#tlou2 review

[abbysthighs]

The shots aren’t perfectly timed, but the image is clearer and they enhanced the way wet skin is rendered. The droplets are really cool. The difference in coloring might have been my doing, I can’t remember if I adjusted the temperature or not.

[jaggedwolf]

I watched the TLOU2 documentary the other day, it was very good, and it's got me thinking again how much the sequel elevates the first game for me.

Don't get me wrong, first game's solid as hell, but it works so much better with the knowledge that the second game's Ellie's story, fends off any compunctions one might have about Ellie being just a device for Joel's story.

And on a different level, it made me appreciate Joel and Ellie's relationship more. Not because of how the game starts, but because of all the evidence of how much Joel stuck around and made an effort in their Jackson life. Like, yes, yes, you murdered a bunch of people for her, big deal, but did you give her an amazing birthday? Do you have a book about space on your nightstand? Did you teach her how to play guitar?

[strawberrymilkfemme]

the worst thing about the last of us becoming a tv show is the fact that we now ONCE AGAIN have a wave of brand new homophobic fans who never even played the games crying about "wokeness" being "forced". hate to break it to you but bill and ellie were gay long before the show was even an idea, and there is more lgbt rep to come if they follow the original plot into the sequel.

[etherealdany]

Honestly not looking forward to people who think tlou2 was perfect be all like “not looking forward to people missing the point of tlou s2” despite the fact it had so many plot inconsistencies and a warped morality message

[james-stark-the-writer]

they put the behind the scenes doc for The Last of Us Part II on letterboxd so, here ya go.

My ★★★½ review of Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II on Letterboxd

[crumbledcastle28]

Dear Last of Us Fans

I just had a wonderful conversation with @joelsgreenflannel (who does incredible reviews of fics over on their page please check them out you will only be blessed) about Neil Druckman and tlou2's relation to the conflict in Palestine.

We came up with two links outlining the problematic nature of elements of this game, which I have linked below, and I really recommend checking them out. I also have a link outlining how YOU can help Palestine, so please check that out as well.

I hope that at least one person can see this post and learn more about the ongoing situation in Palestine.

Anyway, thanks again @joelsgreenflannel and to anyone who has been paying attention. Peace and love, and free palestine.

links:

Vice article

reddit thread

what you can do to help palestine

[tlouslut]

STEADY HANDS

Abby Anderson x fem!medic!reader

!!TLOU2 spoilers as well as spoilers for the future of the show!! Not proofread kinda bad but like it is what it is and it made me sad just sitting in my drafts.

————————————————————————

The days were long and hot in the summer. The warm weather meant for irritated scars and angry soldiers, which for you meant more injuries to treat. You had been a medic on the team for years now, ever since you could sew stitches and disinfect wounds with steady hands.

There were only a few times those hands shook. One was when you met her. Abby Anderson. All charm and strength. Her face had been scraped up pretty bad so when you held her chin to keep her steady she knew your hands were shaky.

“I’m Abby, by the way.” She greeted.

“Hi.” You said shyly before giving her your name. The rest of the interaction went by too quickly for your liking. Abby radiated warmth.

“Okay then, you should be good to go!” You smiled stepping away from her. Abby smiled back at you and you felt your heart stop.

“I’ll make sure to see you next time I get hurt.” Abby joked, you rolled your eyes at her.

“Don’t hurt yourself on purpose just to come by, if you wanna see me again just come find me. I’m usually down here unless a squad needs me.” You winked, a part of your heart delighted in the shade of pink her cheeks turned.

“I just might come find you then.” She fumbled for words making you laugh.

“I’m counting on it, Abby.” You flirted, putting an emphasis on her name and the way it rolled off your tongue.

Sure enough, once you invited her back Abby was almost always in your med bay, if she wasn’t with you she was with her friends. Sometimes they even came with her to visit you.

“Hey you!” Abby’s cheerful voice brightened your corner of the WLF base.

“Hi gorgeous.” You grinned at her. It’s been like this for a few weeks now, you would flirt with her sometimes she would flirt back or just blush and wave you off. You were just waiting for her to ask you to dinner or something. Anything.

