i have had blogs before but was quickly burned out with them so I am actively trying to avoid burnout this time!
So hi, I will mostly be posting random doodles from my sketch book and maybe write some tk fics but I warn you it will be once in a blue moon if I am lucky with inspo and time because life is stretching me thin as of late.
Also remember I am not interested in corn so please NSFW don’t follow but interactions are okay!
given the current climate this pride especially i feel i must mention that i love my trans friends, i stand with trans people in the fight against transphobic legislation and those who would enforce it, and this blog is not a good place for you to be if you do not vibe with that
So you can avoid them stealing things from you, the artist/writer, etc.
Pro GenAI websites/Programs:
Facebook
Instagram
X/Twitter (Remember, Grok gives people cancer)
Threads
Pro Writing Aid
Grammarly
Duolingo
Google Docs
Microsoft Word/all Microsoft products Takes from and will feed their machine.
Youtube (taking advantage of people who are hearing impaired. ==;;)
Adobe Products. All of them. If you HAVE to use them (Some businesses require it), save offline because there is a film of at least some privacy protections there, so if you have to sue, you can say it violates US privacy law. Remember, contracts do not circumvent US law.
Corel won't feed the machines, but still uses AI stolen from other artists. Which sucks since Corel Draw is the second best overall for vector programs. (Plus I love Painter, but I bought the offline version to avoid AI). (Canadian company)
Canva Takes and feeds their machine.
Deviant Art Not only supports AI, but put a tool in and said they are going to steal your work if you like it or not for their machine.
Sketchup went Pro-GenAI. The thing is that you can do the same thing in Blender these days with precise measurements.
Autodesk has stated they are Pro-Gen AI here. It is not clear if they will use your models to feed their machine. But be on guard. They make Maya and 3Dmax. You can replace it with Blender.
Neutral ground:
Tumblr (there is a way to opt out [Link] and they don't have an active AI machine.) https://www.tumblr.com/dookins/743519550598987776/heres-how-to-disable-third-parties-like-ai
Etsy allows GenAI, but still has some (minor) restrictions. I'd still be cautious. (Also be cautious of drop shippers). Complaints about too much AI and AI images+patterns made by Ai still exist on the website. They lean slightly more pro-AI, but still won't let it run completely amok, say like Facebook. They won't feed your work into a machine, but also don't ban it through robots.txt.
Bluesky They don't use an AI algorithm except for in the "Discover" section of their website, but while they are anti-GenAI strongly, they don't seem to block the Gen AI bots from entry, so you'd still have to use Nightshade or Glaze (links below). There is no opt-out because they don't need an opt out. (Leaning towards strong position on AI, but I wish they would block GenAI bots).
Searxng- If you super want to screw over Google, in general, and have some tech savvy, you can set up your own search engine through searxng. It's easier on Windows and Linux than it is on a Mac. (Mac you need Docker), but if you're determined on privacy, Searxng adds a layer of privacy. Some of it sometimes uses bits of AI, but most of it doesn't and you can fuss with the settings so it doesn't spit out AI results. At sheer minimum Google will stop spitting out weird videos on Youtube at you because in your private browsing, you searched for the origin of ball bearings while not logged in for a book and Google likes to break privacy laws.
Strong positions against AI:
Scrivener (Creator vowed against AI) Writing program. There is an active forum, and versions for Mac, Linux and PC. It is paid, but at ~60 USD, it's cheaper than most programs. There is usually a holiday sale around Christmas. It has a learning curve, but with an active forum with the programmer of it there to ask obscure questions it's not a dead zone. They often take suggestions and implement them over time. (Especially if you rank the importance, applications, etc) US company.
LibreOffice Open source and free Spreadsheet and Word processor program that can replace Microsoft Word. Some people might have seen older versions where it was called Neo Office (now extinct) and Open Office. LibreOffice is still populated, plus the forums are super helpful if you get stuck. The UX is pretty intuitive if you've used Microsoft Word. Scrivener, BTW, supports exporting to odt (the native file) as well as .doc, and this can open both. The slight thing is that sometimes it doesn't export to .doc smoothly. And I DO wish more magazines, and agent (big clue here) supported .odt files since it is free. Part of the reason .odt isn't as supported is because Microsoft and Adobe have a deal with the devil with each other, so Adobe's Book formatting program InDesign doesn't support ODT. (BTW, if you have a good open source replacement for InDesign that supports ODT, let me know.)
Dabble (as suggested by SF stories, see reblog) is a writing program. Similar to Scrivener. Has vowed against AI and to resist it. 108 dollars a year for Basic. It is almost twice the price of Scrivener who lets you update for fairly cheap. 29 dollars a month, v. 59 dollars for the whole program (Scrivener) for the same features of Premium. You choose.
yWriter is a free Writing program and like Scrivener, and has vowed against AI Last I looked it had some UX issues, but some people swear by it. The learning curve is higher than Scrivener which is saying something.
Ellipsus is an online writing program and vowed against AI. The main feature I like (which Scrivener doesn't have) is the ability to change spellcheck based on region/language. It is a requested feature of Scrivener, but lower priority. So if you have a Brit, you can get the spelling for the character. They are a British-based company.
Cara.app (The creator of the website sued GenAI there is no chance they'll convert) is an artist website. Cara is trying to institute an auto Glaze/Nightshade into the website if given enough funds. People see it as a soft replacement for deviant art. (which went fully AI) If you believe in human art, please donate if you can. Zhang Jingna, the Creator,is Chinese-Singporean. She lives in Singapore.
Clip Studio Paint added AI, but saw the light and decided to protect artists instead because of protest and removed it. There are tutorials and a good forum if you get super stuck. Based in Japan, so the UI and UX is really clean.
