#adrian phm

Ft supportive spouse adrian

(Extras of the little nugget eridian)

I got lazy abt crossposting my art on here 😭 this is a semi old comic I posted on tiktok featuring grockdrian!

Friends live together, and romantic partners, if any, are someone you go out to hang out with.

Friends are more plentiful, naturally form groups well based on common interests and experiences (particularly if they grew up together, such as spending years in school together). Romantic relationships are... maybe not chemical, but whatever the eridian equivalent is for sudden, intense infatuation, that lacks rationality and long-term stability. Other people you get along with aren't likely to have the same chemical response, so it doesn't form groups well.

Eridians have 5 children per clutch, which is a lot, takes a village to raise — not to mention needing someone to watch you sleep (and more people are less likely to have sleep overlap), and someone to watch pebbles.

So, when Rocky calls Adrian his mate, he means it in the combination of "friends" and "life partners" and "coparents" — because he learned bits of those meanings from different sources, but they all made sense together in his culture. He didn't realise British "mate" is considered completely different from animal "mate".

When he left, he only had one mate, but they expected to join more. He worries that if he's considered dead, Adrian might have joined a mate group that didn't plan space for his inclusion.

(possibility the word he uses for "mate" is also an uncountable noun (like "water" or "love"), and can refer to a mate group — but in the sense of the feelings, care, and support, rather than the individuals. It makes it sound like he's worried Adrian found a new [singular partner], but he means a whole found family)

I like the idea Adrian did form a found family with the mates left behind by other crew members

But I'm also thinking about how they'd perceive Rocky's relationship with Grace.

The intensity and irrationality of it is something they'd associate with romantic relationships, and are worried about it destabilising the mate-group that's not likewise interested in Grace as an emotional life companion, if he were to be integrated.

Others might see it like Rocky brought home a pebble for them to care for together, and welcome him in the limited capacity they can.

Like Grace asked Simon to scooch over a bit cause he’s literally about to fall off the bed and Simon frowns and scoots to the other side of their giant ass bed all curled up on himself with his back facing Grace.

Rocky and Adrian don’t make it any better I’ll say that. All three of them are on the farthest side of the bed with Simon.

“Rocky can you stop being petty.”

rocky uses he/him and adrian uses they/them: ok

rocky and adrian are straight: BOO tomato tomato tomato

For @arilime760 Big protective and cuddly adrian propaganda.

Rocky isnt naked btw (For once)