the human heart is no small thing

it may interest some of you to know that there is likely an autoimmune/inflammation component of many mental illnesses that we do not fully understand yet. the immune system and the nervous system are very connected both to each other and to all our other systems in ways that, again, we do not fully understand

Pointing at things and explaining what they are and how the ship works, lots of awed and appreciative noises are made.

Until one of the visiting Eridians points out a specific item. “And that?”

It’s a strange, circular thing, a xenonite disk mounted upright on some sort of pivot so it can spin freely, but around the edges it has… spokes? Pegs? Sticking out of it, that hit against a stiff flap that would slow down the spinning.

It is also separated into sections decorated with crude etchings of a human and an Eridian.

“Ah,” Grace says.

“That,” Rocky says.

“That’s. Um.” Grace seems somewhat embarrassed. “That’s the sacrifice wheel.”

Had a friend ask me about PHM fic recs today, plus I was already thinking about sharing some of my favorites on here, just because I'm loving that there are so many gen and even explicitly aro/ace fics in a fandom for once.

These are just some personal favorites that I think do something fun/interesting/unique with the story and characters. I will also note that the "-ish" is because some of these fics focus on blurry relationship lines, and/or have some focus on Rocky/Adrian as a ship (and Grace as their weird queerplatonic bonus partner), but these recs are generally all quite romance-lite, or dig into the relationships in question on order to explore aro/ace themes.

(Also, I've tried to ping authors where I found tumblr usernames, but if you're on here and I couldn't track your blog down, please let me know!)

Okay? Okay! Without further ado, here's some stories I've really loved:

Appendix: Saving Grace by twasbrilligand -- I bet you can guess what this one is about, but if not: Consider that maybe as a last-minute substitute, there might not have been time to give Grace the full-on Antarctic expedition appendix treatment. Anyway what's better than two friends tag-teaming a critical surgery, with one of them very scientifically interested in the other's insides?

what exists beyond, beyond, beyond by tardigradeschool -- Incredibly adorable Adrian/Rocky & Grace fic featuring a new hatchling addition to their weird little family unit and some bonus disability feelings on Rocky's part, courtesy of his time spent alone on the Blip-A. Handles the topic of internalized ableism really well , plus the family content is sickeningly cute.

Roche Limit by @spektre-writes -- A good old "Rocky and Grace on the way home to Erid" fic that deals with a lot of the expected themes, but also has a big more plot to it due to one final wrinkle the duo run into. That made this one stand out a bit more, plus the fact that Rocky gets to be particularly smart and resourceful (and traumatized).

Care package by @unknown-lifeform -- Earth sends an interstellar care package to the man who saved their planet. Really cute idea, and I thought some of the post-sun-dimming worldbuilding in this one was very interesting and may have cried a little over the idea of Grace getting video thanks from some of his students. Plus, the ending (which I will not spoil) is just perfect.

error:("DEPLETED") by @kellen-kat -- A creative format fic (which is always something I love) that deals with the journey home to Erid. Really excellent pacing, which is fun to see an author pull off when writing a story through things like crash logs and medical reports!

Easy Lover by ForgetMeNotForest -- On here because it's a great aro/ace Grace fic, but even more importantly it also has some of my favorite Stratt characterization I've ever read. Just really well-written, and I love the idea of her being able to read Grace like a book, even when it comes to things he doesn't know about himself.

family matters by Goldmonger -- Another absolutely amazing Adrian/Rocky & Grace weird little family fic. And from Adrian's POV! I'm really into the dynamics of their family unit as portrayed here, plus I love stories where Grace gets leaky over his Eridian family. :)

playing favorites by @marya-blackbone -- Part of a series with a name that name me laugh out loud ("not everybody lives; some people still died") in which Yáo, Ilyukhina, and the crew of the Blip-A all actually survived, resulting in a radically different first contact scenario. Cute and funny, and of course, I love the idea that in whatever universe they meet in, Rocky and Grace have something very special going on.

you land badly, but you crash standing by @taylor-tut-fics -- A technical issue on the Hail Mary after the (planet) Adrian fiasco leads to Grace pushing himself into a health crisis, and Rocky panicking. Told in a mix of flashbacks and what's going on in the present, which works very effectively. Currently an in-progress work, but I'm very excited for the last chapter!

The Greatest Act of Optimism and A Journey Unknown by @acewithapaintbrush -- Two parts of a series about Grace teaching on Erid, the first about how he got started in the first place and the second focusing on the kids' first "field trip" to his enclosure. Incredibly adorable, and there's some bonus excellent queerplatonic content in the second one.

Lost in Translation by @mayasynth -- I'm dying to see how this one ends, but it's an aro/ace Grace fic that also plays around heavily with the (DEEPLY CORRECT) idea that Eridians conceptualize relationship dynamics totally differently from humans, and the misunderstandings that might crop up as a result. Would love to see more people mess around with that idea, so I'm glad this fic exists.

Accident Waiting to Happen by @constantconfusion14 -- It's always sort of fun to see how authors handle two characters who are deeply close to each other having a disagreement/argument of some kind, and I thought this fic did a great job of keeping Grace and Rocky sympathetic while also toying with some of the difficulties they might run into as friends from totally different species (and with a solid helping of baggage/trauma, no less).

Fragility not Forseen by @cyberneticghosts -- I love a LOT of things about this fic -- really thought-out disabled!Rocky! the author's convention of using he/him pronouns for Grace and Rocky when writing Grace's POV, and they/them pronouns for both characters when writing Rocky's POV! everything about Adrian! I really highly recommend it.

He Will Carry Her Name Across the Heavens by @danafox1013 -- A short fic with a clever immersive feature, but I have to mention it entirely because the idea of Christa McAuliffe's family sending a charm of St. Christopher along with Grace in solidarity made me bawl real actual tears. (I have a lot of space travel feelings, sue me)

The Chronicles of Terra's Grace by Clare_Hope -- I am going to be so real "A human spaceship arrives on Erid in Grace's lifetime" is a tricky sell for me, but everything about how it's done in this semi-epistolary fic is really lovely. The original characters are interesting, the headcanons about Grace's life both on Earth and Erid are really good, and it's just very soft in a way that I'm actually really enjoying.

(Not) The Jealous Type by @butchselkie -- Ohhhh man, I adored this one. A jealous Rocky notes that Grace is getting presents and gets irrationally worried someone else is trying to court his aro/ace queerplatonic partner. Really lets Rocky have some complexity and it's very well done, and Adrian also really shines in their appearances in this one.

planet earth is blue (and there's nothing I can do) by @sebastian217 -- Grace finds a video log made by Ilyukhina onboard the Hail Mary shortly before she and Yáo entered their comas. This fic is gentle and even a little bit silly thanks to Ilyukhina's personality, but of course, also deeply melancholy. I absolutely loved it.

grace2050_cv_FINAL(5) by @landsat9 -- Putting this here just because of how much it made me laugh. The speculative CV is fun and has some interesting thoughts on Grace's possible academic backstory. But the custom Elsevier template really got me.

The back on earth series by rib14 -- Explores various reactions to the Hail Mary Project back on Earth through a constellation of Discord messages, social media posts, letters, news articles, and etc. Also just... really really understands the unique combination of despair, hope, and comedy that would be going on. I found the end of the second fic in the series particularly thematically rich.

End-Anthropocene Extinction Event by tritavia - An incredibly well-done fake Wikipedia article about the astrophage crisis on Earth. Great and creative worldbuilding and a really good workskin.