Davinci Resolve Pro is a film editing software that's super good. There is a free version and a paid version. The forums are responsive. The programmers aren't always present. There is a healthy group of tutorials. US company. Clean UX. It does take a little bit of time to remember the shortcuts.
Tahoma2D is anti-AI and open source animation program. Takes a little getting used to, but is good for animations and doesn't crash as often as Animate. Programmers are in the forums and some bugs are fixed within hours. The forums are super responsive and helpful.
Krita open source and free, no AI. I'd rank it secondary to Clip Studio Paint (which is paid) I haven't tried the forums, but it's pretty intuitive and can stand for a lower level replacement for Painter, and do a lot of the basics of Photoshop. It's usually ranked higher than the equally open source Gimp.
Writer P AKA Writer+ (app for when you're on the go) is a simple word processor app for your phone that doesn't use AI. The original programmer stopped updating, so Writer+ person took over and isn't out to make a profit since it's free in the spirit of the original app. It has subfolders you can use. Since it was programmed before GenAI it doesn't have AI. Intuitive, easy to use. Fairly easy to upload the files through three dots->share. The files can save to your card or phone with some settings fussing. Simple word processor.
Inkscape is a free vector program and no AI. It is harder to use than illustrator and has less features. But if you're doing smaller vectors for one-offs with less complexity, it'll do you after some learning curve. Best of the lot. I hate Affinity Designer which is the same thing, only paid. (Neither Affinity program was worth the money paid)
Affinity (Designer, etc) swore to be AI-free and does Vector and Photos. The UX is messy, I dislike the program and regret paying for it. Inkscape and Krita are better UX and do the same thing. The forums aren't as friendly since there has been an onslaught of people seeing it's supposed to be a replacement for Photoshop and Illustrator, but the programmers aren't present. The people on the forums are often on edge about this assertion. And the capabilities of the program don't outshine basically Krita or Inkscape capabilities (both free). What is usually intuitive is not. UK company. If you're going to pay for a program, go for Clip Studio Paint which rivals Corel Painter.
Blender is a 3D art program and does not use GenAI. It can do 2D animation, but Tahoma is easier to use in this regard. It's open source and free. Plus there are plenty of tutorials. The forums can be touch and go sometimes, but there are plenty of sub Blender communities that might be responsive. It can also do animation.
Handmade vowed against AI and promised to never sell itself for stock prices to prevent AI (as a replacement for Etsy.)
Discover a world of creativity and craftsmanship through Handmade, an innovative platform connecting passionate artisans with discerning buy
Proton (to replace Google Suite) as suggested by SF Stories (see reblog) Vowed against AI. They are missing a spreadsheet, but have online and offline capabilities, plus a built-in VPN.
But you need a pro website...
Look up robots.txt and AI bots: https://www.cyberciti.biz/web-developer/block-openai-bard-bing-ai-crawler-bots-using-robots-txt-file/
Use cloudflare:
Use Nightshade:
https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/whatis.html
which will poison the algorithm
Use Glaze:
Take Away:
The thing is you think you doing it alone will do nothing, but the more AI feeds on itself, AI images, the worse they become, and the less detailed so, denying it the images, adding poison or not being able to read the human text is eventually going to lead to an AI collapse.
Analysis shows that indiscriminately training generative artificial intelligence on real and generated content, usually done by scrapi
And why not help that along?
I don't want to give cancer to poor people [Link] or make the planet burn faster [Link]. So GenAI collapse is everything I dream of. GenAI apocalypse is not.
Summary: Reader gets what they asked for and more.
———
Grace hoists Rocky’s ball onto your bunk and crawls in as well. You huff out a soft chuckle because it’s so cramped.
“What’s so funny?” Grace asks, pushing you gently down by your shoulders to lay on your back.
“N-nothing,” you reply, letting Grace manhandle you. There’s a nervous smile on your face.
“Is okay. Grace Rocky give you something to laugh about, statement,” Rocky trills.
You flush pinker and cross your arms over your stomach. Grace moves them patiently out of the way with a pointed look over the rims of his glasses that gives you butterflies.
“Grace teach where humans are ticklish, question?” Rocky asks, tapping his dominant legs together excitedly.
“Well, we figured out last time that you’re ticklish here”—he pokes your tummy—“here,”—he scribbles under your arms—“and here,” he finishes, clawing at your ribs.
You’re already a giggly mess, torn between trying to squirm away and hide your face.
“But…” Grace continues, “I bet there’s a ton more spots.”
Rocky sticks his claws through the mesh panel of his ball to drum lightly on your tummy. A stream of bubbly giggles, tangled with Rocky’s name, leaves your mouth and you try to curl up on your side.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Grace tuts, grabbing your hips and centering you on your back. “Okay. Let’s try a search grid.”
“A what?”
“Quadrant one,” Grace announces, his hands finding the left side of your neck.
You’re not prepared. You laugh brightly through cries of “Grace, wait!”, twisting on the mattress. Every time you pull your shoulder up to protect your neck, Grace’s fingers pursue your laughter to the other side of your neck. It’s impossible to escape.
“We have to be thorough. Stop trying to speed up to quadrant two, kiddo, it’s not very scientific,” Grace complains, pinning your left shoulder down to scribble gently around your left ear. He chuckles at the squeal you make in reply.
Rocky makes an endeared noise and starts to trace his claws up and down your sides. You let out a stream of bubbly giggles.
“You are just the cutest,” Grace mutters to himself, leaning down to blow a raspberry into your neck. The sound you make is probably high-pitched enough to sound like microphone feedback.
Grace comes up for air, wincing. “Jeez, kid,” he remarks, moving his hands to skitter across your collarbone and squeeze at the muscle beneath it. You didn’t even know you were ticklish there. “Are you trying to make me deaf?”
