#twdg edith

[iamoriondex]

<Cold_Road_AHEAD>

howdyyy! took me 2 days to chug these out (and my laptop only black screened once!)

have you noticed how nobody really gives edith her flowers for taking care of clem & aj in the wellington ending? i mean, she vouched to allow the kids in when they were already at full capacity, they were there for around a year and a half and seemed really friendly with one another. it's a shame clem never acknowledges her death after the fact.

anyways, shoutout to @frankdp1 & his tfs clem customs

DEVIANTART | PINTEREST | BSKY

[ericsonclan]

Decided to make holiday edits for some of the TWDG adults

[lilyjan3]

ask me stuff guys!

I’m gonna try to use tumblr more to get my mind off of stuff and to yap about dumb stuff so please please please ask me stuff!

my interests

-the last of us (show and games)

-SIX

-Ride the cyclone

-Bobs burgers

-Hazbin hotel/Helluva boss

-The walking dead (show and games)

-what remains of Edith finch

[clemmietimes]

it makes me sad knowing kenny probably went back to wellington only to find it destroyed and clementine/aj gone

[snazzzycattzz]

Intro post :P

hhiiiii this is my tumblr, if you found my acc from my tiktok you’d know i accidentally lost access to my old tumblr so here’s just some basic stuff about me and what i enjoy

I’m 15, I’m queer and trans, and am very nerdy and dumb.

I use he/they pronouns but I would prefer if people used more masculine pronouns/ stuff with me

I got 3 cats and two dogs (cats:ginger, Walter, basil|dogs:luna, money)

Im from americaaaaa more specifically the midwest, iowa to be even more exact (nun ya business where in Iowa tho)

music i like: Nirvana(my current favorite band), Pearl Jam, SOAD, MCR, Pretty vicious,They might be giants, Descendants, Mom jeans, Kimya Dawson, Dead Kennedys, American Football, Rage against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The white stripes, Tyler the creator, Destructo disc, modern baseball, Camping in Alaska, the Beatles, Adrianna lenker, glass animals and sooo much more

Video games I enjoy: Rdr1&2, TWDG, life is strange, Minecraft, Fallout, Skyrim, Horizon zero dawn& forbidden west, tlou, dbh, tomb raider, the long dark, the sims, Emily is away, portal, uncharted, what remains of edith finch, UNDERTALE

shows/movies i watch: Gravity falls, TWD, Arcane, into the spider-verse, AUSOE, Ponyo(and basically any studio ghibli movie), South Park, I saw the tv glow

other interests: photography, guitar(I’m barely starting to learn), poetry, history, art in general is awesome, Garfield, books are cool but I’ve really only been reading philosophy rn (not to be like “I’m so much better than u bc I read philosophy!!! 🤓” cause that ain’t true)

dni: racist, homophobic, transphobic, zionist, p3do,zoophile, basically just don’t be a fucking asshole dude

and that’s basically it, probably just gonna shit post on here but I might post art and stuff

thanks for saying hi

[ladyimaginarium]

listing introjects' fcs 4 the sake of my& sanity

clementine maria jasmine cree ( twdg ) - ashley moore (primary), nyané lebajoa, amandla stenberg (secondary)

louis lacroix ( twdg ) - marcus sivyer

violet collmore ( twdg ) - phoebe bridgers

james dae young ( twdg ) - choi yeonjun

aasim acharya ( twdg ) - jeenu mahadevan

ava adebowale ( twdg ) - lashana lynch ( primary ); lupita nyong'o ( secondary )

harry potter ( potterverse ) - suraj sharma

hermione granger ( potterverse ) - logan browning

blaise zabini ( potterverse ) - rome flynn (tentative)

pansy parkinson ( potterverse ) - song hye kyo

haneul eun ha / luna lovegood ( potterverse ) - jung jinsoul

ginny weasley ( potterverse ) - luca hollestelle

sirius black ( potterverse ) - avan jogia

dutch ( black lagoon ) - mike colter

okajima rokuro / rock ( black lagoon ) - arata mackenyu

rebecca lee / revy ( black lagoon ) - jessica henwick

benjamin issacs / benny ( black lagoon ) - evan peters

edith blackwater / eda ( black lagoon ) - kristen stewart ( primary ); maya hawke ( secondary )

janet bhai ( black lagoon ) - mandip gill

lyanna stark ( asoiaf ) - adelaide kane

jon snow ( asoiaf ) - timothee chalamet ( primary ); kit harington ( secondary )

daenerys targaryen ( asoiaf ) - anya taylor joy ( primary ); freya allan, emilia clarke ( secondary )

asha greyjoy ( asoiaf ) - marina moschen

ashara dayne ( asoiaf ) - simone ashley, kate mgrath ( formerly; may consider dropping )

arianne martell ( asoiaf ) - deepika padukone

obara sand ( asoiaf ) - cynthia addai robinson

nymeria sand ( asoiaf ) - shanina shaik

tyene sand ( asoiaf ) - stephanie rose bertram ( primary ); gigi hadid ( secondary )

sarella sand ( asoiaf ) - adut akech ( primary; tentative); duckie thot ( secondary ), tracy ifeachor ( tertiary )

melisandre of asshai ( asoiaf ) - dilraba dilmurat

nymeria of ny sar ( asoiaf ) - aishwarya rai

visenya targaryen ( asoiaf ) - katheryn winnick

myrcella baratheon ( asoiaf ) - holliday grainger

val the wildling / of the free folk ( asoiaf ) - alyssa sutherland

willas tyrell ( asoiaf ) - peter mooney

garlan tyrell ( asoiaf ) - ben lamb

hua mulan ( disneyverse laced w/ historical source ) - zhang xinyu / viann zhang

tiana brown ( disneyverse laced with history ) - kiki layne

katniss everdeen ( the hunger games ) - kawennahere devery jacobs

worick arcangelo ( gangsta ) - austin butler ( tentative ); alex pettyfer ( tentative )

nicolas brown ( gangsta ) - chella man

alexandria benedetto ( gangsta ) - normani kordei

emilio benedetto ( gangsta ) - aubrey joseph (primary), rome flynn

constance raveau ( gangsta ) - shailene woodley ( tentative )

erica abaddonato ( gangsta ) - nastya zhidkova ( primary ); jennifer lawrence ( usually faceless if i& can help it )

delico abaddonato ( gangsta ) - lucky blue smith

svetlana morozova nikolaeva ( gangsta ) - tati gabrielle ( primary ); ryan destiny ( secondary )

bernardo corsica ( gangsta ) - ross lynch ( tentative )

nimes ( gangsta ) - dominique jackson

sherry christiano amodio ( gangsta ) - sydney sweeney ( tentative )

loretta christiano amodio ( gangsta ) - willow shields

georgiana corsica ( gangsta ) - loey lane

evelyn ( gangsta ) - sab quesada

sidney ( gangsta ) - cartia mallan

also, below are neither our& introjects or rp muses but we& may use in edits:

sebastian cree ( twdg oc; clementine's younger half brother ) - d'pharaoh woon-a-tai

ivan glaziev ( gangsta ) - adrien brody

galahad woehor ( gangsta ) - zae france

[the-s1lly-corner]

Headcanon idea: Bump and games (Board games, video games, ect)

