Ten Women From Around the World Celebrate Abby TLOU2

[@wildstargazer11]

💜 To all the women involved in this video, you're phenomenal and inspiring to me, and I feel so blessed to know you! I am honoured to hear how Abby's presence in TLOU was meaningful to you, and I can't wait to hear what more women have to say here in the comments and elsewhere! Thank you Dan for lending us your platform to share with the world our experiences! Beautiful video crafted with love, thank you.

[@urbiznesnunuv6938]

The fact gun said Laura baileys voice didn’t “fit” Abby really speaks a lot about the mindset of the haters

[@michaelmartinez9042]

Both Ellie and Abby have become my two favorite women in gaming, and I’m not afraid to say that

[@WolfofThorns]

Hell yeah! Here, here!

[@ASU_ASU_ASU]

I absolutely love the fact that even tho Abby is muscular, ND never made her “masculine”. She still have a relatively high pitched voice, she reacts ha a high pitched scream and has long hair etc.

[@bindu996]

Exactly, aside from her muscular build, everything about her is quite feminine, including her motherly / somewhat nurturing behavior with ppl she cares about

[@DraulBall]

Similar with Tess, she’s also great

[@QueenTofu]

Thanks for having me Wolfie! 💗

[@cherylpetsch8427]

Hey tofu love you’re videos❤️

[@danielfroilan8333]

Your description of Abby was so amazing. I personally always loved Abby and her character.

[@michaelmcclelland9876]

You NAILED it Tori with your thoughtful commentary, as usual! 😉

[@spider-mantobeymaguirefanc9469]

Hey tofu you are the best

[@boosheerin]

I love that muscular women are starting to be portrayed in a more positive light. For so long in media muscular women were portrayed as only manly and unattractive, but characters like Abby are helping to break that stereotype. It helps for people like me who look similar to Abby to see our body types shown in a positive way.

[@bluesyrupgc4224]

Yeah. I hate how muscular women in media are immediately labeled as SJW characters created to one-up men. I think that the character Abby is also labeled the same way just so people could find a reason to hate TLOU2.

[@jamesgomez9151]

​@@Snowdrinker Look up Kayla Harrison, a real life super badass martial artist. People complain that is Abby is unrealistic; she's nothing compared Kayla. Valentina Shevchenko > Abby also.

[@edward3190]

I think the reason a lot of players don't like Abby is not of masculinity, it's how unrealistic it is. 1. In a survival situation, it is very unlikely to have enough food of rich protein and fat to support that huge mass of muscle. 2. To maintain that muscle, Abby would have go to gym every 2 or 3 days, which implies she spends less time and energy working for the team. As we could see in game, no one else in her camp has that much muscle, which implies Abby plays in the gym the most in her camp. 3. Abby would likely take pills to manage hormone or she has some hormone disorder. Her body shape is not just muscular but also a reflection of her life style, taking huge amount of food, having lots of free time to exercise and maybe taking precious medicine in a world everyone struggles to survive, doesn't make her look good. IMO, it is her lifestyle making her unlikeable for a lot of people.

[@sm12-10]

I've never had any problems with Abby's Body, I don't mind Playing videogames or Watching movies with Female protagonists. I care about the characters themselves, not their gender, race, body, etc. Loved the Characters, the Music, the Graphics, the Gameplay, the Story.... Everything!!! Great Video man 👌

[@JackC11111]

In the next game she definitely won't be able to gain the weight back so then they could make her look more like the person she was modeled after.

[@goro_majima98]

@@JackC11111 you mean face actress or body actress?

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

I just watched the whole video. It was so great and made me cry. Abby is probably my favorite character in video games and it's beatiful to see how she has affected other people for different reasons.

[@coolduders9219]

It made you cry

[@coolduders9219]

it is just video why would you cry

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

@@coolduders9219 it made me emotional

[@coolduders9219]

@@Carlos-ln8fd how

[@Lineproof]

snowflake moment?

[@NapalmNovocaine]

It was an honor and a delight to be involved with this powerful project, Wolf!!! Having watched the finished product, I have some more thoughts that I want to share. The game that took me from “person who enjoys video games here and there” to “GAMER” was Bioshock Infinite. I saw many aspects of myself in Elizabeth and I immediately cosplayed her. In fact, I’ve identified with and subsequently cosplayed a character from almost every game I’ve ever loved. So when Abby graced our screens and stole our hearts, I never even gave her physique a second thought. But hearing from other women with different life experiences made me recognize the fact that Abby was a ground-breaking character beyond the storytelling, beyond the “boss fight” between empathy and rage that she personified, and beyond the mesmerizing braid. Her physical appearance was *so appropriate* for her character that it didn’t even register with me. Now THAT is how you present a relatable character. Cheers to Naughty Dog, cheers to my fellow female gamers, and cheers to you!!!

