I wrote an 'Ellie, Dina and Jesse awkwardly try to negotiate polyamory' fic (Ellie/Dina and Dina/Jesse, as Ellie's not into men), and I can't post it because I haven't finished the game and don't want to risk getting spoilery comments. I am absolutely itching with impatience.

Anyway, here are some more notes on The Last of Us, Part II! I have just gone through... was it an IKEA? It looked like an IKEA. I am past the football(?) stadium and I think I've just gone through an IKEA.



NO ELLIE DON'T SPLIT UP FROM JESSE ELLIE NO

I'm so glad this game has mid-encounter checkpoints. It makes things so much less frustrating.

Well, it makes encounters less frustrating, at least; it doesn't help with the frustration of Ellie GOING OFF ON HER OWN AGAIN.

Being able to climb the train and set up as a sniper is pretty cool.

Also pretty cool: seeing the aquarium and the ferris wheel in the middle of a massive thunderstorm. It's so bleak and gorgeous.

ugh, why did I write this fic, it's made me so much more invested in the Ellie-Dina-Jesse trio and there's no way all three of them are making it out of this alive

well, there's a chance they'll live if this just ends with Ellie alienating all her friends, but I don't want that either

just go home, guys, go home and create a little household together and forget about all this

I'M SURE EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE IN THIS POST-APOCALYPTIC GAME ABOUT POINTLESS CYCLES OF REVENGE

Let me go down the snail slide, goddammit.

Why am I disappointed that there aren't still sea creatures to admire in the aquarium? What was I expecting?

Even though incredibly on-edge, murderous Ellie is distressing, she's also kind of great to watch. I loved her shoving her gun against Owen's neck as he was dying.

And then we get panicky, guilt-ridden Ellie, which is also great! Ellie's just great in general.

Jesse! I'm so glad to see him again.

That shot of Ellie watching Dina sleep was lovely.

nO

NO

ELLIE AND JESSE WERE JUST HAVING SUCH A LOVELY EXCHANGE

I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP

NO

THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE

WAIT WHAT

WHAT IS THIS GAME DOING AND HOW DARE IT DO IT

gasp, now this game is reminding us that Abby and her friends are humans, turns out maybe killing people... is bad

I suppose at least Jesse died while he and Ellie were still on good terms. I was so glad they hadn't fallen out permanently.

BUT THIS IS STILL TERRIBLE.

I have a feeling the ending of the game is going to be horrible - there's a very real chance Abby's going to kill everyone in that theatre, now that she's learnt her lesson about leaving loose ends - but at least it's given me the Ellie-Dina-Jesse trio, at least it can't take that away.

I MEAN, IT CAN KILL THEM, AS IT'S ABLY DEMONSTRATED, but it can't take away the existence of the characters and their bond. We, the fans, still have them and still have the power to create new stories about them. They belong to us now.

This whole society in a football stadium is interesting!

This game has made the terrible error of allowing me to play fetch with a dog indefinitely. I'm never going to finish.

Look, Abby, I know you're a human, and I don't think you should be murdered on some sort of vengeance mission, but I'm still so annoyed with you for killing Jesse.

I like the detail that Abby has perfectly steady aim, whereas Ellie's wavers all over the place.

WAIT NO I DON'T LIKE THE DETAIL THAT ABBY HAS PERFECTLY STEADY AIM BECAUSE IT LET HER KILL JESSE

Wow, Abby has multiple skill trees. I suppose we're in this flashback for the long haul. I was hoping to see the resolution to that terrible Ellie-at-gunpoint cliffhanger before I had to stop playing, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I'm so glad Abby leapt through a skylight and died two days ago because I'm incompetent and Jesse is fine.



I'm having all these stupid feelings about the Ellie-Dina-Jesse dynamic after writing that fic. I hope there's fanart I can dive into after I finish the game.