It is important to me that Ryland Grace is a cis man.
This is not to say I hate the idea of trans/nonbinary Grace, not at all. Everybody deserves representation and if you see yourself in that good for you.
But that's also why cis Grace is so important to me.
Because Ryland Grace is a man who is a teacher. A man who loves teaching so much that when he finally became the leading expert in his field - helping to make world-changing discoveries and meeting the most powerful people on the planet - he constantly thought about how much he'd rather be back in his classroom. Back with his kids.
Ryland Grace is a man who works under a woman, and only complains about it because she pulls him out of his lab and drags him all over the world with her to meetings. He's a man who works with women - who argues with and respects and befriends women - just as easily (or not) as the men around him.
Ryland Grace is a man who chose to wear a flowery dress under a cardigan because it was there and it was comfortable. A man who likes silly punny t-shirts and bright colors and soft clothes.
Ryland Grace is a man who let out a scream so squeaky and high-pitched when the gravity shut off that it would be insulting to little girls if I used that comparison.
Ryland Grace is a man whose first instinct in any scenario is curiosity and whose second is compassion and empathy.
Ryland Grace is a man who cries when he's hurt. A man who cries when he's happy. Who cries when he's grieving, when he's overwhelmed, when he's afraid. He throws a trash can when he's frustrated. He thunks his forehead on a doorway when he's embarrassed. He laughs and waves his arms and spins around when he's excited. He's a man who feels things fully and isn't ashamed to show it.
Ryland Grace is a man who gets sick on the elevator and pulled off an EVA in gravity while the ship was literally ripping itself apart around him. He's a man who trips over nothing and managed to haul a limp 400 pound rock alien across the ship and up a ladder.
Ryland Grace is a man who was a coward. A man who ran instead of choosing to make the sacrifice. He's a man who didn't go quietly with dignity when he saw that the walls were closing in. He's a man who begged and pleaded and made threats he didn't mean because he was scared and didn't want to die.
Ryland Grace is a man who found someone to be brave for. Not through a relationship or parental/familial bond - but for his best friend.
And he still cried about it. He chose to be brave, to make the choice he'd fought so hard the first time. And he still grieved what he was giving up. He chose to turn around, and accepted that he would die because of it. And he was still scared and wanted to live.
But he loved his friend more.
Ryland Grace is a cis man, and that is important to me.
Because Ryland Grace is curious and compassionate and chooses clothes for comfort over everything else. He's an incredibly intelligent scientist who found his true calling, not as a researcher but as a teacher. He's friendly to everyone until you give him a reason not to be, and doesn't discriminate with either respect or distain.
He was betrayed by the people he was closest to. He understands why. He breaks down when he remembers what they did to him, and adds a little inside joke for them in his goodbye message to make them feel better.
He didn't want to leave Earth. He loves living on Erid. He would've let a lot of people suffer and die because he was scared of dying himself. He chose to give up his chance to live if it meant saving his best friend. He's smart and a little bit stupid. He's unashamedly nerdy. He's resourceful and clumsy and clever and emotional.
He's a coward. He's brave.
Ryland Grace is all of those things.
And I don't think we get enough men like that in media.
