chat, am I an absolute chud for wanting Bloodymary (PHM x Iron Lung) content without the whole “Grace and Simon fall in love” part??
I want to see content of Grace and Simon being unlikely friends.
On the surface, Simon is angry and untrusting. Grace is silly and so patient. Together (and with Rocky and maybe other Eridians, Armando, and Mary depending on your AU) they peel back anger and fear and facades and jokes and go from being strangers who were seated next to each other because of the teachers randomly assigned seating chart, to friends who are willing to stay up all night for each other and discuss the universe.
Simon is so scared, but it’s hidden under such anger. Grace is trying to show him the most fascinating parts of space and to enjoy being a curious, deviant kid again.
Grace is trying to fight through social anxiety and Simon helps him remember why he decided to do public speaking and become a teacher for a living.
They learn how to control their anger together. (Side note: more angry Grace content pls?? I love him as a wet cat or a silly billy, but also maybe it’s interesting if he’s a frustrated guy too)
They’re pranking Rocky together, looking for constellations, tending to plants, trying new foods, etc. Not in a “we’re romantic partners doing this together” type of way, but a “we’re friends who decided hey, we can just live with each other and hangout everyday if we want” type of way.
They learn physical contact, not romantically, but humanly. Wanting to feel the warmth of another body, to feel a beating heart, growing hair, breathing nose. To see the skin turn a pale white when pressed down on, before slowly filling with red again as blood flows through another system like your own.
In both trying to help one another, find peace in their own situation. Realizing how similar they are, “if you can accept what’s happened to you, so can I.”
And it’s just human connection. I don’t mind people who ship it romantically, but sometimes it feels like we replace “exploring isolation” for kisses. Or “the feeling of holding a warm hand for the first time” for general intimacy. Or “seeing yourself in the reflection of someone’s eye after so long” for flustered blushes. Feeling the vocal chords vibrate, hearing a voice other than yours cry, running your hand through hair that isn’t your own, learning how to live life through a different perspective, dealing with grief in a completely foreign way, empathizing with a pain that sounds impossible, feeling helpless and lost and alone, accepting help and support and trust. All these things that could be explored I feel get swept under the rug for a more romantic view. And I don’t mind the people who prefer that romantic view, I just wish there was something for those of us who’d rather skip that part and see them interact in a way that feels human on a mindless level. Human in a way we don’t think about it being human, because we just do it.
Edit: I also understand all those things I mentioned can be explored and have it be explored with them as romantic partners. I just feel like sometimes the fact that they’re a couple overshadows the parts that seem interesting or hard to tackle or difficult to face. Like we’re sugarcoating and softening content like dealing with the mindset of knowing people want you dead and willingly forced you into a situation where you will die. You were never supposed to come back. You weren’t wanted back. You are less than human. There is no worth in your life, but a worth on it.
yes, we can tackle that by having Simon and Grace hold each other, and kiss each other, and tell each other it’s okay and they are loved and worth so much. I’m not opposed to that, that sounds very sweet.
But, we can also say that Simon and Grace give each other a comforting hug and say “yeah. That fucking sucks.” And know that they are some of the only people who truly know and understand that feeling. To be tossed away, to throw away your needs for the needs of the many, to all of a sudden be reduced to numbers and figures in one decision. They still feel loved and valued, but in a way that isn’t a “me and you against the world <33” but in a way a minority looks at another minority and though have never met, immediately have each others back because it doesn’t matter if I know you or not, you understand a pain that not many understand.
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