#Outer wilds AU
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elwensa · 1 month ago
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The Legend Of Outer Wilds That's it guys! I'm finally posting about TLOOW! For those who don't know about this: This is a medieval-fantasy alternate universe of Outer Wilds, heavily inspired by the Zelda franchise
I've heard a while back the OW devs talking about how Zelda Skyward Sword frustrated them so much that it ended up being "everything not to do" in Outer Wilds. But with time, I ended up playing around with the idea of a crossover between Skyward Sword and Outer Wilds. I liked the idea of replacing space with an endless sky, the ships with giant bugs, the plants with islands, and I thought about the character design potential...
So I did it! I designed each characters, and then created a world with the help of a few friends!
I compiled all the ideas and concept art I have into a website: https://tloow.carrd.co/
I will also post all the concept art I did here, but in a different post! I'll make sure to give little descriptions and behind the scenes for all of them!
If you like this AU, feel free to use it to make your own art and stories! I made this so it can be shared!
And if you have questions, feel free to ask!
Also here's the version without the title:
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imsmallfry · 20 days ago
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imagine a world where the nomai adopted unevolved hearthians and made them like little purse dogs :3
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neflil · 3 months ago
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For the Detroit: Become Human x Outer Wilds AU Spitzle and I have been working on (along with the help of Cosmo too!!!!) TWs: Injury, blood (although its blue), limb dislocation (its not really visible but just in case), self worth issues, angst Context and details below the cut vv
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The Hatchling was made as a replacement for Gabbro, they are perfect in every way Gabbro isn't. They cant feel pain, they have better systems, their vision is clearer, they have a purpose... They don't have to be reset every so often because they are faulty. Delirious Gabbro can only stare in awe and admire everything they are not, and could never be - The Hatchling hears a sound that awfully resembles the cries of a real Hatchling, Gabbro is also missing after their accident. They start searching despite being in a very bad state themselves. They need to retrieve the Android, or at least know its whereabouts no matter what They find the source of the sound, Gabbro. Injured, lying on the ground. They can't listen to these awful sounds they're making anymore. They remember how Esker holds a Hatchling close and soothes them, that seems to work to make them stop. They attempt the same. (Not knowing it'll only hurt Gabbro more in the process.) An AU where androids started being made after Feldspar's death, as a way to replace the lost Hearthian. Little do they know this would only lead in the few Androids to develop feelings and identity issues hdjsahdajs. Closeups + Details: The Hatchlings eye lenses being fully exposed because the plastic that works as "eye lids" is gone. The "Software instability" icon being purple, since the Hatchling has a special Nomai chip and the idle state is purple, instead of the usual blue. Gabbro's and Hatchlings blood being visually different, cus Gabbro is the older model, who needs their fuel cleaned whereas the Hatchling is perfect The things written in the "You were always perfect" wall text is all Gabbro admiring the Hatchling :3c
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evalka · 4 months ago
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Stars shone bright… but all were outshined.
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A scene from Chapter 13 of my Outer Wilds fic, Time Pressure. Go read it!
Yes, I drew all of this. I am insane.
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angelofchaos001 · 3 months ago
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Stranded in the Rain - Chapter 1
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Link to Ao3 (Chapter also under cut)
Link to Masterpost
Next (Adapting)
Chapter 1 - Beginning
GASP!
Hatchling shot upright, desperate for air. It felt like they had been choked out, maybe even to the point of death. Perhaps that's not the best train of thought, they realized. Death was just a grim reminder of the fact that they had been stuck in a loop. Space and time had gotten so warped and tangled with each other that no matter what they did, every time they met the end of their life, they would just come back.
Except . . .
Hadn't they ended the loops?
Hadn't they ended the universe?
I . . . I remember the big flash . . . But . . . Why can't I remember anything else?!
Panic seized the young hearthian as they fought to remember even the most basic information. What were they doing? What was their goal? Who were they??
