#rockland

in the book, he never accepts a compliment (which grace isn’t sure whether to attribute to eridian culture or rocky’s personality — i’m gonna assume it’s a rocky thing for this post). he waves off grace’s enthusiasm over his engineering, maybe saying an awkward ‘thank’ if anything. grace GUSHES about rocky in his narration, but holds back verbally.

he also definitely holds a lot of guilt over his mission. he felt responsible for 22 deaths (and the eventual, inevitable demise of his planet) for 46 years. he was alone and useless and stupid and he probably hates himself. and then his breeder tank design fails and he’s alone and useless and stupid AGAIN, this time responsible for grace’s death and the destruction of grace’s planet as well.

i think he’d both preen under grace’s praise and despise himself for wanting it. having his savior shower him with compliments would thrill him, but he feels like he Has to deny them because he doesn’t deserve it. to have grace, as they’re having sex in whatever ways they can, whisper how he’s so pretty and doing perfect for me, rocky and the best thing that ever happened to me would melt him.

eventually, he asks grace not to talk like that while they’re fucking and grace is confused. rocky always enjoys it — fogging up his ball/suit with steam, humming higher and more vibrato, dripping from his seam — so why should he stop? he tries to explain his reasoning and it breaks grace’s heart.