“So, we’re going on a patrol soon, one of the lengthier ones around the whole city pretty much. It’s supposed to take a few days.” Abby sighed before throwing herself onto the cot beside your desk. You frowned turning to look at her, putting your scrawled notes you had been reviewing down.

“Who all is going?” You tipped your head to look down at her.

“It’s me, Nora, Manny, Owen, and hopefully you?” Abby winced as she asked. As if you could ever refuse her and her puppy dog eyes.

“Of course I’ll go. It’ll be nice to see you in your field since you’re always in mine.” You teased. Abby’s eyes lit up as she sat up and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to your cheek.

“Thank you, don’t worry about being in danger or anything, I-we can keep you safe.” Abby stuttered. Your cheeks were flushed pink as you patted her muscular arm gently.

“I trust you Abs.”

The sun was shining when you all left the WLF base. The springtime warmth seeping into your bones, new growth crunching under your feet. The five of you moved quickly and quietly to the first checkpoint. Clearing a couple of infected on your way, runners wearing the WLF symbol always made your heart sink.

First checkpoint was an old library, always to the top floor and barricaded some way that infected couldn't get to it. This time, the entrance to the floor you needed to go to is a hole in the ceiling. But Abby was more than happy to boost you up. When the sun began to set and food was dished out, Abby set her sleeping bag up next to yours with a soft smile.

"So, what made you want to be a medic?" Owen asked politely as he began to eat.

"When the WLF found me, they needed stitches sewn and infections cured. My mom taught me everything I know, but she's long gone now. It feels like honoring her I suppose." You explained with a small shrug. Abby scooched a little closer to you, sympathy and awe etched into her features.

"My dad was a doctor, he was murdered. He would have loved to meet you and talk all about medical stuff and cures." Abby said wistfully. You placed a hand on her shoulder gently.

"I would have loved to meet him."

Days came and went, turning into weeks, months, before Abby finally had the balls to ask you out. Then months turned into a year, but a year and a half in was when something shifted in the air around Abby.

“I found him.” She had run down to the medic station to find you. “Well I found a lead on him.” She breathed out, you could only blink in confusion.

“Joel. Miller. The man who murdered my Dad. We’re going to go find him.” Abby explained. Your heart sank into your chest as she told you where she found the lead. So far away from the home you had made in Washington.

It took a week for them to get the supplies they needed to leave, a week of arguing with Abby.

“I can’t risk you.” Abby pleaded. Your quiet anger and frustration clear in your eyes. In the tenseness of your shoulders as you soaked in those lovely words.

“I don’t give a fuck. I have to come with you, who is going to keep you safe?” You asked outraged.

“Mel is coming with! She will be our medic. You can’t come. You’re needed here, I need you here.” She breathed, her warm hands cupping your nape, her other hand idling at your hip.

“What about what I need? What about the fact that I need you here? Stay. He doesn’t get to be more important than this, than us.” You begged, tears in your eyes.

“I’m sorry, I love you.” Abby whispered, resting her forehead against yours.

“Come back to me.” You whispered letting Abby kiss away your protests, her mouth wiping away the tension in your body.

When you woke in her bed, wearing her clothes, she was gone.

“She’s back.”

Those two words changed the trajectory of your entire day. You’d been waiting for months to hear those two words. Months of anxiety filled torment, sleepless nights as her scent faded from your bedsheets, and nightmares of what could’ve happened.

Though your relationship with Abby was kept secret to a majority of the WLF, people weren’t blind. They took note of Abby’s smiles and your lingering hands when you patched her up. People loved to whisper about such things. Abby was a defining member of the WLF, someone high ranked and respected, but you were a simple medic with steady hands.

Steady hands that shook when the group approached your medic booth. Tears blurred your vision as you saw her, standing tall and proud in the chilled winter air, your Abby. Steady hands began to shake once Abby was seated before you, ready to be checked over.

“Hi.” She said quietly, her eyes bore into yours as the tears escaped. “Love… say something.” Abby begged. You cupped her face, Abby pulling at your hips to get you in her lap. Once you had your hands around her neck and we’re crying into her neck did you finally say something.

