#tlou episode 9

[dyingroses]

✨ Even more of The Last of Us + text posts and stuff ✨

[pebblume]

au where they play boggle and eat soup and nothing bad happens to them ever again✨

[yourmomslawnflamingo]

I’m sorry fellas I’m Team Joel, 20 year old medical and lab equipment? No way to mass produce the cure?? Barely any infrastructure to give it out to the public??? Not telling Ellie she was being FUCKING MURDERED???????

[whatsnewalycat]

LIKE I SAID:

[intooblivion-wego]

“she knows deep down that he’s not telling the truth. but she can’t let herself believe it because it’s too painful, and it’s too scary, the idea that her only purpose in life hasn’t been fulfilled. that that had been taken away from her by the person that she loves and trusts the most is too overwhelming, so she forces herself to believe joel.”

bella ramsey on “the last of us” inside episode 9

[itsokbbygrl]

An End, A Beginning

Summary: They're dead, they're all dead, and now you're stranded. You're the sole survivor after infection devastated your crew of fellow Fireflies out of Boston tasked with transporting a girl from Massachusetts to Colorado. When the hired smugglers responsible for getting her out of the QZ show up, you find yourself bargaining for your life. After learning one of them was bit somewhere between the edges of the QZ and the old City Hall where your crew was waiting to complete the transfer, and with only moments left to live, the infected smuggler convinces her partner to take you with them in her absence. After a long, hard-fought journey across the country, you're nearly at your ultimate destination and emotions are running high. How will a surprise confession affect the future of your group?

Pairing: Joel Miller x GN!Reader (literally zero physical description of reader, it's YOU)

Length: 1.4k words

Tags: DESCRIPTION OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE, emotional constipation, father/daughter dynamics, found family dynamics, kissing, flowery language about a grumpy old man

a/n: hello I had severe brain rot after seeing this beautiful piece of fan art by @minacoleta and had to write about it. this was supposed to be a teeny little drabble but lmao here we are at 1.4k words and while writing it, I decided to perhaps PERHAPS!!!! don't hold me to it expand the story of reader as a third party to our favorite grumpy old man/sassy teenage girl duo. hashtag give ellie more adult supervision support. :) anyway without further ado! here is "An End, A Beginning." please comment/reblog to support your local authors ♡ thank you to my wonderful friends @5oh5 @morgaussy @tightjeansjavi and @javierpena-inatacvest for cheering me on. i luh u. credit to @firefly-graphics for creating the beautiful divider.

“It was me,” Joel blurted out. “I was the one who shot and missed.” Your feet cemented you to your spot and you could see Ellie’s breath hitch, her shoulders raised and fists clenched. 

“Ellie, can you check that tent over there and see if there’s any leftover bandages or pain meds?” you ask her in a vain attempt to shield her from enduring anymore unnecessary trauma. 

“But–” she starts and stops when she sees the minute shake of your head. She sighs and rolls her eyes, “Fine, I’ll just be over there, pretending I can’t hear the adults talking from 20 feet away” she points over her shoulder at the tattered remains of the first aid tent behind her and shuffles away. 

You shake your head fondly. Teenagers.  

You take a breath and turn around to face him and find him sitting on an old concrete barrier, looking down at his hands clasped in his lap, seemingly lost in thought. You make your way over to join him. 

“There’s no story,” he begins, “Sarah died, and I couldn’t see the point anymore. Simple as that.” He pauses for a moment, using the toe of his worn boot to kick at the broken bits of concrete at his feet. You remain silent, allowing him a breath to compose himself before he continues. “And I wasn’t scared either, I was ready,” he nods his head and furrows his brow as if convincing himself of this fact, “I couldn’t’ve been more ready.” He looks up then, meets your eyes, and you can see the earnestness there. It breaks your heart, understanding how hopeless he felt, the pain he must have been feeling, a pain you can imagine now that you’ve had him, had Ellie, in your life. 

He gives a gentle shake of his head and starts to give you more. “But when I–” he stops, words catching in his throat, eyes misting over for a moment, “When I–” he tries again, words continuing to fail him. You reach over and lay a soothing hand on his thigh, encouraging him to drain this wound he’s let fester for the last 20 years, letting him know you aren’t afraid of this, his darkness. You’ll meet him there, find him with nothing more than the persistent thump of his heart to guide you, let your fingertips trace down the familiar topography of his arm, soft hair and bumpy scars texturizing the otherwise warm, soft skin, until they meet his own, intertwining, no longer alone. 

His gesture of raising his fingers towards his skull in a mock recreation of a scene that was once all too real pulls you out of your reverie. “But when I went to pull the trigger, I–I flinched.” He gives half a chuckle and shakes his head, like he can’t believe it himself, like he might even feel lucky. It eases some of the tightness in your chest. “Still don’t know why,” he finishes. He takes a final moment to himself, reliving the memory, allowing himself to feel it. He comes back to the present and meets your eyes again. “Anyway, the reason I’m telling you all this is–” 

“I know why you’re telling us all this,” Ellie interjects from her position now, just behind your right shoulder. Clever girl, you think, her stealth reminding you of that scene from Jurassic Park, thinking she would love that film and grinning to yourself briefly at the bittersweet memory of something from before times, while simultaneously being both endeared by and frustrated with her tenacity to get what she wants. Joel gives her a glance before fixing his gaze back on the ground in front of him. 

