Not Strong Enough Fic - Tumblr Posts
I loved this idea so much that my new longform dellie fic (which I am editing and posting soon!) includes a dog companion!!
Am I the only one pissed off that Ellie was supposed to have a dog and the producers SCRAPPED IT?!?!?
In the second game after joels death she was supposed to find an injured dog and help it get back to better health. The dog would have ended up helping her through the story. The producers scrapped it because in the scene where abby and lev find ellie in the theater,they didn't know if killing the dog was to harsh so they just scrapped it cause they didn't know what the dog would do or where it would be. In that scene. I love the idea of ellie having a dog but what do yall think they could have done to make the dog stay the whole game. Cause the producers also thought of having it so in the end ellie was alone with the dog and only the dog so idk what do yall think?
Spoilers for TLoU2 (game and maybe series depending on how they go) below the cut:
So just finding out that there was initially an alternate ending where Ellie canonically did go after Dina that was chosen not to go with due to the theme of the game. Namely giving a happy end at the end of someone seeking revenge vs. it being left open-ended for the audience to fill in things. Plz let the HBO version run with the going after Dina version, cause the way I see it Ellie chooses to reject her drive for vengeance and break the cycle in the end; thus deserving a happy ending (albeit with a lot of asking/begging forgiveness of Dina).
TLOU rec-list from the Jackson Scouts!
We've got fluffy cakes, angsty cookies, and beautifully-crafted pies. A buffet of fics for the fandom.
Take a slice of our homemade self-recs!
looking for the light - 700 words, Starting with the smallest, this is a beautifully written fic about Joel taking care of baby Sarah. It's very slice-of-life🍰 By: @sixhours Not Strong Enough (WIP) - 4k words, Ellie has avoided returning to Jackson until she hears that Tommy's dying. This has a Dellie exes-to-lovers plotline!! By: @auburnstargazer Sierra Nevada (WIP) - 11k words, Ellie and Abby cross paths again and put aside their differences to take care of Lev. You could cut the tension with a knife! By: @punkassfrance
There’s No Road That Will Lead Us Back - 20k words, A Tess Lives AU where Ellie and Joel are savage as hell to each other on the road to Wyoming. By: @adhdprincess Skin (TW: referenced rape/noncon)- 40k words, Ellie and Joel meet at Silver Lake instead of Boston. This story was an absolute emotional rollercoaster with the most satisfying ending!! By: @paigegonerogue Dark Shades of Innocence Lost (Explicit, Minors DNI) - 56k words, You meet Joel Miller, the owner of Club Inferno, and he hits on you with a southern drawl so heavy, it makes you fold in minutes. By: @mermaidgirl30 Blood runs thicker than water (WIP) - 230k words, Joel and Tess get Ellie when she’s a baby and raise her themselves. Joel is so in character that I have to remind myself he didn’t write this. By: @roselees
Taste these homemade cookies from friends!
mend - 800 words, A short, sweet fic about Ellie working up the courage to come out to Joel. This is told in a Joel x Reader format from Joel’s POV. By: @goodwithcheese, rec'd by @sixhours spots of bother - 8k words, In Jackson, Ellie gets chicken pox, and infects Joel and Tommy. We love a classic sick fic! By: noah_swan, rec'd by @roselees strange highs and strange lows (WIP) - 11k words, Joel gets Infected. Luckily for him, Ellie's immunity is more easily shared than first thought. By: @consultingzoologist, rec'd by @roselees The girl in the grit - 20k words, Joel meets Ellie several years early while working at the FEDRA orphanage. “feels like a love letter to canon with its own original twist.” - roselees By: @boopernatural, rec'd by @roselees wasteland baby (WIP) - 44k words, An Ellie x Reader fic that takes place post-TLOU2 where you and Ellie learn to heal from each other. “it’s imperative that people read it’s life changing” - ellstronaut By: @cherriesxinthespring, rec'd by @ellstronaut The Stars Incline Us (WIP) - 240k words, A poetic long fic that starts with Ellie and Joel settling in Jackson and develops into a thought-provoking conflict where Ellie has to protect Jackson. By: @wordspinning, rec'd by @adhdprincess
If you read a story and enjoy, consider leaving a comment! Writers love encouraging comments, even if it's just a heart emoji ❤️.