“I missed you so much.” You whispered into her hair. Abby tightened her hands around your waist, and you stayed like that. Ignoring your patients and just holding your Abby. Soon the sun began to set the nighttime cold could be felt and Abby stood, still holding you.

So you let Abby kiss away your whispers of complaints of missing her. Let her lips remove the weight of anxiety you hadn’t realized you had gripped so tightly on to. Letting her hands steady your own.

You had thought you’d be angry when she came home, but the only thing ringing in your head was that she was home. Home in your arms.

[trulybetty]

Sunday Week In Review on a Monday

How is everyone doing? Did we make it through the last week? Those who got a long weekend I hope it was a good one! Yesterday was a clusterfuck and I had the mother of all naps - the type where you wake up and don't know where you are let alone what day of the week it is lol.

So here is Sunday's Week in Review, on a Monday edition! 💕

Truly Betty Updates This Week…

Strings IV

Sequins

First Sentence Game

Fics I Enjoyed This Week…

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore (Ezra) by @oonajaeadira

While I’m still undecided if I truly enjoy Prospect, I absolutely do love a good Ezra fanfic and this one doesn’t disappoint. It started as a late-night read last Sunday when I was the only one awake and once I started I couldn’t stop. It also seems to have popped up for a lot of other readers as I’ve seen it all over my dash since. @oonajaeadira master list is a joy to go through on Sundays at the moment. 

Until Now, Until You | Chapter 1 (Javier Peña) by @wildemaven

This was all the right levels of sexy and spicy and leaving you wanting more and I can’t wait to see how this plays out when the two run into one another again!

Leave off Your Wanderings (Joel Miller) by @oonajaeadira

This series is a total balm to my TLOU2 feels - this is the ending Joel deserved (and in my mind the official sequel to TLOU) and in the third instalment the autumn vibes are warm and cozy, and the build-up between Joel and Songbird is soft in all the right places. This whole series is a warm gentle hug and the writing is so good - definitely check this one out.

Hungry Hearts | Atlantic City (Joel Miller) by @atinylittlepain

I’m sad that this series is nearing its end, but that means I get to go back and read it again. Between flashbacks of young Joel with baby Sarah we’ve got Cherry and Joel reconciling in present day and never knew mini-vans could be so sexy, so check it out!

The Layover | Epilogue (Frankie Morales) by @goodwithcheese

This finale was bittersweet - it has been such a pleasure to follow this story, so much so that it was a highlight of my week. The story wraps up in a way that is perfect for reader x Frankie with them both on pace with one another. It’s done so perfectly that I read it more than once. I will be revisiting this story for sure.

Late Night Texts | Epilogue (Javier Peña) by @mvtthewmurdvck

Another fantastic story that came to a close this week *sigh*, this was just  the perfect ending. This story is a delicious rom com romp and I know will hold up to multiple reads. I don’t want to give anything away if you’ve not read it, but it’s a delight.

The Window (Dave York) by @wildemaven

This was a delight to read and Heidi crafts a great story of longing from a distance that has a soft ending that is all enveloping and lends itself to multiple reads. 

Bush Pilot (Frankie Morales) by @legendary-pink-dot

Oh boy, this one *fans self* this one was something else. Frankie taking you to see the sunrise but makes you see stars instead in the back of his truck. Oomph, all kinds of good spicy smut here that lends itself to a second read… or three ;) 

sam and diane, eat your heart out (Marcus Pike) by @chronically-ghosted

I could easily be biased as this was written based on the prompts I sent Taylor - however, Taylor blew it out of the park with our boy Marcus! This was spicy in all the right places and honestly, I would love to see more of these two. This is a take on Marcus Pike x Reader that I haven’t seen before and it will be on my perma reread list that is for sure! Also, peep the Cheers reference, *squee*

IRL | Part 2 (Javi Gutierrez)  by @grogusmum

I’ve had a hard time finding some good Javi G. fanfics, but this one here is so good in its characterization. The story of Javi meeting Reader for the first time since meeting online, is incredibly sweet and I had been waiting in anticipation for this second chapter since I finished the first. It’s also one of the few plus sized reader fanfics that nails it without going over the top and making the character a stereotype. I have this bookmarked to go back and re-read this week, because that ending has been living rent free in my head all week.