Bumps thoughts on games

Rubs my silly hands

Never tell this man about the existence of kahoot

Anyways

I feel like, while he doesn't hate *all* video games, he doesn't like most

Like not to be the "oh hes old so he'd hate technology" but

He'd like games that tell good stories though!! Be it the game itself is just one big interactive story (think edith finch) or a cute game with deep lore (undertale), or games where your choices deeply affect the outcome (TWDG, DBH, ect)

Dude just likes a good story that'll stick with him and make him think

Now, this is true for board games as well, but if there's multiple people playing against each other, Bumps gonna get competitive

I can't help it; the comment he made ab glandus in the first day, the way he looked at the other principal during the gland prix when luz was in the lead

This dude takes stuff like this seriously

He won't get outright mean or put you down, but this man will try his best to win the game

It actually gets kinda intense sometimes

But games where you have to work as a team? Once the guy figures out the games mechanics he's carrying the team/hj

While he's not video games #1 fan, he absolutely loves board games

Tbh I don't have much here since I didnt grow up with board games, but this man would absolutely kill it at monopoly and uno

Then there's like, general non board non video games

This dude would probably whip up a quick learning game if he had to look after a class or two

Thats all

[theguardianangel-fanfiction]

Full offense but Edith legit deserved better

[bluebutterfly1]

Katie. If you could change one character’s death, not bring them back, simply change their death, who would it be for each season?

Oh, good question!

There are A LOT of deaths that I want to change, but if I had to choose one each:

Season 1: Ben

I really liked his death where he fell off the balcony, so I wouldn’t change that. It was very emotional and it gave both Ben and Kenny character development. But I don’t like the one where Lee lets him go in the bell-tower. If Lee lets him die, Ben will not get the chance to stand up for himself and get extra character development. Ben would die and the group would care less. So I wish the choice of letting him go or not wasn’t in the game at all. I would have changed it so the balcony scene was the only death scene he has.

Season 2: Omid

One of my favorite characters of season one was killed off in the first 8 1/2 minutes of season 2. I loved Omid and I thought he was such a unique character. He was a breath of fresh air and we won’t see another character like him until season 4 with Louis. I would have changed it to Christa dying in childbirth (the baby dies too), which leaves Omid and Clem on their own. Omid, of course, would be devastated, but he would still “try to lighten the fucking tone”. He would try to make Clem laugh all the time to help him cope with the death of his girlfriend and child, but Clem would see right through that. We could have a really emotional bonding moment between the two of them, and maybe we could have Omid say that he sees Clem like a daughter? They could find that camp, Clem gets bit by Sam the dog, and Omid carries her around aimlessly until they find the Cabin Group. When they go to the lodge, they can find Kenny, and Omid’s reunion with him would be so cool! When Carver comes to the lodge, he can hold a gun to Clem’s head, and Omid (determined to save the last of his family) would run up and attack Carver and get shot in the process. When Walter was shot I didn’t really feel sad because we barely knew him, but If Omid was shot, I would be so sad and I would hate Carver even more. This could give Clem more motivation to get revenge on Carver in order to avenge Omid.

Season 3: Kenny/Jane/Edith

I think we can all agree that their deaths were super rushed and came out of nowhere. I would have changed it to The New Frontier killing them. After Wellington got attacked, Clem and Edith could have traveled for a while to find a new group (eventually finding The New Frontier). Howe’s Hardware is near Virginia I think, so what if The New Frontier went searching for supplies in the store. Then when they found Clem and Jane living there, they offered them to join their group. Clem and Kenny were heading south anyways, so they could’ve ran into The New Frontier in Virginia. Now, after attempting to steal the medicine, AJ is taken away and Kenny/Jane/Edith will not have it. A big fight would ensue, and it will end with them getting shot in the head. They would threaten to kill Clem too if she didn’t leave, so she would be forced to leave. I think this would be way more devastating, and it will fuel Clem’s hatred for them even more. I also think this would help Javier and Clem’s bond grow stronger because he also had a loved one shot in the head by The New Frontier.

Season 4: Louis (and Violet)

Now I know a lot of people hate Mitch’s death the most (his death did feel really rushed), but my Louis-loving ass is gonna pick Louis’ death scene (and that coincides with Violet’s death too). I’m picking his death scene because it feels super rushed and pushed aside. Clementine looks devastated immediately after his death, but after that? Nothing. She never mentions him again which is bullshit, especially if you ROMANCED him. None of the other kids mention him either, or even look sad. They looked more upset if he was kidnapped than if he died, which makes no sense. I would have changed it to Louis getting bit on the neck or something on the bridge, but he manages to jump to safety. Then Clem could decide to either kill him right then and there, or wait a while longer. If she decides to shoot him in the head, everyone can say their last goodbyes and we can have an emotional scene with him (similar to Lee). However, the noise from the gun will drive the walkers towards them and Clem will get bit. If she decides to wait, Louis would get really sick while they are walking back to the school and can no longer walk. Clem would decide it’s time to shoot him in the head. First they’ll try to say their goodbyes, but Louis dies and turns way quicker than she expected, which results in Clem getting bit in the leg. Towards the end of the episode, they can have a funeral scene for him like they did for Marlon and Brody.

[enguardebitch]

The added Jane and Kenny flashbacks in Episode 4 were cool and at least gave the fans something before their shitty deaths, but I honestly woulda loved if Telltale didn’t just push the other endings into the corner in that same moment.

I would’ve loved seeing Clementine and Edith interacting with each other more and with AJ, maybe have the flashback shown shortly after Clem was forced to leave Kenny and have Edith comfort her, and that even though she lost someone who she knew since the beginning, at least Clementine had safety, food and other people around to make friends with, and for AJ to have security and a whole community to raise and protect him rather than just Clementine, or Clementine and Kenny/Jane.

Clementine: Funny, I already felt like a mom. Edith said that I was a great mom to AJ for thinking about him when I had to leave my friend.

In the Alone ending, we could have something similar to the Kenny flashback yet it being just Clementine and AJ. A nice, lighthearted moment where Clementine and AJ enjoy a moment together, maybe playing with shadows or doodling, and even though it’s hard for Clementine to look after him, don’t make it appear that the alone ending leaves Clementine the worst off considering that feels like a big slap to the face to the people who picked it. Maybe mention some of the characters in the past as she talks to the lil goofball, considering she has no one else there to talk to.

Clementine: Funny, I already felt like a mom. I guess I was the only person there to be a mom to AJ.

I don’t know, maybe just give the fans something that doesn’t revolve around us having to pick Kenny or Jane, rather than leaving us out.

[twdgfanfiction]

Chapter 37 - Answers To Our Problems

Lee was woken the next morning with hands gently rousing him from his slumber. His eyes opened slowly, a yawn growing in his throat, he found he had slept on his back all night, staring up at the ceiling high above, he could see Alicia off in the corner of his vision, she had a soft smile on her glowing face. The sun beaming through the coloured window bounced off her thick hair, the ends circling on her shoulders as her brown eyes stared down at him, Lee found himself staring back at them through the thick haze of sleepiness, before he just rubbed his eyes as he sat up, groaning slightly.

Quietly, he listened as she explained. "Sorry about this, Lee, but it's morning. We should pack our things and get ready to leave for home."

He brought up his wrist to in front of his face, eyes unfocused as he pulled the sleeve back to show his watch, seeing that it was eight in the morning. With a low groan, he slowly rubbed his back, it clicking uncomfortably as he stretched, words rumbling deep in his throat. "Damn. I never thought I'd miss slipping in my office chair."

