasim is our first indication that the image Marlon was giving off previously isn’t as spotless as he wants us to believe. Aasim plants a seed of doubt, y’know? He gives an argument that the player can get behind.

“Yeah, why not extend the safe zone? If food is really as bad as you say it is, then what other choice is there? Just be extra cautious so no one gets hurt,” which can then lead to thinking, “Why is Marlon so insistent about the safe zone? Is he hiding something?”

Once that seed is there, it grows.

Now as for how Aasim’s view of Marlon changes during and after the confrontation, you can see that he’s one of the few that wants to hear Clementine’s side to things, and he steps forward after Louis/Violet intervenes.

Then after Marlon dies, Aasim is... well, he’s rather neutral? And I say that meaning he’s more in a middle ground between Louis and Violet, who are on extreme opposite ends. Aasim isn’t okay with Marlon’s death, nor is he okay with AJ killing him, but he can see that kicking Clementine and AJ out isn’t the best solution. Hence why he voted for them to stay.

You can see he’s still angry at Marlon for what he did during the funeral scene, but the game doesn’t care to show more beyond that. Which, in my opinion, was a missed opportunity on their part.

And because I’m me, I also want to add that this perfectly sets up the idea of Aasim taking over once Marlon died and the writers shot themselves in the foot for wasting him like that. Good job.

Now let’s talk about Violet. People love when I do that.

Marlon and Violet don’t interact too much prior to the confrontation. The most we see them together is during the card game, and they’re chill. Violet makes fun of his hair, he says he looks cool, they’re decent to each other, it’s all good. They’re on friendly terms.

Which I do find it interesting that she seems like she’s chill with Marlon, but she has such a hard time with Brody. Granted, that’s because she was supposed to go with them but asked Brody to cover her, and then when the twins died, she felt guilty. But you’d think that she’d also have some issues with Marlon, given that he was also there and, like Brody, unable to save them.

You could argue that because Violet and Brody were friends before it had a stronger effect, whereas she and Marlon weren’t ever that close, so it didn’t strike as bad, y’know?

Though this does kind of get explained later if you choose to stick with Violet through ep4. Well, sort of? A little? She tells you:

Violet: “...I remember how Marlon described it, what we were gonna turn Ericson into. It's not the way any of us pictured it.”

Clementine: “How did you picture it?”

Violet: “I guess I couldn't. I just listened to what Marlon said. How it would be a home, a real one. But I couldn't really wrap my head around it.”

And when she talks about people who cared about her that she pushed away, she does list Marlon as one of those people, which is super interesting given all the loathing she’s done towards him after the truth came out.

It could be that in the past, she saw Marlon as the leader and why would he lie? He’s the one who stepped up, promised that they’d made Ericson into something special, into a brand new home... what reason does she have to distrust him?

So when she finds out the truth... well, that betrayal completely shatters everything she has for Marlon, going as far as for her to believe that AJ was justified in what he did and shit talking Marlon in front of his mourning best friend.

So her reaction to Marlon after this makes sense, but what does this tell us about Marlon himself?

Again, depending on how you view him, you can look at this idea of Marlon being kind to Violet and them being on friendly terms after what happened to the twins a few different ways- Marlon was manipulating Violet solely for his sake, or Marlon felt guilty that something he did hurt her this bad and tried to make Violet feel better, or both.

I think it was both. After the twins died, we all know the amount of guilt Marlon carried with him, so having to be confronted with the fallout of that in the form of someone like Violet... he had to be careful. I don’t doubt that he cared about Violet or that he tried to reach out to her, but he also had to protect himself for the sake of maintaining his leadership and control of Ericson. So, of course, he had to lie to her which manipulated her feelings about him and the situation.

I believe Violet recognized it, too. When she says they should’ve asked more questions about what happened, I think that’s her being more pissed with herself for trusting Marlon and not questioning him further, for taking his word for it.

I’ve come across theories suggesting that Marlon actually manipulated Violet into placing blame onto Brody rather than him, which is why she is on friendly terms with him but not so much Brody. And that’s a valid interpretation. There isn’t any solid evidence of this within the game to suggest either way, but I can definitely see how someone would come to that conclusion. Especially after the confrontation.

Now let’s touch on Violet if you appeal to her, because Marlon does something that makes me go “Hmmmm...”

Clementine, when she appeals to Violet, say, “Violet you have to believe me.”

To which, Marlon immediately steps in and says, “You don't. You met her, like, two days ago!”

He doesn’t even give her a chance to speak.

With Louis, he’s so overly confident that he has him completely wrapped around his finger that he doesn’t feel the need to say anything. He feels he has control over Louis. But with Violet, he feels his control might not be as strong, so he needs to remind her that she just met Clementine, whereas she’s known him for years- something he uses against the whole group.

