QueerVoidGhost

Mermaid Mask spoilers below

Dr. Ryland Grace from Project Hail Mary is aromantic + asexual!

Dirk sends Tadpole’s and Zephyr’s presents to the Silkwirm-on-sea post office for them to pick up whenever they happen to return to harbour. Mariana Moon is infinitely amused that his gifts manage to find her no matter where she is. the first time a package shows up from him at the girls’ house, wrapped in colourful paper and pretty ribbons, Poppy stares at his name on the return address and says something to Symmetry and Sinthia about ‘oh so when you said that famous movie star hunk Dirk Dansom was a total sweetheart, you like, REALLY meant it, huh?’

Like. Imagine one of the scientists studying Astrophage gives Grace a paper detailing their recent findings and Grace being locked in on something else, he just looks up, skims the paper, then pulls out a red pen from somewhere and marks it, “B+, you forgot to account for…” then after a 5 minute lecture on how to improve, he goes back to typing or smth. The scientist just standing there baffled thinking ‘B+? What are we in? A classroom?”, and kind of bum hurt that they only got a B+ (bc ofc they want an A) so they go back to researching with a new ferocity cuz dammit they’re going to get that A. Cue the science team being fueled by Dr.Grace’s grades, them just rubbing it into each others faces if they get A’s or A+’s. Headcanon 2 is that he just keeps gold star stickers in his pockets so for example: All of them are in a meeting, Dr. smth pipes up with a good suggestion and he goes, “Great job! You get a gold star.” And just puts it on their phone case or badge and moves on, everyone is flabbergasted and a bit jealous except for the scientist who is just vibrating with happiness and a bit of fear because the co-dictator of the world just gave them a gold star.

Extra: Grace also hits Stratt with the 1 2 punch of “A+! Here’s a gold star.” On one of her presentations after staying up for 36+ hours and slaps a gold star on her forehead before conking out on the desk. Carl is in the corner desperately trying not to laugh bc Grace just did this in front of the entire Petrova task force while Stratt is just staring at him in confused amusement. Extra-extra: The mess hall on Stratt’s Vat has a ‘Fridge-board” which is a magnetic board acting as a fridge for all of their papers with A’s on it. Grace just being mortified when he learns that he’s been grading and giving gold stars to the top minds of the world and Stratt having to assure him that is boosts morale and that it’s fine.

(Once he gets sent off to space, everyone in the task force keeps their stars to remember him, because he never said goodbye.)

like bro like sis