"If this was too much for you, there was some spaces on the pews." Alicia pointed out, looking around at the empty spaces around them, not even looking at Lee as she quickly added. "The others have gone to pack the truck with supplies. The leaders are gonna come around to say goodbye, and then it's off for home."

"We better get ready then." He replied, slipping out of the sleeping bag quickly. Once out, he rolled the bag up quickly, gripping on the fabric as he carried it back over to the altar, staring at the bare altar before leaving the sleeping bag beside it. Standing there, he glanced up at the cross hanging up above, staring at the frozen face of Jesus as he hung on the well known cross, his thoughts going back years, back to when his mother would take him to church every sunday. He remembered those days well. With a deep frown, he realised that he hadn't visited that church for a good few years, not since he got that teaching job in Atlanta.

Softly, he heard Alicia's voice call out. "Hey… I was wondering if you'd go on ahead? I just need some time here."

"Is everything alright?" Lee asked, turning around at her with a concerned expression.

She just stood there, staring at the altar with crossed arms and a thoughtful look on her face, eyes burrowing deep into the old stonework before she glanced up at Lee, a small smile on her face as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I know we have the memorial and all that back home, but being here, in an actual church, I have a chance to say a proper farewell to my friends. To everyone we've lost."

"Ah, I understand." Lee replied, a grim frown pulling at his lips as he just glanced over to the double doors, noticing hardly anyone remaining in the old building. He thought about it, and slowly, he walked over to Alicia, placing a hand on her shoulder, only to feel the muscles under his scarred palm and frown deeply. Seeing the fear flash in her eyes, before she managed to get it under control, Lee wouldn't lie, but it hurt him knowing that she was still scarred by what Carver did to her. He wanted to help her, but the problem was that he didn't know how.

"I'll just, erm… I'll go find the others, give you some space. Just come to the front gate when you're done, alright?" he offered.

Nodding, she offered him a grateful smile, her eyes sparkling with happiness before she made her way over to the altar. Lee knew that she needed space, and started making his way down the aisle towards the front door. He didn't spare even a glance back before he exited. Once outside, he felt the morning sun on his face, his eyes closing painfully as they adjusted to the light, his hand rising to provide shade. Snow that had been walked on laid over the path leading to the gate, footprints clearly visible in the dirtied layer of snow, and Lee's footprints were added when he walked down the path.

Breathing in the fresh morning air, he sighed deeply, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere around him, the sound of birdsong and people walking by, chatting nonchalantly to each other as if the world hadn't gone to shit. It was almost like back at Howe's, save for the space and open spaces. Lee actually felt slightly jealous of all the benefits the people of Wellington got, wondering if this was the life Sarah would have enjoyed if she did go with Edith and her group. The wind blew through the occupied streets, nothing more than a gentle breeze compared to the blizzard winds Lee was used to. Hopefully, the winter months would be over soon, and they'd be able to get more done in the warmer climate.

Reaching the gate, he pushed it open, ignoring the squeaky noise coming from it as he left the church behind, walking down the street by himself. The street lamps, unused for the long months that had passed by, just decorated the sides of the road, some stumps left behind from where a few of the street lamps had collapsed and been cleared away. Passing on, he gave it a quick glance before carrying on. Instead, he focused on a large oak tree, a bird's nest clear in its bare branches, the adults sitting in the safety of their nest high above whilst they waited for winter to pass, finding an adequate food source from the survivors to reject the migrate down south like so many others. The sounds of their song echoed through the air, and grew quieter the further down the road Lee walked.

Just like last night, the streets were busy with survivors going on to do their daily tasks, some driving a pickup truck full of hardware supplies; sheets of metal, wooden planks, along with all the tools necessary for build and repair. Watching as they drove slowly past, Lee smiled softly, carrying on down the road to the imposing walls in the distance, knowing that his people would be waiting there for him and Alicia to arrive. Soon, the walls separating Wellington from the outside world towered over him, casting all ground running along it in shadows. The slight heat of the sun had died once he reached the shadows, instead his skin reacting to the cold with goosebumps running all over his arms.

Rubbing his hands together in a vain attempt to rid himself of the frost, he noticed the familiar truck sitting just a few meters away from the closed gate. Edith and Sam were already there, the former talking quietly with Joel and that, where as her brother had taken to conversing with Al, the female guard laughing at some joke that he likely told. Seeing her happy, it warmed Lee's heart, and his face showed it when he approached them, Sam turning to the leader and grinning. "Well, someone's had a good night sleep from the look on your face."

"Yeah, you could say that." Lee shot right back, a joking tone to his voice as he crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised as he pressed further. "So, what you two talking about?"

"You know, things." Al replied, a smile playing at her lips as she looked away, Lee's eyebrow rising higher when he noticed the dark colouring over her cheeks.

Nodding his head, he chuckled deeply. "Uh-huh, things. Anyone wanna fill me in on what those things are?"

"Well, when you got a lovely woman coming to my community, it's basic manners to show her around." Sam started, crossing his arms in a mimicry of what Lee was doing. "It's a shame that you have to go back to Howe's. I was beginning to enjoy your company around here."

"You've known me for a day," Al shot back, brushing a lock of her hair back absentmindedly as she added. "I think you can survive until I come back again."

"Hey, a day is a lifetime in this world. You never know what happens, so why not make the most of it?" Sam's voice dropped to a sultry tone, but Al's face just fell with those words, Lee knowing the events that happened the other day still cutting her deep. Lee stared at her with sympathy in his eyes, though Sam didn't realise the effect his words had on the female survivor until she started walking away, her voice stern and professional.

"We should get the truck ready. Howe's needs us back with them. When you're ready, Lee." With that, she hopped up into the driver's side of the truck, closing the door behind her whilst Sam just stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face as he turned around to Lee.

"Was it something I said?" he asked, receiving only a shaking of Lee's head. Despite the awkwardness of the scene between the two without Al, Edith walking over caused Lee to sigh in relief silently. Calmness was all that could be seen in her face, being back home with food and supplies bringing the woman's spirit up, and although her brother just stared and shrugged when she expressed confusion over what just happened, she didn't let it get in the way of what needed to be said before Lee left for Howe's.

With a gentle smile, she turned to stare at the crates sitting in the back of vehicle, one of the guards that came with Lee reading the same book she was reading yesterday, a pair of sunglasses on her face, hiding her eyes from their view. Whilst he stared at the imprint of Wellington's name on the crates, he listened as she started talking. "Marissa worked hard last night, trying to figure out alternate routes for us to take. She made this. Told me to give it to you before you guys head out."

She pulled out a roll of paper from her jacket pocket, passing it over to Lee as he slowly unrolled it, noticing that it was a drawn map, the detail amazing given the lack of time Marissa had to do it all. Lines coloured red flowed through the paper, detailing routes that they could take rather than the highway. Staring at it, Edith quickly added. "On the back are times that the Wellington trucks will leave for pick ups. She's decided to meet Howe's people halfway, if only to reduce the distance we both would have to travel. Plus, safety in numbers, isn't it?"

"That's pretty smart. We should reach Howe's before nightfall tonight, and the next stop isn't until next week." Lee pointed out, reading the times and dates on the back of the map. He had to admit, he was fairly impressed with the detail that Marissa went to making this, and he carefully rolled it back up, sticking it in his jacket pocket as he turned to Edith, nodding his head slowly. "Thank you, for all of this, Edith."