[@VoyagersRevenge]

One of the most interesting videos I’ve ever seen for this series; thanks for diving into these details!

[@beyondbelieving]

Thank you so much for mentioning my cosplay and making this video. Abby means so much to me and I love how you and all the women here highlighted it. It's the first time I saw a woman similar to what I'm working so hard to look like and I'm really hoping this is slow start to make it more "normal" to see strong women. (and not constantly get the "you don't want to get to bulky" thrown at you every time you say you lift weights) She's definitely a character that will stick with me forever.

[@WolfofThorns]

You are so welcome! Keep rocking out and doing an amazing job in everything that you do!

[@GeorgiaPalmer-ho1od]

I also thought it was such a cool detail that Abby has the top score on the leader board for women in Bench press at 205lbs (you can see it on the chalkboard at the WLF stadium in the gym) which just further proves how hard she must have worked to achieved her body.

[@anarhperez]

I’m so honored to be part of this video, Wolf! Love it so much ❤️ The Last of Us Part II is a very special game to me and I’m super grateful because it gave me the possibility of finding incredible people like you and your community. You guys are always so kind and lovely to me! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts about Abby and how important she is for women all around the world. As I said to you before, your channel is amazing and you are so talented! Your work is brilliant

[@WordsDarkerThanTheirWings]

I'm coming to this video very late unfortunately, but I made it! As a woman who's always been extremely tiny, Abby was definitely the inspiration for me to hit the gym. I had been wanting to get stronger and healthier for a while, but like so many, I made excuses. Abby was the push I needed to do this for myself. I have been going 5 times a week for the past 4 months, and I'm absolutely loving it. Of course Abby's physique is the goal, but once I reach it, I might decide that I want to do something different with my workouts. Who knows. The main thing is that seeing Abby like that and Abby being accepted was my motivation. Thank you for putting all these testimonies together, Wolf. You always know what type of content everyone needs to hear!

[@The_Bananabel]

It was such an honor to be a part of this project! Abby and her arc has had such an impact on my life and is very integral to my growth as an adult woman. Thank you for giving me a space to share that ❤️ (loved the secret clip at the end 😉)

[@sunnymoniz7636]

I’ve always wanted broad shoulders and big arms and have felt some pressures to stay small. But I’m not small. I don’t want to be small. Seeing Abby’s representation was love at first sight. She’s absolutely amazing and beautiful and one day I want to look like her in my own way. I don’t care about all the male representation in media or life… the fact is that women are paving the way now and that’s all I care about.

[@eddydeniro4110]

There's some women I follow on twitter who have arms and shoulders bigger than me and I'm a man. One of them has bigger arms than Abby. I definitely wouldn't want to mess with her. There shouldn't be anything stopping you from realising your ambition.

[@redwing1766]

I found it weird at first but I got over it quickly, the quality of the graphics, story, characters etc were more important than how someone looks.

[@tomie3222]

Finally! Some Abby appreciation. This character and this video is simply gold.

[@krasmasov6852]

Bro, thanks for this video. Not only was this a useful perspective to hear about that I have no personal experience with, you've shown me a lot of cool creators I can look into further.

[@ankitamenon8780]

I don’t cry that often, but this video helped me realise what Abby’s build meant to me- not just the fact that I sometimes feel like my shoulders are too wide, but also the fact that different body types should be accepted! On every body regardless of gender!

[@TheMarine316]

It was really good of you to makes this type of video & giving these woman a voice to share & you’re right it’s sad that this even needed to be said or defended.

