Not Strong Enough By Auburnstargazer

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 7/14 posted now on AO3!

“writing fanfics is something I do in my free time for fun. I will not treat it like a job and will instead treat it like a hobby because that’s what it is.”

also how it feels being a fanfic writer:

Endure & Survive

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

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Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the divider!

I CANNOT get over how soft and gentle Joel is when he finds her she kills David. He instinctively grabs her and is completely horrified when she starts screaming in terror. This isn't anything like how Ellie would've reacted before - she would've been mad, furious, hissing like a feral cat if someone grabbed her like that, but when Joel unthinkingly grabs her from behind she's lashes out, completely traumatized and pushed to her breaking point and Joel can tell. He's immediately rushing to reassure her, practically begging - it's me. It's me. Look. I don't think we've ever heard him speak so gently, not even to Sarah. And we know that Joel is just adding this on to the list of ways he's failed her. This brazen, tough, insolent kid is clinging to him, sobbing, blood on her face, completely shattered, and the only thing keeping her together is his embrace. He doesn't even know what's happened to her, but you can bet he heard her screams, and he knows that whatever happened completely transformed and scarred her, his daughter, his baby girl. And all he can do is wrap her in his coat and take her as far away as possible.