spritejac

[spritejac]

and if i wrote a groundhog day fic for tlou where ellie dies over and over again in joel’s arms until she’s forced to accept that [redacted cuz i think i know the objective but not 100% sure yet]

what then

[spritejac]

The way Joel looks at Ellie with love

[spritejac]

dina and ellie have a sleepover and ellie says she’s never had one before so dina immediately wants to do all the cliches.

they put sleeping bags on the floor in the living room and joel makes them popcorn while dina picks out “sleepover movies” (aka 90s romcoms)

then dina insists they do makeovers and flip through shitty old magazines she hoarded from her sister. ellie couldn’t care less but she likes seeing dina smile so she goes along with it.

after dina passes out, ellie goes upstairs to say goodnight to joel. he’s sitting on his bed with a book propped open, eyes drooping in the dim light. she launches herself onto the bed, startling him and giving her an amused look.

the longer he looks at her though, his eyebrows start to furrow and frown forms on his lips.

“what’s all over your face?”

ellie freezes, falling back to sit on her heels atop the mattress. she brings a hand up to her face, confused for a moment before she recalls the unreasonably large bag of definitely expired makeup dina had dragged along.

“oh, dina said makeovers are a vital part of sleepovers. i think that’s horseshit, personally.”

joel just continues to frown at her until he starts shaking his head disapprovingly. “you’re too young for all that.”

ellie rolls her eyes playfully, then stopping in her tracks when she notices joel is still staring. he’s serious.

“you’re fucking joking, right?” joel just shakes his head again, face pinching as he examines her blush riddled cheeks. ellie barks a disbelieving laugh.

“you know that i’ve like, killed people, right?” that definitely does not help ease the pained expression on joel’s face. she backtracks, “i just mean that, this? nothing compared to other things i’ve done that i should be ‘too young for’.”

ellie does her infamous joel impression, faux heavy accent lacing through her words. it usually cracks a small smile or at least an eye roll, but he’s still looking at her like she’s just kicked a puppy.

a large hand comes up to cup cheek, a callused thumb wiping gently at the glittery dusting over her cheekbone.

“you ain’t killing anyone in jackson. the rule stands, you’re too young to be plastering that shit all over your pretty face.”

ellie’s breath catches in her throat. she can’t remember the last time, if ever, that anyone called her that. that anyone complimented her appearance at all, outside of a mocking “nice shoes, williams” from that bitch bethany.

something akin to affection floods her chest and she’s falling forward before she can stop herself. joel’s hand moves from her cheek to cup the back of her head as his other arm comes up around her, tugging her close. she buries her face in his chest, smearing makeup across the front of the worn shirt.

they sit in a peaceful quiet for a moment longer, relishing in the safety and contentment that always comes with being near the other.

“so if i killed someone here, i could wear makeup?” ellie laughs as she’s shoved away, falling back on the bed as joel finally rolls his eyes at her.

“go back to your sleepover, pest.” joel turns his attention back to the book that he’d set aside, even though she knows it’ll be slipping from his grasp when he starts to doze the minute she’s back downstairs. “and take that gunk off your face.”

ellie throws her middle finger up at him before slipping through the door and back down the stairs to where dina’s sleeping, the warm feeling in her chest yet to subside.

[spritejac]

ellie reading bedtime stories to her cousin and him just absolutely eating them up. she reads “if you give a mouse a cookie” to him and suddenly it’s his favorite game. he becomes a MENACE or tommy and maria.

maria making him breakfast and he just keeps asking for thing after thing and she’s so confused as to where this is coming from all of a sudden.

tommy trying to do bath time with him and next thing he knows, his kid somehow roped him into popcorn and a movie before he even stepped foot into the bathroom.

ellie might try her hand at it with joel but quickly gives up after the first attempt when he just gives her the dad look with a “i’ve read the damn book, ellie.”

that’s okay though, she’ll keep enabling her cousin until either her aunt figures it out or her uncle has a mental breakdown

[spritejac]

what are your favorite ellie and joel fics?

this is probably the hardest question ever cuz there are just SO many good ones out there. i’ll do my best to condense my list for you.

- i hold this fic so close to my heart as it’s one of the first tlou fics i read when i entered this fandom. i personally adore the way joel and ellie are written here, and my fav uncle tommy is in there too <3 (almost all of pen’s fics could go on this list i fear)

- blue black is one of the most emotionally captivating fics i’ve gotten to read so far. the dynamic between ellie and joel with her struggling to forgive his lying while having the nightmares of his death. ugh. so beautifully written and the climax of the story is exactly what you’d hope it would be, it’s perfect.

- this is one of the cutest fics i’ve ever read. i come back to this one when i need a pick-me-up and it literally heals something in me everytime. im such a sucker for soft!dad joel and theyre just so domestic and sweet in this fic i cry.

- this one’s still a wip and i literally check every week to see if it’s updated yet. the angst in this fic is SO good and it breaks your heart in the best way. ellie suffers sm in this one and joel is doing his best ;( ft her teddy bear turned best friend, effie i miss u come home

- this is one of the few 19yr old ellie fics i have bookmarked that i just cannot get enough of. i love when they’re estranged and ellie needs joel for something and is just hit full force with how much she still loves him. this is just written so in character and i am fully in support of just accepting this as canon.