And when Clementine tries to talk to her, Marlon takes a low blow and it’s super shitty.

“Don't let her get in your head. Hey, what would Minnie want you to do? She was my friend, too. So was Brody.”

He’s desperate to crawl out of the grave this situation has put him in that he’s willing to go this low, doing everything he can to make sure Violet doubts Clementine... and y’know, whose to say this is the first time Marlon is using Minnie to manipulate her? And when it doesn’t work, he gets frustrated like “Violet being difficult. Why am I not surprised?” which could suggest that it hasn’t always worked.

It goes back to what I was saying- Marlon tried to get close to Violet and she never let him. She was difficult to be around after the twins died due to her grief and Marlon struggled with that.

When he finally comes clean, this is where the real shift happens with him and Violet. You can see the hatred burning on her face every time the camera pans over to her now that she’s felt betrayed by him and his actions.

Right before Marlon dies, if you choose to say nothing, Violet will step forward and start saying that he doesn’t get to stay, but gets cut off when AJ shoots him.

All in all, Violet is a big case against Marlon and a showcase of how far his manipulation as gone within Ericson.

[Marlon’s office and foreshadowing of motivations]

“Whenever someone goes outside the safe zone, bad shit happens. People die or disappear. I just... I could really use the help, Clementine. Taking care of these kids, it's not easy. I'm worried that if I don't figure something out, if...if I don't fix our food situation... I can't lose anyone else. We've already lost so much. Friends, siblings... I can't let another kid die. It could break us.”

Swinging back around, let’s talk about the rest of the scene in the office.

First off- it’s implied that Marlon uses the office as a bedroom given the mattress on the floor and some of his personal belongs laying about. Like the photo he keeps of him and Louis.

The bed isn’t for Rosie, we assume, since we later see her sleeping outside while chained up. This might be just because they wanted Rosie present for the confrontation scene but didn’t want her loose, so they put her outside when you’d think that she’d sleep inside with everyone else.

Or, maybe she just prefers to be outside when the weather’s nice, or they keep her as a guard in case something were to happen, that way she can alarm them.

Anyway, why does Marlon potentially sleep in his office rather than in a dorm? Or does he have a dorm that he’ll sleep in, but keeps the mattress there just in case?

Well, a show of authority, for one. Even if he does keep a dorm room, it’s likely that he made the office his own as a way to be like “The headmaster is gone, this is my office now. I’m in charge.”

Which makes sense.

And when you think about what Louis tells us about Marlon having all these sleepless nights and tough calls, it’s not hard to imagine him spending late nights in his chair going over different plans and stressing over the food situation/safe zone, as well as letting the guilt of the twins weigh on him to the point were he’s too exhausted to even leave.

Moving on to the actual conversation between him and Clementine. He does show a vulnerable side to her, which I like. He can feel the pressure he’s under and sense the loss he’s suffered. But...like before, looking at this knowing what I know, it’s not hard to see certain things in a different light opposed to what you’d see as a new player.

What’s interesting, though, is while I do enjoy this conversation and the bits of insight it gives to Marlon’s character, there is this subtle, slightly off undertone of the whole scene after the Rosie bit.

At this point, we’ve talked with Aasim and he’s planted the seed of doubt.

We’ve heard the story about the twins. Violet came and talked to us about it, we could visit their graves and learn that they died at this time last year. Anyone who has played any game or heard any story can pick up on that the twins are important. They’re not going to use these girls as some throw away lines. They’re going to come back one way or another.

We’re literally living in their dorm. The dorm that Marlon put us in. They’re heavily connected to Tenn and Violet, two important characters I previously discussed. Then, Violet comes barging into our room and talks about them some more.

It makes the gears turn, y’know?

And with Marlon being very insistent that they stay in the safe zone, it’s not hard to question the story about the twins. I went through and skimmed a couple play throughs on youtube to this scene and a lot of them were theorizing that the twins weren’t actually dead or something wasn’t right, some cracks are starting to show. Why else bring it up? Marlon being the one to push the dangers of the safe zone and everything with Aasim... it’s not hard to pick up that he might be hiding something.

The thing I find fascinating about people’s perception of Marlon is how they interpret his motivations when it comes to Clementine and AJ, and that can be tracked back to this scene.

We all know that he’s planning on giving them to the raiders if they come back. It’s a hard fact. Brody warned us before she died, and dialogue during the basement scene backs it up.

But the question I’m curious about is... when did this motivation begin?

When did Marlon decide that he would give Clementine and AJ to the raiders if they ever came back?

