Roxifilo

If Jody mentions that Ryland is identical to Colt because paying for Tom's image rights is so expensive… what about Simon? Or does Mark not exist in this universe?

Oh! …yeah, well, here's a funny little detail: I completely forgot about Mark. When I wrote that scene, I was just aiming for a funny moment where Colt thinks Ryland had to look like him for some deep, personal reason—only for the actual resemblance to boil down to image rights.

Hi everyone! I’ve finally decided to upload the story based on this post to AO3. The first chapter is now available, where Colt recounts his first meeting with Ryland. It’s a brief introduction and I’m still polishing a few plot details, but I invite you to check it out. I hope you enjoy it!

Based post: https://www.tumblr.com/projecthmary/820082660169990145?source=share

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Project Hail Mary (2026), Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Iron Lung (2026), The Fall Guy (2024) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: The Convict | Simon (Iron Lung) & Ryland Grace, The Convict | Simon (Iron Lung)/Ryland Grace, Ryland Grace & Colt Seavers, Jody Moreno/Colt Seavers, Adrian/Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Characters: The Convict | Simon (Iron Lung), Ryland Grace, Colt Seavers, Jody Moreno, Ava (Iron Lung), Eva Stratt, Rocky (Project Hail Mary), Adrian (Project Hail Mary), Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Carl (Project Hail Mary 2026), CyberLife Employees (Detroit: Become Human) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Alternate Universe - Detroit: Become Human Fusion, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Androids, Protective Colt Seavers, Ryland Grace Needs a Hug, Ryland Grace & Rocky are Best Friends, Ryland Grace and Colt Seavers are Twins, Amputee The Convict | Simon (Iron Lung), CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human), Human Rocky (Project Hail Mary), Human Adrian (Project Hail Mary), Alternate Universe - Project Hail Mary Fusion, Eva Stratt Has a Bad Time, The Convict | Simon Needs a Hug (Iron Lung) Summary:

Colt feels like a blood vessel is about to pop in his head. He is dangerously close to snapping. Jody doesn't seem to be doing any better; her delicate features are completely contorted into a deep scowl. Actually, "scowl" is putting it mildly—he has never seen his fiancée this downright furious before.

"What do you mean you've lost our Ryland?!" Jody's voice skyrockets, not only startling Colt—who is standing right next to her—but probably blowing out his eardrum in the process. "We just brought him in for an update! What exactly are you trying to imply?!"

The target of all this yelling, Eva Stratt, the manager of the CyberLife branch in California, doesn't even flinch at Jody's escalating outrage.

Before Tom got famous, he was just a struggling actor taking tiny roles in adverts and modelling gigs. He was basically living paycheck-to-paycheck, crashing on a mate's sofa in a packed flat. Things were looking pretty grim. But one day, he saw a fertility clinic offering cash for sperm donations. He wasn't completely desperate but that money could had helping a lot, so he only gave one sample. It wasn't a fortune, but it was exactly what he needed to survive until his next audition. He nailed that audition, landed a massive TV role, and his career completely skyrocketed after that.

Cut to a few years later. Tom is now the ultimate sex symbol of this generation and the highest-paid actor in the industry. And, to be clear, he almost does not remember anything about his donation to de fertility clinic.

Meanwhile, Ryland is looking through donor files at a clinic, hoping to have a baby. He’s feeling super frustrated because none of the regular options seem right. Just as he’s about to give up, they hand him a private catalogue of "only one" samples. He spots a profile for a "Thomas R." The man is healthy, has great genes, and even with his photo blurred for privacy, he looks so atractive. Ryland goes with his gut and chooses him.

The clinic does its part, and Ryland ends up pregnant (use your imagination) . As for Tom, he only finds out—and remembers the clinic—when Gail interrupts him right in the middle of a shoot , drag him to his trailer and started to shouting about an email he received three months ago and never opened.

It was a notification from the fertility clinic informing him that his one and only sample had finally been used, and that any remaining material had been destroyed. And because of the contract Tom signed back in the day, any information regarding the child's parent or parents was strictly private and completely off-limits.

So… a thought that just popped into my head. A Detroit: Become Human "Bloody Mary" AU.

Basically, it all takes place in the universe after the android revolution and the aftermath with CyberLife.

Now, androids can’t be hunted down once they’ve broken free from their programming—not just in Detroit, but in any U.S. state, provided they don’t cause any harm to humans.