[@lover9923]

As a woman, It was so refreshing to play Abby after 15+ years of exaggerated female characters. I do not hate sexualized female characters, I actually hate the objectifying of them which starts in design. It's really unrealistic when it comes to female characters in games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat (moreso referring to 9). The closest thing we had to a muscular character prior to Abby was Chun-Li. When it came time for Tomb Raider's reboot, there was a lot of rejection over her design because she looked normal, but I loved Lara's design and loved the franchise. I think a lot of us were conditioned to accept women's depiction in media, especially comics and videogames. I was. I didn't bat an eye. After the Last of Us Part II, Abby and Ellie tied for my favorite female characters, not just in appearance, but in depth, in characterization that feels human. I don't see them being removed any time soon. I actually feel as if Abby has the better half of the game and she's so groundbreaking. I can't help but look forward to her side of the game. If you notice, Wolf, you can feel the impact of the first game's throughout culture and media. You can feel the impact of The Last of Us: Part II with every award as much as every shattered expectation. I'm so confident that what Naughty Dog has done in its sequel will inspire other game developers and writers to take risks, not just with storytelling, gameplay (the switch of POVs is remarkable), but with their characters-Abby represents that and so much more. There's a glass ceiling that Naughty Dog broke and it couldn't have been done without Abigail Anderson. EDIT: In Abby's bedroom, you can see the book One Thousand and One Nights which I think speaks a lot to the characterization of Abby and the rejection of women all being alike and below men. It's my hope that Abby returns for the Last of Us Part III as she's just as important to me as Ellie, it just wouldn't feel right without her. Thank you so much to you and the women you made this video with! KZbin needed this video and the gaming community needed this video!

[@ksstwiggs6746]

All these women articulated and delivered their perspectives so well! Truly beautiful and turns my lips into a smile!

[@HeliosMane]

I'm in tears. I remember how I grew ashamed of my body from years of working out. My desire was to become physically strong and capable but seeing how other people perceived my physique made me feel so uncomfortable and insecure. Seeing Abby was a relieving experience. I finally felt a sense of validation for my body and a sense of confidence I haven't had since I was younger. Thank you for this amazing video. It was inspiring to see the many ways Abby as a character empowered us all to love our flawed selves.

[@ajscarecraft5560]

It’s nice knowing that even though their are still many people to this day hating Abby, there are still people who love and are inspired by her

[@Ellorna]

Such a great video. Thank you for taking the time to make and share this content.

[@DisRizTVMedia]

This was a Dope Concept with a different perspective of how Abby was scrutinized for her build and her dominance. To be honest, Ellie is just like Abby, without the muscular build. I luvd how each female broke down and expressed their True feelings on playing as Abby. Thanks for the dope video Wolf of Thorns, and thanks 🙏🏽 for introducing these wonderful women to the community! Phenomenal Work!!

[@bunniesplaymc100]

Wolf, as a woman who's had self esteem and body issues I can gladly say that this video is going in my feel good playlist. I love this so much

[@RubyConn]

I just stumbled onto your account and l just want to thank you. I’m a woman gamer with two daughters, one of whom is now a gamer herself. I wish it didn’t matter, but you stopping to understand, and make this video made me feel like I belong here. We are constantly being told we can’t be in this space. And as someone who relates to Abby, it’s been a little frustrating out here. This is by far the best representation of my love and appreciation for Abby ❤

[@WolfofThorns]

I cannot express how happy it makes me to read comments like yours and shared experiences like yours--not the aspect of the continuing struggle, but knowing that this collaborative video and the voices of so many women in our community could be a light in the darkness for others like yourself and potentially the next generation. I'm so very glad you've found us because there are many women in The Last of Us community--many and more female streamers on Twitch devoted to TLOU and TLOU2 than even those featured in this video. But I'm so very glad that you found our channel and that any aspect of my content could be meaningful to you. Thank you for sharing.

[@RubyConn]

@@WolfofThorns appreciate the response and mark you are leaving. I’ll be sticking around😊

[@liztaylor4384]

Im 16 and know what it’s like to be pressured to feel like you should look a certain way with your body, especially with this generation, and watching this video and hearing these women’s stories brings tears to my eyes because everything they say is so true and relatable. This is an amazing video for sure!

[@WolfofThorns]

That's so beautiful, Liz! Thank you for sharing your experience with our video!

[@Zoepohey]

I saw myself in Abby. Not only in the “white girl, blonde hair” part, but also big arms and thighs yet still very feminine. I workout and although I’m hardly as muscular as her, my arms and thighs are still big enough to make me feel self conscious. But when I played her and saw that she had lots of friends, respect in the WLF, and had a redemption arc, I had a huge confident boost. It was amazing seeing myself represented as a badass woman who was still very feminine and beautiful, smart, strong, but still had vulnerable moments and wasn’t perfect. When Mel called Abby a piece of shit, that hit home really hard. Especially when Abby tried to defend herself. Thank you ND for putting a relatable woman in this game instead of a perfectly proportioned model-esque girl that every other piece of media shows. I feel proud of my body now and even go to the gym in a French braid ❤️

[@Lauurks]

What I like about women about in TLOU is that they just exist. No comments made regarding their gender. They are just there, surviving. They are actually treated equally to men in the story, and not making a massive showcase of the fact that they are women!! surviving!!, like they are literally just there and that's how it should be, they are seen as normal.