Because the text doesn’t tell us anything until Brody’s death, I feel like we all have a different moment where we believe that became Marlon’s secret motive, y’know?

In all my digging, I’ve read posts about this idea, people giving their thoughts on when they think Marlon secretly turned on us, or if he was ever really on our side.

One has people theorizing that Marlon saved Clementine and AJ with the intention of giving them away from the beginning.

So he saw taking these two in and earning their trust as an opportunity to save everyone else at the school [the people he cares about] rather than have to sacrifice anyone else like they did with the twins. Clementine and AJ were just a means to an end if the raiders came back.

Which is a rather sinister way to look at it and puts quite a negative spin on Marlon’s actions towards them - like how he’s willing to let them stay at the school not out of kindness but out of bad intentions, and every kind thing he ever did was to win over their trust so he could lure them out into the woods and do a trade if necessary.

The line “Take this. I don't want you gettin' lost.” gets pointed at a lot due to how Marlon says it, the infliction of it, and it’s theorized that the hidden meaning behind it is “Take this, if you get lost then I can’t make the trade.”

Same thing with “Just remember to stay in the safe zone. We need you to come back home in one piece.”

Which isn’t a wrong interpretation of this. You can totally look at this conversation between Marlon and Clementine as Marlon subtly foreshadowing his turn, or betrayal, at the end of the episode.

“...It's how we've kept ourselves from unwanted attention for so long. Well... For the most part, anyway.”

“I can't lose anyone else. We've already lost so much. Friends, siblings... I can't let another kid die. It could break us. Sorry. I'm just... There's a lot of pressure.”

“What, did you think I was gonna throw you out?“

Then there are the middle ground people who believe Marlon didn’t save Clementine and AJ with that intention in mind, but it started to appear as an option to him either a bit before or during the office scene. Y’know, it came as a passing thought that ended up lingering until he acknowledged it as a solution to a potential problem.

Again, pointing at the dialogue from before- him suggesting that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his community alive... just like he did before.

And while he gets along with Clementine and AJ [or as some would suggest, he appears to be friendly], they’re not his family. He isn’t close to them the same way he is the rest of the school. and if he has to give anyone away, it’s going to be them, whether he wants to or not.

Marlon didn’t want to give Sophie and Minerva away, and he’s carried that with him up until this point. We see it manifest to a breaking point that lead to Brody’s death and, eventually, his own.

Finally, there are the people who believe that the idea of giving Clementine and AJ away didn’t occur to him until after the incident with Abel. After Brody panicked and told him about getting robbed, then Clementine claiming they met a man with different colored eyes who wanted food, and the realization that the raiders could be back.

This is where I personally stand when it comes to this idea. I believe that Marlon didn’t decide on this until he heard about Abel, and solidified it during the fight with Brody down in the basement.

But what about the dialogue in this scene that potentially has double meanings? Well, I believe that’s the writers suggesting Marlon’s turn and motivations rather than Marlon himself, if that makes sense. Like I said before, you could take nearly everything Marlon says as some sort of foreshadowing or suggestion of what happened to the twins, what his true intentions are with Clementine and AJ, and what will happen to him at the end of the episode.

That’s the thing- Marlon doesn’t ever go on a mustache-twirling monologue about how he knew he could use Clementine and AJ as trade if the raiders came back and that’s the real reason why he saved them, nor do we see him come up with the idea on the spot.

Hell, Marlon never admits to the player that he was going to do that. The most he says is, “Shut your fucking mouth! I made the right call. I saved the lives of everyone in this fucking school! If they came back... I'd do it again!”

Brody is the one who told us everything, and every time Clementine throws it back in his face, he tells her to shut up and threatens her with the gun.

But from what I’ve tried to gather about what Marlon and Brody talk about in the basement before Clementine gets down there...

Marlon: “Why can't you just do what I ask you to do?”

Brody: “Because we caused all this, and now we have to deal with it!”

Marlon: “I am dealing with it!”

Brody: “By tradin' more of us away? That's not fixin' the problem, that's runnin' away from it!”

[I’ll come back to this full conversation later when I go over the basement scene by itself. It gets pretty dark.]

Which.... yeah. So, I’m not trying to say Brody was lying or anything just because Marlon never flat out admitted it to us the player, I’m just saying that we don’t know for sure when he made up his mind about this since the game never gives a clear suggestion for the sake of his dramatic turn from friend to antagonist.

Did he have this idea from the start or did he come up with it during this conversation?

We don’t know, but it’s interesting to look at the different views surrounding this question and how it applies to Marlon’s character. Because yeah, if you truly believe that Marlon had this intention from the start, it makes all of his actions in this episode pretty scummy. And again, that’s not wrong because there isn’t an answer here.