“Nahahaha- no, I’m sohohorry…”
“Stop apologizing. Why are you always apologizing? We gotta do something about that,” Grace says in a fake-scolding tone, doing an unfair 180 just to tease you. “You- need- more- self-confidence,” he adds playfully, poking you somewhere new on your torso to emphasize each word.
You make a noise of protest and indignation that is immediately overtaken by squeaky giggles as Rocky tries tickling your palm through the mesh panel.
“Ooh, nice find, Rocky,” Grace says, grabbing your other hand.
You tug uselessly on your wrists but they each have one hand and they’re not letting up. Rocky is doing more of a tickly hand massage and Grace has stretched your fingers back to scribble over your palms with his fingernails. Your heels thump futilely against the bed to let the restless energy out as you let your head fall back and laugh.
“Ahaha…wahahait,” You stammer through various squeaks and snorts.
Grace slows down. “Wait for what?”
You try to catch your breath. “I need a breheheak…”
Grace looks down at you admiringly while you catch your breath. “How do you know when break is over, question?” Rocky asks, tapping his ball in excitement.
Grace chuckles. “We gotta wait for the kid to say so, Rock,” he says. Then, to you: “Don’t wanna kill you, kiddo.”
Rocky bounces slightly. “Are you saying so, question?”
You laugh, from humor this time, and nod.
Grace resumes the search grid. “Quadrant—four? Five? Ah, fudge it.” He squeezes at your hips, showing Rocky how to do it when it gets a good reaction from you. They move on quickly though, eager to cover more ground.
“Does it tickle here?” Grace asks, squeezing at your thighs. Your hands fly down to grab his, face turning red as you laugh helplessly. “Mm, all I’m hearing is laughter, you’ve gotta be more specific,” Grace teases.
“YEHEHES it dohohohes!” You squeal.
“Oh, really, I couldn’t tell,” Grace muses playfully. Rocky traces delicate lines under your knee in the soft flesh. Your legs kick involuntarily.
“Grace, what is this appendage called, question?”
“Knees, Rock,” Grace says, squeezing at the muscle above your kneecap and grinning at the way you shriek in response. “Very ticklish knees.”
Grace’s fingers scribble down your calf and even you’re surprised at the soft, breathy giggles that it coaxes out of you. He hesitates at your foot. “Do you want me to keep going, kiddo?”
You try to catch your breath, debating. “M-maybe- maybe just a bit,” you stammer. “Nohot too much, I cahan’t handle it…”
Rocky chirps curiously. Grace explains: “For a lot of people feet are the most ticklish spot. It’s very intense.”
Grace doesn’t take your sock off, trying not to overwhelm you, but he does scratch gently at the arch of your foot while holding the ankle with his other hand. You cover your face to muffle your loud giggles. You try to tug your foot away on reflex, your leg straining against his strong hold.
“Grace correct, foot is very ticklish, statement,” Rocky affirms. He grabs your other foot and starts playing with your toes in a way that shouldn’t tickle nearly as much as it does.
“Should we play ‘This Little Piggy’?” Grace asks, a cheeky smirk on his face.
“No DOHOHOHON’T I’m nohohot a BAHAHABY!” You shriek.
“Aww, are you sure? You’re giggling like a little kid,” Grace points out unhelpfully.
Mercifully, Grace lets go of your foot. He brings his hands up to your face, resting his thumbs on your cheeks and using his remaining fingers to scratch gently at your neck and behind your ears. Rocky continues playing with your toes. Your laughter dies down into soft giggles and gasps.
Rocky abandons your foot and rolls back up towards your face, tapping his claws on his ball to make out your facial expression better through his echolocation. He makes a series of cooing noises you’ve never heard him make before.
Grace stops tickling and your shoulders relax. His thumbs stroke your cheeks gently and he leans down to press a fond kiss to your forehead.
Your breath catches in your throat. “Wha- what was that for?”
Grace clears his throat, looks up at the ceiling with a shuddering breath, and looks back down at you. You can see a slight sheen of wetness in his eyes. You know he’s not the best at verbalizing his own feelings, but you watch him try. For you.
“It’s just nice to see you happy,” he manages, his voice a little rough.
You almost smile, because he cries at everything, and you can’t help but find it endearing. But you don’t. You pull him down for a hug instead.
He awkwardly falls down into your chest with an ‘oof’, wrapping his arms around you as tightly as possible. “Thank you,” you murmur, so quiet he might not have heard it.
He nods slightly against your chest, acknowledging your thanks without making a big deal out of it. Rocky lets you have a moment.
Grace sits up and Rocky immediately bombards him with questions. “Laugh so much, so loud, statement. Why sensitive in some places more than others, question? How long does it take for humans to lose breath when tickled, question? Why blood flow go to face when tickled, question? Why so cute, question? Why does laugh change with different spots—“
Grace cuts him off, chuckling. “Slow down, buddy,” he says.
You watch them talk about your ticklish spots right over your head. Your face is beyond flushed.
“Feet, armpits, and ribs are usually the most sensitive spots for people, but it also depends on the person,” Grace explains.
Rocky bounces around excitedly. “How many more times can we tickle, question? Want to learn more, more, more.”
Grace looks to you with a smile. “That’s up to the kid.”
