the chicken kitty

This immortal lion king joke

Original post by @morallygrayautisticscientist here, this post was so funny I decided to draw it lol.

Panel by panel below:

Fic concept:

About a year on route to Erid, Rocky starts to feel strange. It turns out Rocky’s emotional state calming down significantly after 40+ years of high stress, combined with his close relationship with Grace helping him feel safe and needed, results in Rocky’s reproductive system kicking in and decided now is the perfect time to lay a clutch of eggs.

Rocky panics once he realizes what’s happening only a few days before he’ll need to lay them. He’s never layed a cluch before without Adrian there, and currently the only other being here is an alien! Yes, Grace is Rocky’s alien, but still!

Laying a cluch alone is very difficult on a Eridian. Logically, the eggs are not viable on their own without their mates own eggs present to potentially fuse with. But emotionally, for the days after laying them, those are Rocky’s Eggs.

Scientifically, the time it takes for the parental instincts to recede almost always a line with the length of time a single egg has the potential to fuse.

Rocky is so embarrassed, and Grace tries to be supportive of his friend even if he feels way out of his depth. Grace sticks close and fills the partner roll as best as he can. He helps distract Rocky from discomfort or pain with movies and documentaries. Then helps Rocky keep watch over the eggs, and Rocky too when he finally sleeps. Rocky is very delicate and protective with the eggs and it’s so incredible to see as a human.

Then, it’s the last day left before the eggs will fail. Rocky is very mixed emotionally, as he looks over the five eggs carefully placed around him. He just wants this to be over with and yet he feels this deep melancholy at the thought of none of his eggs fusing.

Grace offers to stay up with Rocky until he’s ready to let go of them, but Rocky insist that Grace should finally get some sleep instead. Grace agrees, but only gets about three hours before Rocky is panicking and demanding Grace wake up NOW.

Grace falls out of bed and stumbles over himself to get to Rocky and see what’s wrong.

Rocky had layed 5 eggs.

There are now 4 eggs.

One egg is now significantly larger and has changed texture.

Two of Rocky’s own eggs have fused into one! Fully asexual reproduction! Grace the scientist is delighted and thinking about the potential variables that caused this (the radiation exposure is a big one), while Grace the man is horrified because now there’s gonna be a Baby Eridian on the Hail Mary!

Rocky is in shock. His parental instincts are overdrive, while he also sits in horror that he has to explain a pebble to Adrian. How can he explain this? What if they think he’s been unfaithful?? Has this ever happened to humans???

“Look Simon! Aren’t they neat?”

When Grace's students who were fans of Simon are older, they start doing their own stream on his birthday to reminisce about their teacher and the impact he had on their lives. Simon watches, but doesn't get involved for the first few years because it's just too painful. But then at some point, he gets involved and they make a whole thing of it. Turn it into an all day charity stream on Grace's birthday. They donate the money to orgs aimed at creating opportunities for young people to get involved in science.

(And if Simon has quit streaming after Grace left, then this is the one time of the year he returns, so it gains massive traffic.)

I just need him to have people who, to some extent, understand what he lost and can share in that love and pain </3

Oh my god yes 🥺

Simon hears about it while talking to one of his old streamer friends who still stream and create content. The first time he watches the first stream he can’t help but cry and smile at imagining grace in the stories his old students tell and they talk about Simon in the stream as well.

Like you said, it isn’t for a few years that Simon reaches out to organise this charity livestream because he knows that Grace would want him to do this and wouldn’t want him doing nothing and being miserable.

Grace’s old students start the stream and are greeting everyone and saying “we have a very special guest joining us for this stream. I want you guys to be respectful as this is probably going to be a very hard stream for him.” (Simon gives them permission to say that.) they introduce Simon (not that he needs an introduction really.)

The whole chat is freaking out at Simon’s surprise return and it spreads online.

“Hey everyone. I…I know it’s been a few years since you’ve seen my face and I….I want to apologise for that-“

“You have nothing to apologise for Mr Simon.” They call him Mr Simon and Simon laughs softly and tells them to call him Simon.

“Still. It would’ve been my husband, Grace’s birthday today. To tell you the truth, I used to watch the streams you did for him on his birthday and it made me feel closer to him. I know I knew him longer than any of you but hearing the stories Grace didn’t get to tell from you all-“ Simon tears up and shakes his head and sniffles a bit. “Ah fuck. Sorry. You guys are going to have to be prepared to see me cry. I used to rarely do that when I streamed.” They all chuckle softly.

“Anyway. We’re here to raise money for this wonderful organisation in Ryland Grace’s name that will help create opportunities for young people to enjoy science the way he would’ve wanted. If you can donate even just a little, we’d be grateful. I know these guys have set up goals for you all. I hope we get some big corporations donating too.” Simon continues.

They end up playing a few games and other streamers join the stream and they do some activities to raise money. Most of them are Simon’s old friends and some have a deep respect for Simon and Grace.