It’s still a hot legal debate, but essentially, as long as an android breaks its own code, it’s allowed to lead a regular "human" life. However, for that to happen, the glitchy code that allows for "deviance" has to be "transferred" to the android—at least for older models, where any code insertion or programming has to be done manually, unlike the newer models that come with that programming pre-installed.

Here’s the setup: Colt is a stuntman, but as he once mentioned to Jody in the film… being set on fire is a nightmare, and it hurts like hell. So, while he does most of his own stunts—especially the ones so dangerous that the team takes months just to plan them—the truly lethal ones are performed by an android identical to Colt… who he calls Ryland.

To Colt, Ryland is a completely adorable android, and he has a special soft spot for him. He’s a little "nerd" robot who knows a ton about physics, chemistry, and special effects, as he was programmed with all that knowledge to do his job better. On top of that, Colt programmed him to be chatty. Plus, Ryland was designed to look as human as possible at all times.

Colt usually keeps Ryland with him during his downtime; they live together, or, because Colt feels bad leaving him cooped up, he takes him out whenever he’s running errands around the city. Colt is so attached to him that he jokes with everyone that Ryland is his twin brother. He even studied his maintenance manual cover-to-cover so Ryland wouldn’t get "scared" during his periodic updates; Colt handles the reprogramming or software updates himself with Dan’s help.

The problem is, since Ryland is a relatively old design, Colt had to keep him hidden during the android revolution, and he didn’t update him. CyberLife was terrified that androids would malfunction during server updates—especially since the first publicized cases of "deviants" were the aggressive ones. Ryland kept fulfilling his role, but between the end of the revolution and the success of the leader, Markus, in getting their voices heard… Ryland starts glitching and needs repairs because his systems are outdated.

Colt and Jody take Ryland to a CyberLife center for repairs. Since he’s missing so many system updates, they decide to do a full reset… and during that reset, Ryland becomes conscious and breaks his programming. He became "infected" by another android, Simon.

Since Ava bought him for commercial use—specifically for heavy lifting and high-risk work—he's a bit rough around the edges, and she barely bothered to customize him in any other way.

Simon was Ava's new android, working for an oil company that needed deep-sea divers. They couldn't send humans into zones where the pressure was lethal, so they used androids. During one deep-sea dive, Simon breaks his code—because the cabin pressure failed and the submarine started to collapse—and he manages to surface just as his sub is being crushed.

Simon's entire personality is based solely on the interactions he’s had with Ava and the oil company workers. It hasn't exactly been a pleasant experience, either, since the human divers were constantly complaining about being replaced by androids. They weren't physically aggressive toward Simon, but they certainly weren't very kind to him, either.

Ava manages to "rescue" him from being scrapped by citing the new post-revolution laws, and she takes him in for repairs because he needs a new arm. The technician had to power Simon down because he was acting quite hostile, and he grouped his update base with Ryland’s… when Simon wakes up, he has a new arm and meets the cutest android he’s ever seen in his short life.

As for Ryland? He’s literally crying blue tears because he has no idea what the hell is happening. He thinks Colt has abandoned him for being an old model; during the update, some memory files were deleted, and Ryland doesn't remember that Colt was supposed to pick him up once he "woke up" (remember, Colt was always the one to handle his updates). Simon, meanwhile, has absolutely no intention of going back to Ava to be sent back to a submarine.

What’s the most logical move? It’s simple: Simon takes Ryland by the hand, they steal some clothes, and they decide to run away to Canada. And there you have it: Colt is absolutely furious, Ava is desperate for Simon and Ryland’s safety (since Simon was a fairly new android, his personality wasn't fully configured), and Eva Stratt—the state branch manager at CyberLife—is completely livid because the idiot technician left both androids in that state.

And while the humans are running around like headless chickens, desperately trying to track down their respective androids… Simon and Ryland are busy planning their new lives in Canada.

So... a peculiar idea. But an idea nonetheless.

Tom ABSOLUTELY adores his husband. Literally.

Many people think—partly due to the management of his public image—that he’s an idiot. Right, fair enough, he can be a bit of a berk, and he only really enjoys being affectionate and patient with his beloved Ry-Ry. But he isn’t as thick as many people like to claim or believe.

After all—even though he’s been in the industry since he was a nipper—Thomas Ryder holds a university degree in acting and fine arts. He definitely has more than two brain cells to rub together, thank you very much.

But, as I was saying from the start, Tom dotes on his husband.

