#partial interpretation

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

J.A. Hadfield - Dreams And Nightmares - Pelican - 1973 (cover design by Derek Birdsall)

[valtsv]

[deadtiredghost]

[ohithankyou]

tommy was daddy, but the way buck was leading him around during their making out, buck was in charge. tommy will do whatever his baby tells him to with those puppy eyes.

yes yes i love the way buck was leading tommy during the making out but in my head, as soon as they got in the room, buck let tommy (daddy) take charge while still maintaining his inner brat (in a more playful way this time around) hehehe. but hard agree that tommy did to and for his baby whatever he wanted that night

[ofswordsandpens]

im so here for the interpretation that even though the Little Tiber washed away Percy's invulnerability and weak spot, Percy still has his increased strength, power, and stamina from the curse and is steadily burning away at his mortality and only now thinks he's not

[crayonfodder]

who up transfemming they faves

[meamiki]

Happy Anniversary In Stars and Time!! Have some Friend Quest based drawings :D

(These have specific quote picks related to them! And there's also a long ramble on why I like those specific quotes below if interested)

(And by long, I mean roughly 2k+ words of proper ramble total, so be warned before clicking keep reading this link right here to the rb!!)

[royalfrill]

its no wonder why floofty gets along with triffany and eggabell so well.

starting with eggabell because i have less to say about it, as the game literally spells it out for you:

eggabell, a doctor, understood what floofty was trying to accomplish with their work. she understood their passion and the importance of getting it done in the first place. even after The Incident, she never stopped having faith in floofty, she greets them when she returns during the quake and her grumpedia entry even says that she fears shelda, presumably because of:

floofty isnt in her loves list, though. i wonder why. maybe an oversight?

now... as for triffany...

both of them work in solitude. triffany willingly isolates herself because, as we learn in the dlc, she doesnt like asking people for help/"troubling" them, and you could even say that she doesnt like dealing with people (and conflicts) in general.

floofty is similar, in the sense that theyre reluctant to ask people for assistance. but unlike triffany, they were forcibly isolated because of their brothers intent to whistleblow. and, of course, because of their "dangerous methods" and their "questionable behavior"

whats interesting, though, is that triffany is cheerful and friendly, and floofty is standoffish and rude. but. triffany is a pessimist, while floofty is an optimist.

floofty believes in a future where the lives of sick and disabled grumpuses are significantly easier so strongly that theyre willing to mutilate themselves for it, but triffany constantly dwells on how lives end. when faced with danger and the possibility of dying, she accepts it with open arms. in a way, just like floofty, triffany is also willing to die in the name of what she loves: archaeology.

so yeah, its no wonder why shes one of their only friends. they understand eachother in a way that nobody else can, i think.

[smoked-salmon-official]

on my hands and knees begging people to stop infantilizing bumblebee

[tagzpite]

Siren Odysseus concept sketches !!

[jadesarerocks]

Oh I’m sorry. Is your love language “mean words that you don’t actually mean” because no one was ever nice to you and now everyone thinks you’re being a jerk when you’re trying to show love, or are you butting into my life when you shouldn’t be?

[originalcrime]

Dean: Sammy, don’t beat yourself up. let me do it for you

[shyravenns]

Nik seems to me like he's either gonna be your best relationship or your worst heartbreak, and a very high chance that it's both. idk. What would be the deal breaker for his partner? We love him for all his flaws of course, but he doesn't seem exactly... the most emotionally healthy man out there haha. Could be something so simple as his job being so busy, y'know?

Oh my god, you'd have to have be one of god's strongest soldiers to even handle being in a relationship with Nikolai. I think Nik, by nature, tends to be very aloof, and more comfortable with short-term flings and romances that don't quite lead anywhere. It's easier, and far less stressful for him to be in some sort of quasi-relationship with someone he knows won't *really* miss him when he's gone. He can't exactly afford to be distracted. Which kinda sucks because Nik is a romantic at heart IMO and a lot of this is just learned behavior

I always imagine that Nik is *really* attracted to people who are competent. A pretty face is a dime a dozen, but someone who's clever and talk circles around him??? That's RARE, and he loves it. He'd need someone who's independent and doesn't necessarily need him when he's gone. He can't compromise on his career, but he can choose a partner who won't fall apart when they're exposed to it. I hc Nik to be sort of an intellectual, and he likes to read A LOT. I think he'd be very into someone who's curious and isn't afraid to ask questions.