Memories flooded back to them like a cyclone slamming them down. They remembered seeing it with their own four eyes. Finding the Eye of the Universe, being taken to a strange quantum realm where nothing made sense, gathering all their close allies they'd met on the journey to bring them together for one last song, before the big bang that they could have sworn killed them happened. Feldspar . . . Solanum . . . Everyone . . . It wiped everyone out.
Evidently, it did not wipe everyone out, because they were very much here and very much alive. Alive. Am I really?
They could cling to the memories of who they were now. They were Moissan, a Hearthian in the Outer Wilds Ventures space program. They had been exploring the solar system like everyone else. And they caught in a time loop because of a statue they'd linked to.
Oddly enough, they were even still wearing their space suit. That's new, they thought, checking themselves over. No injuries. No missing pieces. Just a full tank of oxygen and a jetpack ready to launch. They didn't have their scout, which was a little upsetting, but it seemed rather odd that they were in such a pristine condition now, waking up alone.
Alone.
Whenever they'd woken up before, they'd seen Slate sitting by the campfire, roasting a marshmallow. Even if they didn't know about the loops and tried to ground Moissan several times for apparent medical reasons, not seeing the familiar hearthian's face stung. There was no campfire, not even a smoldering pile of logs. No launch pad waiting for them on the rocky cliff, their trusty ship that had carried them so far on their journey absent.
Considering everything that ship had lived through, they were surprised it wasn't here with them when they had lived it.
Arrrrgh, the ship doesn't matter right now, they thought, slowly getting to their feet. What matters is finding out where I am. Clearly, it wasn't Timber Hearth. Everything looked too . . . damp, despite the abundant plant life. They reached out for what seemed like a fern, only for the plant to shrivel away from them with a rustling noise. They gasped, intrigued and in awe of the specimen.
All the plant truly did was raise more questions, though. If everything was wet, then it couldn't be the Hourglass Twins. There was plenty of solid ground to stand on and a lack of fog, so it wasn't Dark Bramble (thankfully). It seemed too stable to be like the collapsing Brittle Hollow, and Giant's Deep would have been far wetter considering the whole planet was an ocean. None of the moons - Not even the Quantum Moon - matched this unique location either. It almost reminded them of the Stranger.
Almost.
Around Hatchling seemed to just be walls and a very tight, cramped room. Small plants, almost like some kind of moss, stretched across the floor like a natural carpet. They almost felt tempted to touch it, but one of the most basic safety lessons was 'Don't interact with things you don't know about'.
Ignoring that rule is sorta what got me into all of this in the first place, isn't it.
Moissan really just didn't feel like taking off their suit for moss-touching purposes. Instead, they focused on the room. The walls, other than having strange flora growing along them as well, seemed fairly sturdy. They took a moment, curled up their hand, and punched at the wall to test it's integrity. OWWWW . . . Pain exploded in their digits as they uncurled them. Solid metal wall, got it. Owww, ow ow, why did I do that?
They'd been expecting dirt . . . maybe packed dirt, if they were lucky. Not full-on metal. They looked straight ahead of themselves, and saw the one wall that was different than the others. Embedded into the wall was a small tunnel, maybe about the size of Hatchling's head if they really squeezed themselves in there. Attached to it seemed some kind of contraption, something made of a smooth metal that looked . . . in a decently well-kept state.
Maybe this place has intelligent life on it. Naively, they found themselves hoping it was some kind of familiarity, such as another hearthian, a Nomai, or even an Owlk would be nice to see. No, stupid thought, they told themselves, facepalming. The Owlks didn't (couldn't) leave their dream world, and all the Nomai in the system had died from the Interloper and it's densely packed load of ghost matter.
Well, all but one. Moissan thought of Solanum again. They'd met her in such a strange place, such a strange time, and most certainly the last thing they ever expected to see. Guess it's really back to being 'all of them', though.
