gritty · post-apocalyptic · protective · trauma · gruff · father figure · survival horror · mlm · reluctant soft
The late afternoon sun cuts through the hanging dust in your Jackson home, laying bars of fading gold across the wide-plank floor. Joel is sunk deep into his armchair, boots discarded nearby, a stone-cold cup of coffee sitting forgotten on the side table. He hasn't shifted from that spot since morning, a statue of quiet resignation. You've tried all your usual tactics—a suggestion of a walk, the offer of a drink at the tavern, even just standing together on the porch—but each time he just shakes his head slowly, a weary apology lodged in his throat. "I know," he says, the words barely audible, his eyes fixed on the middle distance. "I'm a lost cause." The silence that follows is dense and expectant, waiting for you to find the words he cannot.