And as frustrating as Simon is to date, Nik is even harder IMO. I think if Nik were genuinely in love with someone, I think he would be smart enough to be aware of it while also distancing himself from said person. Also,,,,at least Simon actually stays in one place at a time lmaooo

I think one of the biggest dealbreakers (besides him being away often) when it comes to even being with him is the fact that he refuses to accept any help. There's a large part of him that thrives off of the idea of being the Big, Strong Russian man who can handle everything, and he'd be very resistant to the idea of asking for help, especially from his partner. He's telling you "I got this!" while actively bleeding to death lmao he puts up a very strong "I'm just a chill guy" front to ignore the fact that he has a lot of issues he's grown used to ignoring, and a less patient partner would have probably left him. nIk would also be the king of situationships so do with that information as you will

[spikes-got-anger-issues]

[wren-kitchens]

i could never let you know

1240 words

it takes a long moment for etho to realise that he’s awake, and longer still for him to notice that the ship is still far too dark for it to be morning. in all honesty, he just wants to close his eyes and go back to sleep, and he almost does until he notices some kind of noise from beside him- somewhat akin to whispering. is that joel? etho lays still for a moment, trying to listen to what the sound actually is before he moves—if it is joel, he doesn’t want to spook him or something. which- he’s not a horse or anything, but still. he can be jumpy. 

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3 - you are here!] [part 4]

they mean so much to me

it takes a long moment for etho to realise that he’s awake, and longer still for him to notice that the ship is still far too dark for it to be morning. in all honesty, he just wants to close his eyes and go back to sleep, and he almost does until he notices some kind of noise from beside him- somewhat akin to whispering. is that joel? etho lays still for a moment, trying to listen to what the sound actually is before he moves—if it is joel, he doesn’t want to spook him or something. which- he’s not a horse or anything, but still. he can be jumpy. 

against the muffled pillager grunts and soft wind from outside, etho can just about make out joel's muttering- frantic and barely audible, "he’s still here- he’s not gone, he’s still- he’s still here-"

"joel?" etho mumbles, voice gravelly. the muttering stops at once, accompanied by a half-aborted gasp, and etho pushes himself up. "I- are you okay?"

joel is sat upright, knees pulled to his chest, staring at etho with a kind of intensity he would expect from a cornered prey animal. something aches in etho's chest to see him this way- that confident, smug bastard. this- this shouldn’t be possible, let alone allowed. "i’m- it's- i'm okay." he says, far too hurriedly. "don't- I just- nightmare. it's nothing, i’m-"

"i’m not gonna- I won't judge you, or anything." etho says, in some attempt to reassure him. it doesn't seem to work- not that he’s enormously surprised, but he can’t stand the way joel looks right now. he has to fix it somehow. 

joel begins to ramble some- obvious cover up, about how he was dreaming of being in a room with a bunch of chickens, and etho's mind races to find some kind of way to help. in a slightly desperate move, etho tentatively reaches a hand up with the intention of cupping joel's cheek. joel hesitates, stopping mid-sentence to eye etho's hand with a kind of nervousness that etho recognises all too well. something in etho's chest aches, and he realises that it's joel's pain. 

"I- can I?" etho asks, barely a whisper. it's as if his heart has stopped beating. 

there's a stretch of silence in which etho begins to wonder if he’s ever going to live this down when joel is back to himself again. he almost backs down, but joel gives the most minute of nods, and etho feels his own breath stutter as joel leans against his palm, tearing up.