You look back up at them, shocked silent. You get the sense that this is only the beginning.
once again these are all from like the same two canvas files in procreate judging from the same color background. also straight up had a dream where grace and rocky figured out how to make gnocchi out of taumoeba hence the making gnocchi over a bunsen burner
I told you guys I would start posting everything in my head straight away! Bare with me whilst I get back into my writing boots <3
Grace is a super physical guy with people he is close to, strangers wouldn't think it however if he is close with a person he LOVES physical affection of all forms. (I strongly headcanon he and Ilyukhina would sit on a sofa legs sprawled over each other discussing the mission)
With his love for physical affection comes a love for tickling and he loves to tickle others, whether it be a jab in one of his friends sides or full on bear hug tickling someone he loves it, he loves seeing his loved ones laugh so freely (is also immensely ticklish but that's for another time)
He's not a mean Ler however he is smug which some would argue is more unbearable because he has a shit eating grin on his face whilst he is tickling or teasing his victims.
He is a lover of the build up, he gets that glean in his eyes and you know you're in for it. you know that slow head tilt he does I imagine he will turn around to his lee slowly looking over his glasses tilting his head and you KNOW you're in for it.
He lovesssss a chase even more if you run just know you will be chased down, and this man is faster than he looks so he will purposefully slow down to prolong the chase until you're already a pile of giggles when he gets to you.
He either starts tickling one of two ways after a chase.
One, if he's managed to corner you he will slowly approach wiggling his fingers so your curl up into yourself giggling even harder before he finally gets to you and starts slowly tickling your stomach or sides and relishing in it as you fall into laughter leaning your head against his chest holding onto his wrists.
Two, if he grabs you from behind bear hug style he immediately grapples into your sides digging into your sides and ribs and tickling ruthlessly from the start following you down to the ground where he will proceed to pin you down and tickle the ever loving shit out of you.
On the topic of shit, so help you god if you swear when he tickles you you're getting "punished" and by punished he is going for where ever you are most ticklish and drilling into that spot until you apologise, will stay stuff like "Oh so that's how its gonna be huh?" "do you want to apologise for your language yet? No well guess I'll have to keep teaching you a lesson until you do"
On that note Grace is a teaser, he will tease the ever loving daylights out of you saying things along the lines of "oh what was that?" or "it tickles? well that's kind of the point!" this man is a menace through and through.
when he's finished tickling you he will hang around a while and make sure you're all good he's always one to check in on boundaries and to make sure nothing was to far.
When he's made sure you're all good he'll walk away like nothing has happened with a ruffle of your hair or a final poke to the side.
When he sees you around for the rest of the day he will throw a smug smile your way or pretend to grab at you to watch you flinch away and takes sick joy from it.
Ahhhh I hope you guys like them :) please feel free to send in requests!!
GIYS IM ACTUALLY SO SORRY I TRIED TO DO THE COOL THING WITH SIMOINS TEETH BUT I LVITERALLY COULDNT DO IT WITHOUT IT LOOKGN WEIRD I NEED TO FIGURE THAT OUT
ler!Grace lee!reader (no actual tickling in this fic but a lot of discussion about tickling)
Sort of hurt/comfort. Also sorry about the cliffhanger guys, dw I’ll write part 3 so soon
———
It’s been 13 days since the Don’t Go Crazy Room, the promise of Taumoeba, the delay of starvation. You don’t know what to do with yourself. You have a problem, and it’s becoming unmanageable.
What Grace said then is right. You have all the time in the world. And it is contributing to the problem.
The problem is that Grace seems to have awakened something in you with only his fingers, his teacherly instinct, and his slightly tipsy judgement. And you can’t go back.
The only thing your brain wants to think about is tickles. Specifically, Grace tickling you. And now there is too much time to look at his hands, his kind smile, his strong arms, and wish his attention was directed at you.
Which is silly, because it always is. The first thing he does in the morning is check in with you and he never stops making sure you’re okay. Even when he’s not okay. Even when you’re not being a scared kid at all—steering the ship past debris, fixing a broken device that had stumped Grace in ten minutes, beating him and Rocky at Clue. He’s always quick with a pat on the back or a side hug or a friendly compliment that you don’t know how to take without blushing or stuttering or deflecting.
The problem (it’s always about the problem) is that his attention is somehow too much and not enough. You’ve never had someone care like this before. You’ve never had an object to project your desires of hugs, comfort, and a happily-ever-after onto. You’ve never had someone who you cared about pleasing so much. It’s not entirely clear he can tell. He’s probably just being nice, you tell yourself. Stop getting so attached.
You watch Grace’s fingers fly across the keyboard from where you’re curled up in your bunk with a mug of tea that Grace made you. You try suppress the tingles that spread across your skin as you imagine them on you, his strong arms hugging you close and his fingers seeking out every spot that makes you laugh. You swallow the wave of guilt and shame that crashes over you almost immediately after the tingly feeling.
You force yourself to look away from Grace’s hands. You look over at Rocky instead. He’s tinkering with something, crafting it out of xenonite. It looks like a Rubik’s cube. Your eyes widen, remembering the conversation you had with Rocky the other day about your old Rubik’s cube from Earth. Is that for me?
You watch the way Rocky builds. All five of his legs are doing something. Two are supporting him upright, one is manipulating the raw xenonite material, and the other two are articulating the shape of the design. Your mind wanders. You imagine three of Rocky’s hands holding you down firmly, the other two roaming to your sensitive spots as he coos at you in complex Eridian chords. Your ears turn pink as you imagine Grace nearby, telling Rocky where to tickle and how. Teasing you. Calling you cute. Petting your hair when it’s over. You shiver. You can almost feel it.
You shift abruptly in your bunk, rubbing away the goosebumps prickling on your skin. Grace looks up, smiles at you like you’re the best thing he’s seen all day, and continues working. It makes your stomach flip.
