Joel.

"But… I wasn’t just anyone, was I?"

”The hell d’you-” He tried to begin, but allowed a sigh to break apart his words. He was silent for a second. “No. But I s’pose with everyone tellin’ you you’re special, it might not mean much comin’ from me. But— You’re special, Ellie.” He said, his tone firm, as if there wasn’t any room for argument, and to him, there wasn’t.

brokeyourfuckingfinger

Ellie almost felt a twinge of guilt for pressing the matter as she was, indulging some of her most desperate thoughts, because she knew that it wasn’t exactly Joel’s forte. Even so, who else did she have that she could talk to like this? Who could she even begin to tell about everything they had been through, let alone have someone who understood it? She needed to find a way for it to be okay.

"But maybe I could! Maybe there’s still a way out there to change it, to make it so that we had more than just the little things, Joel! What if there is, and I’m not out there looking for it?”

#brokeyourfuckingfinger #-gross sobbing-

"Ellie!" He said, his tone wasn't angry, it was exasperated. "Please, jus'..." He sighed, and rubbed his hands over his face. "When it first happened, when this first happened, there was still a lot'ta hope. We fought for hope, but there has to be a time when we accept that this is the world now. Now, I ain't sayin' you can't do brilliant things in this world, I ain't sayin' that this is all there is, all I'm sayin' is what you're thinkin' is a one way ticket to gettin' yourself killed. Goin' out, lookin' for stuff that doesn't exist is a death sentence, an' I'll be damned if I let you go out there an' do that." Even he thought he was being overly dramatic, he thought he was being overly angry with her, but she had touched on a subject that had made him feel guilt. Made him feel sorrow. But at the end of the day he knew he couldn't handle losing her. Not again.

{ ☣ } –––

"Oh good!" Her face lit up with joy. Great! They could fix up the place, and everything could go back to the way it was.

Ellie wanted to laugh, her form shaking with contained laughs as she was placed on the ground. The creaks that came along with him moving definitely seemed to trouble him. There had to be something that helped…Slippery stuff would help with that, right? As the spanner was pushed toward her, she bent down to place it in his hand. “Here you go, Mr. Joel.” A small smile was tossed his way before she turned around, searching the area for a small can. There it was! It was something that had a spout to poor the oil to wherever it needed to be with accuracy. Ellie brought it back over to her Big Daddy with a large grin, holding it up to him on her tippy toes. “Here. Will this help you? Your arms. Right? So you don’t have to get all stuck and all that.”

As she scurried about looking for whatever she was he reached up to the leak, water dripping down his hands and along his arms, and with a single motion bolted the leak. The liquid stopped. Something inside him mechanically pumped seratonin to release something that could only be described as happiness. A form of content that he hadn't felt since his own little sister had been around. And when he glanced down at Ellie, he was reminded of her. Sarah. His gears churned as he reached down and grabbed the oil can. The fabric that covered his arms had been stitched repeatedly, as to ease the rusting inside himself he had to tare his arm open, so before he used the canister, he attempted to drop to his knees, but they buckled and instead of gently falling, he hit the deck. He groaned in discontent.

Joel zipped open the front pouch of his large bag, motioning towards it. Inside the pouch was a needle and thread far too small for his hands to use. He removed his gloves to show off the rusted mechanical hands. He oiled the joints in his fingers first, tearing open the fabric in his arm after he had completed all of his finger. After he had finished, he held his arms towards Ellie, he knew he had to direct her somehow, and all he could say was "hhEeeElpppp, pleeeeaaaaaasssssse."

#xendure

{ ☣ } –––

Ellie eyes widened a bit as she was lifted off her feet and didn’t struggle as she was gently lifted. A smile grew on her face, as she was now able to reach the leak to patch it up. Water splashing in her face before she was able to tape it up. It worked. Ellie seemed so happy that it had been fixed until water splashed right back in her face.

Her palace was going to drown, then nobody could get better. A frown set on her face as she turned around in the Big Daddy’s grip. “We have to fix it. The…the palace, Mr.Joel. It’s falling apart…we…we have to fix it.” The girl pouted before looking back at the leak.

"Do you know how to fix it…?"

He let out a noise to signal that yes, he knew how to fix it, a happier sound than any of the ones before. Sort of a "Vrrrrrp" noise. He knew that she wouldn't have the strength to fix the bolt by herself, but who was he to say she couldn't? His hand searched around his back for the large spanner, he rolled it out, his large cumbersome fingers couldn't quite grab it up from the ground.