“Yeah, I reckon you do,” Joel replies. The three of you allow the moment to breathe, running your thumb idly back and forth across Joel’s thigh where you’ve laid it. A comfort to the both of you. Never one to let things be, Ellie breaks the silence first. 

“So, time heals all wounds I guess,” she says flippantly, full of benighted teenage ego. 

Joel looks up at her then, eyes serious and full of soft determination, making sure to hold her gaze as he tells her, “It wasn’t time that did it.” 

Her eyes widen at his words, like she can’t quite believe them. You let the two of them have their moment. A father and daughter minting the truth of their relationship for the first time. You remove your hand from Joel’s thigh and subtly reach back, grabbing Ellie’s hand as it lays limp at her side, and give her a quick, gentle squeeze before releasing it, keeping slight in your movement, knowing all too well how fiercely independent she is and not wanting to embarrass her at the reminder that, despite her hardness, she’s still a child who needs the physical comfort of a caregiver. 

She takes a deep, shaky breath before she speaks, “Well, I’m glad that that didn’t work out.” They’re both valiantly damming tears that threaten to flow, sniffing and nodding at each other. 

Joel eventually responds, voice thick with feeling, “Yeah, me too.” He breaks their eye contact then, still nodding to himself for a moment before he reaches his hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching the remaining tears in his eyes away with his thumb and forefinger. 

Never one to show her soft underbelly for long, Ellie prompts your little crew to continue on your journey. “We should probably get going,” she says to you both. 

“Yup,” Joel agrees, getting back to business, shouldering his pack and standing from his position on the concrete block. Ellie, ever her father’s shadow, follows suit. You take one last second to absorb the remaining energy of the fizzling moment, taking a deep breath before standing and brushing your hands on your dirty, worn jeans. You sling your backpack over your shoulders and give a small jump to resituate its contents into a more comfortable position before catching up to your partner, watching him watch Ellie as she meanders a handful of steps ahead, the distance allowing you a moment of privacy. 

“Joel,” you start quietly, not stopping your trek, keeping your eyes steadily focused ahead, “about…all of that,” you wave your hand absently in the air in front of you, trying to remain nonchalant, approaching the great bear of him carefully as though being too honest will cause him to spook, to flee back into his deep, dark cave to protect his freshly opened wound. But you remember your earlier thought, you aren’t afraid of his darkness, you will find him anywhere, so you push on. “I am, too. Glad. I’m so, so glad that didn’t work out.” Your next thought flits through your mind and you smile at its ridiculously honest nature, letting the soft laughter that’s building within you to trill forth from where it was caged behind your teeth. The sound pulls his attention towards you. Fuck it, you decide, if this is the end of the world, the least I can do is give him is truth. 

“Thank god you flinched. For that girl, for me. We needed you here,” you shake your head fondly, turning your head to meet his eyes. “You had so much left to live for. I can’t imagine life without you now, you know that? And I’m terrified of what comes next, what happens after we find them. I can’t…I can’t leave her, Joel. I can’t leave you. You’re my family and I can’t–”

Your confession is cut off by the warm press of Joel’s plush, slightly chapped lips against your own. You close your eyes and breathe in through your nose, allowing your hand to find and rest on his firm bicep as you return his kisses in kind, giving as good as you’re getting, deciding if this is the only time you’ll experience him like this, soft and yielding, you’re going to savor it. 

He pulls back after a moment, silently holding your gaze. 

“Joel, I–” You begin. He shakes his head gently and you quiet. 

“I know,” he gives you then. And it’s there in his eyes. He knows. And you know, too. It doesn’t need to be said, not now. You both know and that’s enough. You both face forward and continue your hike, increasing your strides to catch up to Ellie, now a good distance ahead. 

Whatever comes next, you know now for sure, you’d both burn down the world to save this.

A/N: thank you so so so much for reading i love u. you can find more of my writing here, if you'd like, and as always comments and reblogs get you a kiss on the forehead and endless positive karma :)

[actual-changeling]

like father, like daughter

[millsheat]

i need to talk about something. when the soldiers were escorting joel out of hospital, you could see that he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he’s losing ellie and will never going to see her again.

but then it hit.

he was there again, twenty one years ago he was in the same position, only this time, he could make a difference.

the whole sequence, when you looked at joel — he was dead in the eyes. absolutely no remorse for the firefly soldies, his job was clear. he was determined to get his daughter and there was absolutely nothing or no one that could stop him. even the soldier who surrended, joel didn’t even think about sparing him, he shot him dead on the spot.

this is exactly what neil and craig talked about. it’s so rare and so special in a way — to get a new chance at life in this world, especially when it comes to love. but this love, parental love more specifically, can be also increredibly dangerous in terms of how far are you willing to go for that person. which this episode had proven from beginning to the end.

