joel when he knows ellie is safe: *actively dying / has not moved or spoken in days*
joel when he knows ellie is in danger: *wakes himself out of a feverish dream state, stands up for the first time since getting stabbed, strangles a man with his bare hands in a sudden burst of strength, ambushes another, duct tapes a guy to a chair and tortures him, murders them for being involved in taking ellie, walks miles in the cold to find her, all while carrying her backpack bc he knows her belongings are important to her, “its ok babygirl”*