I choose to believe that maybe the idea came as an unwanted thought in the beginning, but manifested into something real when he heard about Abel. He shared his plan with Brody, who didn’t want to go along with it.

And y’know what... let’s finally get into the basement scene and Brody...

Continued in Part 2/2

#twdg marlon #twdg character discussion #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg mitch #twdg willy #twdg omar #twdg brody #twdg tenn #twdg sophie #twdg minerva #marlon character discussion #twdg #long post

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ericsonclan · 4 years

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Meeting Prisha

Summary: Prisha’s my OC for TWDG. Gonna post some establishing shots of her so y’all can get to know and love her :D (She appears in most of our fanfics, so fingers crossed you like her)

Read on A03:

“Anyone care to explain again why I’m wearing these fucking stupid sunglasses while we traipse through the woods?” Violet grumbled. She narrowly avoiding a wandering tree root, the pink, heart-shaped glasses on her face dangling precariously on the edge of her nose as she, Louis and Clementine made their way down to the caravan meeting point.

Louis smiled as he slung Chairles over his shoulder. “I told you, Vi, you’re coming with us so you can meet someone special! The glasses are just to protect your eyesight from all the sunshine and also to impress that certain someone should the fancy strike you…” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively even though Violet was ahead of him and too busy quietly cussing to look his way. Clementine, leading the way, shot Violet an apologetic smile. “Just ignore him, Vi. The sunglasses are just a protective measure in case the sunlight in the clearing is too intense. But you shouldn’t have to wear them while we’re in the forest; the trees should provide enough shade,” “Thank God!” Violet ripped the sunglasses off of her face and tossed them behind her haphazardly. “I can’t stand those shitty things,” “Why, Violet!” Louis gasped in mock indignation. “I am truly hurt! I traded for these sunglasses with you especially in mind!” He bent down for a second to gingerly pick up the discarded sunglasses, tucking them in his shirt pocket. “I for one think they look quite cute on you,” Violet wordlessly gave him the finger without looking back. Clem sighed. “They are the best option we’ve found so far. As soon as something better comes along you can burn those things.” She ignored Louis’ screech of protest. Violet sighed. “I know what you guys are trying to do. But it’s not like I can’t stand some strangers gaping in horror at my ugly mug. If anything, maybe it’ll intimidate them into making a better deal with us. Clementine shot a concerned glance Violet’s way. The burns from the explosion and damage to her eyes had never fully recovered. It didn’t seem to make too much difference to Violet on a daily basis when she was hanging out with the other Ericson kids, but she had avoided venturing out into the outside world more than the rest of them and it was clear to Clementine that this was due to more than just her lone wolf demeanor. She wished there was a better alternative than those ridiculous glasses Louis had picked up a few months ago, but here they were, a year after the events of the Delta and they still hadn’t been able to trade for a good pair of sunglasses for Violet. That wasn’t the sole thing they were in search of today though. As they neared the clearing, Clem held up a hand to signal that they should pause. The three teens scanned the setup of the latest caravan that had temporarily settled on the shore of the river by the wreckage of Lily’s barge. There were about a dozen people in the group, with a range of ages and races in the mix. A few middle-aged men worked to erect a tent while a mother followed her toddler’s tottering steps round the encampment. A young woman stood by the wreckage of the ship, examining it curiously. Louis nudged Violet excitedly, pointing toward the girl. “There she is, Vi! Your future girlfriend!” “My future what?”