[@andybagles4156]

Abby is such a neuanced Character, exactly because not everything about her Body is positive, hear me out. Abby's Physical Strength and Muscular Figure was born out of a desire for Revenge, a desire that drove her like nothing else. This desire came above Friendships, Relationships, and slowly came to consume her, pushing away everything else in her Life that she cared about. Abby's Physicality is a representation of this Transformation she went through, one that was born out of hate and a desire to kill the Man who took her Father from her. In this way, Abby's Physicality, whilst a representation of her Strength and drive, is not initially meant to be a wholly positive aspect of her. However, as Abby learns throughout this Story how to heal herself through loving and saving others, instead of the Revenge she got that left her broken and unfulfilled, she is able to utilise her Physicality and her Strength, not to torture and kill a defenceless old man, but to protect 2 Kids and save them from a Life they do not deserve. It is in this way that Abby's Physicality comes to define her Transformation. Taking a Tool that was once a Product of her Hate, and using it overcome her own Demons by protecting the 2 Innocent Kids who saved her Life.

[@laurakent1698]

This is such an important video. Thank you!

[@Drekon009]

GOD!!! someone really needed to lay out the points like Wolf did, thanks for the video man

[@WolfofThorns]

Glad this video and all of our messages could be of some help. Thanks for sharing the love!

[@LukeLemonart]

Yayyyy it's live!

[@pinkmoonlights]

i might be late to this video, but thank you for making this. and this video is so important and much needed to be said. i have seen so many prominent male gamers, men in general, being so crude and just absolutely disgusting about abby’s body and character bc she [redacted] joel. i don’t give a damn what abby did tbh. neil druckmann said himself that what happened to joel was always going to happen and tbh if you can play through that entire end sequence of part 1 without thinking “oh man, there’s going to be consequences for this, i don’t know what but he’s got a big storm coming” but also accepting it, then that’s a flaw on your understanding of joel as a character. abby did what she always felt was right and sure maybe it did seem random her dad was that doctor when he was a once nameless character, but what she did was no different than what we did as ellie. we can excuse ellie, so why not abby? i love abby and her character and i do find everything about her story so amazing and she did not cater to men’s gaze but rather women, is what makes her all the more special. i appreciate you pointing out the fact men like joel have always been around but nobody like abby, while giving all these women the voices to express why abby is so important to them and women in general. we need more characters like abby, less like joel.

[@jbirdproductions6049]

I just came across your channel and it fills me with such happiness to see a fellow man who appreciates how powerful and complex she is and what her existence means to so many people around the world. I hope one day we can live in a world where everyone can just be themselves without having to wrestle with any ridiculous standards imposed on them.

[@MedusaOblongata]

I love this video. I don't even know what else to say. It's just really nice to see non toxic masculinity in this community. I've spent so much time in TLOU Factions lobbies hearing trash talk and misogyny that this is refreshing.

[@4mAALIKcHIN4]

A year late but touching video you and the ladies made. Thank you all for your voices this has made me rethink my opinion on this game and what it means to me and the way I have looked at women and gaming. So much to absorb. The eloquence and detail of your opinions makes me full of new ways to look and know of others experiences. 😮

[@dsidlin]

Your comment on Joel was so spot on. Abby is legit far more believable than Joel in terms of fitness level.

[@gugax5842]

What an absolutely fantastic video, wolf. This is seriously incredible 💜💜💜

[@VampireWithBraces]

I have spent the last few days watching your videos all night….I love your videos. Thank you for these

[@quatschkopq186]

Awesome video! Refreshing to hear all those opinions, especially on an not often commented topic like Abby's body. How long does it take you to find the best fitting piece on ingame sequence, that refers to the audio / spoken opinions? That must be very elaborate.

[@WolfofThorns]

Thanks. I don't really know how to quantify specifics for that answer, only to say that it is very time consuming. I easily spent 40 hours editing this video.

