antisocial pessimist

Jack Black did more of Hit Me Baby One More Time, and I am living for this.

he's terrified, yet his instinct to trust is stronger than his instinct to survive. he's afraid, and he knows he could possibly suffocate to death in that moment, but something in that early meeting calls him on a deeper level to connect with rocky. to trust him with his literal life.

as grace contemplates removing the helmet, the camera cuts back to rocky - who intentionally leans forward slowly and clicking cautiously, anxious to see if this kind human is going to trust him the way he does.

cut back to grace and he removes the helmet on blind faith. he exhales overwhelming sighs of relief; the music swells and resolves; rocky chirps and jumps for joy; grace softly smiles, and so does damn near everyone in the audience. the moment is potent and raw. it assures the characters and the audience alike: you can count on me. you are not alone. we can figure this out if we stay curious about each other.

the scene then ends on a wide shot of their two ships bound together, spinning in synchronized centrifugal gravity, over beautiful resolving chords of melody and harmony. it shows us a powerful visual of the birth of their unbreakable physical and emotional bond. dependability and loyalty is built and earned, but these two could actually trust each other with their lives from the very start.

and grace who is so alien, but reflects eridian mannerisms that they've never considered strange before but coming from a creature so soft and strange, it just doesn't feel right. grace who stomps his foot twice when he asks a question, and it rings out flat and dull instead of the strong, sharp sound of an eridian hand on the ground. grace whose voice is so alien, so one-note, so full of articulations that are sharp and round and everywhere in between, but who echoes the melodies of eridian poetry and music, sometimes on accident but sometimes perfectly in time with what rocky translates him as saying, and later, perfectly in time with his keyboard.

Because while Eridians are incredibly strong and tough on the outside, on the inside they are actually quite fragile:

They have no immune system, so anything that makes it past their enclosed carapace and internal heating will pretty much kill them

They have no natural defenses to radiation of any kind

In general they have very little organic matter so anything that targets their cells directly is quickly lethal

They are partially cold-blooded and live at a very narrow temperature range (about 20 degrees C)

They rely almost entirely on one, highly developed sense and are helpless if deafened (can't even remember the layout of a room)

They are completely helpless while asleep and can't control when that happens

They will forcibly become dormant after eating AND when badly hurt enough (their equivalent of going into shock)

They require more energy to function than humans do, and have very little organic matter to burn in the case of starvation

In contrast, humans:

Have an aggressive immune system and internal mechanisms for dealing with cell damage

Have adrenaline which allows them to temporarily ignore injuries and perform abnormal feats of strength

Are persistence hunters built for economy of movement and capable of extreme levels of endurance

Exist in a very wide range of habitats and on a diverse diet

Are very hardy in general, able to survive massive injuries, lack of sleep, prolonged starvation, and intense environmental conditions if given proper care

The quintessential example of this dichotomy between strength and endurance is the Going Fishing incident in the book: Rocky is able to survive and move in G forces that are killing Grace and to physically wrestle off the chair crushing him, but he collapses from his injuries almost immediately after. Despite being injured himself Grace then carries his 400lb friend up a ladder, is badly burned returning him to his atmosphere, and then proceeds to get some basic medical care, hype himself up on pain meds and keep working (albeit rather badly, lol) while Rocky forcibly sleeps.

When I said it was birdseed she just went “oh- can they actually eat that? Is that safe?”

I didnt know how to respond like, at all, so I just pointed at the duck and said “bird”