"I can't take the credit. I'm glad we picked those guys as our leaders, they know how to get shit done." Edith confessed, her eyes quickly shifting to behind Lee as her face softened, her smile widening as she chuckled quietly. "Well, looks like the gang's all here."

Confused, Lee heard footsteps approaching behind him quickly, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he spun around, somewhat panicking over the unknown target approaching them until he realised that it was only Alicia. Face red and shoulder rising up and down with every breath she took, she just stood there panting heavily, looking at both of them before she gasped loudly. "I didn't know I'd be that long. Sorry about that."

"It's no problem. We've got everything we need, so you ready to set off?" Lee asked, turning back to Edith when Alicia nodded and started making her way over to the truck, Joel and the others had packed everything up, all of them bundling into the back of the truck and closing the shutters down, trapping them all inside until they reached home. With a short hug, he muttered to her. "Thanks, again. Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon."

"Tell Sarah that I miss her, okay?" Edith asked. Nodding in response, he watched as she backed away, Sam standing next to her as the siblings watched their friend walk over to the front of the truck, opening the passenger door and climbing in. Closing the door behind him, he peered in the wing mirror, watching the two waving goodbye to him whilst the gate slowly opened, the truck engine roaring to life when Al turned the key in the ignition. Lurching forward, they drove along the short path through the gate and into the outside world, the vehicle continuing down the lonely road whilst the gate behind them closed, keeping all threats outside the safety of the walls.

Lee continued to stare at the walls through the wing mirror, listening as Alicia yawned quietly, stretching her arms out in an attempt to stretch her muscles, the cramp in them unbelieveable as she slouched back into the seat, muttering to the others in the cab with her. "Wellington was unbelieveable, did you see those walls? Nothing could scale them. God, those people are very lucky to live there."

"I gotta agree with you, but Wellington isn't impenetrable." Lee pointed out, finally looking away from the wing mirror and instead staring at his companions, Alicia surprised with his words. "You heard what the leaders told us last night. Those bandits aren't robbing because they need it, they have a grudge, and sooner or later those grudges will have a nasty effect on all of us."

"Why? What'd they tell you guys?" Al asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

Glancing over at Alicia, she and Lee shared a wary look before he moved his sights over to the driver, pausing for a moment before he explained. "Wellington's run into a population problem. Edith told me about how many people she was forced to turn away on her leader's' orders, and that because of shortages with supplies, people were caught stealing and had to be exiled."

"Damn. I mean, I know things are hard nowadays but… I always thought Wellington took people in no matter what. I guess I was just fooling myself." Al grumbled, glancing over at Lee as she confessed. "I ain't gonna lie, when Carver was running Howe's I thought about leaving. Running away with people to go and find the haven up north."

"Really? You told me that you thought Carver was doing what was necessary." Lee recalled, remembering Al picking Carver's side during the rebellion, even going as far as to reject Riley's claims that he sent children outside the walls out of cruelty rather than necessity.

With a guilt-ridden look, Al nodded her head, her voice low as she replied. "I did, but that doesn't mean I thought it was right. I was a coward. Change was coming, and I didn't want to be on the wrong side at the end of all it. If it matters, I'm glad that you gave me another chance."

"People deserve second chances." Alicia pointed out, turning to Lee as she added. "I believe the bandits are just scared people who've been hurt. Sometimes, hurt people do things that they shouldn't, and a lot of people end up dead because of it. If you were in Wellington's shoes, would you do the same as they did?"

Caught off guard by the question, he blinked twice at her, remaining silent as he then turned to stare at the long road ahead. Thinking about it, he slowly came to his answer and, with a grim face, he turned back to her, staring down at her waiting expression as he nodded. "Yes. I would."

"Really? How can you be so sure?" she asked.

"We have to have rules. Being hurt doesn't excuse your actions, it only explains them." He sighed. Quickly, the conversation came to an end, everyone in the truck falling silent as Lee just leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed leisurely over his chest, staring out of the window at the passing trees and buildings, the fields slowly opening up as they took the routes mapped down on the piece of paper that Edith gave him. Quietly, he listened to the hum of the engine as the truck drove along the snow covered road, and thought about what they had just discussed for the entire journey home.

A few conversation starters were tossed amongst them during the journey, though Lee didn't indulge more than a few soft spoken words, and eventually Alicia gave up trying to fill the silence. It was a good thing for him as well, as the familiar sight of Howe's walls came into view, small people walking along the top as they watched out for any signs of dangers. Despite the snow proving difficult to drive in, the group didn't experience any shortcomings during the drive back to Howe's, mostly catching the bandits off guard with the unknown routes they took, keeping their precious supplies away from the main settlement. The sun was shining in the sky, moving slowly towards the horizon as it would soon set once more, the skies dyed the beautiful colours that Lee constantly saw with the sunsets.

Al eased her foot on the brake, slowing the truck down so that the guards on duty could open the gate, allowing them access to the insides of their community. Driving up the path, Lee just sat there, watching the people pass by as they went on to do the rest of their duties for the day, likely getting ready for dinner and for the guards to start their night shift. Exhaustion had already hit him, despite only eight or so hours passing by, and all he wanted was to relax in his office in peace. Sadly, he would have no such luck, as once the truck entered the back of the building into the loading bay, Christa and Jack were waiting there with bated breath.

"Well, time for you two to face the music." Al pointed out, turning the keys in the ignition and opening the door, jumping down as she added. "I'll make sure the supplies are taken to storage."

"Thank you, Al." Alicia replied, jumping down from the truck on the driver's side whilst Lee opened the passenger door, slowly making his way down to the marble floor. Once down, he closed the door again, turning to Christa as the pregnant woman approached him, her face relieved that he made it back home.

"I'm glad you guys made it back. Omid and I were worried the entire time you were gone, he wouldn't stop bringing you up in conversations." She joked, earning a laugh from a tired Lee.

Stretching his sore arms out, Lee groaned softly, letting his arms fall to his sides as he replied. "Man, it's great to be back, but… it wasn't all smooth sailing up there."

"Why, what happened?" she asked, glancing at the guards as they unloaded the back of the truck, using a trolley to carry the heavy crates to the side for unpackaging. Slowly, he could see realisation hit her, eyes glancing back at him as she continued. "We're down a soldier. What happened?"

"Liam got bit during a break. The walker was hidden under the snow, he never saw it coming. Al… she had to put him down so that he didn't suffer anymore." Pausing, he glanced over at Al, the young guard dragging the trolley over to the side for the crate to be put down, remaining silent whilst the others chatted away about their stay in Wellington. Quietly, he added to his explanation. "She's not doing too good."

"I hardly even knew Liam. He was one of the people that came in a few weeks ago, right?" Jack suddenly asked, walking closer to the duo to join in on their conversation. Lee nodded slowly, not knowing much about the deceased either, and watched as Jack sighed, fixing his glasses. "Damn. I thought he and Al got on just like siblings, hell, he did her a world of good."

"That's not the only thing going on. We need to go up to my office, this needs to be said in private." Lee grumbled. Christa and Jack appeared confused, the former somewhat unnerved by how worried Lee sounded, before the four turned around and walked out of the loading bay. In the main part of the building, Lee glanced around, watching people walking around minding their own business, talking amongst each other with laughter and cheer in the air. The new spotlights fitted in the community were slowly turned on, keeping the place fairly lit despite the dying sunlight outside.