[@quatschkopq186]

@@WolfofThorns That's a lot. But doesn't surprise me, because the content is just great! ^^

[@dystopianwarcry9425]

Oh my... This video brought me to tears thank you so much, all these women are beautiful mentality and physically, and it's refreshing to see that people were inspired by her just like I was 💚

[@peachycamie1013]

How did I not find this video sooner? Abby is one of my favorite video game characters in general, not just while I'm playing TLOU2, but overall. I don't always agree with her actions, but I still love her character arc, and I LOVE playing as her in game. Her chapters are my favorite in part 2, and she's the reason I've restarted the game 18 times all the way through. I will admit, I have personally questioned Abby's sheer bulk and frame, but unlike other players I've seen, I've never been disgusted or shocked by it. I swear to god, I see too many comments about how Abby is transgender, or how she uses anabolic steroids to get her physical form, or something else ridiculous like that, and no matter how many people (mainly men) I call out for being wrong, I unfortunately know there will never be a shortage of them. As a woman myself, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you made this video. I'm appalled you even had to dedicate a whole video to this topic, but nonetheless, I still appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to consider actual women for this video and including them, and thank you Wolf for not being like other men and jumping straight to conclusions just because one character was outside stereotypical norms.

[@WolfofThorns]

So glad you enjoyed the video, peachy! Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective with us. For me, Abby is one of the most authentic human beings I’ve ever experienced in video games and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for diverse atypical human protagonists.

[@MattMontedoro]

I don’t think there is a better game ever made then The Last of Us part 1&2 imo

[@adrianwagner8202]

I - LOVE - THIS!

[@Shaun72]

Great video, so well done. And the contributions from the many gamers were really powerful. I think it's one of the reasons why I've watched LPs of Tlou2 for over a year and 99% of them tend to be women gamers. One of the first LPs I watched was Queen Tofu's and I will always remember her reaction to the halfway switch to Abby. As most people I hated Abby at first but it didn't take to long for me to love Abby as a character during my first playthrough. I've never understood the disbelief about Abby's physical appearance. It's totally believable and modelled on Colleen Fotsch. Plus Just look at the womens 2020/1 Olympic canoeing, they were all built like Abby. It was such a beautiful sight. I love this game so much and believe it will be talked about for many years to come and videos like this make a great contribution and reference now and in the future. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Shaun 🤍 ♥️ 💚

[@bryanc7094]

Abby is such a great character, thanks for the video

[@CrazyAsian_303]

First off, this video made me a bigger fan of you. A man supporting women and their bodies and women in general! So unheard of and I love it! Your content never disappoints! Thank you for gathering women from around the world and hearing us out and supporting us and Abby. Second, Abby is my favorite character of all time (I'm sorry Ellie I love you too!) She's so badass and underneath her strong exterior she is also sweet and caring. I mean she loved Owen's Christmas stocking and a snow globe, and picked out a cute stuffed shark for Lev, that's so adorable!! I love how vulnerable she can be and that she expresses her emotions, and has fears like everyone else. Even after the all the bad things she had done, she still changed herself for kids who were supposed to be her enemies and how protective she became over them. Everyone in the WLF looked up to Abby and most the men are intimidated by her. She had the guts to defy Isaac's orders and she was his top soldier. Bad👏ass👏 I work in the weed industry as a grower, and of course the industry is very male dominated and I became the first woman at my job to get hired onto the team. I'm 25 years old, 4 ft 10.5 and not muscular, but I'm just as capable as the men are who are all taller and more muscular than me, I work my ass off and I'm proud of it. I'd say the ratio of men to women growers are 15:1 or just 15:0 in most places I've worked in (if that's how you do ratios?) With Ellie being small and scary and Abby being strong and determined, I thank them both for empowering me to be my best powerful woman-self. And I love how both Ellie and Abby weren't sexualized like every other woman is, no big tits and ass and naturally beautiful and I think they're sexy. And yet most people can't see past that in real life... How powerful men have these expectations on how a woman is to live her life for them. And it's hard to have a voice with a lot of men who have power. But sometimes it takes one woman to make a difference for all women no matter who they are and Abby has done that for us in this community I'm happy to have named my American bulldog puppy Abby and I can't wait to bring Abby home!

[@winabuhdus]

Such an incredible video, really gave me a lot to think about.