This rec-list is here to uplift the wonderful writing community in this fandom. Please share this around to show support for writers!
Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the divider!
I'd like to give a HUGE congratulations to @auburnstargazer for sharing her first TLOU fic with us!! 🎉 You worked on this story for over a year. That's fucking awesome.
Check out Not Strong Enough on Ao3. If you enjoy, consider leaving a comment!
Ellie is seriously going through it! The setting you picked to start the story is so cool and your descriptions of the city immersed me right into the scenes. I like that Ellie starts as this lone-wolf, hard-edged survivor like she was in the Santa Barbara parts of TLOU2, but then she has an opportunity to help people and can’t stop herself from trying. It’s a great way to portray her true nature.Â
I could picture every detail during the action scene and my mouth fell open at the end of that scene. Big oof. Also, please let Ellie have that dog, I’m on my knees begging you. Let. Her. Have. The. Dog. (I’m guessing this is happening based on the tags, but if not, it’s no big deal!)
Ellie’s guilt is threaded throughout this chapter almost in a dejected manner, like it’s a grave she’s decided to lay in. I can’t wait to see how her perception of herself transforms once she goes back to Jackson. Also, Maria staying in contact with Ellie is so sweet. I know it’ll be even sweeter when all the characters reunite with each other.Â
Phrases I loved:Â
Ellie felt the vice around her heart loosen for a moment.
The park was a lush bouquet of umber, rust and sage amongst the decaying infrastructure.
The incessant dog barks, the screaming child and the Infected screeches created a cacophony inside Ellie’s head.
Yet another reminder that she should be dead. (This was such a punch-to-the-gut line!)
The familiar sensation of panic crawled across her skin.
 Joel swam to the forefront of her mind, fingers poised to strum a guitar, turning to look at Ellie one more time. (WHAT IF I CRIED?? WHAT THEN?)
Thank you so much for sharing your debut TLOU fic. I hope you're proud of how much work you put into this!
sometimes the moral of the story really is just "you cannot go back and what happened to you is going to be with you for the rest of your life. but it's still going to be okay" huh
some williams family doodles
(posted this on twitter first but i wanted to share it here too!)
Chapter 3 live now!
Not Strong Enough by auburnstargazer
In the aftermath of a failed revenge quest, Ellie condemns herself to a life of solitude. But when she gets word from Jackson that Tommy is dying, she knows she must make the long trek across the country to say her final goodbyes. Returning home proves more difficult than she anticipated. The people of Jackson revile her. Dina, Ellie’s lost love, cannot meet her in the eyes. Joel haunts every street corner, plaguing Ellie's every thought. She is a stranger in the only place she ever called home. In order to rekindle her relationship with Dina and rebuild her family, Ellie must learn to face her grief head on or risk losing everything for good.
Chapter 2/14 posted now on AO3!
currently recovering from surgery and editing my fic. new chapter posted yay
Chapter 5 live now!
Not Strong Enough by auburnstargazer
In the aftermath of a failed revenge quest, Ellie condemns herself to a life of solitude. But when she gets word from Jackson that Tommy is dying, she knows she must make the long trek across the country to say her final goodbyes. Returning home proves more difficult than she anticipated. The people of Jackson revile her. Dina, Ellie’s lost love, cannot meet her in the eyes. Joel haunts every street corner, plaguing Ellie's every thought. She is a stranger in the only place she ever called home. In order to rekindle her relationship with Dina and rebuild her family, Ellie must learn to face her grief head on or risk losing everything for good.
Chapter 5/14 posted now on AO3!
Chapter 6 live on Ao3 now!
Not Strong Enough by auburnstargazer
In the aftermath of a failed revenge quest, Ellie condemns herself to a life of solitude. But when she gets word from Jackson that Tommy is dying, she knows she must make the long trek across the country to say her final goodbyes. Returning home proves more difficult than she anticipated. The people of Jackson revile her. Dina, Ellie’s lost love, cannot meet her in the eyes. Joel haunts every street corner, plaguing Ellie's every thought. She is a stranger in the only place she ever called home. In order to rekindle her relationship with Dina and rebuild her family, Ellie must learn to face her grief head on or risk losing everything for good.
Chapter 6/14 posted now on AO3!