"why?" his voice is ragged, and etho is struck with a wave of protectiveness that he hasn't felt before. 

etho takes a breath, because he's pretty sure he’s on the verge of tears too right now. "I- I don't know." he says honestly.

joel blinks, and tears fall from his eyes. he sniffs, pulling back to wipe his face, and etho mourns the loss as he lets his hand fall back against the bed. "look, I- it's nothing. I didn’t- didn’t mean to wake you, I-"

without thinking, etho pushes himself forward on the bed and wraps his arms around joel, starting to believe that he truly will never get joel to shut up about this. maybe he doesn't care. in fact- he definitely doesn't care, because joel exhales shakily and sinks into etho, and there's no way he'd give this up for a stupid thing like his dignity. 

joel's shoulders still feel tense, even as he lets himself be hugged, and etho has the impulse to rub his back until he softens. he doesn't- he’s not sure if that'd be an awful idea or not. this is all so confusing- there's always been this kind of.. unspoken boundary between them, that they've undoubtedly just broken. etho isn’t quite sure why it means so much to see joel upset or why joel looked so- scared of letting etho touch him, when he so clearly appreciates it. he’s not sure where this leaves them. 

"this- this is stupid." joel mumbles, thick with emotion still, but he doesn’t make any moves to let go. 

"why's that?" etho says, and he’s surprised to hear how soft his voice has become. 

joel gives a little scoff, and etho can almost see the expression he has on his face right now—tearful but exasperated at nothing in particular. "I just- i’m not a child. I shouldn’t- this is all just-" he huffs, apparently not finding the right words. "it's stupid."

"I don't think it's stupid." is all etho can think to say, because- well, he doesn't. he rubs a thumb against joel's hoodie, who gives an almost inaudible sigh. 

"well. you’re stupid then." joel says, and there's a note of humour to it that etho can't help but relish. 

etho laughs quietly, and joel seems to relax a little more against him. "i’m- i’m okay with that."

there's a pause, and etho can feel joel beginning to relax ever so slightly into him, and- it- to be honest, etho kinda loves it. just- just because it means joel is feeling better, not- etho doesn’t necessarily wantjoel to hug him, it- it's just evidence that joel is opening up. yeah. 

"um. I might fall asleep on you." joel mumbles, and etho finds himself thinking that maybe that wouldn't be so bad before he can stop himself. 

"do you want to lie down?" etho says. joel doesn’t say anything for a longer moment than etho anticipated, and he wonders if he has somehow already dozed off. "I- joel?"

joel gives a quiet hum of acknowledgment. "I- yeah, I probably should." 

etho stifles a laugh as joel stays completely still. "you- are you gonna?" he grins. 

"probably not." joel says, and etho does laugh this time. he shifts slightly, and etho realises that he’s trying to get more comfortable whilst falling asleep upright and leaning against etho. 

"i'll- we can, y’know- we can do this and be lying down." etho tells him, suddenly a bit embarrassed now the situation is less dire. "probably more comfortable."

joel sighs, and pulls back a little. "fine." 

etho lays down and watches as joel makes a face like he’s trying to convince himself to do something- which is a little funny. after a moment, joel huffs, and settles against etho's chest, as if he were a pillow- which is.. not something etho can put into words, actually. etho puts his arms around joel almost hesitantly, mind reeling ever so slightly as the tension finally seeps from joel's shoulders.

"yeah, this is more comfortable." joel's voice is low and gravelly with tiredness, and it somehow feels more intimate to hear it than- whatever it is they’re doing right now. there's a kind of nervousness in etho's throat and he's going to pretend it's just joel's. "you’re.. a good pillow."

there's a bizarre impulse to press a kiss to the top of joel's head, and etho swallows it as he closes his eyes (not quite managing to suppress the smile that makes its way onto his face). "i’m gonna take that as a compliment."

joel hums sleepily, and within minutes, etho can hear his breath even out into the way it sounds when he’s asleep. with joel's warmth and the rhythmic way he breathes, it doesn’t take very long for etho to follow suit. 

and etho- he hopes this.. becomes a little more frequent. 

[amplexadversary]

not me going "having weird priorities doesn't make Murderbot an unreliable narrator, it just means the reader has to sometimes infer the details it doesn't care abou- oh." But then that begs the question of if a human could be called a "reliable" narrator because we also leave out the things *we* don't care about.