Could you tell him? No. You’d never live it down. You don’t know him like that. He doesn’t like you enough to do something so indulgent. You’re not his friend. You’re not his student. Or his- or his child. You’re just his unfortunate responsibility. He’d think you’re a freak. He’d regret doing it the first time if he knew you’re so weird about it. He’d eject you from the ship. He’d-
You take a deep breath before the spiral goes any further. In for four, hold for four, out for four…
A wave of sadness crashes over you. It’s strange to be in such good company and yet so lonely. You set your mug aside and roll over in your bunk, pulling the blankets over you. Grace stops typing. You hear it, but you don’t turn around.
“I think it’s time for a break,” Grace mutters to himself. He gets up to make himself more coffee. “Hey kiddo, you want some more tea?”
“I’m okay,” you say, facing the wall. Your voice sounds kind of hollow.
Grace pauses in the doorway at your response, and then keeps walking. He comes back a bit later with a fresh mug. He sits down and you hear him take a sip. You don’t hear the typing resume. You shiver. He must be watching you.
“Kid?” He asks softly.
You roll over and then sit up. “Hm?”
He leans back in his bunk, examining you for a second. “You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
Rocky becomes alert. You shake your head. “It’s nothing serious,” you offer.
He hums in acknowledgment, debating how to handle this without stressing you out. You see him switch into teacher mode in real time. “Why can’t you tell me?”
You fumble. “I, um, I don’t know. I just can’t.”
“Why not, question?” Rocky prods.
You flush, now being scrutinized by both of your crewmates. “It’s too embarrassing,” you manage.
Grace tuts. “Not a good enough answer,” he says gently, angling his head down to try to make eye contact with you. You feel like one of his students. “No such thing as embarrassing on such a small ship.”
You rub your hands over your face. “You don’t understand. It’s shameful.”
“Hmm,” he hums skeptically. “Says who?”
You flounder, searching for an answer. “Says me. Says… society.”
“We have our own society,” Rocky says. “We make own rules. I watch you sleep. I spend every second with you. This is not normally acceptable for humans. You eat in same room as me. Is not acceptable for Eridians. Is same thing.”
You sigh. You debate your options. It’s going to come out at some point—either now or when you lose your mind from the lack of physical affection. Best to get it over with.
“Fine, okay, fine,” you acquiesce. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Just- it won’t be smooth. Or put together.”
Grace nods, a patient expression on his face. He’s smiling a little too—he must find your embarrassment amusing. Or endearing? “Take your time.”
“Do you remember… do you remember the thing that you did. To me. Last week in the Don’t Go Crazy Room?” You ask haltingly.
Grace bites his lip. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
You decide that you’re done with eye contact for the day. You stare at the floor and say, “After you figured out that we could eat Taumoeba. You were doing karaoke. You said I had to be a kid again.”
“Ohhh,” Grace says slowly. “Yes. I tickled you.”
You have no idea how red your face is, but you assume it’s noticeable. You forge on: “Okay. Um. I l-liked when you did that.”
There’s a bit of silence. Rocky breaks it. “That is it, question?”
“Yeah, that’s not embarrassing,” Grace says, chuckling slightly.
“What do you mean it’s not embarrassing?” You say, trying to keep your voice level, but you hear the pitch go up from nervousness.
Grace shrugs. “Lots of people don’t mind being tickled,” he says simply.
“I don’t know much about human culture, but tickling seemed fun. I understand why you like,” Rocky adds.
“No- no, you don’t get it,” you say, covering your face. “I- I’m obsessed with it. I can’t say the word. I can’t stop thinking about it. All I want is for you to—“
Grace crosses the room, crouches in front of you, peels your hands away from your face. “Hey,” he says gently. Teacher voice. “Sweetheart. Stop for a second.”
You look into his kind eyes and nearly melt at the pet name. You try to slow down, to regulate your breathing. In for four, hold for four. “Do you really think we care about that, kiddo?” He asks.
You shrug helplessly. “I- It’s objectively weird, Grace.”
He snorts a little at that. “C’mon, kid. I called an academic a staggering waste of carbon in my youth. Rocky over here introduced himself to me without any clothes on. I don’t do anything without wearing a science pun t-shirt. Rocky likes it when I do puppet shows.”
Rocky chirps in affirmation.
“We all have our quirks. Okay? We don’t mind yours,” he says.
You nod slowly.
“And- listen. I don’t know much about your past and how that contributes to this. But it’s perfectly normal to need physical touch. I was going crazy before you woke up. Even high-fiving you improves my mental health. So I don’t mind. Rocky doesn’t mind,” he adds.
It’s silent for a few moments. You’re processing. It’s hard to believe, but if anyone were to be this accepting, it’d be him. You don’t know what you did to deserve these companions.
Rocky interrupts your thought process in his up-to-no-good octave: “Grace. We owe the kid some tickles, statement.”
You flush, looking up to see Rocky already in his ball next to you. Grace grins.
hello!! I love your phm fics they are super cute and I love the way you write/draw Adrien! anyways I was wondering if you ever considered writing something with adrien tkling rocky? of course don't feel pressured to do so !!
hope you're having a good day
Making Up for Lost Time
YES OF COURSE!!! I was a bit intimidated because I don’t really know how to write in anything other than 1st person (idk man my brain weird) so this would have to be in one of there brains but then I was like oh wait, Rocky dumbs down there language for Grace and that’s why he talks like that so THEORETICALLY they would talk normal amongst themselves???? Does that make sense? Idk but that’s how I wrote it and I hope you enjoy!
Slight spoilers for movie and book!
Summary: Rocky is worried about Adrian and his relationship! Adrian is there to help!
Ler!Adrian / Lee!Rocky
Word count: 1385
Adrian and I were curled up next to each other but not touching. Me and Grace have been back for about a month now but I feel like Adrian is still a little weirded out and not entirely sure about our relationship. I know it wouldn’t have gone back to the way it was before, at least not right away of course, but it’s been hard. Wanting to hold them, them to hold me.