Moving towards the stairs, he noticed someone walking down them, their quick footsteps echoing against the solid marble, until the person spotted Lee and paused. It was Sarah, with worried eyes and tense shoulders, she sounded relieved as she called down to him. "I'm so glad you guys are alright!"

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Lee asked, worried by her expression and tenseness.

With a frown, she glanced up the stairs again, the sound of people chatting and laughing likely coming from the restaurant, dinner time being around that time. After a few tense moments, she turned back to Lee, her voice low as she confessed. "I'm worried about Nick. Over these past few weeks, he's been really down, and now he won't come out of his room. I-I don't know how to help him."

"It'll be alright, sweetie. I'll go and see him once I'm done with what I gotta do now, you just go and have dinner." Lee consoled.

Sarah nodded at that, though she was unsure whether Lee could actually help him or not, quickly adding before she left. "Okay, but I need to be there. He's my friend. I have to make sure he's alright."

"Sure thing." With that, she walked back up the stairs, leaving the group behind as they made their way up the rest of the staircase. Once they reached the top, they ignored the lights and sounds coming from the restaurant, rather briskly walking over to Lee's office. It was dark and silent inside, a complete opposite to the community around them, and opening the door, he moved inside quickly, eager to get the meeting out of the way so that he could see how the rest of his friends were doing.

To his surprise, once they entered the room, he noticed a blanket left in the corner of his office, Buddy curled up on top of it as the animal slept soundly. The noise of the door opening alerted the dog, big eyes opening slowly and a loud yawn coming from deep within its throat, pearly white canines appearing behind curled back lips. A smile crept on Lee's face, his body relaxed as the dog noticed his presence, his tail wagging wildly whilst it jumped to its feet, approaching his new owner with squinted eyes and parted lips, his tongue flapping out of the corner of his mouth.

Kneeling down, Lee stroked the fur on Buddy's neck affectionately, listening as Christa spoke up. "He wouldn't leave your office for the entire time you were gone. We used a few blankets to make him a bed, and he seemed right at home this morning."

"Heh, you missed me, Bud?" Lee asked Buddy, the dog just panting loudly as he slowly stood up again, walking over to his desk and sitting down in the leather chair, his hands resting on the cold wood whilst the others surrounded him. Christa, with a hand on her swollen stomach, leaned against his desk, staring down at him with worry clear in her eyes.

"What's happened? You seemed pretty unnerved by something before." She asked.

Lee and Alicia glanced at each other, before the leader took in a deep breath and revealed what he was told back in Wellington. "The bandits. When Alicia and I were talking to Wellington's leaders, they told us something. People who've made their way up had to be rejected because of population problems, and they've joined the bandit settlement set up in Charleston."

"Charleston? That's on the point where all the routes we use to Wellington meet… I used to live there." Jack revealed, his face grim as he thought over what Lee just said.

Nodding, Lee allowed Alicia to take over, watching her speak out to the others with a concerned tone. "That's not all. The shortages in Wellington had caused people living there to become desperate. They tried to steal anything they could get, and the leaders had to kick them out… It seems that the bandits took these exiles in, turned their anger against Wellington into something useful."

"Jesus, these bandits have a grudge against Wellington." Christa gasped, crossing her arms as she fell silent, allowing Jack to take over with a stern look.

"I thought we were just dealing with shitty people, but if Wellington turned these people away, they're most likely seeing Charleston as a goddamn haven." He pointed out, looking down at Lee as he added. "Anger's a powerful motivator, and with our alliance, we're putting our people in the way of the bandits' wrath."

"I don't see a way around this, Jack. Both you and I knew Howe's before the alliance with Wellington, we need them just as much as they need us." Alicia snapped, turning to Lee as she added. "Edith gave you something before we set off, what was it?"

Remembering that, Lee shoved a hand in his jacket pocket, pulling the rolled up piece of paper and lying it across the desk, the advisors peering down to look at it. With a raised eyebrow, Christa was the first to speak, pointing out dryly. "It's a map."

"Really? I didn't notice." Lee shot back, a sarcastic bite to his words that caused her to glare at him, before he went on to explain. "Marissa made this. It shows other paths that we can take to avoid Charleston, and the bandits. They ain't gonna travel all the way out here to find supplies, and they don't know that we're changing routes."

"That's smart." Jack approved, turning to Christa as he added. "We keep changing routes, they won't know which one to stalk for supplies."

"She put times and dates on the back," Lee continued, flipping the map over to allow the others to see the scribbled handwriting. "They're times when the truck will leave Wellington and the routes they will take on different times. We use these to meet up halfway, exchange the supplies, and head back to Howe's. Lee fuel spent for both of us, and the numbers on both sides will offer extra protection."

"I gotta say, thank god for Marissa sometimes." Jack sighed, straightening himself up once he was done looking at the piece of rolled out paper. "Howe's was fine whilst you were gone. Frank gave Christa some reports about food, but on the medical side, we're running low on antibiotics."

"There should be more in the crates we brought back, including some natural remedies." Lee replied, rubbing his bear absentmindedly whilst Jack nodded at that, turning to Christa to silently gesture for her to give in her reports.

"Thanks to all the farming supplies we gathered from that farm, Frank's pleased to say that food production has increased. He's looking into ways to store some for next winter, in case the crops fail." She explained. Pleased with how well his community was getting along, it was almost possible for Lee to push his worries back, if only almost. Leaning back in his chair, he listened as Christa yawned. "I say we end this meeting quick. You need to eat, and then go help Sarah with Nick. He isn't doing good nowadays."

"I'll get right on it." Lee replied, standing up from his desk and moving back towards the door, ignoring Buddy sitting in his bed, short whines coming from the animal as his owner just left the office with the others behind him. Jack carried on towards the stairs, likely returning to the clinic to help the rest of his patients, whilst Christa walked off towards the restaurant, Lee spotting Omid standing by the door, waving a hello to the leader before rejoining with his girlfriend.

Smiling at the both of them, he listened as Alicia paused, staring at the restaurant before muttering to him. "I'm gonna go and find Kate. She must have been missing me so much… I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Alicia." He replied, watching as she left his side to go and find her daughter. With a deep breath, he exhaled through his nose and walked over to the restaurant as well, eager to find Sarah. It seemed that she had the same idea in mind, nearly running into Lee when he was close to the entrance, eyes wide as she bounced off his solid frame and stumbled backwards, a meek noise of surprise coming from her whilst she steadied herself.

With a surprised look, Lee stared down at her as he mumbled. "Careful there, Sarah."

"Lee! Good, I was gonna go and get you from your office after seeing Christa come in!" she explained, moving past him with a urgent expression on her face, her words spoken quickly as she added, turning back to face the leader. "Nick's hardly left his room and I'm scared for him, I don't know what to do… Please, can you try to talk to him? See if you can snap him out of this?"

"I'll try my best. Let's go." With that, the two of them made their way over to the staircase, wasting no time in walking down the steps quickly, their footsteps echoing against the marble. Sarah was fast on her feet, visibly worried and eager to reach Nick's room to try and help him, sparing no looks to Lee as she reached the bottom of the stairs, quickly turning to walk over to the shop next to the greenhouse doors. Lee followed, staring ahead at the door with his gut twisting, unsure what he would see when he went inside, and Sarah shared his worry, pausing once she reached the room.

