Rocky discovering the human propensity for licking things vs. The very clear memory he has of a discussion about human symbiotic bacterial flora colony + Grace sticking a papercut finger in his mouth =

"Why, take out of mouth immediately, human mouth cesspool , disgust disgust disgust"

Idk the concept of the discussion abt humans purposefully and accidentally cultivating bacterial cultures (inside and out!) is so delightfully horrifying from Rocky's perspective to me. Skin so cold and wet things live there. Human mouth perfec tly shaped to keep bacteria baby, no problems ever in gut perfectly cool and sof perfect place for bacterua nest.

But Grace reaps all the benefits of curls that thrive under neglect. So yeah she keeps getting asked how she gets immaculate curls and just

Grace: Uhhhhh<-hasn't brushed or washed her hair in 3 days. Always has it up in a bun or ponytail. Uses 2$ shampoo+barely remembers conditioner exists

Visions of PHM scenes keep playing in my head to the tune of Ave Mary A by P!nk

Lyrics in question under RM

What if it wasn't? There's a 10-15 year window of uncertainty between Grace+Rocky making it back to Erid and Knowing

What if they end up with this battered survivor with a tale of dead stars and the last of humanity scraping by on stations

Maybe the beetles never made it back, maybe the feeding system failed and the Taumeba starved on the trek to earth, maybe the decline calculations were wrong and Humanity had to evacuate the planet before it was too late

Maybe their last little Hail Mary, the project Grace was sacrificed for against his will

Failed.

I keep thinking about pollinators and wondering which Eridian gets really into bees and butterflies and figuring out little model fliers to do their job so Grace can stop having to hand pollinate. Finding out which materials for the wings shine iridescent.

Stay I Pray You-Anastasia Musical, what an absolute gut punch

The Moon Will Sing-The Crane Wives

Save Me -Noah Kahan

Plastic Jesus-Haunted Like Human

Have Faith, Horatio by Chase Petra (big Stratt vibes)

(+for any associated Goose Verse Sibling Aus

Especially the "Blank Flank Grace until mission"+"Becomes Alicorn bc he helped save 2 entire worlds ur honor"

it's been haunting me bc I love the idea of him being an Alicorn of Courage or Curiosity bc he's so scared. all the time. But there's too many things to know to not go forward. And I keep thinking about his wing feathers being something unmistakably Eridian, gently singing crystal, like what's on their celebration clothes.

For every step to sing with joy and relief following in his wake.

There's no possible way Ryland Grace returns to Earth without the mother of all quarantine protocols happening. Like from either direction 1) We have in text evidence that some microbial organisms can wiggle through Xenonite (hi yes taumeba???) 2) who know what he could have picked up from Rocky/Erid/Adrian, 3) it's been minimum 2 whole decades since he's been on earth? Shots updates yesterday pls. (I just know this man used to stay up to date on his flu shots, public schools are a cesspool)

2 main branches for this thought experiment

Option A)The funny light hearted haha where there's a rotating door for the visitor/observation room and the windows are wallpapered with get well soon cards and people are constantly trying to slip him to goodies and snacks and there's happy tears all around.

Option B) Where Grace is no longer light years away from someone who can give him a flesh and blood hug without physical and psychological damage. There's a human person on the other side of that glass. And He's. Not. Allowed.

When the Fates slip with their scissors, making liars out of the stars

Yeah, she'll trade you for the sky

When you turn to her on instinct but she's just out of your reach

And maybe all the promises I ever made, Were nothing more than building up a gilded cage

Admittedly their Plastic Jesus is also gutting me by millimeters

So if you’re gonna pray for me, you better pray for my forgiveness, For your work in this ugly business,

And if you’re gonna kiss me, Judas, I don’t wanna hear your reasons

You got your 30 silver pieces, go find forgiveness you can buy (but it's the Taumeba samples)

Just you and me and plastic Jesus and the sacrificial lamb

And when the bridges started burning, you didn’t give a second glance

But I refuse to believe no one has looked at "apparently what happens when you cross a human and a Twilek is a human-passing kid with the other halfs coloration" and "Alexsandr Kallus No Background Info Found" and gone "Hey you know what could be fascinating!"