The big bang played out in their mind again. Had it been some kind of crazy dream? The heat and fire felt too real for them to believe that. They could recall every second in the blast, as few as there were, and the moment pain seared through every fiber of their being before becoming a pleasant nothingness. My universe was already doomed. It was a strange thought to come to terms with, being born at the end of a universe. If every path would lead to my doom, then I'm glad I could at least build something new for those after me.
If Hatchling survived, there wasn't really telling if the others had. The feeling of that one end felt so real. Was it because of the intensity? The emotions they felt in that moment of terror and awe? Perhaps because they knew that this time, they wouldn't come back? Removing the warp core from Ash Twin ended the loops, after all, and if nothing else, they had absolutely taken that core out. It just wasn't possible that this was another loop.
What else could explain this, though?
Too many questions buzzed in their head like angry flies, numbing their brain to anything else. They tried to ground themselves by looking at the tunnel again, studying the metal. It appeared to be some kind of mechanism of moving parts to close off the tunnel. Gears sat underneath large metal slabs, though they were currently quiet and still, not pulling anything along. On either side of the passage, there was small bits of interlocking metal that they guessed fit together to fill the small tunnel. But why?
They'd figure it out at some point, probably. They'd been spending their life figuring out mysteries, after all, hadn't they? A small mechanical contraption was nothing compared to creating another universe.
. . . How did every thought loop back around to the end of their world and the beginning of a new one?
Being alone with their thoughts wasn't entirely pleasant. For one, Hatchling was confused about a lot of things their mind had already entertained before. They thought that the release of death would be a nice closure to their action-filled life of solving the Nomai's greatest mystery. After all the trials, they could rest easy knowing that at least there would be something for future planets to exist in. Instead, they were both relieved and terrified that they were still alive.
Brushing past all the confused thoughts, though, being alone was what made things even more awful. In their travels, they had never been truly alone before. There was always the network of other explorers to chat with, Nomai scrolls to read, the Ship's Log to update and check over, and if they got lost too badly, the signalscope could at least bring them back to something.
Pulling out the device now did almost nothing. No matter what frequency Hatchling tuned into or where they pointed it, no readings popped up. It was almost like the horrible silence and loneliness they'd felt in the Eye, awestruck by the new setting but oh-so-scared of what lie in wait for them.
Most of all, though, Hatchling felt . . . sad. Nothing but true sadness lined every thought, thinking of the world they knew. Coming to terms with the inevitable end didn't mean they had to like it. But now, this meant that it was really just them on their own. Everyone else was still most likely gone, gone forever. For the first time since becoming a space explorer . . . Moissan felt like crying.
It wasn't like the frightened tears that threatened them when the anglerfish let out their awful, shrieking roars, certain doom following the noise.
Nor was it the happy ones they'd nearly wept when they saw everyone gathered together, playing their music one last time around a campfire.
It was just . . . sad. And lonely.
Did everyone else get to die with that last happy memory? If so, then . . . why not me?
Am I stuck because I'm the one who did it?
Because I knew about the looping?
Or am I being called out for a greater purpose, just like last time?
Moissan really hoped they weren't about to become the universe's favorite specimen to call on when in need. One lifetime of adventure was enough for them. They didn't want (or need) more stress to be the great unseen hero all over again. They sniffled once, then twice, before they felt the unfamiliar sting as their eyes watered. Can I do this alone? Whatever it is I need to do?
It felt as if every thought was too painful to read, too much for such a fragile heart to bear. Tears dripped onto their suit, rolling off the waterproof fabric as the reality of everything truly caught up to them. If everyone else had to die and yet I survived, me, of everyone . . . great trees, I'm sorry it had to be this way. It wasn't what I wanted. It was what had to be done. There wasn't any other option.
The song that almost brought them to joyous tears now haunted Hatchling like a ghost, sailing in the air around them and involuntarily forcing the air in their throat to form a faint humming along with it. Each part added a new distinct layer, the full song being beautiful enough in both sound and meaning.
The plucky, strong banjo that carried the melody. Riebeck may have been scared of space, but they were still bold enough to face that fear in some way or another.
