You were involved in political affairs years before Grace, and even Stratt. The highest ranking physician in your country, you worked alongside the most dominant government officials as their advisor.
But you were so, so tired. The leaders never listened; the medical decisions they made were left more often to profit and power than the health of the nation. Your job had molded you into someone strict, and sad, and filled with grief - grief for the people you didn't help and grief for your own faith in humanity.
You were so close to quitting when the Petrova Line was discovered. What fully pushed you over the edge was an audacious write up for a Project Hail Mary coming across your desk. If you weren't so sick of this shit, you'd have laughed. It was so ridiculous - sending people on a suicide mission to space. It only took you one click of your pen to decide to opt for a black sharpie instead.
You'd sent the report back with STUPID written on the front page, all caps spanning across the print. You hadn't expected it to come back to you, especially not so soon.
When you were faced with Eva Stratt holding up the defaced papers and asking you to elaborate, you didn't know who she was. You must not have cared either, considering your only response was to turn each page of the packet and rewrite STUPID again on each and every one as she watched.
It had the opposite effect than you'd thought. Suddenly, you were on Stratt's team as a vital member. She'd listened to you. She gave you time and space and resources, as much as she could offer, and let you work. You'd discovered the coma gene and its markers, you'd developed the dosages to induce the sleep.
Working with Stratt on Project Hail Mary had given you hope. You were working towards tangible change - a long shot, yes, but it was something. She hadn't started making the hard decisions yet.
calling my medic!reader x ryland grace situation Coup de Grace
it means final blow, a mercy kill
i feel like it reflects readerâs attitude about the mission; their life wonât get any better so kill them now. at least theyâll go out with a bang
also stratt with grace - her âblow of mercyâ to the wounded animal (pathetic loser) that grace is
You are - were - a friend of Eva Stratt's. Well, friend is generous. You were two like-minded individuals; you both saw the bigger picture. You both knew that Project Hail Mary was a long shot. Unfortunately, you both hoped anyway.Â
Sheâd made you the teamâs medic. You were only meant to work on the dosages for the induced coma, but when youâd heard she was planning to have only robot arms as caretakers, you told her it was stupid. And, for all of her pride, Stratt listens to boldness. Exhibit A, you. Exhibit B, Ryland Grace.
You couldnât think of another reason sheâd entrust the astrophage research to that guy. Nothing against him; he just didnât seem suited for government work, especially not on a project so consequential. He was too spontaneous, too abstract, and just too pleasant. Though, you couldnât blame Stratt, either. Grace woke up the workplace. His dumb science shirts made you feel something, even if it was just a dull annoyance, other than impending doom.Â
Stratt was less good at hiding her feelings than she thought. She wouldnât share a cup of coffee, but she would sacrifice simplicity so her team could awaken to a real, living person taking care of them. Youâd sometimes traded morbid jokes that you were their grim reaper; leading them to death, but kinder than nothing nonetheless.
You made jokes with yourself about Grace, too. About how his name was fitting. About how he was too kind for this world and too dumb for his job. About how maybe you could mean something to him.Â
What a funny thought. You hadnât mattered to anybody before, not other than as a dutiful doctor, so why start now, on the way to your imminent end. If anyone should go on this journey it should be you. Nobody would be waiting with bated breath for your return. Your job, your life, had barely changed with the mission. You would still be waking up early to look after people with one foot in the grave. Alone.Â
You hadnât known what Stratt did until it was too late. You wouldnât have been able to do anything about it anyway, is what you told yourself as you watched them wheel Graceâs mummified body to the ship. But you wished you could have. You wished there was a better way. You wished Stratt wouldâve trusted you enough to at least tell you this. You wished youâd have tried something, anything, with Grace. You wished you could have held his hand other than to guide him to a fate he didnât choose.Â
But you hadnât. So you take two shots - one for the coma and the other for amnesia. Grace would forget the way Stratt betrayed him and you would forget the way you betrayed yourself.Â
doctor reader is here, not because they found someone they were willing to die for, but because they had nothing to live for back on earth hmm
so cynical itâd be annoying for anyone who isnât grace mhm
even when they meet rocky and figure out the astrophages, they can only think that this will end badly hmmm hm hmm
falls for grace first because what the fuck do you mean heâs in a hopeless situation that wasnât even his choice and he still has hope and joy and trust in a strange creature and humanity and the universe
(grace falls for reader harder because, despite how they present themself, its brave and kind and beautiful to risk your own life for a planet, to have the heart to care heal people, suicide mission or otherwise)
single mom!reader who doesnât trust randoms, esp not with her kid(s), so neighbor!clark canât break into her life. but she trusts superman because who wouldnât, right? so clark uses himself to take care of her because for some reason this lady just hates his ass as a civilian.
single mom!reader who doesnât trust randoms, esp not with her kid(s), so neighbor!clark canât break into her life. but she trusts superman because who wouldnât, right? so clark uses himself to take care of her because for some reason this lady just hates his ass as a civilian.
everyone should make more moodboards. they are the perfect way to visually represent something. none of these things have anything to do with each other except they are the core of this character's being.