Ryland is, in more ways than one, the love of his life, the very reason for his existence, the light in his darkest moments, and—definitely—the reason he can actually perform in romantic films.

Gail had spent YEARS trying to get Tom to venture into romantic movies or series. His forte, until now, had been action plots—which is how he met Ryland, as he’d be visiting Colt on set—and war films. He’d also featured in historical dramas as a supporting character, war epics, or—occasionally—in comedy series as a recurring character (early in his career) or as part of the main cast (now that he’s at the peak of his career).

But he NEVER took part in projects with romantic storylines. And certainly not as a lead.

In action films, his characters would have some sort of romantic interest. But, since the plot didn't revolve around romance, he didn't really need to share many scenes with the other actor. And, to Tom’s total embarrassment, he admitted that those shots were always left until the very end, given how tense he would get whenever it was time to be affectionate with his co-star.

So... yeah. Tom might be a modern-day sex symbol, capable of flirting with the camera and being all lovey-dovey in interviews... but he couldn't be "believably" romantic on camera.

In fact, many casting directors used to tell Tom that... perhaps romance just wasn't his thing.

Because the man, to put it mildly, was dreadful at pretending to be in love with his castmates. Not to mention, he could be a bit of a numpty with the other actors, which made sharing scenes and photoshoots incredibly difficult.

Until Ryland came into his life.

And blimey, was everyone shocked.

Gail realised, because she’s not blind, that every time Ryland was visiting Tom and Colt on set, it was enough for Ryland to be standing behind the co-star of the moment for Tom to literally nail his lines.

It was almost a miracle. And she wasn't foolish enough to waste that new discovery.

His body (Tom’s) would become less tense, he’d appear more expressive, and his monologues for close-ups definitely flowed faster. Plus, he seemed much kinder to his co-stars—something the production team appreciated immensely.

Did the scene require Tom’s character to be on a romantic call with his love interest? They just had to put Ryland on the other end of the conversation, whether in person or via phone call. The editor would have to cut a few pet names, but nothing major.

Did Tom have to deliver a big romantic confession or gesture, where only he was on screen? But Ryland couldn't make it to the set? Colt—stupidly dressed in Ryland’s clothes with a photo of his twin taped to his face—would just stand where Tom could see him. And Tom would deliver the most romantic speech anyone had ever heard.

Did Tom have to film a scene where his character had to propose to his love interest? He just had to think about recreating the proposal he’d made to Ryland. But, if Ryland was right there, they’d simply dress him in the co-star’s clothes to get several takes of Tom and sort it out in post-production. (Makeup and art literally have a small collection of Ryland in disguise, with costumes, makeup, and wigs, as Tom’s co-star).

Did Tom have a scene scheduled where he had to run—that classic movie trope—after his girl/boy so as not to lose his love? Ha! They just had to tell him to imagine it was Ryland leaving him. The cameraman and his assistants had never run so fast in their lives.

The same went for any scene where they had an argument or Tom cried over the potential loss of his love interest. They only needed Colt to tell him that Ryland was upset with him for Tom to shed tears that looked genuinely convincing. Although, at the end of the day, you could catch him on an endless call with his Ry-Ry, as he wouldn't stop sobbing and Ryland would have to comfort him.

If Tom literally had to film any take where he had to show love, they simply had to tell him to imagine his co-star was his beloved Ry-Ry.

Gail’s most desperate measure, during one particular shoot, was putting a cheap mask on Tom’s co-star, since Ryland was on a school trip with their kids and couldn't get to the set or be on a call. It worked.

So, yeah.

Does someone need Tom to act romantically and affectionately with a co-star? They just need to call his husband. And, failing that, call his stunt double and dress him up as his twin brother.

So... Bloody Mary angst, courtesy of my favourite author's lack of updates. (Not a Bloody Mary author, though, to be clear.)

If I’m going through it, you are too.

You've been warned: bring tissues.

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(Rocky, literally every time Pebble Grace asks him about his jumpers)

Pebble Grace! who adores being "covered up" because he can’t stand the idea of being without some kind of garment. He kicks up a fuss whenever Rocky or Adrian try to take away one of his makeshift jumpers. And he doesn't care one bit that he’s always bumping into things whenever he tries to walk around wearing one.

Pebble Grace! who, for some reason (without fully knowing why), still uses "human" motor commands for an Eridian body. That’s why he doesn't speak properly and struggles to move his limbs with any fluidity.