Bringing her hand up, she hesitated in knocking, instead glancing behind her at Lee, her lips pulled in a deep frown as she breathed heavily, trying to calm her nerves before she finally knocked, her hand rapping against the solid wood twice. The sound echoed across the main building. Waiting, Lee gulped quietly, something solid trapped in his throat as he waited anxiously. There was no response, and so Sarah reached for the handle, slowly opening the door whilst calling out into the darkness. "Nick? It's me, Sarah. Lee's back from Wellington and wanted to know if you were alright."

Once again, there was no response from their friend, and Sarah glanced up at Lee as he came to her side, allowing him to enter first before quickly following after him. The room inside was pitch black, the light from outside highlighting the bed, a body lying on it quickly revealed to be Nick, his back to them as Lee held his breath. Slowly, he approached his friend, his hand reaching out to gently shake him, and he immediately retracted it when he saw that Nick was breathing. Sighing out in relief, he just stood there as Nick turned around, eyes reddened and almost lifeless as he stared up at Lee.

"What do you guys want?" he asked, shifting his stares from Lee to Sarah as he added. "I told you, Sarah, I'm fine."

"No, you're not." She argued, a concerned tone to her voice. "You're not eating, you ain't leaving your room at all. Nick, I'm worried about you. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. I just want to be alone, is that too much to ask?!" he snapped, turning back around whilst Sarah and Lee shared a look, the younger survivor nodding her head at Nick, urging Lee to talk to him silently.

With a deep breath, he turned back to Nick, his voice gentle and soft as he called out. "Nick, man, you know we're your friends. We just want to help you, that's all. Problem is, we can't if you don't tell us what's wrong."

Nick didn't reply. Rather, he kept staring at the wall, his back to Lee and Sarah, and the former started to doubt that they could do anything to help him. Lee could see himself in Nick, the weeks after Clementine's death and all his friends falling save for Christa and Omid, and he knew exactly what it was like. Slowly, he moved closer, staring down at Nick as he started to explain. "Nick, I know what all this feels like. You lost someone close to you, and you're sad and hurt, you're probably thinking 'If I just did something different, this wouldn't have happened', but please, you have to listen to me. What happened with Luke and Pete, none of this was your fault. You can't look back and beat yourself up over it."

"What if I can't help but look back? You don't understand, Lee. My mom, Uncle Pete, Luke. It's never gonna stop. No matter what we do, someone is gonna die eventually, and then… it'll be our turn." His voice was low, but Lee managed to pick up what he said, feeling his gut twist at how utterly dead Nick sounded. Sarah moved closer to her friend, slowly sitting down at the end of his bed.

"You're right, Nick. Eventually, we all will die, but it's how we live during the meantime that matters. We can't give up, 'cause then everyone who died to protect us would have given their lives for nothing. We owe it to them to keep fighting." She explained, glancing down at her hands as she confessed. "I know what you're going through. When I ran away from Howe's, I didn't know why all of this happened. I couldn't think of a reason for what Carver or Luke did, or why my dad had to die. I had no one, and it was a scary time, but then I met Edith and the others. They made me see that there is still a reason to keep going, and when Lee came to look for me, I knew that I could be that reason for our friends, for you."

Slowly, Nick sat up, turning around to face Sarah with a crushed expression on his face, Lee watching with saddened eyes as his friend shook his head. "You guys can just take everything this world throws at you and still keep going. I wish I was strong, but I guess I'm just not built for this."

Sarah frowned even more at that, staring at Nick as she quietly replied. "No one is."

"We can't tell you how to get over this, Nick. That's for you to decide." Lee continued, adding with a saddened smile on his face. "We're here for you, though. Every step of the way."

Nick paused, staring over at the open door with a thoughtful expression, until he glanced back at Lee, nodding his head slowly as he managed a small smile. "Thank you. I mean it."

"It's no problem, Nick. We should let you get some rest, and then we can start work tomorrow, yeah?" With Nick nodding in agreement, Lee's smile widened, and he instead moved to leave his room again. Sarah remained where she was for a moment, appearing in thought as Lee waited for her by the door, watching with confusion as she turned back to Nick. Slowly, as if unsure she was allowed to do so, she wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing him in a tight hug that he returned, his own arms wrapping around her chest.

"I was so worried about you." She muttered, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "Please, if you're ever like this again, tell me. I don't want to lose you as well."

"I know, I promise." He replied quietly, finally releasing her from his grip as she backed off, giving her a weak smile as he suggested. "You should get some rest. You've been working hard these past few weeks, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." She agreed, turning around to leave the room as she finished the conversation with a quiet. "Goodnight, Nick."

"'Night, kid." He replied. Lee allowed Sarah to leave the room first, closing the door behind him to give Nick some privacy, staring at the wooden door with a heavy heart before turning back around. Immediately, he noticed Sarah sitting down on the unused fountain, her eyes staring at the floor as he made his way over to her, feeling his gut twist with worry.

"Sarah, you alright?" he called out, sitting down next to her. She made no effort to move, rather keeping her gaze downwards as she thought of a response, each second passing by only worsening the gut feeling in Lee's abdomen.

Slowly, she sighed, and confessed to the leader. "I'm sorry, I just… I'm scared for Nick. After thinking about it, I realised that we're the last two from our group… Everyone I knew, everyone I loved. They're all gone."

Lee said nothing, instead allowing Sarah to vent her feelings without the fear of being pushed aside or judged. Rather, he just sat there, watching as she pulled something out of her jacket pocket, and eyebrow raised when he noticed that it was a photo. Sarah stared down at it with a broken look, shoulders sagging with grief as she turned it slightly, allowing Lee to see it. Holding his breath, he recognized the photo, and pointed it out with a low whisper. "That's the photo you showed me when we first met."

"I took this before all of this happened. It's the only thing I have left of him…" she muttered.

Watching as she placed it back in her pocket, Lee replied to her with sympathy in his voice. "I'm sorry about Carlos. You must really miss him."

"I do… Lee?" she suddenly asked, waiting as he hummed in response, glancing up at him. "Do you still miss Clementine? I mean, do you think the pain of her being gone will get any easier?"

Lee just sat there with a shocked expression, his heart constricting with the mention of the little girl, and he quickly turned away, grim faced and silent. Sarah waited for his response, somewhat uneasy with his silence until he finally nodded. "I do miss her. Being back at the motel, watching her colour with her friend and being a kid, I'd give anything to be back there. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever get over what happened to her… but hopefully, the pain will get easier to handle with time."

"That's what I hope to. Thinking about my dad, the times we spent together before all this… it hurts a lot. I just want him back." She confessed, sniffing slightly as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, standing up before Lee could comfort her. "I-I'm tired. You should go and see Lilly in her room, she's been asking about you all the time you were gone."

"Alright. Sarah, if anything's bothering you… you know you can come to me, right?" he pointed out, watching as Sarah just nodded in response, before turning around and walking back to her room near the clinic. Lee watched her go, worried about her, and yet a small smile appeared on her face when he noticed Riley appearing, stopping Sarah and talking in hushed tones.

Standing up, he glanced over at them talking, deciding to go to Lilly's room to see how she was faring. Walking over to the flight of stairs, the voices ceased and Riley pulled Sarah into a comforting hug, the scene heartwarming for him as he paused for a moment, before deciding to carry on to give the two teenagers some space to talk whatever needed to be talked out. Taking the steps two at a time, he quickly reached the top, feeling his stomach growl in hunger. He hadn't eaten all day, most of the car ride with him worrying about what to say to the other advisors when he got back to Howe's, and staring at the restaurant, he pushed the feeling of hunger down until he was finished with talking to Lilly.

