Leaving Normal

When you're talking about the design of the boat, you say "it".

When the boat is still being built, your say "it".

When the boat is nearing completion, you can say "it" or "she".

When the boat is floating in the water you probably say "she", unless there is still a lot of work to be done (e.g. no engine yet) then you say "it".

When the boat is officially launched and operating, you say "she". If you continue to say "it" at this point you are not incorrect but suspiciously untraditional. You are not playing the game.

If you are referring to a boat you don't really know anything about you may say "it" ("there's a big boat, it's coming this way"). But if you know its name, it's probably "she" ("there's the Waverley, she's on her way to Greenock").

If you are talking about boats in general, you say "it" ("when a boat is hit by a wave it heels over")

If you speak about a boat in complimentary terms, it's "she" ("she's a grand boat"). If you are being disparaging it may be it, but not necessarily ("it's as ugly as sin", "she's a grotty old tub").

If she has a boy's name, she's still she. "Boy James", "King Edward", "Sir David Attenborough"? The pronoun is she.

If it's a dumb barge (no engine), you say it. But if it's a rowing boat (no engine), you say she.

rocky: shhh grace asleep now

grace: no, 'm awake

rocky: grace asleep now, command.

grace: I just wanted to say--

rocky: grace need sleep now, you always stupid when you try to speak at this time.

grace: I just wanted to say that if you're, I don't know, still a little mad or resentful about me trying to operate on your radiators and almost killing you that one time--

rocky: no no no, we talk about this before, rocky not mad. not happy about it, either, but understand. I live, is okay.

grace: yeah yeah, I remember, you were weirdly calm about it in a way that was a liiiittle concerning. so, yknow, if you were upset and holding something back to try 'n be nice--

rocky: rocky is not nice.

grace: okay not true. BUT, right, if you DID have some feelings that you weren't letting yourself vent, I was just thinking that, like, if you wanted to make it even and express some of your frustration, I would let--I mean, if you wanted to, and if you asked, if you thought you could get something out of it, like, either scientifically or emotionally or something, I wouldn't actually say "no" if you said that you wanted to. yknow. operate on me. like as mini-revenge.

rocky:

rocky: rocky no want "revenge." statement.

grace: aw, are you sure? 🥺

rocky:

grace:

rocky:

grace: ...I have been awake for, uh, twenty-two hours. sooo maybe we just forget I said any of that? maybe ignore all of that? ha ha. ha.

Well... Yes and no.

The last time Ryland Grace was CONSCIOUS of any human touch was when he was knocked out. Absolutely true.

But the last human contact he would have had was Yao and Ilyukhina. Who were told that he was scared about panicking during launch and asked to be sedated. Who did all the pre flight checks before the Hail Mary launched. Who would have carefully, gently carried Grace to his bed in the dormitory, made sure he was secure, and initiated his coma procedure.

There would have been love there. Remember Ilyukhina throwing her hands high and saying "welcome to crew!" Remember Yao saying how he hoped Grace would say yes. Remember how much the crew trusted Grace, Stratt's First Officer, the guy who helped them so much, and was so kind to them, and was the one who they entrusted their preferred methods of suicide to. Who thought they were wonderful and brave.

They would have tucked him in. Maybe brushed his hair out of his face. Maybe said something kind to him before initiating their own coma procedures.

heck, if he needed to wanted to do open heart surgery on me, I'd probably let him.

I attended my first academic confererence in YEARS a few weeks ago and forgot how punny they were and so I think during the trip to Erid they would all (1) start holding conferences to convey otherwise common bebriefs about running the ship and (2) dress up in silly clothes while doing it

Self indulgent AU where I save my favourite woman who has done NOTHING WRONG EVER! from imprisonment and ostracization by shooting her to space with her ambiguous dead wife, whom she killed