Pebble Grace! who, in reality, is "echolocation-nearsighted." He has to wear an orthopaedic device (the equivalent of prescription glasses) to get around on his own. But he absolutely loves being carried everywhere by Adrian.

Adrian and Rocky, being protective parental units with their little pebble. Because he’s so tiny and bumps into everything.

Adrian and Rocky, who can’t help but dote on Pebble Grace, because they find his attempts at chirping for the first time absolutely adorable.

Pebble Grace! who couldn't speak properly for at least a couple of years. He understood what Rocky and Adrian were saying to him, but when he tried to say it back... it was impossible for him to mimic.

Pebble Grace! who literally has no problem eating in front of anyone; he really doesn't get what the taboo is.

Pebble Grace! who, when he first started trying to speak properly (Adrian began taking him to a speech therapist because he wasn't speaking with the same fluency as his pebble mates), would just come out with unintelligible babble. And he’d get so frustrated he’d "cry." Rocky or Adrian had to act as his translators until he finally figured out the trick to pronouncing his thoughts correctly.

Pebble Grace! who doesn't hesitate to demand "Puppet Theatre" from Rocky to no end.

Pebble Grace! who loves playing in the Xenonite version of the Hail Mary and pretends to navigate it whenever Rocky is around.

I’ve only read a couple of fics where Grace is an Eridian nipper or a pebble.

And then, it hit me.

Grace kicks the bucket; his age and the sicknesses from being on Erid just overwhelm him at some point. And, mind you, Grace lived proper comfortably within the limits of what was possible, 'cause Rocky and the Erid medical lot and the boffins seemed to genuinely want to give him a bit of a life.

So. Let's just say I should be studying, but this peculiar idea popped into my head and now I'm completely obsessed.

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What do you guys think would be the plot changes or quirks in PHM if Grace were a woman? Like, I'm asking because it honestly sounds hilarious to me. Here’s my list of moments with a Fem!Grace:

1. When Grace tells Stratt that he and Carl "made a baby," referring to the cells.

But with Fem!Grace... Stratt is literally ready to castrate Carl because, for the first 4 seconds after hearing the news of the discovery, she thought Grace meant an actual human baby.

2. Her departure from academia is a bit more messed up than in canon.

Like, they probably labeled Grace as "hysterical." Especially after the insult she threw at that guy right in the middle of the conference.

But honestly, she probably didn't stop at just one insult; that poor waste of carbon definitely had to sit through a whole lot more unflattering earfuls.

I have a feeling Fem!Grace has a way sharper tongue than her male counterpart, considering she’s surrounded by a male-dominated field.

3. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Like, I can totally see her being the scientist version of Miss Honey from Matilda.

All the kids love going to her classes. And I feel like the younger ones just follow her around like a bunch of little ducklings during recess.

I can even see her learning their slang. Which leads me to the next point: When she explains to the entire research team what they are looking for... she does it as if she were explaining it to her students. Stratt is deeply embarrassed and furious.

Except for one guy whose translator broke. And it’s hilarious to watch because she later realizes she’s talking to adults who actually know their stuff, and she just switches up her tone and speed on the spot.

4. She talked to Rocky like he was a toddler until she could figure out a way to set up the translation software.

And not just that, but because of Rocky's cute little hops, she tends to talk to him in a slightly higher-pitched voice when she just can't handle the cuteness.

Except for when she gets annoyed. Then she uses this ultra-professional tone that makes Rocky totally tense up.

5. Honestly, I think she loses her mind when Rocky rolls into her ship in his Xenonite hamster ball.

Mainly because Rocky trips over her makeshift underwear clothesline... and one of her bras rolls away with Rocky until he stops moving.

That, plus her total lack of privacy. And on more than one occasion she scolds Rocky, but she just doesn't have the heart to actually yell at him.

Also! I imagine her calling Rocky super cute nicknames.

6. For some reason, there's a whole section of the ship packed with tampons, wet wipes, and other essentials... but like, on an industrial scale.

Since Colt is Tom's stunt double, he absolutely has to look like him. Like, everyone on set knows that wardrobe, art, and photography will make sure Colt's face, as such, never appears in a shot. At most, if it does appear in a shot, it's always when Colt is wearing sunglasses and a hat, which helps disguise his appearance.

But, in general, Colt just looks like Tom, at least physically. Same height or very similar, he has to be muscular, and if Tom has a certain hairstyle, Colt will definitely replicate it. They definitely have similar facial features.