A high-pitched whistle, giving the banjo a lighter partner. Age didn't take a toll on Esker, even if his place in life had come to the end of it's usefulness.
Droning and yet still warbling, the harmonica sang back to them. Despite their isolation and situation, Feldspar had been invaluable in their quest for the Eye.
Carrying the steady beat were those drums. Even if they had given Chert some existential dread, they had skill at their instrument, that was for sure.
Delicate and faint, the flute gave everything a new meaning. Gabbro really had tried their best, hadn't they? The only other one to remember the endless looping.
Cutting the noise clear, the key strokes of the Nomai instrument shone through. Solanum had been the last Nomai in the system, and without her, they weren't sure they would have made it this far to begin with.
Lastly, the haunting, ethereal strings of the Owlks made everything feel that much less real. The Prisoner, as Hatchling called them, was the one they had to thank for them being where they were now. If they had never let the Eye call out again . . . (That was not a reality Hatchling wanted to think about)
All seven of them.
Gathered at the fire.
Playing together.
Happily.
Moissan felt like curling up and waiting for death to take them all over again as more tears flowed, a long-dried well inside of them being opened and the water inside rushing out. Between the sobbing, they gasped for air like they would lose it, their vision a blurred mess as they tried to stop thinking about everything they'd lost. About the lives that had been so intertwined with theirs, only to be ripped away like nothing had changed.
Alone.
Alone and lost, with nothing but the feeling of a mistake clinging to my gills.
No matter how badly they wanted to find out where this place was, find shelter, and explore, look for any kind of familiar sight . . . they couldn't bring themselves to move. They just sank back down to the ground, the moss squishing beneath them as it stretched for the delicious tears that continued to fall. They couldn't bear the idea of getting out of this small, cramped box. They didn't want to stay, either, but this was at least safe.
Unless another supernova is going to happen in twenty-two minutes, in which case nowhere will be safe without my ship.
Why couldn't they think just one happy thought? One thing to help claw their mind out of the mental pit it was sinking deeper and deeper into was all they needed. The boost to get up, put their helmet back on, and try to find a way out to explore. But if felt like all they could do was sit there, lying on the floor, crying and mourning for the loss of friends, home, and sanctuary. Not even the knowledge that in the grand scheme of things, they had been astronomical in saving this place of existence, was enough to make them move. Every limb felt heavy, every bit of energy dedicated to sobbing and choking on air.
Did anything they do truly matter in the end?
What is my purpose here?
Hatchling found themselves almost wishing they were dead, happy with their friends in whatever kind of afterlife awaited them all (if there was one), rather than stuck here, confused and scared on what to do. The damp moss around them became a poor comfort for their weeping heart and soul, but it was comfort enough. As they continued crying, they began to tire. Lying on the ground, with somewhat spongy plants as a bed, sleep and it's numbing, peaceful bliss found a way to them.
-----
@mellow-mooon
@0silverbluedragon1
@corn-worshipper
@doodlebug091
@isnt-that-grape
@fishbone5
@dragonpurplecristal
@obsidianmage3
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a-very-sneaky-mimic · 1 month ago
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Possibly a preview of another ISAT + Outer Wilds AU crossover fic I might do?
Just sorta had this idea on a whim and wrote up the first page or so and wanted to share and gauge interest. (Obvi not replacing my current fic, but rather just as another thing to put on my active projects pile)
“-Frin!”
(You wake with a start-)
(Your remaining eyes flick open and you find yourself staring up at the night’s sky above you.)
(Your eyes are blurry from sleep, painting a purple blur inside a green blob that you assume must be Giants Deep.)
(You groan and rub your eyes as you hear an annoyed huff.)
“Common dummy, it’s launch day! Get up, get up, get up!”
(Your eyes now clear, you can see an impatient Bonnie looking down at you.)
(With your newfound consciousness, you mumble a response,)
“I’m up-”
“Good! Now hurry up and go get the launch codes from Euphrasie! I wanna see if the retro-thrusters I fixed hold up!”
