riri !

ellie, the rising sun, shedding light onto joel's world after spending so much time in the dark that it blinds him at first, until every color he'd once forgotten begins to come into vision and reveal a new day just as beautiful as the one he'd been mourning. joel, the sunset, guiding her along roads that are new and somehow still familiar, warming the skin on her face and showing her every new opportunity.

can people stop saying ellie is bi omfg im gonna lose my shit SHE DID NOT LIKE/DATE JESSE NOR SAM !!! and the fucking porno as "proof" that she likes dudes. jesus christ shes taking the piss with joel and laughing about bill these people cannot be REAL

the thing with the tlou tracks is you can really tell which ones are from the game and which ones come from the show. the show tracks tend to have fuller instrumentation, cleaner production, and less of that iconic hum/drone/screech sound. the tracks in the game reaaaally lean into the fact that this was played by a person, with uncomfortably and awkwardly long pauses, strange intervals, rustling and what sounds almost like breathing in the background. it feels natural and raw, and some of the tracks even sound like theyre being played by someone unfamiliar with the instrument that they are holding. it takes the rules of conventional music and breaks them, some pieces being intentionally dissonant and unsettling to listen to. now i dont actually have an issue with the tracks from the show, other than my opinions on where some of them were placed in terms of scenes, which im blaming neil and craig for. im a big fan of orchestras and string ensembles and i actually do like the way they were used, especially in the segment when joel storms the hospital. i fw it.

ellabs but ellie is obsessed with being near abby. seeing the other woman fills her with so much hate and anger that for once she loses touch with her anguish, blood roaring in her ears and dripping from her teeth. she's addicted to the feeling because for the first time in months, the ache is replaced by a much more comforting fire. her hands wrapped around strong throat bring her closer to justice. this time, she'll get back everything she lost. every strike leads her towards the precipice. and then she lets her go. over and over and over again, because hunting down and killing abby is purpose, it is rage and it is vengeance. every moment spent ripping her apart is one not spent in the agony of grief, and if she killed abby, there'd be nothing left for her to do or feel but the overwhelming hurt that threatens to collapse her. no, she won't kill abby. she can't. she loves hurting her far, far too much for that.