joel killed the doctor, he killed marlene — the only connection ellie had to her mother. he killed just about anyone who got in the way. he lied to ellie, took her out of there while still unconscious and in a sense, sacrificed ellie’s survivor guilt.

though his intentions might have been pure and though his love for ellie was strong and i’m sure that any parent would do the same in his shoes, it does not take away the fact that it was a selfish decision in way. i’m not going to talk about whether the cure would have been possible, it was never about that. it was about ellie’s guilt, ellie’s pain and her need to justify those who died on the way to get her there and joel knew it. he knew it in the hospital and he knew it in jackson where she made a confession.

he also knew that ellie didn’t believe him. she didn’t know what went down but she knew he lied to her. and, again, i thought of what kathleen had said: “you think the whole world revolves around her? that she’s worth everything?”

she was worth everything, for joel. does that make it right? no. joel knew what he did in that moment. he knew that he was risking everything, including his relationship with ellie. but for him, it was worth it. keeping ellie alive was worth the whole world. and even his own life.

[thewildseuphoria]

THE LAST OF US SEASON ONE FINALE WALLPAPERS.

[lynsstrange]

damn but marlene was kinda stupid lowkey lowkey. she really thought having like two guys with guns try to escort Joel out calmly after telling him that they were going to kill his daughter would stop this fucking powerhouse??? L

[loganlermanstanaccount]

Joel Miller, to me, is a great unpicking of the mythos of a "provider". Generally, post apocalyptic settings are the perfect place for men to express a fantasy: of the macho, no nonsense, murderously efficient provider. He's morally grey, and not quick to trust people; so those he does trust are special. Yes, he's violent, but he does what he has to protect his own. Family. And his ability to provide and to protect is directly linked to his ego. What started with Sarah, what happened with Tess, and almost Ellie; is a manifestation of this failure. It's a false equivalence: of masculinity and fatherhood with protection, and protection with violence. Joel discounts the other immaterial ways he supports the people around him: good company, honesty, kindness, sincerity. It's a cycle started pre-outbreak and solidified after life goes to shit; because in this world, it works, at least for a while. For him; love and violence are one and the same; and the cost is his body, his mind.

For Joel; and then for Ellie; it isn't love unless it hurts.

[dyingroses]

The Last of Us + text posts and stuff

[emptinesstomelodyao3]

"Joel was right because there was no cure" this "A cure wasn't a possibility at all and the government wouldn't have spread it" that.

WHO CARES!?? Not Joel!!!

He didn't save Ellie because he lacked faith in the fireflies. He didn't save her because it "would have been for nothing". He saved her because that's his DAUGHTER!!!!

It is irrelevant whether a cure could have been made or not. He lost a daughter once, he was not going to lose another!!!

[ninebluehearts]

Warning: The Last of Us episode 9 spoilers

-

What I loved about episode 9:

I loved finally seeing why/how Ellie's immune. Seeing her and her mom together was amazing, and I think it was the perfect way to start the episode.

Throughout all eight episodes Ellie is the funny, rambunctious child we all love. And after the trauma she went through in episode eight, it sadly shows in episode nine. She's so quiet all of the sudden, and even if she is running around like her normal self, it's obvious that it's just not the same anymore.

It was very strange seeing Joel all talkative and kinda happyish. I'm glad he's not as stoic anymore, but it's gonna take some getting used to.

I'm so glad the giraffe made it in!! I was disappointed that the dinosaurs didn't, but I'm so glad this one did!!

Over all, the first twenty-five minutes was beautiful and very well written. Pedro and Bella were amazing!!

What I didn't love about episode nine

I might've went into this episode with high expectations after episode eight, but even so, there just wasn't enough tension for me. Everything was so serene?? Like, soft, quiet music as Joel murders 20+ people to save Ellie? Not the best detail, honestly.

There wasn't enough energy. In the game the doctor jumps over and grabs the scalpel to defend himself, and in the show he just calmly reaches over and grabs it???

Joel also didn't call Ellie babygirl again!! I was really looking forward to this part, honestly.

Everything felt very rushed. I haven't played the full game, but I just have a feeling they missed a couple of things.

And I know this isn't supposed to be an episode nine thing, but we never even got the dinosaur episode?!

Overall, I feel like they had the potential to make this episode insane and really show just how protective Joel can be, but they just didn't.

As I've said, I may have gone into this with high expectations, but nevertheless I feel as though they could've done a better job with this one.

I think every episode of a show is supposed to make you go "this one's my favorite!" And then you say the same thing when the next one comes out, but that didn't happen for me here.

Lemme know what you think :)

(Respectfully, please.)

[hollandwhore]

“i’ll follow you anywhere you go”

someone sedate me right now.

[rainydaywritesstuff]

Just rewatched episode 2 and holy shit Tess saying “save who you can save”.

Joel probably has so much guilt about betraying her dying wish, while also knowing that he would do it again just to save Ellie.

In conclusion: leave Joel Miller alone