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[dathen]

The thing about the Aroace Reading of Ryland Grace/ Project Hail Mary is it still stands whether or not Grace is aroace. You know those posts like “I’m not aromantic but I believe in their beliefs”? THIS STORY BELIEVES IN OUR BELIEFS. We’re constantly saying that amatonormativity harms everyone, that your life will be richer if you value platonic relationships no less than romantic, that there’s no shame in being single, etc. The entire Project Hail Mary story—even from Rocky’s perspective!—is like a manifesto of everything we’ve been saying all along.

I DO see Ryland Grace as the aroace in space, and find the story more fulfilling through that lens, but this reading is beyond an identity ‘headcanon.’

[rovermcfly]

rocky's crew dying from radiation exposure, something humans go to great lengths to prevent and are very scared of and ryland's crew dying in their "sleep" with nobody watching, something eridians go to great lengths to prevent and are very scared of. cool book that is easy to read through your tears.

[coredrill]

also sorry but i really can’t get over the changes the movie made for the “grace go home” scene. in the book rocky only brings up adrian when they get to the planet and by that point has already offered grace extra fuel. but the movie??? first of all never specifies if rocky has extra fuel, instead implies that rocky is going to just. do smaller burns. and that if rocky HADN’T given grace fuel, rocky would’ve used it all. but SECOND. the movie establishes that rocky HAS a mate, that adrian is the thing rocky misses the most about erid, and that rocky is not satisfied with 180+ years with them. meanwhile grace does not have a mate and instead misses the fog and teaching and his students. so grace AND rocky AND the audience have all this information when rocky gives up six years with adrian for grace’s sake. because rocky (in contrast with humans, though no one knows that yet) doesn’t perceive grace’s life and the things grace loves about home to be lesser because grace has no romantic partner. movie made in a fucking lab to be read in an aroace way brb throwing myself off every available cliff !!!!!!!!!

[likelightinglass]

One of the very best things about Project Hail Mary, my favorite movie, is that you can tell that every single person involved, and I mean everyone, from the directors to the phenomenal casting choice Ryan Gosling to the puppeteers right down probably to the guy who brought the lighting supervisor their coffee, did it with all of the love in their hearts. And you can tell. It's in every frame. The love moves through it like it's a supporting character.

[hedgehogofvictory]

ALSO grace's syntax is significantly changed by the end of the book because of his shared grammar with Rocky. Its GOTTA be mutual, right? how weird do you think Rocky sounds to other Eridians when he talks to Grace?

Adrian meets Grace for the first time, and is fully prepared for the alien to talk weird, of course it will its a weird leaky space blob with only two arms, but they are NOT prepared for their mate's grammar to completely fall apart. Adrian can't even properly greet Grace because they're too busy laughing at Rocky for talking like that

[huanggugugu]

Handle with care!

[justablart56]

they're so everything

(inspired by this post from @consumerofshorthomies )

[adrianeridian]

Grace on his own is doomed by the narrative. He cannot fulfill his heroic journey alone.

Rocky is doomed by the narrative. He doesn't have vital information to fulfill his hero's journey.

As a team, they survive their myth. They get a happy ending.

[gazpachoandbooks]

Book Rocky: okay so I thought of this really cool design for a ball I could move around in so I wouldn't die in your atmosphere bc I reaaally want to see your ship, but I wouldn't want to impose. Would it be OK if I took a look around, question?

Book Grace: OF COURSE!!! I want to show you human technology! Lemme just go tide up real fast.

Film Grace: what the fuck are you doing in a ball

Film Rocky: didn't you hear?? We're roomies now. Why do you live in a dumpster, question?

Film Grace: you can't just say "we're roomies now"

Film Rocky: *holding up a sign that says "I CAN DO WHAT I WANT, STATEMENT"* sounds like a you problem. Let's make me a room I'm not going to live in this fucking mess

[twomanyfandomshelp]

I love that the Project Hail Mary fandom just collectively went. “I don’t care that they can’t actually touch. They are going to hug.”

[noworneverphantom]

The headcanon that Ryland Grace is aroace is so important to me. Because the respresentation of his relationship with Rocky being the most important relationship in his life is SO meaningful.

Like that’s just his buddy. His little guy. A friend, and that’s ENOUGH for him. It’s the most meaningful relationship he has and will have and he’s perfectly content with it

[p4nishers]

the project hail mary universe is one of the only ones out there where orpheus turning around actually saved eurydice btw

[stormsthatrage]

Shoutout to Project Hail Mary for being the only media where the unconscious protagonist is dragged off screen by an alien spider monster and the audience's reaction is heartbreak on behalf of the alien spider monster.

[starspaceace]

i like to imagine the eridians having similar conversations that we're having about their alien

[queenbruv]

one thing from project hail mary the book that i really wish theyd made clear in the movie is that when grace makes the decision to save rocky instead of go back to earth, he is prepared to die. like i understand why the movie had to cut a lot from the book for pacing and it wasnt exactly necessary to include the whole sub-subplot where rocky and grace figure out that there is nothing on erid that is safe for humans to consume, but it would have been worth a passing mention at some point, because grace goes back for rocky knowing that even if rocky takes him to erid, he will still die there, because there is nothing he can eat. the only reason he survives is by eating taumoeba, which is a solution rocky comes up with only after grace saves him and admits to him that he came to his rescue fully prepared to die.

the movie really breezes past rocky's rescue and the time skip, and it never explains why choosing to save rocky is so monumental in the first place: it answers the central question grace is grappling with for the whole movie. "who would i die for?" he doesn't just go back for rocky because it's the right thing to do. he sacrifices himself to save rocky. he is ready to die if it means rocky will live.

[whooshsoohw]

So cool how Rocky immediately wants to be friends with Grace. Like they didn't even question it. Grace does silly dances and laughs, Rocky instantly copies him. Grace said his ex had a new mate, Rocky hated that new mate as soon as they heard about it. 100% loyalty and devotion from the get go.

[faerieinthehumanworld]

They are immediately ride-or-die. We love. Love love love.

[projectquotemary]

*skipping stones across an artificial lake the Eridians made Grace*

Grace: This is nice.

Rocky, who does not understand this Earth activity: Take that you fucking lake.