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  1. Public Bookmark 80

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    Summary

    Grace flexes its jaw, shifts the marker towards one corner of its mouth, then removes the marker without actually consuming it. It makes a sharp pop as it leaves Grace's mouth, brightening the tubing in Grace's nose.

    "I've got it reversed," Grace decides.

    I unfreeze enough to let out a loud and pointed noise of disgust.

    "Yeah, sorry buddy. This isn't exactly my wheelhouse."

    Without acknowledging the aborted attempt to eat the marker, nor wiping it's digestive fluids off of it, Grace taps the square it paused over again.

    "This is actually a second cousin," It says.

    I decide not to ask.

    -

    Or: The road to Erid is long. Rocky spends it slowly figuring out what it means to be human, and how Grace muddles along through it.

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    9,174
    Chapters:
    3/?
    Comments:
    97
    Kudos:
    357
    Bookmarks:
    80
    Hits:
    1,679

    01 Jul 2026

  2. Public Bookmark 24

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    Summary

    Eridians show affection mostly through singing, or by making gifts. Rocky has always found it an easy, uncomplicated way to express his feelings.

    Human affection is neither easy nor uncomplicated, he quickly discovers. It’s full of strange customs, involves a lot of touching and is, sometimes, worryingly violent.

    Series
    Language:
    English
    Words:
    4,017
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Comments:
    53
    Kudos:
    277
    Bookmarks:
    24
    Hits:
    834

    29 Jun 2026

  3. Public Bookmark 48

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    Summary

    I can’t go home yet; I don’t want to face Adrian’s gentle comfort; I don’t deserve it. I can’t do anything useful anymore. I did my job and saved the planet, and I guess that’s it. No more engineering for Rocky. Maybe I’ll pick up something else, a new career to fill my time if no one will utilize my painstakingly crafted talents in the engineering world anymore. No, I can’t even pretend. I love engineering, I love making things, working on things, making things better. I need a project to fill up my thoughts until nothing else fits. Why won’t they give me one?

    Grace would give me one. He loves my inventions, praises me more than I can stand to hear. He wants my work still, right? I’m already halfway to the dome before I even realize it. It’s late for Grace, he might not even be awake, but I need to meet him. I need him.

    or Grace settles into Erid life pretty easily. Rocky struggles to do the same.

    Series
    Language:
    English
    Words:
    11,470
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Comments:
    31
    Kudos:
    394
    Bookmarks:
    48
    Hits:
    1,768

    29 Jun 2026

  4. Public Bookmark 61

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    Summary

    "Come on, show me your masterpiece," Grace said, feeling helplessly charmed. "What's it about?"

    "Is proposal," Rocky said.

    "Oh yeah?" Grace smiled. He stretched his arms up, reaching until his spine popped. Maybe taking a break from his experiments was the right call after all. "Sounds exciting. What are you proposing?"

    "Propose Grace Rocky get married," Rocky said.

    Grace twitched violently, fell sideways off the viewing platform, and banged his elbow hard into DGCR screen six.

     

    Rocky and Grace watch a movie and talk about their friendship. Also they love each other to the ends of the infinite, expanding universe.

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    7,505
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Comments:
    43
    Kudos:
    247
    Bookmarks:
    61
    Hits:
    983

    26 Jun 2026

  5. Public Bookmark 39

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    Summary

    I'd thought before that I'd trust Rocky with anything, even open heart surgery, and I really, truly did. Given a few hours to read up on a topic Rocky could blow any equivalent human out of the water, and his adaptability, intelligence and dexterity gave me absolute confidence in his ability to do anything he set his mind to. The real difficulty would be on my end: my confusing squishy organs and the time limit we were on, my incompatibility with his atmosphere, and, most concerningly, the fact that the only anesthesia the Hail Mary had was local.

    Grace has appendicitis. Rocky has to cut it out.

    Series
    Language:
    English
    Words:
    3,116
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Collections:
    1
    Comments:
    21
    Kudos:
    355
    Bookmarks:
    39
    Hits:
    2,048

    24 Jun 2026