“Louis!” Clem hissed. “Don’t go jumping the gun like that! We’re just here to trade, nothing more.” “Aaaw, c’mon, Clem! I already told you what I saw!” “What are you talking about?” Violet demanded. Louis leaned closer to her, his voice low. “When Clem and I came across the group the other day and stopped to talk, that girl was totally checking out Clem’s butt!” Both girls glared at him in annoyance. “What?” “Seriously? That’s all you have to go off of?” “She was entranced! Mesmerized!” “She was probably just trying to see if I had a concealed weapon, Louis. You need to calm down!” “I saw what I saw!” “So that’s why I’m here?” Violet spat. “This is a hookup?” “No, it’s not!” Clementine insisted. “We just thought it would be good to have you along with us. It’s been a while since… you’ve been outside,” Violet wanted to have a snarky response to that. Part of her wanted to tell Clem and Louis to fuck off, that she was perfectly fine without any of their damn help. But looking at the sincere hope in Clem’s face and Louis’ goofy grin, she buried that instinct and let out a reluctant sigh. “Fine, I’ll go out there. But I am NOT wearing those stupid sunglasses.” As they approached the camp, the men at work took notice and put down what they were doing to come over. The oldest man spoke first. “Hello again. Clementine, right?” “That’s correct. And you’re Ed?” “Mhm, you remember Garrett and Gavin,” The man nodded to the two young men behind him. “And you’re Louis,” “That’s me!” Louis quipped, letting Chairles fall from his shoulder and offering his hand to the man. “This is Violet,” Violet tried to take in the men’s expressions as they saw her face. These last 9 years had hardened most people; though a moment of shock may have passed across their faces seeing the state of her eyes, their resting expressions remained inscrutable. “Last time we were here we also talked to a young woman in your group.” Louis continued. Violet felt like jabbing him in the ribs. Really, he was just going to lead with that? The man seemed unfazed though. “That’s right. Would you like to talk to her too?” He turned toward the direction of the river. “Prisha! We’ve got company!” The girl by the wreckage turned around, and for the first time Violet got a look at her features. She was still too far away to see clearly, but she could make out some things. She was tall and slim and her skin was dark – Violet guessed Indian or East Asian from the name. Violet felt her stomach twist inside of her and looked away hurriedly. This was so stupid. Clem turned to speak to Ed. “If you have the time now, we brought some of the goods you mentioned you had an interest in last we met,” Ed nodded. “Right. Our supplies are in the main tent. Garret, come with me and help me find them. Gavin, can you get the rest of the poles up on your own?” Gavin assented, and soon all three men and Clem had scattered. Shit, was this all part of the plan? Violet clenched her hands by her sides. “So, you’ve come back,” The girl had reached them and stood before Violet and Louis, hands on her hips. “Prisha! Always a pleasure,” Louis gave a dramatic bow, then popped up and took Violet by the shoulders. “I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine. Prisha, Violet. Violet, Prisha. After hearing some stories of your escapades from your group, I thought you might enjoy meeting our resident badass.” “Is that so?” Prisha quirked an eyebrow and looked at Violet. “What’s your weapon of choice?” “Meat cleaver,” Violet muttered, looking at the ground. She didn’t want to admit that she hadn’t had much practice with it since the accident. “Fascinating choice. Mind if I see it?” Violet took it out of the sling on her back and held it out for Prisha to see. “Impressive edge. Looks like it has good upkeep.” Violet nodded noncommittally. She’d been doing nothing but sharpening it lately. “This is my weapon of choice,” Prisha said, patting something attached to her hip. Looking down, Violet could see it was some form of axe, though the reach was longer than a normal hatchet and the end in the sheath looked quite narrow, like an icepick. Louis let out a long whistle. “That’s quite the weapon. Bet it just takes one hit to down a walker,” “That’s right. This world’s full of too many goddamn walkers for me to be wearing my arms out braining each one,” “On that note – Oh, what was that Clem?” Louis turned and waved in Clementine’s direction. “Looks like she needs me. See ya later, Prisha!” “Louis-” Violet hissed, but he was already gone. A moment of awkward silence fell between the girls. Prisha quickly broke it. “Your friends are good people. We had just started to set up camp yesterday when a pack of walkers showed up out of nowhere. Marie was in a tough spot when they came across us. Even after they got her out, they stuck around till the whole pack was cleared out,” “Yeah, we try to keep things clear in this area since it’s a common resting spot for caravans,” “That’s thoughtful of you. Not many groups that look out for anyone besides their own these days,” Violet looked over to Louis and Clementine. They were going through some large bags Ed and Garrett had brought out. “What can I say? Those idiots wouldn’t have it any other way,” There was a pause. “I’m going to ask you a personal question. You can tell me to fuck off if you like,” Violet turned to look at Prisha in surprise. The girl’s face was confident and collected. Now that she was closer, Violet could see that she had surprisingly long hair that rested in a large braided bun at the base of her neck. Violet swallowed nervously. Her throat felt thick. “What?” “What happened to your eyes?” There it was. “An explosion. On that boat,” Prisha turned for a second to reexamine the wreckage behind them. “Sounds like quite a story,” “It’s not one we share,” “Fair enough. I apologize if my question came across as blunt. I find that these days it’s better to address the scars people bear than pretend I don’t see them. It tends to cut through a lot of the bullshit,” “I can respect that,” “Prisha!” Ed called. “We need your help showing our guests how your latest contraption works!” “Coming, Ed!” Prisha turned to Violet. “Would you like to see it too? It’s a pronged fishing spear. Sort of like a trident. My attempt at increasing the chances of getting in a good shot,” Violet shrugged. “Sure,” “Awesome. You know, if you all have time to stay I’m sure Ed will invite you to join us for dinner. It’s been a long time since we had company,” Violet felt the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “That’d be nice,” “The feeling’s mutual. After you,” As they walked toward the group, Violet could see Louis making some sort of sign that looked like a thumbs up, which was quickly slapped down by Clem. Violet rolled her eyes. That idiot. Yet, a little part inside of her warmed up at the gesture. They’d been right. She’d been long overdue to head outside. And from what she’d seen, what they found past the old safe zone wasn’t half bad.