I sit lost in thought about it. “What are you thinking about?” Adrian’s voice breaks the silence between us. I shift uncomfortably, debating if I should share.
“Nothing.”
“Rocky. I know you. What is bothering you? You can tell me.” They say in a soothing manner.
“…do you still love me?” I hesitantly ask. They make a surprise trill and shift my way. I know this is a lot to just drop on someone, especially after everything we have gone through.
“Of course I love you! That’s not even a question. Why?” A leg taps against the floor quickly. They seem a bit…frantic is the word I would use. They reach a claw over, like they're testing a boundary we long since crossed. Their warmth spreads through me and I melt into the touch before I can stop myself, leaning into the pressure I've been yearning for.
“I-I just—you seem distant. You don’t want to hold me or sing to me. You stay a distance away when you watch me sleep—“
“I wanted to take it slow for you.” They say softly, now rubbing soft circles with their claw. I shudder a bit but relax into the touch. I itch for more from them.
“Slow?” It doesn’t seem right. Slow. I want to make up for everything so fast, right now. I’ve waited so long to see them again, wondering if they would just become a distant memory. Now there here, warm and in front of me and very part of me aches to close the distance. I don’t want slow.
“I don’t know the extent of what happened in space. You were gone for 42 Earth years (sry I have no idea what the conversion for Eridian years is) and did not want to rush you. I…was scared to lose you again. To push you away or overwhelm you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way.” They apologize pulling their arm back, their warmth fading against my skin. Their claws come together to fidget and pull at each other. “I’m sorry.” They reiterate like they're not sure how many times it will take for me to believe them.
“I did not think of it that way. Don’t apologize. You were being very thoughtful to me. I appreciate that.” I shift just a bit closer to them, missing the touch that was once there.
“You were gone for so many years and I waited. Of course I love you.” The notes are low but soft, reassuring. They pull me into their lap and I try my best to hold in my relief and excitement. Their arms, that are much much bigger than mine, hold me close and I feel the vibrations coming from deep inside their body as they continue to talk.
“Is this what you want?” They tease a bit, rubbing the top of my carapace again. Their warmth envelops me as I melt in their arms. I feel so safe, the tension I was holding finally loosens.
“Yes. Very much.” I sheepishly say, trying to hide myself in them. They let out a small snicker that only makes me all the more embarrassed.
“You are just as cute as the day I first saw you.” They murmur, amusement dancing through their voice. “Still tiny. Still loud. Still trying to act tougher than you are.”
Their claws lightly scratch over the top of my carapace as they continue before I can stop them again.
“So talented. So caring. So stubborn.”
“Stop, please.” I feel them staring at me and I know they know I’m embarrassed. They have a smug air about them and their laughter travels straight through me.
They just continue “And determined. So adorable and amazing and good at so many—“
“Adrian please.”
They only laugh harder, claws scraping lightly along my sides and down my legs. Heat floods through me as I shrink into myself more. I whine a bit. I can’t take compliments and they know it.
“What?” They feign ignorance. “I only want to make up for lost time. Think of all the compliments I missed I could have given you!” They beam at me while it only makes me feel all the more flustered. “Such a blushy mate.” That’s it.
“I’m leaving. I have work to do.” As much as I loved it, I try to shift out of their grasp, trying to hold onto any dignity I have left. A claw grabs onto one of my legs pulling me back into them.
“Aw, leaving so soon? I finally give you all the attention you want and now you leave me? So mean.”
“Me? I’m the one whose mean? You're teasing and making fun of me!” I accuse, pointing a claw at them.
“Making fun?” They fake gasp out. “I would never do that to my tiny adorable mate! How dare you accuse me!” They laugh out cheerfully. “You're also so serious. Too serious Rocky. I will help fix your touch problem and your grumpy problem together!” They trill out while pulling my arm up.
“W-what are you—“ I cut myself off as they take a didget and drag it along the joint attaching my arm to my body. “Wahahait nohoHOHO ADRIAHAHAN—“
“Just as ticklish as I remember.” They taunt as another claw holds another arm up. I feel my heat rise even more as I twist desperately in their iron grasp. Why did they have to be so much bigger than me, this is so unfair. They easily keep me trapped, strong enough that all they do is snicker as I fight back.
“ADRIAHahahan t-thihis ISNT-HAha whahahat ihihi mehehent!” I squeal, kicking my free legs out as giddiness takes over me.
“Are you too ticklish Rocky? You know, I think you might have gotten even more ticklish in space!” A claw comes up to claw roughly at my carapace as I flinch away. The feeling buzzes through my body in a way nothing has in a very long time.
“I-I dihiHIDNT! Ahahstohop!” This is stupid and childish. But I can’t lie, it’s fun and I love it. I feel all my worries about Adrian melt away as I cackle in their lap getting the much needed attention I wanted. A sharp hiss escapes my vents before I can stop it, thin streams of stream curling up in the air between us. Well that’s just wonderful.
“You get flustered so easily. So fast.” They state the unfortunate obvious as the claw that was tracing my joint comes up to trace around my vents as I desperately grasp onto their arm.
“NOHOT THEHERE-AHAH ADRIAHAHAN!” I push against their body but nothing helps. They whisp the steam around in the air as they circle and trace the crevices. Their touches are light and soft, making me squirm.
“You sound like a hatchling right now!” Adrian laughs. “Listen to you! So squeaky!” I make an offended but desperate noise and they seem to take pity on me and slow their fingers to a stop. They go back to rubbing and scratching gently as I compose myself but the puffs of steam leaking from me makes it hard.
“Your a t-terrible mate.” I gasp out trying to seem a little tough.