She had gotten her old room back, the door closed completely to give her some privacy from the rest of the community. Reaching the door, he quickly knocked on it, waiting patiently as he heard mutters from behind and footsteps, soon after the door opening to reveal a sleepy Lilly behind it. Wearing just her tank top and some shorts, her hair was all over the place with her undamaged, half-lidded eye staring at him through the haze of drowsiness, a eyepatch covering her damaged socket. With a smile, he softly spoke to her. "Hey, Lilly. I was just coming by to see if you were alright."

"Lee? Damn, I didn't know you were even back." She muttered, rubbing her eye to rid it of sleep before she gestured for him to come in. "Come in."

"I didn't know you were sleeping. I'd have left this until the morning if I knew otherwise." He confessed, closing the door behind him as he glanced around the room. A lamp on her small table lit the room up, shadows dancing across the walls as Lilly moved back to her bed, slowly sitting down as she yawned.

"I wasn't sleeping. It's just these damn painkillers Jack gave me. They're strong as shit, but damn do they really take it out of you." She explained, leaning against the wall at the end of her bed, looking up at her friend as she added. "How was the trip to Wellington? You sorted shit out there?"

Lee paused, unsure whether he wanted to stress Lilly out even more with the truth, and knowing her slippery mental state, he elected to keep it from her as he nodded, moving closer to her bed as he sat down at the end of it. "Yeah. We've changed routes, and have decided to meet Wellington halfway to reduce the amount of gas we're using. With luck, the bandits won't know where the trucks go during the supply runs."

Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, a rare smile on her face as she replied. "That's good…. I'm gonna be honest, Lee, it's so much better not being in charge. The motel… I'm starting to think that maybe Kenny would have been a better leader. After all the shit that happened. I could have handled it better, and that ain't up for discussion, I'll be stuck with that until I die, but if it matters… I'm glad you were there to help."

"Lilly, about what happened with Carley…" Lee started, noticing her expression fall when he mentioned the late survivor. "I need to know. Why? Why did you kill her?"

Lilly didn't reply. Rather, she just sat there, her eyes falling to her feet whilst she thought about his question, Lee giving her time to think of what to say as he remembered the woman, his heart aching as he missed her dearly, even after all the time that had passed. Slowly, she quietly muttered. "I don't know. I want to say because she stole, but honestly? I just couldn't stop. We lost the motel, my dad, everything I worked so hard to keep. I just wanted to stop something before it could take any more from me… from us."

"What you did… I didn't know if I could ever forgive you, if I wanted to forgive you, but you almost gave your life for me. When Carver pointed that gun at me, you took the bullet. I may never forget what you've done, but… I think I can start to forgive you." Lee confessed, staring up at Lilly with a weak smile, the gesture returned by the tired survivor as she nodded.

"Thank you. I really mean it, Lee. I know I don't deserve it sometimes, but I'm glad we can start to put the past in the past." She replied, noticing the exhaustion hit him as she then pointed out. "You should really get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

"Yeah… Yeah, I'll do that. Night, Lilly." He agreed. With a nod, she watched as he stood up, walking back to the door with a slow pace to his steps, his hand pushing the door open as he glanced back, smiling at her before he left the room once more. Closing the door, he stood there for a moment, and was about to retire to his office when he noticed Omid leaving the restaurant, Christa nowhere to be seen when he walked over to his friend.

Omid paused, noticing Lee when he was a few feet away, a smile on his face when Lee noticed that he had a jar of pickles in his hand. With a raised eyebrow, Lee quickly joked. "You got the late night munchies?"

"I wish, but I can't stand these things." Omid laughed, a smirk on his face as he added. "They're for Christa. She's been having all sorts of weird cravings, guess it's the pregnancy or something."

"Huh, can't say I'm a big fan of pickles myself." Lee confessed, crossing his arms as he stared down at the few vegetables left in the jar.

"Anyway, I suppose it won't be for much longer. Christa's due date is just around the corner…" Omid paused, his face a mixture of worry and excitement as he quietly confessed. "Honestly, I'm scared shitless. I mean, what do I do? I don't have any previous experience with babies."

"I think a lot of fathers have been here before you, man. You just do what you think is right, as long as the baby's healthy that's all that matters, right?" Lee asked.

Nodding, Omid exhaled deeply, appearing calmer as he replied. "Right. Thanks, man. Now, I should get the lovely woman I call my girlfriend her pickles before she throws the jar at me. See you in the morning."

"See ya, man." With that, Omid left him alone, Lee watching as his friend disappeared up the stairs, retiring to his room on the second floor. After Omid could no longer be seen, Lee chuckled deeply at his worry over the baby, shaking his head as he retired for the night. Christa's due date wasn't for a couple of months, there wasn't much to worry about until then, but Lee would be a liar if he said he wasn't surprised with how quickly those months flew by.

[twdg-incorrect-quotes]

Kenny: Is this Wellington? Edith: No, this is Edith. 

Source: Spongebob Squarepants

[ericsonclan]

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Summary: Omid and Christa join Carley, Lee, Matthew and Walter for some Christmas caroling.

Word Count: 1708

Read on AO3:

“Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green…” Omid paused in his carol, his hand still swinging lightly with his wife’s as they walked through the snow. “What is ‘wassailing’ anyway?”

“Hmmm,” Christa rooted through her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her phone. “I think it has something to do with singing,” She pulled up the definition on her phone. “It looks like it was an old form of caroling but it involved inviting people to drink out of the wassail bowl the carolers had brought along,”

“Oooh, sort of like a reverse Halloween visit. We provide entertainment – the trick - and a treat! Maybe we should bring a punch bowl along with us,”

“Punch would be a bit cold in winter. I think wassail was more of a spiced wine,” Christa glanced at her watch. “Anyway, we’re running late – the wassail will have to wait till next year,”

The couple quickened their steps – they were only about a half block away by now. As they rounded the corner, they could see the other two couples waiting for them. Carley and Lee and Walter and Matthew stood on the sidewalk, reading through their caroling booklets.

Lee’s face brightened as he spotted Omid and Christa. “Hey, you two! Come on over! We’ve got booklets for you too!”

“Hell yeah, caroling booklets!” Omid grabbed a pair and handed one over to his wife. “Not that I’ll need mine – I’m a caroling aficionado,”

“He’s not wrong,” Christa smiled knowingly at her husband. “Brody and Louis love Christmas carols. They sing them all day long throughout December,”

“Ah so that’s why Mitch and Clementine seemed so interested in these booklets. Guess they wanted to impress their boos with their musical know-how,”

“Boos?” Carley wrinkled her nose in amusement. “Is that what the kids are saying these days?”

“It’s what the cool kids are saying,” Lee quipped, earning an affectionate eye roll from his wife.

“Now that we’re all assembled,” Walter said, adjusting his scarf, “Let’s head out. Matthew has the map of our caroling destinations on his phone,”

The group agreed and headed out, each couple linked arm in arm as they strolled the lamplit snowy sidewalks. It was a brisk night, the sort that would be describes as having that winter chill that snuck into your bones. Still, the group was bundled up warmly and their laughter and easy banter had them immune to the cold. Well, mostly immune. Omid’s chattering teeth told a somewhat different tale.

“You OK over there, Omid?” Matthew asked. Reaching under his arm, he produced a thermos and began unscrewing the top. “I brought some hot chocolate along since the weather forecast said it was gonna be nippy,”

“Ah, a wassail!” Omid exclaimed, gratefully taking the steaming drink and taking a gulp.