#clouis #twdg clouis #twdg season 4 #telltalethewalking dead #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdgs4 #fanfic #twdg prisha #twdg privet #twdg violet

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yatgb · 5 years

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Tagged by @caimani to post my lock screen, home screen, and last song played! Surprisingly it's not Fandom lmao

I'll tag @twdg-sarah @violet--galaxy @little-klng and @verifiedsin

#lock acreen is the nhbd house #home screen is the twdg s2 main menu #and i love set it off #theyfriend talks #if i tagged u and u dont wanna participate thats ok!

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galixxshadow · 5 years

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I'm back from the dead ya'll

HI ITS BEEN A WHILE. I'm so late that the last time I was here Clementine was still single ok bad joke

I love TWDG Final Season, you know that right? My profile pic is literally Louis & Clem. But now the series is over *cries* I took a little break from Tumblr.

When I started posting TWDG content, it was becauae I drew a Louis drawing and wanted to show the people how much I love him. And surprisingly I'd gain more likes and repost throughout post by post so I unknowingly became a TWDG account.

NOW the game has a happy ending, I'm wondering what kind of content I should post next. I'm thinking of either different video games (sticking to the game theme) games like 'Detroit:Become Human' and 'Life Is Strange' are my all time favourites. Or it could be films and tv shows, 'Harry Potter', 'Fantastic Beasts', 'Sherlock' and 'Anne with an E' are my favourites. OR it could be kpop groups, Seventeen, NCT & Blackpink are some of my favs.

I want my followers to comment down below please!

#twdg #twdg season 4 #twdg s4 #twdg clementine #telltale the walking dead #thewalkingdeadgame #telltale #telltale games #thewalkingdead #the walking dead #notice #annoucement

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jirzetta · 5 years

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[TWDG fic] Far Away, A Song [chapter 3/??]

Summary: The night after the assault on the ship and the aftermath, one of the children James helped save stumbles into his camp. But something’s wrong, and he won’t tell James what it is.

Character(s): James & Tennessee

Rating: M

Copypasted tags/content warnings from AO3: Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, Canon-Typical Violence, Hand injury, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Ableist Language, Child Abuse, Introspection, Grief/Mourning, Flashbacks, Survivor Guilt, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Dirt and Bugs

Chapter-specific content warnings: implied child death, grabbing and preventing someone from escaping, self esteem issues??

Wordcount: ~2400

The wave of overwhelming relief that washed over James when he realized the boy was still alive was powerful enough to nearly knock him to his knees.

Alone, far from home, and covered in walker innards, but alive.

...Alive, but not alright. Not with that thousand yard stare of his; a stare James had seen all too many times before. On faces much younger than his, on fellow Whisperers, since before they first donned their masks. An invisible barrier, a last-ditch – sometimes only - defense against the horrors of the world: close it out, close it off, don't think, don't feel, just let your reptile brain do what it thinks it needs to do to keep itself alive, and pray that it'll be enough. It won't, it usually won't, because it often thinks that sitting perfectly still in plain sight is enough to keep you safe. It isn't, it never is.

But sometimes, sometimes, it works with you, and not against you, and it keeps you up and going and it keeps you alive.

It kept this boy alive.

...This was how James looked too, wasn't it? When he switched into autopilot. When he couldn't face the world or even himself, and had to shut it all out.

What had this boy gone through, what had he seen, that was so terrible that his brain had to switch itself off to at all be able to cope?

Another breeze blew through the woods, cooler than the first, sending shivers down both their spines as it passed them by. The boy blinked a few times then, teary-eyed from the chill, his gaze growing more and more focused with each blink.

And then his eyes fixed on James, no longer looking through him; briefly narrowed in confusion, then grew wide and full of fear.

With a newfound urgency and sense of self-preservation he scrambled backwards, and turned on his heel to run, but James was faster and grabbed his arm before he could take a single step. He expected him to scream, luring any walker or raider still around straight to them, but his response was just a gasp; smarter than most survivors in that regard. But not smart enough not to let himself get overcome by panic, so to the point he couldn't even make a proper attempt to escape, instead just thrashing aimlessly, trying to break free by sheer force alone.

“Shh, shh, it's okay!” said James.

