#iron and salt

[tea-cat-arts]

Shen Yuan getting transported into pidw isn't "the system punishing him for being a lazy internet hater," but instead representative of "step 1 of the creative process: getting so mad at something you decide to go write your own fucking book" in this essay I will

[cityelf]

Me opening Dredge to play the Iron Rig: where tf is it

The Rig, Directly Behind Me:

[trek-tracks]

for the next five minutes before there's another crisis

[scificrows]

Okay, my brain refuses to think about anything other than Murderbot, so I looked at every use of the word "friend[s]" in TMBD and... created some pie charts. Normal human activities.

Some Thoughts™ I had while putting this together (under the cut):

In All Systems Red, Murderbot notes that the PresAux crew are all close friends (twice! and goes on to explain their internal relationships which I think is very cute). This is pretty much the only use of 'friends' in ASR, except for when Murderbot says that SecUnits can't be friends with each other.

It seems that this may be one of the first times Murderbot has ever really been around a group of friends before? Murderbot notes that this is not the norm for its contracts and admits that the fact that they are all friends and the way they interact with each other make it actually enjoy that contract (before!!!! the hostile attack, so it already enjoys this contract before they start seeing it as a person etc ghghhhh). [Inference: Friendship seems enjoyable.]

The first character that calls Murderbot its friend is ART in Artificial Condition. Murderbot immediately refutes this (and then goes on to call ART its friend to its clients for the rest of the book). [Inference: Maybe ART is Murderbot's friend. And maybe that is... agreeable]

Rogue Protocol has more than twice as many instances of the word 'friend' as any of the other novellas. Why? Miki. Friendship and its implications for non-humans are a central theme because Miki is friends with everyone. Murderbot initially scoffs at the notion that Miki and Miki's humans are friends. At the end of the book, after witnessing how desperately Don Abene tried to stop Miki from trying to save them, and her grief after its death, Murderbot has to admit that she had in fact been Miki's friend. [Inference: Humans can be friends with bots and can sincerely care about them]

In Exit Strategy, Murderbot tentatively uses the word "friends" for its humans for the first time (several times actually). It questions whether it can actually call them its friends or not and later realizes that it had been afraid what admitting that the humans are its friends would do to it. At the end of the book, Mensah tells Murderbot the PresAux crew are its friends, which is the first time a human has directly said that to it (at least on-page). [Inference: Humans can and want to be Murderbot's friends]

In Network Effect, Murderbot seems to be more habituated to the word 'friend', confidently calling ART and Ratthi its friends, like it is no longer just trying the concept on unsure if it fits. There are many instances in which other characters refer to MB as ART's friend or the other way around and Murderbot's humans refer to Murderbot as their friend several times. Generally, there seems to be less hesitancy, because yes, all of them are Murderbot's friends, why wouldn't they be. [Inference: SecUnits can have friends. This SecUnit has friends. They care about it a lot.]

Conclusion: The Murderbot Diaries tell the story of a construct that does not seem to consider the possibility of friendship for itself and is fine with that - until it accidentally starts caring a little too much and suddenly more and more people annex it as a friend (ew) to the point where it can no longer deny that this is happening and has to begrudgingly admit that yes, it has friends now and maybe that is actually not a bad thing.

[zan-the-second]

I am so mad because I've been wanting to watch Legends of Avantris OUAW for so long because of the animated shorts WHY THE FUCK DID NO ONE TOLD ME THERE'S OLD MAN YAOI IN IT????

[thorin]

i wrote a little something that i have no idea if i'll continue, but i just really wanted to write a bagginshield fic through kíli's point of view, i thought it'd be fun. so enjoy!

tw: a bit of angst, mention of blood, but nothing too graphic, or excessive.

Contrary to popular belief, Kíli was not stupid.

He knew there'd been something going on between his uncle and Mr. Baggins the second he saw him break a smile —which was already suspicious— at Bilbo at the Carrock before hugging him —even more suspicious— after he'd defended his uncle from what was certain death.

Now don't get him wrong, he was more grateful to Bilbo than he could ever say. He saved Thorin's, and Fíli's, and his life too many times to count. He'd stayed after the battle had died down, and helped the healers, elven and dwarven alike, tend to the wounded and bury the fallen. He'd spent his entire days helping Bombur cook food at the makeshift camp they'd set at the base of the mountain, and when he wasn't cooking, he was stealing peaches and apples from the elves' food carts just for him and Fíli when they were bedridden. And he'd sit beside Thorin and wait for him to wake up when his nephews couldn't be there for him.

Kíli really liked Bilbo. He'd grown on him, all of them, truly. He just couldn't believe someone so small could be so brave, and feisty!

Which is why he was extremely confused when he'd heard Bilbo would be going home after Thorin had woken up.

His first reaction was that he felt abandoned. How could a member of their company simply choose to leave after all they'd been through together? He almost shouted his disagreement, before Fíli took his arm, shaking his head, and looked right at Bilbo: tear tracks on his dirty face. Maybe he wasn't leaving by choice.

