Medstudent!Abby Is My Roman Empire Apparently. And YES, This Is Me Illustrating Every Hc I Read Out There

"There's no way Abby looks like this. Totally unrealistic."

Beyond the functional aspect of her survival training, her daily life is a rigorous workout that mimics a lot of what you’d see in strength training. Combine intense physical activity with a nutritious diet and Abby’s discipline (and trauma responses)—voila. You’ve got yourself one badass military woman.

We're not even considering her genetics, which can pack a serious punch, too.

You can find nearly any type of sustainable food source at the stadium—fish, meat, cheese, eggs, milk, beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, you name it. She has access to calorie dense, protein-rich foods every day. And that's before taking into account the balanced, resourceful meals the cooks could create to maximize the food supply using various recipes.

I'd bore you with the approximate specifics of Abby’s dietary needs for muscle maintenance, but it’s way more fun to explore the game's world instead.

I highly recommend it, even. There’s so much to take in.

Yeah, it's kinda subtle in places, but many parts are really in your face.

An example of this? Isaac doesn't sweat losing a hatchery to the Seraphites. He’s confident the wild salmon they’re fishing will keep them covered. You just can't make that call when your soldiers are starving, in my opinion.

I don't want to randomly assume that most men who hate Abby are super salty about women who are more muscular than them, but... based on some of the reviews and gameplay reactions, holy guacamole.

"It's not about her being muscular!" Yeah, okay.

(Proceeds to mock her physical appearance forever.)

The fragile male ego is poppin', man.

Abby thinks dudes like this need to stop skipping leg day and grow a pair. 😏

abby anderson and abby coded characters

the way so many of you guys act like abby is some mean ass dominating, degrading butch is crazy to me. did you play the game or just see a strong woman and assume…? she is repeatedly shown to be considerate, polite, gentle and caring. her anger filled grief is not her actual personality and i wish you guys would take the time to unpack that. idk if you’re just projecting your own fantasies onto her or what but wow

I can't wrap my head around how their are still people that think ellie should have killed abby how are you playing a story based game and seemingly paying 0 attention to the story. they only say this because they're pissed Joel dies and dont like abby, what happened to putting greater biases aside to make and appreciate a good story bro? If you want a story where you kill the final boss at the end go play the modern warefare campaign big boy!!

I have so much to say. Essay on how Abby is the least "bad" person in tlou I love everyone in these games but like she gets dissed so hard

oh my beloved 💔 show abby is #notmyabby

i don’t understand how anyone who has played or enjoyed the games, enjoys hbo abby. they have fucked her character completely. if the writing was done appropriately for her character i don’t think nearly as many people would be pissed off about physical attributes. but they have robbed abby of everything that she was fundamentally and that shit will never sit right with me. game abby, sweetheart, i’m so sorry they’ve done this to you.

“abby shouldn’t have tortured joel/abby should’ve made it quick” have you never considered maybe she (and the rest of the salt lake crew) wanted him to experience all the pain he caused at saint mary’s? not just her dad’s pain or her own grief but everyone else’s, too?

for the ellie girls

Skin textures, armpit hair, and stretch marks.

From a nerdy gym rat standpoint, this is so cool to experience in a video game.

I haven't personally seen anyone mention Abby's stretch marks before, but forgive me if it's already been discussed to death.

Still, as a person with a similar physique, my own arms etched with stretch marks, I'm so stoked about this.

What a killer detail for an already badass woman.

my sweet abigail, these crazies on tumblr don’t understand you. normalize the soft, gentle abby that we all know and love, not the degrading abuser you guys love to write her as for some reason

If you think Abby Anderson would hurt her partner just because she can deadlift a bear, you haven’t been paying attention.

This powerhouse of a woman would drag a wounded stranger through a burning village and then apologize for getting ash on their clothes.

Listen.

Abby sees you flinch when a door slams, and her heart breaks in six different directions.

She doesn’t push for details right away and she waits. She gives you space to process. When you’re ready to talk, she listens like there’s nothing more important to her in the universe. To her, there isn't.

Abby is not the type to throw mantras at you without thinking. She doesn’t try to convince you that you’re safe with her, or that you’re safe now.

She shows you. Over and over again.

She gently untangles your trauma narratives and walks beside you as you unlearn the voice in your head that whispers it was your fault. She reminds you that love is not supposed to hurt like that, and surviving isn’t weakness. You’re strong as hell, and Abby helps you feel it.

And goddamn, if you freeze in public, this girl shifts into protective mode instantly. She’s got one arm around your shoulder before you even realize you need grounding. She knows what you need because she’s been in your shoes and it’s her priority to pay attention.

One of my personal favourites? She’s brilliant at building routines that work with your sensory needs. Bad day? No problemo. Abby has the lights low, all the cozy textures within reach. She’s your stability when everything shakes beneath your feet.

She isn’t a miracle worker, obviously. She is healing, too. She makes mistakes. They're never the kind of mistakes that force you to question her integrity and trustworthiness, though.

The first time you spiral, she asks what helps you. Hell, she may need to do this a few times over. The difference is, she memorizes your answers. This badass soldier gives a shit. She isn’t perfect, but she doesn’t leave you to suffer alone, ever. She reminds you that you’re not a burden and that your meltdowns aren’t brokenness.

With her actions. Because she shows up in a real way and not some regurgitated thing she saw go viral.

When you casually apologize for being too much, she looks at you like you’ve just insulted Mother Earth.

Okay and yeah, so she encourages you to hit the weights. It’s one of her personal coping mechanisms, and she’s fallen in love with it alongside the trauma that pushed her to pick up that first dumbbell. She wants you to know what it feels like to have quick access to taking your power back. But she doesn’t just slap you on the ass and tell you to hit the gym like some common douchebag. She wants to spend time with you and share her passions.

She lifts with you. She stretches with you. This girl wants to learn trauma informed exercise goals that aren’t about punishing your body because she has sure as shit punished hers. Abby wants better for you.

Maybe through this, she finds ways to be gentler with herself.

And my girl is a praise queen.

Enough said.

You did good. I’m so fucking proud of you.

In a modern setting, Abby definitely helps you set up your own bank account and encourages you to track your finances in a way that gives you full control over your safety and your future. She wants you to succeed, with or without her.

People assume far too much based on Abby’s build. I’ve seen her written like a man (at one point, most, if not all fics permanently fixed her to a strap-on, without ever acknowledging her actual body), fetishized as a monster, and stripped of her softness entirely.

Strength and tenderness coexist.

Writers who recognize this, understand the weight of characterization and how misrepresentation can be harmful.

I appreciate those of you who respect it and pour your heart into your art. It really shows, no matter how many kudos or whatever.

Keep going.

Abby would want you to.