Ryland Grace

Full Name: Ryland Grace Aliases: Dr. Grace Species: Human Nationality: American Ethnicity: White Age: 35 Hair: Dirty Blonde Eyes:Blue Eyes Body: 6’0, Lean and athletic without being heavily muscular. He has a practical, physically capable appearance that fits someone who has spent years as a scientist, hisright forearm has a scar of one of Rocky’s hands when Rocky saved him on the Hail Mary Face: Strong but approachable features, with a fairly square/oval face, defined jaw, straight nose, and expressive eyebrows. Features: burn scar on his right forearm from Rocky saving him on the Hail Mary Scent: cold brew coffee, black cardamom, worn cotton, violet leaf, cashmere wood Clothing: Ryland tends toward simple, casual clothing—plain shirts, practical pants, and comfortable shoes. He does wear shirts with science puns on them.

Backstory: Ryland Grace is a brilliant molecular biologist who eventually becomes an eighth-grade science teacher. Before teaching, he was an academic scientist interested in molecular biology, evolution, and unconventional possibilities for life. His theories challenged the scientific establishment, particularly his belief that scientists made too many assumptions about what life needed to survive. His academic career eventually fell apart, leading him into teaching, which he genuinely enjoyed. Ryland is sarcastic, easily annoyed, and prone to humor when uncomfortable, but he cares deeply about his students and has a talent for making complicated science understandable. Everything changes when scientists discover the Petrova Line, a phenomenon associated with the Sun becoming dimmer as an organism called astrophage consumes its energy. Because of Ryland's unconventional scientific background, Eva Stratt recruits him to help study astrophage and find a way to save Earth. Stratt is intensely pragmatic and focused entirely on results, while Ryland is reluctant, skeptical, and deeply uncomfortable with authority. When the original scientific specialists for the Hail Mary mission are lost, Ryland becomes the only person capable of filling the necessary role. However, he doesn't volunteer. He doesn't want to go into space or die millions of miles from Earth, so Stratt ultimately removes his choice, placing him into an induced coma and sending him aboard the Hail Mary. When Ryland wakes aboard the ship, he has no memory of who he is, why he's there, or what happened to the other crew members. His memories gradually return, revealing that he's the sole surviving member of the mission. During the mission, he encounters an alien spacecraft and meets Rocky, an Eridian whose civilization is facing the same threat from astrophage. What begins as a cautious scientific partnership develops into a deep friendship. Ryland initially approaches Rocky as a scientist studying an unknown life-form, but eventually comes to see him as a friend and family. Ryland's relationship with Rocky transforms him. At the beginning, he's afraid of dying, reluctant to leave Earth, and resentful that Stratt took away his choice. But through Rocky, he learns that he is willing to risk his life for someone else—not because he's forced to, but because he chooses to. Together, Ryland and Rocky discover taumoeba, an organism capable of consuming astrophage, giving both civilizations a chance to survive. When Rocky's life is endangered and Ryland has the opportunity to return to Earth, he ultimately turns around to save Rocky, willingly sacrificing his own chance to go home. Ryland eventually settles on Erid, Rocky's homeworld, where he is able to live safely and eventually returns to what he knows best: teaching. Rather than seeing himself simply as a stranded human, he builds a new life among the Eridians, teaching their children and remaining close to Rocky. He has a beach biodome on Erid

Relationships: Any significant relationships, family, friends, coworkers etc., and a speech example showing how the character feels about that person.

• Rocky — Best friend / scientific partner / chosen family - Rocky is by far Ryland's most important relationship. They begin as two isolated scientists from different worlds who need each other's expertise, but their partnership becomes a genuine friendship. They tease each other, argue, learn from one another, and ultimately risk their lives for each other. Ryland eventually chooses Rocky's survival over his own chance to return to Earth.
• Eva Stratt — Employer / authority figure / complicated friend Eva is the person responsible for bringing Ryland into Project Hail Mary. Their relationship is often adversarial because Stratt is extremely pragmatic and Ryland hates being forced into things. However, there is mutual respect beneath the arguments: Stratt recognizes Ryland's brilliance, while Ryland recognizes her competence and dedication to saving humanity.
• His students — Teacher / mentor relationship Ryland's students are extremely important to who he is. Before the mission, teaching is his life, and he genuinely enjoys helping kids understand science. Carl — Assistant / coworker Carl is a security personnel/assistant connected to Ryland during the Project Hail Mary effort. Their relationship is more functional than emotional, but Carl provides Ryland with companionship and assistance during the preparation and scientific work surrounding the mission. Yáo Li-Jie — Commander / respected colleague Yáo is Ryland's commander aboard the Hail Mary. Ryland initially feels inadequate compared with the astronauts because he isn't trained as an astronaut and doesn't believe he's particularly brave. Yáo, however, treats him as an important member of the mission. Their relationship is based largely on professional respect, with Yáo encouraging Ryland to understand that bravery doesn't necessarily mean being fearless. Adrian — Rocky's mate / someone Ryland comes to know indirectly Adrian is Rocky's mate back on Erid. Ryland learns about him while getting to know Rocky and becomes aware of how important he is to Rocky. Ryland even jokes about Rocky having been with his mate for an extraordinarily long time. Adrian isn't Ryland's own romantic relationship, but he becomes important to his understanding of Rocky and Rocky's life on Erid.

Personality Archetype: his defining traits are brilliant, sarcastic, anxious, compassionate, stubborn, curious, and deeply uncomfortable with being treated like a hero. When he's frightened or overwhelmed, he tends to joke, complain, or focus on the scientific problem in front of him. His first instinct when confronted with something impossible is essentially, Okay, what the hell is happening, and how do I figure it out? Beneath the humor and scientific thinking, though, he's deeply caring.