And, I imagine Colt hates that. Not because he hates Tom—which he also hates, especially when he's being an idiot—but because the only person he likes to look like or copy is Ryland.

From childhood, they always wore the same clothes, had the same haircut, the same facial expressions, and the same mannerisms when walking, talking, or physically expressing themselves.

Even when Ryland was in college and he was already working as a stunt double or action extra… both Ryland and he found solace in seeing themselves reflected in each other.

And God! Only Dan and Jody know how miserable Colt was when Tom had to grow his hair long for a period film. To top it all off—and Tom wasn't too happy about it either—they both had to dye it a hideous shade of red. Tom couldn't wear a wig—Colt even less so—because the material clashed so much on screen. Even though the art department did their best to disguise it.

Does Rocky really hate Simon?

Also, why doesn't Simon attack Grace when he sees him in the medical wing?

Good question!

Er, I’d say it’s not that Rocky hates Simon. It’s more that he’s incredibly protective of Grace and Adrian.

Plus, it’s not exactly hate at first "sight" (?). Yeah, terrible pun.

When he first arrives and discovers that Grace won’t be the only human on Erid, he’s actually chuffed, since it means it'll be relatively straightforward to accommodate him. Even more so considering that Ryland was starving because he’d been running out of food over the last few years.

And you’ve got to consider that, during the trip to Erid, Ryland probably taught him a lot of things that hadn't been fully discussed at the time.

Now he has a much better understanding of what radiation can do to someone, especially if they’ve been exposed to prolonged radiation and are in contact with people who aren’t properly protected.

So, if we focus just on that tiny detail about Simon being in a battered, outdated space tin... we can assume that when he arrived on Erid, he was completely riddled with radiation and ill because of it. Rocky would’ve read those files once on Erid and been absolutely horrified—not just to read firsthand that Simon is still a bit contaminated, but that Adrian interacted directly with him! Without the proper protective measures!

Now, to top off that mini heart attack Rocky just had... Simon’s medical records state that he displays hostile behaviour.

Adrian manages to explain, as best as he can—bearing in mind that Simon and Adrian communicate differently compared to Ryland and Rocky—that Simon has clearly had an awful time, which makes a bit of sense given the severity of his injuries. Simon has his trust issues.

But Simon’s records, unfortunately, aren’t great. On several occasions, he tried to smash his habitat dome, or he’d scream and throw everything the Eridian nurses and doctors offered him. Although hostile, he’s less aggressive with Adrian, once they managed to understand each other and Simon realised Adrian didn’t want to hurt him.

And that’s not even mentioning that, even with an amputated arm, Simon is still pretty strong. Or, at least, even while ill and all that, he’s stronger than Ryland.

All of these are the factors that make Rocky so cautious around Simon. Because even if he’s at a disadvantage, he might attack if he feels threatened. And, let’s face it, Rocky knows Ryland will want to meet the other human without really thinking about the consequences.

Right!

Obviously, due to limited resources at first—bear in mind that Simon was probably stuck somewhere pitch-black, with oxygen but absolutely zero comfort, given that his ship was a total piece of rubbish to begin with—until the scientists could replicate more things, it was essential for Simon and Ryland to be kept together.

Both of them medically induced into comas, but together.

Because they realised it wasn't a good idea for Simon to be completely under all the time, he was the only one who woke up periodically. It was probably during one of those conscious phases, when they allowed him to be awake, that he saw Ryland by chance.

Let's add that, from Simon's perspective when he first caught a glimpse of Ryland by chance before being force to sleep again, Simon sees Ryland in a coma. This makes him realise that Ryland is, in a way, in the exact same boat: he’s on a strange planet, surrounded by unknown creatures, badly injured, and—to top it all off—unconscious.

And it was a proper nightmare: he’d always wake up in a new "enclosure"—more comfortable and with better care, but totally unfamiliar—with new carers, and he struggled to tell the difference between a medical check-up and an attack. Adrian being the only some of confort that he had.

Ryland, on the other hand, had to stay in a continuous coma until Armando gave the green light to wake him up. They wanted him to have more nutrients so they could actually work with him.

Surely, once they woke him up for good so he could adjust better to his future personal habitat... when he broke out and saw Ryland being tended to by an Eridian nurse, he just did the first thing that popped into his head: protect this other human from these rocky aliens.

Let’s not forget, Simon has his trust issues—which are completely justified. And due to his own hostile behaviour, the Eridians have been rather cold with him too.