He looked to his uncle, sat up against the wooden bedpost. His jaw was set and his adam's apple bobbed, as if it were physically hurting him to not speak up. His eyes were transfixed by Bilbo's back, like if he tried hard enough, his eyes could tell Bilbo all he wouldn't say.

Understanding flashed through Kíli's mind in a second. But it was too late. He tried speaking up again, aware of this new piece of information that he'd uncovered, but Thorin wouldn't have it. And it was frustrating Kíli greatly, because he'd never heard his uncle, his brave, tenacious uncle, speak with such a small, hoarse voice before, and say that if Bilbo wishes to leave, then he is free to go, with his blessing.

None of it rang true. How did no one notice? Why wasn't anyone saying anything?

By the time he'd looked at Bilbo again, he was already out of the tent, backpack on his shoulders.

Kíli was not proud of how he acted. He'd shouted at Thorin, painfully aware of his uncle's feeble health, but unable to contain his grief: he'd killed hundreds and seen another hundred killed, he'd almost lost his brother and uncle, and almost left his mother all alone in this world, and now his friend was leaving him, leaving them all. He'd fought relentlessly for months, why couldn't his uncle fight just a little longer, a little more? Why wouldn't he fight for his family like he said he always would?

Oin kicked Kíli out of the tent the second he saw Thorin's bandages become red. He was horrified. He'd never dream of hurting Thorin, but everything felt wrong. He'd never once cried on this journey. Not when his uncle was knocked unconscious by that foul orc, nor when he'd lost the rune stone given to him by his mother. But now he couldn't hold it in. It all came pouring out as someone —his brother, surely— held him, kneeled down on the ground. He wept until the stars came out.

────────

Months had passed ever since Azsâlul'abad was reclaimed. The harsh Eastern winter had finally given way to spring's sunshine rays, and although the mountain's citizens couldn't say they lived an easy life, they had food and a roof over their heads, which was more than they'd had for years. More and more dwarves were coming home from all over Middle-Earth, as word of Smaug's death was starting to spread. Reconstruction was slow, but steady, and life had shaped itself into a vibrant routine under the Lonely Mountain.

Kíli and Fíli had been crowned princes, and Thorin had been crowned king. His mother had finally come to join them on a caravan she lead from Shahrulbizad, and each member of the company was appointed to some sort of important position in the king's court. It was difficult for Kíli and his brother to get used to their new lives as royalty and the responsibilities that came along with it, and Kíli was grateful for any moment of respite he could have away from the eccentric Iron Hills nobles and Balin's royal classes. His days all looked the same, and yet he found he just couldn't get used to this new life.

Thorin, Kíli had noticed, clearly felt the same, though there was no running away for him. For any person that didn't know his uncle, they'd think he looked perfectly normal, if only a little stern. But Kíli knew that look. It was the same one he'd wear on his face when he attended feasts, sat at his throne, silent, while everybody around him drank and laughed. Or when he attended meetings with the court. Or when he watched Bilbo leave, a winter ago.

Kíli was not stupid. He saw how much his uncle suffered, and how much every single member of the company missed their friend. He missed Bilbo, too.

Which is why he sent a letter adressed to Bilbo Baggins of Bag End in the Shire, pretending to be Thorin II, King Under the Mountain, begging him to come back.

Surely that would solve everybody's problem. Right?

[powdermelonkeg]

Google is getting progressively, frustratingly more useless.

[3000-200-grains-of-salt]

Ladies, gentlemen, and those of us who know better: after a week of work, 4 late or missing homework assignments, one very full basket of laundry and far too many friends who are sick of hearing about this, I present to you:

The Hels To Pay Tango Tek Trauma Flowchart.

Featuring 59 color-coded cards, five asterisks, eight billion arrows, and cited sources. Ive worked on this for far, far too long. Idk guys i just like dissecting characters :D i think i was planning to be more eloquent with this post but here we are. im tired.

Full board here (you can add comments and draw):

@aquaquadrant @lunarcrown thought yall might like to look through this ^_^ i hope i was able to kinda get the gist of what you guys were thinking with tangos character, i really find the way he's written fascinating!

i had the idea a little while ago, about how the core of tango's whole character was a vicious cycle, started by trauma that got forged into central beliefs, and running on fear and guilt. and, VERY out of character for me i KNOW, (sarcasm) i made a chart! it started with just the central cycle with catalysts, but. it. it branched out.

feel free to add on (or call out my mistakes lol) hope ya like it. be prepared for A Lot of reading :]

[kayatoastkkat]

"rude" says the person who was chasing Jekyll like, 2 seconds ago

man, Frankie was completely against listening to Jekyll while Creature just did what he said with zero hesitation.

the only person around who has an ounce of sense to mind their own business, it seems.

we stan creature guys, a man who knows his priorities. (also, confirmation Jekyll's office isn't soundproof! unfortunately also has unfortunate implications)

what is this like the fifth time? dude maybe you should get that checked transforming multiple times in a single morning is not good for your body oh who cares green eyed Jekyll is back <33

okay. I have questions. An office/chemistry lab with all the windows sealed shut?? Jekyll...Jekyll...just because you're a mad scientist doesn't mean you can't follow basic lab safety rules...how are you going to deal with toxic chemical fumes?