Private Dick (Tim Rockford) by @wardenparker

Speaking of plus size reader interpretations - this was one of the few that really resonated with me. I haven’t come across many Tim Rockford fanfics (if you have any others, please send them my way) - but this felt like a perfect interpretation - great at reading situations, until they’re too close to him, but he’s in a process of redeeming himself through his relationship with Reader.

Fics I’m Looking Forward to Reading…

My TBR List is still a work in progress, will share it when it’s done 💕

Light Me Up (Benny Miller) by @musings-of-a-rose

Thanks to Jess and Heidi I seem to be straying into Benny territory this week and have been recommended this story to dip my toe further in. I mean the opening premise alone is enough to have me excited to get stuck in!

Double Dealings (Javier Peña & Ezra) by @julesonrecord & @stardustandskycrystals

1920’s, New Orleans and the potential of two Pedro characters? I cannot wait to get stuck into this one this week over my morning coffee this week!

Posts I Enjoyed This Week…

@shirks-all-responsibilities reminding me of my grumpy Joel (Pedro) header for the mobile layout of my blog. Now has me thinking about making a seasonal one now! September is Halloween Eve of course! 🎃

@wildemaven’s early morning thot post that just took on a life of it’s own 🥵

@rhool’s live blog of the pilot of the Pedro show that never was ‘The Sixth Gun’ entertained me while I had a tame evening watching something Mr. Truly wanted to watch while sipping on a non-alcoholic beer lol.

Things I’ve Enjoyed This Week…

The long weekend - didn’t do anything, no one slept through the night, but there’s something satisfying waking up on a Monday and knowing you don’t have to work.

Saturday’s interactions and posts were a delight to go through and helped my Saturday working go by so much quicker and made for a more enjoyable day.

This Week’s Song…

This recommendation came from @gnpwdrnwhiskey who told me it was Dieter x Bryony coded and it totally is. I’ve listened to this on repeat and I’m dying to revisit these two again, and have something up my sleeve 🎃

Hope everyone has a great week this week and Monday is treating you well! 💕 xx

[liyazaki]

MOR! My beloved. I can always expect the truth from you. Overall thoughts on Between Us? I know the final ep was not your fave but how about the series? What would you want to keep? What would you want to change?

Eboni, my darling- hoo, boy. you're about to get way more than you bargained for, but I got some Thoughts™️ & some Things™️ to say.

disclaimer: Between Us was a sweet, serviceable, inoffensive show. I mostly enjoyed watching it & I loved being back in the UWMA universe, however tangentially.

speaking to the collective “you” here: if you loved the show from start to finish, I'm sincerely happy for you! if it'll lessen your BU fandom experience to read critiques- which is valid & completely understandable- click away. I swear I'm not trying to rain on your parade (or argue with anyone, which I won't be- period).

also, let's check ourselves: this is a show. it's not that serious- it couldn't be less serious, actually. sometimes I just like to go off the analytical deep end...it's a good time for a nerd like me. this is my house (my blog) & I'm just having fun, throwing digital paint around.

with all that out of the way, let's jump into it.

UWMA set an extremely high narrative standard. we knew from scene one the writers weren't messing around. that opening is burned into my memory forever.

from compelling flashbacks, to multiple couples that had something for everyone, to little plot details weaved in from the beginning that only made sense later- they knew exactly what story they were trying to tell & they told it in a big way. it was tightly constructed, cleanly delivered and hit all the right notes for me personally.

UWMA is a tough act to follow. in the end, it felt like Between Us barely tried. to quote an MDL reviewer (before the finale even aired): in with a bang, out with a whimper.

step one of any good story is solid character development. it's what draws us in, making & keeping us emotionally invested. we have to like these characters- and know enough about them- in order to care. that- and a good, solid plot- is what sustains our attention.

in a pretty atypical way, Between Us had serious emotional fan investment long before it had basically any character development (thanks to BounPrem's chemistry, IMO).

