iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

DEEP EXHALE. All right. This is fine. Grace does a light jog around the ship with Rocky. He knows he can't do much when he actually catches his partner, given how heavy all those rocks are. So, this is his life now.

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ᖇOᑕKY (Halloween) @rockinthestars.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“No!” And he’s running.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"Rocky. Give me the laptop." He's not asking.

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ᖇOᑕKY (Halloween) @rockinthestars.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

He picks up his laptop and holds it close. “Will not! Rocky want to learn all earth sayings!”

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"I need to put a child safety lock on that. This is ridiculous."

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ᖇOᑕKY (Halloween) @rockinthestars.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“Learn from thinking machine.” Yes. Grace gave him access to all human knowledge. He didn’t think he wouldn’t find the urban dictionary?

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ᖇOᑕKY (Halloween) @rockinthestars.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Stealing another one of Grace’s toothbrushes. (This makes six that he’s taken.) He can make more. This one’s his now.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

[Softly, as if to manage the impossible and speak to his space vlog without Rocky hearing.] Who taught him about "matching freak".

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"Rocky's got his own little fanclub, huh? Somehow, I knew he'd be popular."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Grace chuckles softly. "Right back at ya, buddy." He turns to resume his experiments, but pauses and looks back at Rocky. "...Thanks, Rocky."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Grace is glad, too. He wonders what Adrian is like. Are all Eridians like Rocky, or do their personalities differ as much as humans? Only one way to find out, but it's better than having nothing to do while the ship autopilots them home. "Do you guys have beds?" he asks. That's kind of important.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"If they're anything like you, I'm sure I will." Grace's smile is calm and earnest, albeit somewhat tired. He's come to trust Eridians more than humans, all thanks to Rocky. Mostly, he wants to know how to tell if Rocky is okay. He's different from any Earth organism, in many ways.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

⤴️ "surrounding you that triggers it? But when I got to the softer parts, it wasn't long until they changed hardness and color. "Eridians have doctors, right? They would know about the inner workings of your body. Think you could introduce me?"

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"Finished testing your carapace," Grace replies. "I don't know how accurate my numbers are, but it held up pretty good against the Xenonite. "It's pretty interesting," he hums. "Exposing the softer parts to the atmosphere creates some kind of oxidation process. Maybe it's just whatever gas is ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

⤴️ Grace comes to attention, uncrossing his arms. "Hey, welcome back," he greets his friend. "I was kinda hoping you'd be up soon. I ran outta things to do."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Three hours is definitely enough time to exhaust all of his options. His tentative guess is that Rocky is a 7 on the Mohs scale at his carapace, and 3 on the deeper levels. Very crab-like. He's pretty glad that they're on the same side. Rocky could crush him if he wanted to. When Rocky stirs, ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"I wonder what sort of planets are near Erid. Haven't really gotten the chance to learn history on this planet since I've been so busy teaching the pebbles."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

⤴️ Erid is a strange world with strange creatures, his partner in crime being one of them. If Grace ever returned to Earth, he'd be mocked for wasting sentiment on a literal pet rock. Good thing he's never going back. He doesn't *want* to. And so, he makes sure Rocky's breathing is even and clear.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

And so, he does. Grace continues to tinker with the sample, casting his eyes to the little alien every now and then. ...Okay, fine. Grace is just as paranoid as Rocky. Who could blame him, after everything they've been through together? After he feared Rocky had given his life to protect him? ⤵️

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a spider-verse girl with a sword 🗡️ @ofspiiderswords.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

❝ 𝓑𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓮; 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡.❞ ↻+♡

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

"Huhhhwh-" Grace lifts his face off the table and rubs at it with a hand. "What? How many times do I gotta tell you, if I'm breathing I'm still alive!"

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Thanks, Rock." Grace goes back to work on the menial tasks around the ship. He keeps quiet, like he's trying not to disturb Rocky. He's seen his partner pick soundwaves from pretty incredible distances before, so it's best to be mindful of that.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Of course Rocky is stalling. "Grace will be okay," he insists in a stern tone. "C'mon, you know I'll wake you up for emergencies. Just relax. I've got this."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"I know, tough guy. Just take it easy. Don't wear yourself out before we reenter the atmosphere."