“A what now?”

“A wassail!” Walter exclaimed, his eyes brightening at the mention of an archaic term. “It’s a sort of spiced ale that used to be served by carolers to the people they serenaded,”

“Somebody’s been reading their dictionary,” Omid grinned, smiling Walter’s way. “That’s what the real ‘cool kids’ like my wife do,”

Christa rolled her eyes at that but the smile on her lips betrayed her fondness for her husband’s jokes.

“Hey, I was reading the dictionary before it was even cool,” Lee declared from the head of the pack. “Y’all can ask Carley – we met in the library,”

“It’s true. I was looking for a certain article for my thesis and I found Lee reading an encyclopedia at the front desk when he was supposed to be working. It was love at first sight,”

“Now wait a minute,” Christa interjected, “I thought Lee said he read the dictionary. An encyclopedia is an entirely different thing,”

Lee let out a mock gasp of indignation. “That’s what you took away from the romantic tale of our first meeting? There’s no pleasing some people,”

The banter would have continued but they had reached the first house on their map. Pulling out their booklets, the group prepared to sing while Matthew knocked on the door. As soon as the door was open, they burst into their first carol.

“We wish you a merry Christmas,

We wish you a merry Christmas,

We wish you a merry Christmas,

And a happy new year!

Good tidings we bring

For you and your kin,

Good tidings for Christmas

And a happy new year!”

Tripp and Sarita applauded enthusiastically as the song finished, huddled together in the warmth of their doorway. “Oh, that was wonderful!” Sarita exclaimed. “Why don’t you all come on in for a cup of tea to warm up?”

Walter shook his head. “Thank you kindly, but you’re the first in a long list of houses we plan to visit tonight,”

“Well, let us give you something. Wait here a minute,” Tripp directed before hurrying back into the house. A minute later he came out bearing candy canes, one for each of them. “Merry Christmas and thanks for dropping by,”

They all said their goodbyes and headed off toward the next house.

“It’s just like Halloween after all!” Omid exclaimed, gleefully unwrapping his candy cane. Christa had stuck hers in her thermos cup of cocoa and sipped from it sparingly, enjoying the faint zing of peppermint the drink now had.

The next stop on their caroling journey was at Kenny and Katjaa’s house. The couple listened merrily to the group as they sang “Joy to the World” then Katjaa insisted they come inside and enjoy some of the speculoos cookies she’d just finished baking. Since Lee had to pee they took her up on her offer and the group sat round the kitchen table for a few minutes enjoying the delicious spiced gingerbread. They didn’t let themselves tarry long through and were soon off to their next destination.

At Sisi and Doug’s house the group found the pair in the midst of playing the Skyrim Christmas mod but the game was paused in order to fully enjoy the beauty of “Silent Night,” When the song ended, Doug and Sisi applauded wildly, causing their matching reindeer antlers to jingle in unison. Doug offered the carolers some of his special holiday eggnog and before they could think to refuse Sisi was pouring them each a serving in red plastic cups so they could take it along with them as they walked. With a final “Merry Christmas!” the caroling choir was on their way once more.

“Mmmm, that’s delicious!” Carley exclaimed as she took another sip of her eggnog. “Doug is a whiz in the kitchen when it comes to his specialties,”

“Maybe we should see if we can finagle our way into a dinner invite sometime,” Lee mused playfully, polishing off his eggnog.

“You’re all welcome to dinner at our home anytime you like,” Walter offered. “Matthew makes an excellent rack of lamb and I’m not a bad hand at roasts myself so either way we can whip up something memorable,”

“Oooh, we’ll definitely be taking you up on that offer,” Omid replied, earning a nod from Christa.

There were only a few houses left now.

Edith and Mark’s house was next on the list. The pair listened in rapt admiration as the group sang “Dona Nobis Pacem”. As soon as the song finished, Mark hurried inside to grab some chocolate oranges he and his wife had brought back from their trip to England to visit one of his cousins. The singers accepted the gift gratefully, wishing the pair a merry Christmas before continuing on, each of them unwrapping the gold foil just a bit to give one of the chocolate orange slices a nibble.

Bonnie and Mike’s house was just a block over. The scent of the pecan pie that had just finished baking wafted through the door while the notes of  “O Little Town of Bethlehem” floated on the evening air. The pie was offered and eagerly accepted. The sugary, nutty treat kept them warm as they headed for the final house.

Last on their list was Javi and Santi’s place. The couple wasn’t alone when they opened the door, in the midst of hosting a Christmas party with their niece and nephew. All four joined in with the carolers as they sang “Jingle Bells”. Once the song had wrapped up the group was congenially tugged inside (and Omid had to pee anyway so they couldn’t say no) and guided to the table to enjoy pestiños and turron. The sweet sesame seed dough and rich nougat paired perfectly with the crema de vie, a Cuban eggnog Javi told them had been in his family for generations. They all felt downright stuffed as they slipped their coats back on and stepped out the door, wishing the family a very merry Christmas.

Their caroling done, the group slowly walked onwards, heading towards the very spot where they had begun; they had gone full circle. The group lingered under the streetlight, loath to part after such a memorable night.

“Sooooo anybody wanna head over to the Pancake Shack for a late-night stack?” Omid offered.

Christa groaned. “Babe, no. As great as tonight was, I don’t think any of us could manage another bite,”

“Christa’s right,” Walter looked down at his stomach, giving it a fond pat. “I think I’ve adding enough stuffing to the old sweater tonight,”

“More stuffing to love,” Matthew replied, giving his husband a playful wink before kissing his cheek.

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, these old gams are killing me,” Lee said, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Besides,” Carley added, “We’d better get home before the kids accidentally burn down the house. I saw Renata and Aasim looking up some sort of Christmas flambé recipe online before we left, and I’ve been too nervous to check in on how it went,”

“Maybe we can meet up later on during the break once the holiday madness has passed,” Matthew offered. “New Year’s party, anyone?”

Everyone was excited at that suggestion. Agreeing to text about the details later, the couples headed their separate ways toward their cars, hand in hand as a light dusting of snow began to fall, the perfect flourish on a magical winter night.

[twdgameconfessions]

Edith and Randy's family were wasted. Since they couldn't be killed in Season 2, I was hoping Telltale would flesh them out and have them be main Season 3 group members.

[faeriesfires]

hello everyone! ive come crawling back to the video game fandom after 3 years and am pretty much starting from scratch so please like/rb this post if you post (in order of what i blog abt the most):

dragon age (anders antis + cullen stans you wont have a good time on this blog)

witcher (my url says it all)

mass effect (kaidan antis do NOT interact)

twdg

undertale/deltarune (please no one who wants to fuck the characters.. please God)

mysme

edith finch

video games in general!

please keep in mind that i’m 21 and i probably wont follow you back if youre a minor, also no homophobes/transphobe/racists etc. 😘

[the-shipping-machine]

Video game crushes (not including slashers because they are originally from movies)

Ben Finn (Fable 3)

Garrus (mass effect)

Mordin (mass effect)

The outsider (Dishonored)

Nathan (Final Exam)

Robert (Sally Face)

Monika (Doki Doki Litreture Club)

Barbara Finch (what remains of Edith Finch)

Saker (Fable 3)

Gabriel (Lucius III)

Alastair (Lucius)

Issac Gilmore (lucius ii)

Mitch (The Walking Dead s4)