As soon as he spoke the boy stopped struggling, instead turned to stare at him in slack-jawed, wordless shock.

“Don't worry, you're safe now.”, he continued. “You've nothing to fear.”

James thought, perhaps naively, that would be enough to reassure him, but the terror returned to the boy's eyes nonetheless, and he tried to pry James' fingers off his wrist, then writhe and wriggle free when he realized he couldn't overpower James; still every bit as fruitless as before.

Why was he acting like this? Why was still he so scared?

James didn't want to take off his mask, but he needed something to prove he wasn't a threat, and if he couldn't even remember the boy's name, his own name and face was all he had to offer.

No, no, wait, he had heard the boy's name, or at least, a nickname. Spoken, and shouted out loud; in worry, and sympathy, and jeering derision; by AJ and Clem and even the leader of the raiders; even she knew more about him than James did.

“Tenn?” he asked, tentatively, hoping he got it right. He must have, must have, because that caught his attention, and he didn't struggle quite as fiercely anymore, but he still seemed scared, scared and confused. But it was better than pure fear alone, wasn't it?

He was doubly conscious now, however, of the second skin draped over his face; even if Tenn had seen him in it before it didn't exactly help, did it? Never did when it came to people. He hesitated at first, but then let go of Tenn, sent him reeling in the process, nearly tumbling to the ground from the upbuilt momentum before regaining his balance just in the nick of time.

James took off his mask before Tenn turn his heel again, and spoke as loud as he dared:

“Look! It's me, it's just me. James.”

James wanted to give Tenn a smile, or at least a reassuring nod, but his staring eyes were like drills boring holes straight through his brain, and he pulled his mask on again as quick as he could, disconcerted and shaken. It was just... he had expected Tenn to look relieved after realizing it was him, but the way he acted, still looking at James like he was a ghost or monster, left him feeling vulnerable, defenseless, flayed. Like his face was an open book, printed in blood, and Tenn could read every word. And he wanted, needed, every barrier he could get to put between them.

At least Tenn no longer seemed keen on running away anymore; at least there was that.

But, why was he here in the first place? Had something happened to the others?

At some point he'd apparently decided to gut a walker and smear himself with the innards to cover his smell: a surprisingly common tactic, James had noticed, among non-whisperers who wanted to sneak through a herd. That meant not all of them died at the beach, it wasn't a complete massacre. But why wouldn't they just avoid the walkers in the first place? Were they pursued by raiders, or had they been trapped and surrounded?

Whatever happened, this meant the woods were still dangerous for someone who had no idea what they were doing; that must be why he was here alone. Must've been separated from AJ and Clementine in the herd and then gotten terribly lost, unless they... No. No! They must be alright. They had to be.

But he needed to know for sure.

So, James asked:

“Tenn, where is AJ and Clementine?”

Tears welled up in Tenn's eyes and James' heart sank, sank and raced at the same time, fuck, fuck, he knew he should have gone with them! But Tenn still didn't say what happened to them, or speak at all. He needed an answer. So he asked again, more firmly:

“What happened? Where are they? Tell me!”

But Tenn avoided his gaze, squirmed and fidgeted under his piercing glare, quiet tears turning into full on sobs. That was all the answer he needed, wasn't it? Fuck. He rubbed his brow through the mask, and began to unconsciously pace back and forth. If he'd only stood his ground in the cave, not let them get under his skin the way they did, then AJ might still be alive.

He couldn't even bring himself to be glad about Clementine; she obviously had no qualms about letting others die, so in a way it was just bitter justice coming for her, but still... no one deserved to die, not even her. If only he could have made her see it before it was too late. And then maybe AJ... Oh, what had he done?

Tenn mumbled something then, just out of earshot, snapping James back to the present. His gaze shot back to the boy, who tensed up, froze like a deer in the headlights. He looked like he wanted to run, but with James' unyielding attention on him his will faltered quickly, and he remained in place, his whole body wracked with shivers, shoulders heaving with every shallow breath.

“I don't know”, he finally blurted out, between sobs; his voice cracked, paper-thin, and broken.

Stepping closer, James pressed him:

“Don't know where they are, or don't know what happened?”

“I-I-I don't know”, the boy stammered, his lower lip quivering so much he could barely speak at all. He tried to wipe away tears and snot with his shirt sleeve; didn't do much good. Then he tried to back away, put some distance between him and James; didn't do much good either. Finally he continued, his voice getting quieter and choppier by every syllable:

“Where- they are, or... don't know- what happened- to them.”

He wanted to believe Tenn, wanted to think AJ and Clem could still be alive despite everything, but the way he kept giving him non-answers, wouldn't even look him in the eye as he did it. Instead his tearful gaze darted around like a pinball, looking everywhere but at James, as if he wanted to pretend he didn’t exist... or maybe because he was looking for some way, any way, to get away from him.