[@Lilhajxjk274]

This channel is a hidden gem

[@DandyinDistress]

Fantastic video as always, Wolf! I especially liked the counterpoint you made of Abby's strength versus Joel's and how no one bats an eye at his abilities compared to Abby's. Of course, all the lovely contributions from the women of the Wolfpack were touching and amazing. Thank you all for baring your hearts for this vid. Also Bishop Snore's ^-^

[@canada1529]

My voice may not hold as much weight in this discussion given that I'm a guy, but I also love that this game showcases different types of strength in Ellie and Abby. Abby is strong in a conventional way, but through Ellie it's demonstrated that even a scrawny girl with little muscle mass can kick ass if she plays to her strengths. She's agile and knows how to use a knife, and that allows her to take on opponents twice her muscle mass. (Think all the seraphite brutes). Their combat feels completely different and their bodies are completely different but both these women are unstoppable forces of nature. Some women (and men too) will never look like Abby no matter how hard they try, due to various environmental and genetic factors. But that doesn't mean that you're weak, and it feels good to see that so clearly in Ellie.

[@miserablepileofsecrets]

I don't mind the disliking of the character for what she has done and still hate it at the end blah blah blah but just disliking someone on their physical appearance and sending death threats to its actress, is just plain bullshit.

[@trishawittenbrink4702]

Amazing, insightful video ❤️

[@Riley095]

I believe the point of Abby is to show a physical body that most people are not used to in order to make sure that people understand being a women is what that means

[@furiousapplesack]

On the thought experiment part, you're absolutely right. And this can be applied in all sorts of directions to really get some understanding. Like, I'm a straight white dude and as you said, I am EXTREMELY well-represented. And honestly, I'm tired of it. It bores me, and if it ever doesn't bore me anymore, I have the backlog of almost all content ever created in this country to revisit if I feel like it. I completely understand the desire for representation because I want better representation as well, for other people, because it's interesting to survive Fallout 4 as a bisexual black woman, and generally to see the gameworlds from the perspective of people who aren't just avatars for me. Every chance I get, every single time a game allows me to create a character from scratch, I make them as different from me as possible. Above all, I'm sick of thin-skinned whiners constantly complaining people are too black, too female, too buff for a female, too gay for a dude, on and on and on and obfuscating their bigotry behind "genuine concerns and valid critiques" as if they're not transparent AF. The ones who want every single piece of media to be exactly the same. So fuggin' boring it blows my mind. Favorite characters ever: Clementine, Abby, Ellie. This is a great video and the message needs to be heard. I only got to play through the 2nd a couple weeks ago so I haven't been able to engage (because spoilers) for two years but I've been finding myself in the trenches defending it regularly since then. Hopefully this video gets more views with the show out now.

[@marcileatherboots1]

I **LOVE** everything about this video!! As a woman who also has never had the "ideal" body type, never been really attractive, or deemed sexually desireable, (after the initial hate for Abby wore off and I experienced her side of the story) I found myself drawn to Abby in a way no other character has made me feel. And like the women you featured, Abby is more than just a character, she represents a small ray of hope that one day women will be valued for their abilities and talents, not just as objects.

[@alanbrowne107]

This video made me cry thank you. As a male, we are indoctrinated from a young age to think of women as nurses or prostitutes, devaluing the woman in our lives because people never fit comfortably into the stereotypes that our gender describes as women. Gaming has historically been a strong strut in this house of cards, a strut that Abbey takes a wrecking ball to.

[@Eliwi]

Love love love this video! Abby is such a great character, I was also pleasantly surprised when she was introduced because it was so different from anything I'd seen before in video games, which says a lot. I really love that ND doesn't sexualize their characters, they feel like real people. Thanks so much for making this video and for giving a space for women to talk about Abby. It's so important to hear women's voices on this 💜

[@neatznotso7424]

Thankyou！ this was so good！

[@louiekim824]

Given that we are practically more grounded and realistic version of WLF, I feel obligated that we use these phrases to each other “May your happiness be long” “May your misery be swift” 🐺

[@johnmarston5905]

while Abby wasn't my favorite character, and i'm still on Ellie's side, i'm glad someone stepped up to portray muscular women in a better way..we've met muscular women before in games, even in tlou2 itself..but in the majority of those games muscular women are portrayed more manly to say it like that?..now we have Abby, she has a sensible side, but she keeps herself in a good muscular form, and we're here for that

[@naimoon6565]

I love Women. That's it. That's my comment

[@Marsh9090]

Incredible video. Thank you for this

[@kathrynschwartz7021]

Thank you for this video. Beautiful. 💖

[@KidAstronaut]

Great video!