“I wait 42 years for you and now you call me a terrible mate? Very ungrateful!” Laughter laces their voice at my comment making me feel very not tough. “I love you Rocky! Should have told me sooner. I can tickle you all you want!” They flex two claws above me making me let out a squeak. I flinch further into them as they reach down to hold me close. “You want to sleep?” The offer sounds like heaven.
“…yes.” I grumble out but I’m elated to sleep in their arms again. I lean into them, their vibrations as they sing lulling me to sleep.
Sketching and practicing and thought of how maybe grace could get into the xenonite suit they used for when he was seeing Rocky’s ship to sit underwater 🤿
(Don’t mind the color, trying to just draw without erasing stuff all the time and nit picking)
Thinking of this again and thought maybe grace could start to study the marine biology and creatures in Erids waters as a hobby and to help the eridians if they haven’t done it themselves. Subnautica style in a xenonite suit just without the deathly creatures
this is gonna be multiple parts!! potentially a series or something idk
kid!reader
ler!Grace, lee!reader
summary: reader has been alive in coma since Grace woke up. He didn’t know how to wake them, so when they finally wake up, he can’t wait to have another human around.
———
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Grace says to the panicked teen in the coma bed. “You’re- you’re waking up from a coma. Try to stay calm.”
You splutter and cough, immediately starting to hyperventilate. Grace is about to intervene when your breathing pattern changes into steady, controlled counts of four. Interesting, Grace thinks. You must be good at self-regulation. That only manages to make him more curious about you.
After a few hours of talking you through the uncomfortable medical aspects of waking up from a coma, giving you privacy to put some real clothes on, and figuring out if you have amnesia like he does (you don’t), he finally explains his side of the story.
You’re wide-eyed as Grace explain how he was sent on the mission against his will. You don’t believe him when he explains how he met Rocky, and you nearly have a heart attack when he peeks around the corner. You’re relieved to hear about how Rocky and Grace managed to identify a predator of astrophage.
“I- I have so many questions,” you say. “I remember you. I remember everything. But- why was I in coma for so long? I was supposed to wake up in time to help—Where are we going? Do we have to- do we have to kill ourselves now?”
“No, we’re going to Erid,” he explains. “Rocky’s planet.” He explains how Rocky donated fuel, the Taumoeba leak, and how Grace had gone back to save him.
“Listen, I- I have a lot of questions too. I remember very little about you. Why would they send a kid?” Grace asks.
“I’m a pilot,” you explains. “I was… I went to a special trade school as a teenager. I was some sort of prodigy. At least that’s what they called me. I volunteered. You and Stratt didn’t want to put a kid on the mission initially. But then the rest of the crew were struggling to adapt to the demands of flying the Hail Mary in simulations, so Stratt convinced you I was the right person.”
“But I’m a teacher, why would I ever send a kid to their death?”
You shrug. “I’m 18. So I could consent. And you got to know me, and… I guess you thought I was good.”
He chews on his lip. “Okay. Well… definitely could’ve been helpful when we were flying in Adrian’s low orbit.”
A swell of guilt crawls up your throat. It must show on your face, because he immediately backtracks. “No- no, I didn’t mean that, I- don’t feel bad. We managed fine.”
•••
A few weeks pass. You get your strength up, and also learn how to talk to Rocky. You rely heavily on the laptop translation program, but Rocky takes to you immediately. You’re so quiet and curious—exactly the type of student Grace used to like as a teacher. “A pleasure to have in class,” as he would say in parent-teacher conferences. Rocky sees it too—he’s got some kind of protective instinct for you. He’s much nicer to you than he is to Grace, at least. Much less teasing. When you smile at his jokes, he’ll repeat them until they’re worn into the ground.
Grace doesn’t tell you about the weeks of anxiety he’d had over your sleeping body, the way he’d prayed to gods he previously didn’t believe in for you to wake up so he’d have human company. The way he’d worried when Adrian’s gravity had started to pull the ship apart during the Taumoeba sample collection, threatening your dormancy in the crew quarters. He couldn’t believe you were finally awake.
Your personality is hard for them to figure out. You want to trust them, but you’re struggling. You’re much more comfortable with Grace than with Rocky but you are still very quiet. You find their friendship, their shorthand and ease, intimidating. You feel a deep guilt that you weren’t able to help with the actual mission—you make up for it by stealing Grace’s chores and ship maintenance tasks. You barely tell them anything about yourself, afraid to get close to them just to have them taken away from you. You don’t unpack that. You’re good at not unpacking things.
You bury those feelings under your apprehension about going to Erid, which is easier to deal with. You don’t remember everything about your life before Stratt recruited you—it must be the lingering effects of the coma—but you do know that you don’t really want to go back to Earth. Something about it unsettles you. So you try to look forward to Erid.
You pretend not to notice all the ways Grace is trying to break you out of your shell.
•••
Rocky and Grace are in a party sort of mood today. Grace had figured out that the two of you could eat Taumoeba once the food (and eventually the coma slurry from your two dead crewmates) ran out. The starvation-before-reaching-Erid problem had been weighing on your minds and it was good to know that you’d at least survive until Erid where the scientists there could synthesize the things you need.
You’d managed a relieved smile and celebrated with them for a bit but Grace caught you trying to slink off just as he brought out the last of the vodka. “Hey, come on,” he calls out to you as you try to leave the Don’t Go Crazy Room. “Stay with us?”
“Oh, I don’t drink,” you say. There’s a crease between your eyebrows.
Grace laughs. “Not what I meant, kiddo, I wouldn’t give alcohol to an underage—well, we’re in space, so maybe it doesn’t matter…” You watch him ramble, the crease on your forehead deepening into a line.