Win and Team had roughly 31 minutes of total screentime in UWMA, but you'd have never known it from the fever-pitch fandom support years before its release. we didn't have much real character knowledge or depth to go off of, but many of us came into this show ravenous for more of their story (raises hand).

the show's over now and, disappointingly, I don't feel like I learned much about either Win or Team that I didn't already know. we did see them struggle- Team with his guilt and insecurities; Win with his vague intimacy aversion and self worth issues.

Team and Win had plenty of things between (heh) the two of them to overcome- so what went wrong?

for me, Between Us suffered from a tragic case of barely-scratching-the-surface character development (there was so much there to play with narratively & yet- sigh), paired with serious flaws in the rising action.

every single story in existence uses rising action. to quote Henry of The Closer Look, a media analyst I like: "rising action is basically narrative tension. it's the way the conflict builds as the story goes along."

when a story utilizes rising action effectively, the audience ends up feeling almost elated by the end. it's almost like we actually went on the same journey as the characters, and we now get to bask alongside them in just how far they've come. we want to see characters we care for improve, persevere. overcome, conquer.

when rising action is handled correctly, the plot progression looks something like this.

via Henry's excellent analysis on why TLOU2 divided its fandom so thoroughly

Between Us had tension, it had conflict- but it looked something like this (I'd add way more hills, personally).

"what you're seeing here is an abomination of story structure." hey- Henry said it; not me.

the conflicts went up and down throughout the story. Team internally spirals; Win does something sweet and pulls him out of it. everything seems fine; Win pulls back.

rinse, wash, repeat in an endless cycle, made worse by the fact that they struggled with- and apparently overcame- the same. exact. issues, over and over, the entire time.

conflicts that seemed to be resolved came back exactly as they were, sometimes multiple times in a single episode. by episode 7 or so, it was getting tedious. by the end, I was just bummed.

for me, watching Between Us was going around in circles, hoping we were working towards some actually-important climax that never came. and I wanted to believe we were going somewhere, right up until the bitter beige-on-beige end.

there were no scenes that actually made me hold my breath, ala Bad Buddy’s confession-of-legends on the rooftop. no repeating themes, masterfully culminating in the finale (running up the cape in ITSAY). Between Us left me with an itch for depth and impact that only fan fics can scratch at this point (bless you writers).

yeah, Win and Team ended up together- of course they did. I don't think anyone had any doubts they would eventually. but standing at the finish line, do I care that they ended up together?

I hate to say it, but- not really. they didn't give me enough to make it feel meaningful- like it actually meant something. it just- is. yay? I guess?

this post was brutal enough, but to answer your question about what I'd keep & what I'd change? it's hard to pick when the whole thing just felt like special episodes (filled with lots of cute, sweet moments, to be fair) with an enormous dash of missed opportunity.

all in all, I don't regret watching but it's a universe I'll only be returning to via fan fic fixes- and UWMA, my forever top 3 BL beloved.

[kob131]

Can you define woke? If so can you include the definition of the word.

Sure.

Woke is supposed to mean 'an excessive amount of focus on what is considered social justice issues'.

But how it's often used means 'anything that can vaguely relate to social justice issues.'

To demonstrate the difference and prove that the second happens-

You gave me a clip of TLOU2 about 'bigot sandwitches'. I would consider that the first one since the person was trying to be nice and yet the line happened, making it hamfisted.

I have also seen clips of Synthetic Man's TOTK review were he calls Paya having a big, dark skinned boyfriend woke because she 'thristed' after Link in BOTW. I consider this the second because no mention is made of the guy's skin color in game (I have seen) and Paya's crush was portrayed as childish and innocent aka something to grow out of. So it just seems dumb.

Or in other words- the difference is calling racial stereotypes in the Looney Tunes racist vs. Calling any remotely flawed minority character racist.

[bravecrab]

I think it's important to look at the Girlfriend Reviews incident of the Hogwarts Legacy response, because even if it's just a case of lack of awareness of some Youtubers, the way that they're being used is insidious.