the "were-were" had me wheezing for a full 5 minutes though HELP. LIKE. IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAME UP WITH FRANKIE. A WERE-WERE.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Not sure if this theory makes any sense at all but I'm starting to believe that there's no time skip between Wally's phone calls and what we see/hear in the show's Media/Merchandise. If we see the Toyland call being made before the Homewarming episode then it would make sense that Wally's expecting Barnaby to come over soon. As well as the Homewarming sketch from the prior update. (I don't know, still kind of brainstorming this perspective)

that theory Does make sense and i've been considering it! the "timeline" is such a nebulous thing right now because we still... don't really know! there are too many variables and too many Maybes for any solid answer.

maybe the reality that the neighbors live in exists outside of time like you say, and like half of me suspects. there's so much reality fuckery already present, but I'm also... unsure of how much merit this holds given what we know / can infer about how time passes in Home. i'm putting this theory on a low shelf to look at but not prioritize

maybe it really has been 50 years, and Barnaby is either still around / Wally is still in contact with him, or Barnaby... isn't there. who knows, maybe Wally was just verbalizing some Wishful Thinking. i mean, Wally is a bit of an unreliable narrator, isn't he? we can't assume that everything he says is entirely accurate or truthful. and i mean, if it's been 50 years it makes sense that Wally would be pushing for connection / to revive WH. who knows how long he's been trying.

hm... i mean. it could be a mix of that and the Outside Of Time theory. who knows, maybe W is receiving calls from different points in the timeline - Wally may have started out just calling, and has just graduated to invading the WH website / getting pushy with the envelopes and media that's been sent to the WHRP. maybe Wally got tired of waiting for W to respond before W was even born. who's to say!

[necrotic-nephilim]

Hear me out, kiss with a fist

https://youtu.be/ywMD3GLoKG4?si=nAot0594-vKVX3Ww

Make it slightly dead dove brudick

!!!! Florence + The Machine supremacy.

this song is SO them. Bruce and Dick do not know how to love each other without fighting. their violence and anger is intertwined with their kindness. i think it's fun they love each other so much, it's such a deep burning intensity that they can't figure out how to control and it leads to anger. like how do you handle loving someone so much that you want to protect every aspect of them to keep them safe and hidden from the world? because they should be *yours*. how do you handle loving someone so much that you have to get away from them because it's suffocating you that you don't know who you even *are* outside of your love for them? their lives revolved around each others for years and then fractured and all that love just bleeds out into violence.

i truly have a soft spot for Bruce and Dick fighting each other and being willing to turn to violence to try to turn to the other. and it's on both sides, they're both throwing punches and trying to hurt the other. sometimes, they don't even have a reason. they just want to hurt the other to feel the pain under their knuckles. Dick punches Bruce in the face just to finally see Bruce *show* his own pain and crumple, just a little bit. he wants to rip apart Bruce's bedroom because it's full of pieces of him that Bruce shouldn't be allowed to keep.

love the line "your slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit, so we remain the same, love sticks" bc it's so them. the bruises they leave on each other -both emotional and physical- are never lasting. their bodies were made for this. and they don't *change*. it's just fundamental to Bruce and Dick's dynamic that they're just a *little* fucked up and unable to love each other kindly. they always crawl back bc a kiss with a fist *is* better than none. Bruce would let Dick hit him a thousand times just to feel Dick touching him and showing him attention. if fighting is what it takes to have Dick talking to him, Bruce will eagerly take it and he'll fight right back. i'm feral for this ty <3

[hero-i-am-not]

Rhodey is such an underrated character, and it frustrates me to no end!! It's really interesting to see military personnel portrayed the way Marvel has for Rhodey, and he's such an important person for others like Tony as well. He calls him out, supports him, let's Tony support him back...Rhodey deserves more LOVE

And as a person I wish we got to learn more about him. I want to know more!! I suppose I say that about most characters though.

[franklinwvixen]

oooooo what is happening here?! Does mentioning the old gods make your head hurt Daemon? Your third eye hurt?!!

[tj-crochets]

Went to the doctor just for a check up and he basically just told me "your body just processes sugar very well! :) :) :) It's a good thing! :) :) :) It can't possibly be the source of your symptoms even though eating fixes it :) :) :)" But there was also a moment when talking about my iron deficiency that is possibly one of the funniest things a doctor has ever said to me, up with the cardiologist who said "you're a medical mystery": He was going over my blood test results, and said "Your iron levels haven't gone up at all, they are still extremely low, but you're not anemic anymore" And I was like how am I not anemic anymore??? And he said "Your hemoglobin levels have gone up...somehow..." while frowning at the blood test results on his computer. It was very "somehow, palpatine has returned" lol

[gayelectro]

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, from Bull Armor!

[emberphoenix-san]

Forgot links don’t show up in the tag whoopsie

Finished updating and converting my DREDGE fish checklist. Knock yourself out. Contains spoilers for both The Pale Reach and The Iron Rig DLC

Find it here!!