[@WolfofThorns]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@RatedRLoquender]

Wow, this video is INCREDIBLE! Such a good message.

[@robertoyukio2820]

I'm glad this video exists. I'm sad it has to.

[@DoomsdayDave3D]

This video is incredible and the TLOU community needs to see this. Great job to everyone involved.

[@TANG3RINE95]

This is really well done!

[@laurachristine393]

This is such a great video

[@JocelynOnline]

🥲 💙

[@The_Bananabel]

Thank you for giving the face to a character that has had such an impact on my life ❤️ love your streams!

[@moodz8545]

💞💞

[@gugax5842]

So awesome to see you here, Jocelyn! Much love!

[@rogercasulleras3224]

Thank you for everything!!

[@ellie4601]

as always, representations matters. love abby and love this video.

[@rogercasulleras3224]

Heck yeah! :D

[@axps4964]

Almost no woman has the body Abby has. And most guys dont have it as well. What representation are you talking about.

[@louiekim824]

Abby is literally my favorite video game character 🎮💪🥰

[@WolfofThorns]

Abby is amazy

[@louiekim824]

@@WolfofThorns She sure is!!

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

All I could think while playing as Abby is that she was probably starving during those three days.

[@WinterFogFilms]

I like to joke with my roommate that Abby and Ellie must feel so sick by the end of day 3 cause we pretty much only see them eating chips and candy bars lmao

[@kimamato5196]

Honestly, as a trans woman (yes haha I said the political line) I've got a complicated relationship with femininity. I feel joy when I'm seen as who I am, but I really don't always want to make myself as small and feminine as possible. Honestly, I want to feel strong and athletic and secure in my ability to do physical work and protect myself and my loved ones, while still being seen as a woman. I struggle to open pickle jars anymore, but seeing and playing as Abby and characters like her, it helps me feel more at home in a large body, and in the goals that I have for my physical fitness.

[@meggi5398]

i wish i could give this video a million likes.

[@TheBiakko]

Abby worked in a salmon farm? Where do we get that information ?

[@NMJZ]

@Anna from Nowhere Spot on. And I believe the exact words were something like, "We're fishing enough wild salmon now" when Mel asked about the hatchery they lost.

[@McThaWeb]

As a man, I almost cried. Jezz What a character.

[@cas1872]

Honestly I rarely think about the gender of characters while I’m playing I don’t see myself in Joel but I relate heavily to Ellie despite being male, I also don’t think video games are showing women as weak like how powerful are the women in overwatch? I can understand this though it’s always good to have diverse characters. Looks don’t effect how much I relate to characters though🙃

[@cas1872]

Abbies body is not unrealistic I don’t know which idiots saying that especially in the last of us, but I don’t know if she should be a role model. She kinda mean🥲

[@llvertexlI]

Facts

[@christopherway2546]

I fell in love with Abby( don’t make it weird) she was such a complex character

[@joshaonwheels525]

Thank you for this video

[@ErynnHalvorson]

I’m a man and I absolutely LOVE physically strong female characters like Abby! I enjoyed watching this video. I’m glad women with a body type like Abby’s are being portrayed more positively and more often these days than in the past. I wish they’d add some muscle onto female hero’s like Lara Croft and Tifa Lockhart but those companies might be afraid to die to dumb stereotypes. I would rather have realism over anything else. I appreciate all the strong muscular ladies out there, they invest a ton of hard work into their body, it’s impressive how much they can do with all the heavy lifting and proper eating!!!

[@edwardteach4677]

I use to powerlift with women built like Abby that didn’t need or use steroids like some do think and a part of the reason I love LOU2 is that she’s natural, it’s not unfathomable for a tiny woman to have the physical ability to become a jacked tank of a human. A guy I would lift with always said ‘people are just clay, the possibilities are endless’ It’s like Nietzche saying: “He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how” her ‘why’ is revenge, her ‘how’ is surviving and that entails being able to physically endure in that brutal world. P.S. kinda wrote this in a rush, hope it’s somewhat coherent, on break at work

[@WolfofThorns]

Beautifully worded (and by Blackbeard, no less). Thank you for sharing your experience and your perspective with us. I absolutely love your workout partner's phrase.