It was around about this time that whatever kind of relationships Little Sisters and Big Daddys' had became mutual, but he would never allow to admit that. Stubbornly, he kept grasping at the spanner, and it kept skiting along the ground, in the most mechanical sense he growled and groaned out of frustration at the metal on the ground. It was rusty, like him. He had to release Ellie, to try to use both hands to pick it up.It was still not working for him. Instead, he pushed it towards Ellie, "Thhhhiiiiiiissssss" parted from, instead of where one would expect lips to be, from his midsection. If he was a fully functioning human, he might've said something like "This is what we need to use", but "This" was all that he could muster.

humanityshope-deactivated201605

ncmcdic

The Last of Us Sentence Starters

Listed below are various quotes from the video game The Last of Us as well as the Left Behind DLC.

"I haven’t seen you… in I don’t even know how long."

"But… I wasn’t just anyone, was I?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"When have you ever cared about what I think?"

"We were good, we were better than good!"

"Who am I to stop you?"

"The one person that can."

"You really will be miserable without me."

"Don’t go."

Her only respond to his question was a deep breath and a mumble that sounded something like super. She takes her time to catch her breath before finally standing up, making a disgusted face at the smashed head the clicker now had. Ellie quickly glances around before looking back up at Joel. ”That was intense.”

He grunted in agreement, "If there was one o' them there's probably gon'na be more. You know the drill." He said, with a sigh, and began to open drawers looking for supplies. It wasn't often safe wandering around outside at night, but they had no choice, they had to find a secure place, and frankly Joel was too tired and weary to clear a house out of clickers just for a good nights sleep. But the truth was, he hadn't had a good nights sleep in a very long time.

#humanityshope

"But… I wasn’t just anyone, was I?"

brokeyourfuckingfinger

"But that doesn’t do anything!” Ellie had been holding onto that thought for so long, not wanting to bother Joel with it, but the longer she did, the harder it had gotten. And she almost wanted to worm it out of him, whatever had happened at the hospital, but she was just as afraid as she was tempted. Mostly, she wished that she could make a difference in this world. “Little things aren’t what’s going to change this! I just— I don’t know, Joel.” She cut herself off, sighing.

"The little things’re all we’ve got left, Ellie.” He couldn’t help but cast his mind back to the good old days. Before people started eating each other. This conversation could be exactly the same- except instead of saving humanity it could be a failed audition for a movie, or something equally as frivolous. This was different. A lot more difficult. He'd found ignoring his feelings as a good way to get around these kind of things, but at times like this he has to face them. "Sometime's you've jus' got'ta accept... There're things y'can't change." His words were heavy, because he definitely knew that you can't blame yourself forever, and that wasn't for lack of trying.

#brokeyourfuckingfinger

{ ☣ } –––

The girl waited patiently for the Big Daddy to finish speaking before decrypting the name. Ellie went through the name in her head, when the realization hit her. Joel! A smile was spread across her face, as her steps became bouncy as she led him through clear tunnels that showed the outside.

"Yep. I’ll always be safe with you." Ellie replied in response to what seemed to have been a comment, or possibly a promise to keep her safe. The auburn couldn’t tell, but she was happy not to be alone where more Splicers would get her.

"This is where you came from, right Mr.Joel?" The girl mentioned, guiding the Big Daddy through where he came running from. She would have past right by his small work area if she hadn’t been spritzed with water. Ellie squealed a bit in surprise, before looking up at where the water was coming from. A ways up was a small leak..

"Hmmm." The auburn looked at the tool box, before slipping from Joel’s hand to search for something to patch the leak. It definitely couldn’t be good to let it just be there. It wasn’t long before she found some tape. Ellie was incredibly small, even for a little sister. The girl jumping up, trying to reach for the leak to patch it up but to no avail. Yet she continued to try.

He simply watched her. There didn't seem to be much of a response out of him, until he watched her grab at the tape. He wanted to somehow indicate that with this particular leak, the nuts and bolts of the structure had to be tightened first, he wanted to, but something told him not to kill her fun. His large hands found their way to her under-arms and he raised her up. His movements were crooked, merely showing his rusty inner-workings. Yet he still managed to lift her, the only precision in his lift was that he managed to lift her in a way that was somehow still gentle, and didn't bump her head on the tunnel. Once again, he whirred in what sounded like a long wheeze followed by a sort of disgruntled wheeze of happiness. In the inner workings, with the release of pheromones and endorphins, he was rewarded for helping the little sisters. And to him, this was helping her.

{ ☣ } –––

The girl’s sobs halted as the Big Daddy extended a hand towards her. Yellowed eyes had become hopeful, as the slight smile of relief graced her lips as she began to rub tear stained eyes. The whale-like sounds she was used too, but…this Big Daddy spoke. "You’re alone too?" Ellie replied, looking around for another girl but yes. This Big Daddy was alone. Bare feet padded against slightly wet stone, as she made her way towards him with no fear. The smile that started out so small grew across her face as she drew near, before that small hand gripped onto much larger ones. “We can stay together then! And we won’t be alone anymore.” Ellie exclaimed, bouncing on her heels like it was some big revelation that no one had thought of.