So from what I've seen is that they tried to stream Hogwarts Legacy, a section of their fanbase expressed their disappointment mainly via messages they were unfollowing/unsubscribing, Shelby got upset and tearfully took a break, but they still streamed for 6 hours after. Since then the story has been used to label those opposed to Hogwarts Legacy as abusive towards Girlfriend Reviews and other streamers.

If there is any screenshots of the abusive language in their chat, please let me know, as further evidence is always appreciated.

I do think that Girlfriend Reviews were mostly naive, thinking that donating to the Trevor Project would be a reasonable counterbalance for their discretion, however that action is also telling that they knew that playing the game would result in some backlash. They're no strangers to backlash, as they did receive previous harrassment when they played The Last Of Us Part 2. They should be aware by now, how politics and video games interact.

I think when they got harrassed for TLOU2, there was more of a dismissive attitude of "people getting too upset over a game", rather than a culture of misogyny in video games and that culture lashing out due to a sense of entitlement. And perhaps Girlfriend Reviews thought that HL was more of the same, but it's not and to act like it is, is just being ignorant of systems of power.

But this isn't just about these youtubers. Shelby's tears are being manipulated by bad actors as White Women's Tears. If you're unaware of the term, WWTs is a common framing tactic that has been used, mostly for anti-black purposes, for a long time. It's used to justify continued oppression against marginalized groups by saying "Look how they've hurt the feelings of this symbol of innocence". White women have often been used as a tool within white supremacist, patriarchal societies, as something to be protected from the influence and existence of The Other. White Women's Tears are most notable in the case of Emmett Till.

I'm not saying that Shelby was aware of this when she cried, or that she faked crying. What I am saying is that the sort of folk who harrassed Girlfriend Reviews for playing TLOU2, are the sort of people who are now using the image of her crying to punch down on Trans people, Jewish people, and others who expressed their disappointment at Girlfriend Reviews for playing HL. I'd hope that Girlfriend Reviews would be able to see this, and make amends, rather than trying to retreat to an apolitical position, while allowing the continued use of this "harrassment" to inflict more harm on Trans and Jewish people. And that's the better of two evils, hopefully this doesn't make them follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jontron, becoming an alt-right talking head (although this seems unlikely).

The cognitive dissonance of trying to enjoy something you thought was just innocent fun, to find out it has wider political ramifications, is hard. It's painful, you don't want to feel bad for what you consider an accidental lapse of better judgement. However, the actions you take to deal with that cognitive dissonance is important. You can either face up to your mistake, bury your head in the sand, or stand by your action and in opposition of those you have wronged.

[richardsondavis]

So I watched The Critical Drinker's review of Blue Eyed Samurai and Spoiler Alert he likes it.

The comment section was tamer than I thought. Perhaps it's me becoming more puprlepilled by the day but yeah.

There were some commenters who were willing to dismiss the show as woke due to modern year and era. Fuck those guys.

The Drinker didn't pull his usual echoey bullshit. Did it twice though but not in the very obnoxious way. He just said it to accentuate his point. Overall, he didn't sound obnoxious in his review. Guess when he approves of the show, he doesn't sound like an obnoxious twat.

Although there were some comments saying that The Drinker has fallen for the woke mind virus but yeah. That's bound to happen.

Why do I care about The Drinker? Like it or not, he does make some nice reviews and he's not like other anti-woke content creators. He actually takes the time to show you what's up.

I was kinda misapprehensive about his Arcane review since I watched Gigguk's review before Arcane and since Arcane is LoL and that gives me familiarity with the subject, the Drinker's review seems to be a bit lacking.

I also would like to see what the anti-woke are up to and the best way to check is with him. He is by far the least vitriolic mofo from the anti-woke community, that is subject to change. I also would like to test myself to see if I still get somewhat offended and if so, course correct and have something to contemplate about while doing my tasks at work. I've been thinking about some woke and anti-woke stuff and I wanted to see what's up.

It's just that it really peeves me at times, as whenever I try to think of anti-woke stuff and it makes me think of sad thoughts as what it would do to mental health when I'm not ready to take such info.