[@tamikawise7409]

I've always had a naturally short and stocky build. Built more like a gymnast than a lithe model. And I've grown ok with that, though it's taken some time. As much as I hate to admit it, part of that was due to not seeing a lot of representation of someone who looks like me. You don't see many female characters that looks like Abby (let alone ones that are POCs) who are allowed to be nuanced; to be flawed, to be brash, to be confident, to be a dynamic person that makes mistakes and changes over time. I am so glad ND made her how they did, no doubt knowing there would be backlash. I can only hope this leads to more female characters where less focus is placed on how sexy they are, but how they are as people in their universe and what they can provide to the story aside from just looking good.

[@WolfofThorns]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Pizza! It's always so impactful to hear perspectives like yours

[@nonuvurbeeznus795]

Abby is based

[@iraoscuro4514]

Really great video, thank you Wolf and all who took part in this. It’s very important for me to see that a lot of people realize how we needed a character like Abby. There’s so much bullshit about her around: she can’t be so strong, or so bulked, we don’t want to see this woman - and it often looks like a lot of people don’t even try to thing that there’re others who need to see Abby as she is. Both protagonists of TLOU2 are not conventionally looking and acting women, although in very different ways. This is just one of reasons for my love for this game, but very important for me. I hope we’ll get a lot of refreshing women characters in videogames.

[@major4211]

The discourse surrounding TLOU2 has been really infuriating for me for many reasons, but what has been most maddening to me is the petty, asinine debate on Abby's muscular body type. I really never understood why her character design was ever an issue. Some women are really muscular so what of it? My brother and I played this game with my younger sister and we were having a blast taking turns throwing hands with Abby. It would have broken my immersion if she was breaking guys' necks and wasn't built like that. Also, my sister in particular was really excited about playing her. It makes me happy that girls like my sister are experiencing dynamic, complex female characters like Abby and Ellie in stories.

[@patriciaroveredesanti4867]

I loved this. thank you so much. Abby meant so much to me. I!!

[@jordanfabian6075]

This video is amazing. Finally someone who properly understands the point of this game and its characters

[@Spiralobsession]

Lovely!

[@glo.v]

YES

[@GuadianWolfJilly2]

This video was absolutely empowering. Your progressive chain of thoughts are refreshing. Thank you.

[@rogercasulleras3224]

:O The one and only WolfJilly! (I follow you on twitter haha) So great to see you here! And agreed, thanks also to you for fighting for what's right!

[@GuadianWolfJilly2]

@@rogercasulleras3224 Awww, thank you homie! (yes, I recognize your icon & username ^_^) I'm just happy to not be the only one who loves & fights for Abby & what she represents for women/feminine identifying people.

[@zoeee4939]

Okay brb going to play through TLOU2 for the 15th time

[@WolfofThorns]

hahaha, I know, right?

[@2kjstewart]

Of all the Last of us content this vid has to be one of the best put together, thoughtful, and quite frankly heart touching pieces of content in the entire community! Thank you all for your work creating this masterpiece and sharing your experiences. I didn’t like Abby originally because of what she did, but the second we see her for who she is, how can you not love her . 🖤

[@Aurehuhu]

First :D I love your videos !

[@elliejoel475]

Exactly...

[@biggysmallz40]

It's not that Abby is a women, that she is very duff and strong, it's that the story made Joel save her and then drop his guard in a building full of people they never seen around the area they are in. And let his brother Tommy say their real names and where there staying at. It's the fact that Joel in the first game was tactical and very hesitant to let his guard down with new people. Abby is a good character

[@dorkangel1076]

"Made" him save a random woman in trouble when he was on patrol with his brother. The type of patrol which often helps people? A building "full" of people? 8 people (3 woman and 5 men) who are grateful they saved their friend. Let his guard down. By running to a safer place they know about from a deadly chasing horde? By coming into a building out of the snowstorm and not freezing to death outside with their horses? As for their names, first names only mind (Tommy and Joel) which Tommy had already told Abby when they were fighting together earlier and then again in response to a genuinely friendly handshake to Mel when she introduces herself. How was he meant to stop Tommy? Joel may be able to spot a trap, but this isn't one. No one knew who they were bar Abby and they bore these two strangers who brought their friend back safe and bore them no ill will until they made the connection between their names. Given the circumstances, everything they did was reasonable and logical. Their only mistake was missing Abby's reaction when she first heard Joels name. Considering a horde of fungus zombies were breaking down the door at the time, that's not unreasonable either.