- i love love love fics that address ellie’s past in fedra school and this is THE one for that. ellie is trying to unlearn all of the bs fedra drilled into her and her family just wants to help ;( i adore tommy and maria in this fic sm.

- tommy is the best uncle, he’s just a lil slow. i love how protective he is here and how stupid both him and ellie are lmfaoo. plus post-vaccine ellie who’s still struggling after her time in the hospital and best dad joel

- this one is so hurt comfort and ellie just wants to make friends and per usual, things don’t go as planned. joel is best dad and ellie learns about unconditional love, and fuck fedra. plus dina ellie and jesse trio!!

- this one. this one is my favorite. an absolutely riveting read, i was soaking up literally every word. this was as enthralling as watching the show or playing the game i stg, i rave about this fic all of the time. i wish i could burn it into my eyelids, i want to be buried with this fic. the writing this is unworldly and the imagery genuinely pulls you into the story and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. 100/10, absolutely worth the read

i could honestly put so so many more on this list and condensing it took me forever but here you go <3

this fandom has literally the most amazing and talented authors and i’m in awe of every single one including the ones i didn’t add here. yall are the best <3

[spritejac]

joel + text posts

[spritejac]

thinking about ellie who wants to start carrying her weight more after her and joel her back to jackson. naturally that means forcing joel out of the kitchen and making dinner herself since the man is always having to bend over backwards for her dietary needs (what joel calls her inability to eat certain meats and foods on any given day).

she slaves away over the stove for hours on end, making as many things as she can muster up in their generously stocked kitchen. she’d never really cooked before, so a lot of it is just winging it.

sure, maria lended her a couple of cookbooks when ellie let her in on her plan of playing chef for the night, but the directions get too complicated when she realizes they only have a few measuring spoons that don’t quite adhere to the instructions.

besides, what’s the big difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon anyways? they both have spoon in the name!

ellie throws in the ingredients the recipe called for, as well as some others that she individually likes. if she likes all of these things separately, then what’s stopping her from loving them together?

her shepherd’s pie comes out as more of a shepherd’s loaf, smelling of meat, potatoes, ginger, and a sharp aroma of mint. she thought it’d taste better if it smelled nice too.

ellie lugs it to the table alongside her concoction of strawberry jam green beans and five cheese mashed potatoes (that may or may not have broken the blender, but joel doesn’t need to know that). she gives joel, tommy, and maria a wide smile as she bows and states a confident “dig in!”

tommy and joel exchange hesitant looks while maria begins to cut into her lump of mush with a neutral expression. ellie sits down at the end of table, a mix of proud and smug as she awaits everyone’s reactions.

after enough time passes of lots of cutting and moving food around but no chewing, ellie frowns and huffs frustratedly.

“why are none of you fuckers eating?”

joel’s sharp “ellie!” is cut off by tommy shaking his head and picking up his fork with a slight tremble in his hand.

“we’re just admiring your hard work, darlin’!” his eyes fall wearily back down to the plate in front of him as he forces himself to scoop a lump of… something onto his fork. “it almost looks too good to eat is all.”

ellie doesn’t look impressed and tommy resigns to swallowing the lump in his throat and taking a hesitant bite off his fork. he fights to not let his face contort as he’s hit with a conglomerate of flavors that should not be entangled and he swallows harshly, making himself count to twenty before he gulps down a large sip of water.

“that’s, uh, really great, honey girl.” tommy’s voice comes out choked, a wavering smile struggling to stay intact. “it’s unfair that i’m the only one enjoying it. joel?”

if looks could kill, tommy would be a solid six feet under from the sharp glare joel sends his way before ellie notices.

joel’s always been more of the subtle type, but tommy can see the way his skin takes on a pale almost green tint as he forces his way through his own bite of shepherds surprise.

“it’s good, baby. good job.” his voice stays suspiciously steady as ellie beams at the praise and tommy pointedly ignores the way joel’s hand is clenching and unclenching under the table.

they somehow manage to get through the meal without anyone emptying their stomach right there at the table, despite the few times tommy thought was inevitable. maria faired better than either of the miller brothers, discreetly disposing of chunks in her napkin or over her shoulder with a threatening look at joel to not rat her out.

with pure love and determination to not hurt their girl’s feelings, tommy and joel almost completely clear their own plates. the impending doom of being awake all night with a churning stomach makes it almost worth it with how satisfied ellie looks.

-

when joel and ellie are curled up on the couch that night, long after maria and tommy went home, ellie erupts into a fit of giggles she doesn’t even attempt to cover.

“somethin’ funny?” joel tilts his chin down to look at her where she’s reclined against his shoulder, fingers tangled in her hair where he was stroking through her ponytail.

the question only encites more laughter from her, pealing out of her loud and bright. joel’s lip quirk up at the sound despite himself and he instinctually knows that she’s laughing at him and not with him.

he probes her one more time as ellie catches her breath, bringing up a small hand to wipe at the tears gathered in her eyes.