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JUDE MERCER @vengefulshade.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

𝓙𝓾𝓭𝓮 𝓘𝓼𝓪𝓪𝓬 (𝓒𝓻𝓸𝔀𝓵𝓮𝔂) 𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓻 𝘖𝘊/𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯/𝘔𝘋𝘕𝘐 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 #вαвz

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ internet so that he could find out what this all compares to. Biology wasn't what he got his degree in.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

At this point, Grace has given up on keeping control of his ship. Right now, it's more like *our* ship. They have to fly in tandem if they meet with danger, after all. So crab-like is plausible. Makes sense, too. The biology of his partner is really intriguing. He just wishes he had access to the ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Huh..." Grace starts writing down his findings in his laptop. This is really interesting. He pokes at the soft part to get a feel for what it might be like at Rocky's core. Did that mean that as the lower layers are exposed to air, they harden?

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ the core. It makes sense. Rocky needs mobility AND protection, so this is a natural outcome for the evolution of his species. It makes him think of tree trunks... Be reminded later, do science now. He keeps gripping, watching carefully for the *pop* of dust.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Rocky really thinks Grace could get cut open by any stray object, huh? ...Maybe that's not the worst thing to think. Humans are MUCH more fragile than the carapace he's struggling to cut in half, even if the tool makes it easier. Come to think of it, this material gets softer and softer towards ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ he tells his friend. Now he just has to figure out how to get readings off this press... It's still going to be a shaky guess-timate, but he's interested to see whereabouts the difficulty in breaking it lies before they head home.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

He really will, because this thing is amazing! Well, practically *everything* on Erid is amazing. Grace wouldn't have seen such incredible things if he never saved Rocky. He's glad they're both safe, and he can be in a world where he's *actually* appreciated. Speaking of that. "Appreciated," ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ He begins using the Xenonite to carve into the carapace, but just like Rocky said, he doesnt have the strength to exert the force he needs. "...Do you have a Hydraulic Press, too?" he asks. "I need a force multiplier."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Thanks, Rock," Grace replies. "I owe you one." Despite how little he's talking, Rocky can probably hear the metal of the scalpel resonating with the effort it takes to push into the rock. Okay then. Stronger than steel. Not *extremely* impressive, but it tells him just how resilient Rocky is. ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

They settle into an easy silence. It's like parallel playing for these two. The sun is safe, but reliving those old days still makes him nostalgic. He made his choice. He's not going back to earth. "Get me more mineral samples when we touch down back on Erid," Grace requests.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"It's your body, man, you get to choose," Grace reassures him. "I've just got more dexterity than you do, I think? Certainly more fingers." He presses the scalpel into the sample... There is some resistance, so it's not a 1. But it doesn't feel like the hardest material out there, either.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Yeah," Grace affirms. "I used to have a bearded dragon when I was little. The poor guy needed help with his shed too, or it'd cut off his circulation." Pause. "That wasn't even made out of rock; it was skin, like I have. I only have theories on how hard it must be for you."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Ah, he can't stay mad at his buddy for long. Grace smiles, getting back to work on his samples. "I can help you out with your next shed," he offers. "I'm guessing that the hardness is going to be low. Your body would prefer something reasonably penetrable to shed out of."

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ him, and a patiently impatient xenon-based lifeform watching him like a hawk. "So you do have layers," Grace hums. "Do you shed like a bug? Break off the old skin, be vulnerable for a bit, then harden?"

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Oh, man. He hadn't even considered what sort of sensitivity Rocky would have to small, annoying sounds. Grace feels like a bit of an ass for that, despite not knowing what it's like to be Eridian. He'll save the apology for when he really screws up, though. For now, he has two samples in front of ⤵️

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

//adorable. Well thanks for keeping me entertained while I can't sleep

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

⤴️ If it doesn't leave a dent, he'll try mashing the Xenonite against the carapace. Hardness effects the ability to cut into the stone, so this may not be all he has to do. "...Ever seen a Hydraulic Press try to compress Tungsten Carbide?" Kind of a non-sequitur, but still on topic.

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Dr. Captain Ryland Grace @solarsavior.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

What a sassy little... 💢 It's fine. He'll just take the sample and do his experiment. They've made the bridge between their ships into some kind of makeshift living room, where they can both have the atmosphere that makes them comfortable while they talk. First, he'll start with the scalpel. ⤵️

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