James didn't notice it until now, but he'd stepped forward to hover over Tenn, following him for every step the boy took backward, arms raised to make sure he could catch him quickly if he tried to run away again; and though Tenn couldn't tell it, beneath his mask he’d clenched his jaws so tightly they had started to ache.

He was the one making this difficult.

He had to back off again, for the second time in just a few minutes. He took a deep breath, held it for a while, tried to relax as much as he could.All while Tenn watched him, too scared to move.

“Look”, James began, hoping his trembling voice didn't reveal how frustrated he still was.

“You must be exhausted. Hungry too. I know I am. So, let's both get something to eat, and you get some rest. And we’ll talk about it tomorrow, instead.”

Tenn looked skeptical to say the least, and after the way he’d been treated James couldn't blame him. But he could see his bleary eyes, the way he'd begun to sway on the spot. And as if on cue the boy's stomach began to growl too, though he quickly pressed his arms against it, in a futile effort to silence it.

“Even if you don't want to sleep you can still have something to eat”, James said, and motioned to his camp, in the hopes the boy would follow him there. Part of him wanted to grab him, make sure he followed, but... he'd done enough already.

“Do you... have any water?” He heard Tenn ask. He nodded, and that was all it took, apparently, to make Tenn let his guard down and follow him; round the wind-throw at least, where he stayed while James went and fetched the can that had stood untouched by the campfire until now.

He was quite thirsty too, James realized as he handed it over, and had hoped they could split it. But, after eyeing and cautiously sniffing the water, Tenn gulped it all down before either of them could blink. He stared dumbfounded at the empty can in his hand for a moment, and James saw it begin to rattle in his grip, before it dropped and rolled away.

“I'm sorry!” Tenn sputtered, tears welling up again. “I-I didn't- mean to, I'm-”

James interrupted him:

“Don't worry, I have plenty of water left. Just need to boil it first.”

He glanced at the ashes of the burnt-out campfire.

“I'll get some fuel, for the fire. You can sit down, and eat”, he said, pointed to the boulder closest to the shelter. He went over to his backpack, dug through it for his flint and firesteel, put them in his vest pocket, and then two apples which he placed on the boulder he’d pointed out earlier; leaving one, the last and best one, behind for tomorrow.

When he turned to look at Tenn again, he found the boy hadn't budged from the spot; he still stood there by the uprooted wind-throw, looking down on his hands; fingertips ghosting over his right wrist, where James had grabbed him, wincing as he did. Tenn looked up, shied away when he saw James approach, but James stopped by the campfire when he saw Tenn's reaction, raising his hands in a placating gesture. Considering his words carefully, James then said:

“I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you like that. It was wrong of me.”

A mixture of emotions danced over Tenn's face; too hard for James to read even if he'd had the benefit of daylight. The boy opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but hesitated, and closed it again, let the words remain unspoken. James pointed at the boulder one last time, then left Tenn to his own devices, while he went to gather fuel.

One good thing about these woods, one he knew he would miss, was that there was plenty to burn; dead wood and fallen down branches wherever he looked, and the raiders had even left behind some empty supply crates at the camp, from some other place they must have ransacked; people weren't the only thing they stole.

As he divided a trunk the width of his arm and thrice his whole body length into more manageable pieces, with a rock and knife and still aching left arm, James thought about what to do next. First thing first, of course, would be to bring back Tenn to the school. Part of him was loathe to let Tenn within a mile of Clementine again, lest she twist him like she twisted AJ. If she was even still alive to begin with, that was. But Tenn still had friends there, people who fed him and took care of him, and were no doubt a much better influence than Clem, if he could make it this far being... the way he was.

James thought back to the chaos on the ship, when Tenn grabbed that handgun from one of the guards, threatened her and their leader with it while utterly terrified out of his mind. They both saw through his act, and the leader even mockingly goaded him to shoot her; but all he could do was break down in tears. So abhorrent and utterly foreign to him was the thought of killing people, even someone who had been a threat, was a threat, to him and his friends. Nothing like AJ.

And then... then she snatched that gun from him, pointed it at his forehead ready and willing to kill a fucking child hadn't AJ stopped her, all while James just sat there and did nothing and maybe Clementine was right.

Maybe.

#twdg #twdg james #twdg tenn #the walking dead #jirzettastuff #blagh #just the first half of chapter 3 really #but fuck it im never finishing the last half before june so here it goes #yea this is what i spend a month on #christ #oh and im totally counting this for the six sentence sunday thingy

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