“i can’t believe you guys ate the whole thing.” she cackles once more as joel shifts, sitting up and adjusting her so that they’re facing each other.

“what’re you talking about?”

ellie’s practically wheezing with laughter as joel stares disbelieving at her. “that was- that was the worst meal- i’ve ever had in my life!” another loud chuckle, “and you guys fucking devoured it!”

joel watches as she bends over clutching her stomach, shoulders shaking with the force of her laughter. it’s normally his favorite sight, one he can’t get enough of, but right now he can’t help but feel offended by it.

he reaches down to grab her by her shoulders, pulling her up until their eye to eye.

“you’re tellin’ me,” joel takes a grounding breath. “that i put away every bit of that slop for you, and you knew it was awful the whole time?”

when ellie’s laugh renews to the point of tears falling from her eyes, joel can’t stop himself from flipping her off the couch and standing up to head upstairs. he grumbles to himself as he goes, grabbing the makeshift stomach reliever from the clinic on his way.

ellie’s laughter can be heard throughout the house for the rest of the night.

[spritejac]

nothing i love more than crying about them at 2 a.m.

this song was so perfect for them i had to. it’s been literally ten years since i’ve made one of these and now i want to make fifty??

[spritejac]

yall, hear me out.

tommy comes back from patrol with a bag he presents to ellie. when she opens it up:

cookie cutters.

[spritejac]

omg hiii twin we literally have the same pfp

hello cordybiceps,

we have taste✨💅

[spritejac]

i can just feel it in my bones that if ella enchanted had come out a year earlier, ellie would’ve been an absolute menace about that movie.

joel and ellie will be sitting in the living room while she bugs him with puns or dinosaur jokes and joel will tell her to go be a pest somewhere else and suddenly she’s perking up, shoulders straightening and eyes widening as she begins to leave the room in a trance

joel just sighs with a “come back here”, to which she has no choice but to obey.

they call it “ellie enchanted” and it’s effective until it comes to things like eating the rest of the greens on her plate at dinner.

“finish your vegetables, ellie.” joel will say with his fingers secretly crossed under the table. he’s expectedly disappointed when ellie just shakes her head with a smug grin while tommy shrugs from where he sits across from them.

“sorry big brother, already gave her a command not to do things she don’t wanna.” tommy gets a swift kick to the shin for that one

it does work in joel’s favor occasionally though, specifically on ellie’s bad days where her brain is too foggy and decisions require too much effort.

joel would knock on her door to find her still in bed close to noon and he’d ask her if she was hungry, getting only a shrug and a far away stare in return. the idea had hit him one day after a week of her following commands (at her choosing) and at a loss for a better plan, he decides it can’t hurt to try.

“ellie, get out of bed and go eat breakfast.” her head lifted until their eyes locked and joel just raises his eyebrows at her until her gaze clears a bit and that familiar little smile is pulling at her lips. then she’s straightening up as she always does and methodically climbing out of bed and marching down the stairs with only a little less enthusiasm than usual.

it becomes a sort of game to them after that. ellie uses it in her day to day to tease and annoy joel, while joel uses it to take care of her on bad brain days.

it works for them. joel’s still able to tend to his girl and she doesn’t have to outright ask for what she needs.

he already knows anyways.

(and if tommy and ellie use their little game to team up on joel more than once a week, well. he’ll just consider it a small price to pay for the laughter it pulls out of his girl every time.)

[spritejac]

pedro “puppy dog eyes” pascal

someone make him stop

[spritejac]

i love early jackson joel and ellie with all of my heart trust, but something about joel and 19yr old ellie will always hit

like the fics where ellie is still angry with joel because of the lie but then something happens (one of them gets hurt, etc) and she’s forced to face how much she still loves him

and joel who always always welcomes her back with open arms. who never once for a second stopped thinking about her or loving her. ellie who’s had the hardest time balancing her anger with how much she misses him.

when they finally talk it’s so emotional and heavy but there’s an understanding between them and a promise that things will be okay.

we need more of this i beg

[spritejac]

When Ellie convinced Joel to try on a dino mask

[spritejac]

thinking about how when joel went to ask ellie if she was going to the new year’s party and he goes over and picks up her guitar and just holds it.

you can just see the way he was thinking about when he had given it to her, back when she still trusted him and things were good and domestic and happy between them. the way he strokes his thumb over the moth he carved there :(

[spritejac]

ellie is a biter and i stand by that

[spritejac]

joel who has taken care of three generations on his own.

tommy who was scared of the monster downstairs they called father, sarah who was scared of the monsters hiding under her bed or in her closet that only her daddy could fight off, and ellie who was scared of the monsters that lived in her past that veered their terrifying faces when she closed her eyes.

all three of them at one point in their lives crawling into bed with him, letting strong arms wrap around them as they relish in safety and trusting that Joel would protect them from whatever it is lurking in the dark.

joel who took the responsibility like an oath, holding each one of them close and vowing to shield them from harm. a promise he swore to never break.

a promise he broke three times.