Anywho, I also watched his TLoU2 review and eh, while the Ellie is gay btw segments were a tad obnoxious like a bad conservative joke, it was generally not bad. Gave me the idea to try Dying Light as well. I wanna check that out. When I can.

Hmmmm.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Speaking of video games, another game I picked up because the semester ended was “Detroit Become Human”. I never finished the game, so I wanted to go back and actually do a full playthrough. I managed to beat the game in two days.

My overall review is that the story is really engaging and I enjoyed how everything was unfolding. I could see this being an actual, high-budget show. It’s just, the handling of the social issues that it’s trying to represent is heavily flawed. Good message, but really questionable presentation. Still, it’s a really well-crafted game that I enjoyed playing. It’s basically on the same level as “The Last of Us 2” for me (I also thought TLOU2 was a well-made game, but with an iffy story that didn’t really work in certain ways).

Highlights from my playthrough:

1) How I played the trio -

* I played Kara as the fierce mother who would do anything to protect her child, such as shooting Todd, robbing the convenience store at gunpoint, and staying at the motel since that was the most secure of the hideouts.

* I played Markus as Martin Luther King, Jr who had no hatred towards humanity due to his connection to Carl.

* I played Connor as the ULTIMATE bootlicking cop, always loyal to CyberLife and advancing human interests. Why? Because I wanted to spice the story up, so I had Connor play the role of the central antagonist. Everyone does Deviant Connor, so I wanted to go against the grain.

2) Kara, Alice, and Luther made it across the border! I was really proud of that.

3) Connor died three times in my playthrough. Hank shot him out of disgust, then Markus shot him in self-defense, and then he killed himself to escape the authorities who stopped him from assassinating Markus.

4) I was fully committed to villain Connor until the end. I didn’t want him to kill Markus after he won through peaceful means, so I had him go deviant ONLY at the very end.

5) My relationship to Hank sunk to hatred because I was playing the villain. This also meant Hank shot himself out of grief, which was pretty surprising since I never knew that could happen.

6) Markus got together with North in my playthrough. I did the ending where he kissed her, which convinced the public we were humans.

7) I accidentally killed Simon. I spared him as Markus, but then Connor found him on the rooftop. I swear, I didn’t mean for that to happen, I was just following the blue blood.

8) My body count was pretty darn high. Todd, both of the Tracis, Chloe, Rupert, Simon, Hank, Carl…lots of characters bit the dust in my playthrough.

[skoulsons]

It’s funny because if it had gotten the worst reviews for being a rehash of the first game I would sat through another cross country adventure with Joel and Ellie in the 2nd game (which is what I think Neil said the very very early plans were in an interview somewhere before they scrapped it). Like all the gamers would’ve hated it but I would’ve eaten that shit up. 😂 Maybe that’s why I like fanfic so much too, because the game is way less to me about the gameplay or fighting the infected but how Joel and Ellie’s relationship changes and grows and evolves.

You get it!!!!

Fanfics are so so good. Like yes, fill in the gaps for me of their adventure, PLEASE!

tlou3 says tlou2 doesn’t exist and it’s Joel and Ellie living their little domestic life together as a family where they go on patrol and have camp nights and make dinner together and watch movies and decorate the house and play guitar together and Joel teaches her how to carve little wood animals and ellie tries to teach him how to draw and they celebrate holidays together and get pictures together and bond over space and just…live a happy life

[stonelions]

i know you said you weren't interested in the show, but I got on the train of watching the first episodes last night. i was shocked to see how accurate it was to the game while at the same time still not re-telling the same story, it was genuinely groundbreaking. if you decide to watch it, it's definitely worth it but i understand if not.<3

i am SUPER glad to hear it's adapted well!!! i am awaiting reviews from trusted sources (friends who know i cannot be normal about tlou) and i maaay be persuaded to give season 1 a shot tbh, but if the showrunners are still planning on sticking close to the events of tlou2 (given that Mazin thought the second game was "a remarkable achievement in narrative, character and theme" i fully expect they will) i simply... need what little energy i have for other things. you get it <3

[girlbob-boypants]

Fuck it I'm just gonna rewatch the episode about that reviewer who compared tlou2 to a movie it should NOT have been compared to