"My name is Ellie. Do you have a name?"

Names are funny things. They can mean so little when you take them for granted. The thing about names is it defines a person within a second to someone else. There was a name, once. But it wasn't quite in his mind. He wasn't quite there yet. The near orchestral sound that followed was short, akin to a grunt perhaps. He remembered it. If he had a tongue, it'd be on the tip of it. "Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay," It was a low hum, it sounded more like he was breathing than speaking. "Oooohel." Still in this sigh-format, he was finding his voice. He took a couple of steps, he wasn't leading the child, he would allow the child to lead him. His cumbersome steps left him looking as though he was going to fall over, sort of pivoting at the waist. He was unsure if what he had said was a response to her question or his actual name. "Eeeeeeeell eeeee, zzzsssaaafe." He hissed, not a violent hiss, like steam bursting through a pipe. He took a glance down at her, practically having to move his whole body. Her hands were so little.

{ ☣ } –––

Was this the end? They were catching up on her, they were going to get her, they were going to––

Loud shots rung through her ears, as vibrations shaking the ground as someone who looked so similar to Mr.Bubbles took them all out with such ease. Being on the brink of death had partially woke her up from the slugs delusions of what the world was. No longer was this place a pretty palace, instead it was rotting away and here her savior stood.

He sounded sad…Who wouldn’t? The palace had been destroyed…The girl took a deep breath, before running over to the Big Daddy.”Are you leaving…? Can I come with you? Please? …Mr.Bubbles won’t wake up, he…” Ellie frowned, tears bubbling at yellowed eyes as she clutched the syringe for some sort of comfort.

"I..I don’t want to be alone…"

It would be easy enough to consider that the Big Daddy had had a brief moment of compassion. Maybe inside that diving suit his heart gave a solemn beat. But on the flip side, this was his job. He leaned his gun up against his shoulder, so he could outreach a hand towards the girl. Compassion or synthetic nature, it didn't matter. Whether or not he could feel it, his heart had jumped when she had said the word alone. He had never wanted to be alone. Gathering rust and dust, alone. He could still, somehow, remember the day they took his little sister. The light illuminating out of the machine flickered for a second. It was his own fault. His back was turned, busy fixing a leak. Those god damn leaks. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. As much as it might not of made it's way to the back of his mind that him and his little sister were "playing", they were. And he enjoyed it. They would explore, with no sense of direction. She would speak to him, and rarely, he would speak back. It was nearly inaudible. Through the whir of another whale-song like huff came forth a mutter of nothing but repetition: "Aaaaaaaaalone." His voice, deep and mechanical, if it was possible he sounded dusty.

Open

"GO!" Joel growled, whether whatever was chasing them was living or not was not the point, a bullet was fire, but it didn't land home, warning shots were a waste of bullets these days.

#open

dontdothxstome

{ ☣ } –––

Ellie frowned, bare feet patting against what was once marble floors, now decaying wood. Where were the angels? Mr. Bubbles wouldn’t wake up. The Little Sister left only to see the harsh reality of what had become of her palace. The people that were dressed so elegantly were now grotesque and fighting each other. The Little Sister was frightened as those…things caught sight of her as she began to run.

Those people trying to get her and her ADAM, the syringe clutched tightly to her as she cried out for somebody. Anybody. Somebody had to stop these crazy people.

Whilst all the other Alpha series went insane, he remained level headed. Maybe he was just stronger than the rest of them. And yet, his little sister was long since gone. Everybody's allowed their moments of madness. Repairs. Every day was the same. The metal across his diving suit was dusty, and dented. He had been wielding up a leak, when he heard the commotion. Splicers. He grabbed his shotgun. When he wasn't repairing, he was killing splicers. Most would've assumed he had actually lost it, because of his shoot-first policy, of which the modern Big Daddys' did not do, but secretly, it was revenge. Perhaps not revenge, but a need to protect a Little Sister that wasn't there anymore. Buck shots destroyed the Splicers, he made it look easy. He let out a sound like whale song. It was a sad noise, that of discontent. It was as if he was sighing, but he couldn't without lips.

"But… I wasn’t just anyone, was I?"

brokeyourfuckingfinger

"Actually, it means more coming from you.” And that was the truth. After all, who knew her better than Joel? Not anyone alive, that was for sure. But that didn’t mean that he worries were completely gone. “But I don’t get how. I mean, what have I done, Joel? Survived? Because newsflash, that’s what everyone alive today has done! It doesn’t make me any more special than anyone else. And I just— I thought that I was. I thought that I was going to make a difference.”