“Please stay, question?” Rocky asks beseechingly. He taps his front-facing legs on the floor gently. Something in your face melts—he sure knows how to weaponize cuteness. You reluctantly sit down a few feet away from Grace.
After a few swigs of vodka Grace turns on the karaoke machine. He and Rocky are goofing around. They try to get you to sing but you refuse. Grace pouts. He’s a little tipsy. “Why not?” He whines. “C’mon, kid…”
You shake your head, tight-lipped. You’re stressed again. Grace chews his lip, frustrated. He’d been doing everything he could possibly think of to make you more comfortable around them.
Grace stops drinking and grab some water, thinking maybe the drinking was stressing you out. After half an hour he’s a little more sober. You do seem to relax a bit more. You makes a joke about his singing that makes Rocky laugh, one of his non-dominant legs thumping on the ground. The teasing makes Grace grin so wide he’s afraid he’ll put you off. It feels like a victory—he doesn’t even care that much for his dignity.
The room goes quieter after a while, the three of you basking in each other’s presence and the success of having another problem solved.
“Hey,” Grace says after a while. “Why don’t you behave like a kid?”
Your body language stiffens slightly despite your best efforts to remain relaxed, to remain easy to be around. You shrug. “No time.”
Grace scoffs. “Not true. We have all the time in the world now.” But you know he knows what you mean. If you’re that age and already such a good pilot, you probably didn’t have much of a childhood.
Rocky pipes up: “You can relax. Grace will not hurt. Rocky will not hurt.”
You nod slightly. Grace smiles. “C’mon, kid, you gotta relax,” he says, reaching for you.
You stiffen further, cursing your own reflexes. You want to relax so badly. You’re not used to any sort of physical contact. Grace has been trying you with pats on the shoulder, ruffling your hair, and high fives the past few weeks to get you more comfortable with him. You look at him like a deer in headlights. You don’t run away. You quietly congratulate yourself for managing to be okay with how his hands get close, hesitate, and grab you.
He scoops you up and pulls you into his lap. Never mind, you think. Now I’m panicking. In for four—“Grace, what are you doing?” You ask, your voice a bit breathy and anxious. You grab firmly onto his forearms and try to pry him off. He doesn’t budge.
“Chill out, not gonna hurt you,” he says in your ear. You suppress a shiver at the gust of air over your sensitive skin. “Just trying to get you to be a kid.” With that, he digs into your sides.
You yelp, trying to twist out of his grip. “No-nonono Grace don’t do it—stop—Grace, no—“ You grit your teeth to muffle any laughter.
“You can laugh, I know you wanna,” Grace teases, crawling his big hands up a little higher onto your ribs. Rocky’s alert by now, watching carefully. He can tell Grace is not hurting you, despite the almost pained noises you’re making to avoid laughing.
You kick out against the floor, grunting in frustration. “Lehet me go!” you growl.
“Why are you so afraid to laugh?” He asks. “It’s not gonna kill ya.”
“What Grace doing, question?” Rocky finally asks.
“Torturing me!” You shriek. It’s the most emotion they’ve gotten out of you yet.
“Not torturing,” Grace corrects in his teacher voice. “Tickling. If you touch certain human body parts it causes a nervous system reaction of this, uh, funny feeling and it makes humans laugh. If they’re sensitive to it—ticklish, that is.”
“Why doing this, question?”
“Because he’s evil—“ you grumble, a choked laugh escaping as Grace squeezes a little harder.
“Because grumpy pants over here needs to lighten up,” he says, blowing a puff of air into your neck. “And it’s fun. And I’m in the mood for some fun today.”
You change tactics, curling up in his lap as much as possible to block the tickles out. Doesn’t manage to deter him, though. There’s always a spot wide open, no matter how much you defend. Grace skitters his fingers along your neck so you reach up to swat him away, letting out a few squeaky giggles, and he takes the opening to claw at that junction between your sides and ribs. Instant squirming. When he’s able to crack you open, you laugh a lot.
“Ahahaha- GRAHAHACE! It’s not FAHAHAIR- Lemme gohoho!!”
“Life’s not fair, kiddo,” Grace teases. He pokes and prods at where your arms are clamped down to protect your armpits, which gets you giddy and giggling almost as much as if he could actually get under your arms. “Especially not for people this ticklish,” Grace adds.
“Cute,” Rocky trills. “Is supposed to be cute, question?”
“Ohhh, hear that?” Grace murmurs in your ear, rubbing his stubble there while he’s at it. He earns a squeal for his efforts. “Yes, Rocky, it’s supposed to be cute. Veeeery cute. Aren’t you?”
Your face is so red. You definitely can’t handle compliments. “I’ll let you go if you promise to be a little more relaxed,” Grace says calmly, chuckling a little at the shrill shriek he hears when he claws gently at your tummy over your shirt.
“PLEHEHEASE PLEASE I’ll be MOHOHORE relahahahaxed…” Your laughter dies down as his fingers slow.
Rocky chirps happily. “Good,” Grace says.
He loosen his hold on you, but you don’t move. He rubs gently up and down your side. Your body is limp in Grace’s lap. “You okay?” He asks softly after a bit.
“Mm,” you hums noncommittally. Your eyes are closed.
Oh. You trust me, he realizes. Grace smiles to himself and he feels his eyes sting slightly with wetness. Rocky notices and mutters something about leaky humans before settling down in his ball. But Grace can tell Rocky’s happy.
You actually fall asleep like that. On Grace. He’s so touched that he has to get himself together before picking you up bridal-style and bringing you to bed. He tucks you in gently and goes off to get ready for bed as Rocky watches you sleep. Grace climbs into his bunk, wishing the ship a quiet goodnight.
He falls asleep more at ease than he has in months.