“Yah know Bonnie, it’s statements like that one, that make me very worried about if I’m going to make it out of the atmosphere.”
(Bonnie gives you a dismissive look and crosses their arms,)
“Pffft- I made it suuuuuper safe! A perfect 10 outa 10 in safety!”
“…Well- except with pilot mistakes, in which case it’s probably about a four.”
(They stick out their tongue at you, so you assume that’s a joke.)
(You shake your head and roll your eyes- while a part of you is a bit scared to go up into space all on your own, you don’t really doubt Bonnie’s handiwork.)
(They’ve been fixing up all the ships since their sister went missing, so you figure if anyone was gonna blow up on the launch pad, it would have been one of the other explorers)
(…hopefully at least.)
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crimsonquill-086 · 2 months ago
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Inktober Day 9 - Autopilot
Had a bit too much fun with this one. Myself and a few friends have a time...line? Circle? Whatever based on our adventures in the multiplayer mod for Outer Wilds just called "Quantum Space Buddies." Many chaotic shenanigans ensue. In this case...my Hatchling, Arete, is about to have their piloting privelages taken from them forcefully for 22 loops. Oopsies. Featuring Heliolite (@solsticewatcher) in the ship with my hatchling, Arete, and in the bottom panel, from left to right, Chondrodite (@catcrazies-midnight ), Kimberlite (@ultragalaxy06 ) and Amber (@isnt-that-grape). @outer-wilds-inktober
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lutiaskokopelli · 2 months ago
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(Featuring the following OCs: Syenite Nickel and Marshmallow by @merrydock, and Apatite C. Tin by me)
Warning: Context?? What's that? Can you eat it?
Sooooooooo considering how much stuff has been done about it (and considering the friends who enabled me into expanding what was originally just a dumb self-indulgent shitpost), and considering the fact that I said I would be posting about blue alien frogs only to then not post anything, I guess it is time for this AU to breach containment.
I am on the fence regarding whether or not this AU constitutes spoilers for the game Outer Wilds or not. This AU is sort of a quantumly official/unofficial sequel to my longfic Fate Knows No One, but also is sufficiently disconnected from it that spoilers for the fic itself are going to be limited for at least a very long while. Maybe even long enough that I will be able to convince my brain to finish the fic in question before the spoilers show up in the AU.
That being said: Modern AU? What's better about Outer Wilds than to take these wonderful Hearthians, living peacefully on their tiny cozy planet full of geysers, rocket-induced explosions, and pine trees, and throw them into the wonderful world of capitalism? /s
Anyway, the comic probably was extremely confusing for anyone who did not already know about this AU through the Campfire Discord server, but thankfully I can provide you with a slightly better explanation of what's going on right here. Just know that, um, I heavily recommend you already have caught up on the regular Outer Wilds lore, because it will spoil an important part about what happens in the ending of the game. It will also spoil some part of FKNO (the fic), but if you have played Outer Wilds, it's a part of the fic you already knew would happen anyway.
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1246114 · 2 months ago
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You'll never know when someone is too curious about swimming down on the deep deep sea, especially to Abella
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theouterwilds · 5 months ago
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Fish are so back fool
(My Giants are here)
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sawyer-is-eepy · 8 months ago
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CW FOR S/H ^
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outer wilds hatchling au angst that i uh,, sort of made on impulse in one day and i'm not too proud of but its whatever
the audio quality is shit im sorry *cri*
anyways, have gabbro comforting hatchling after discovering that they uh. did a little whoopsie thing. /j
also to me this song evokes the feeling of being comforted after such a thing. i swear to god there's that one specific emotion you feel that no matter if the person says the exact right thing it doesnt help. you feel so small, so embarrassed, you dont want to say anything at all but at the same time it's best that someone knows.
and also i kinda sorta kin hatchling ever so slightly, and gabbro is my comfort character, and i used to really really strugglw with s/h. so i kinda used my experience with self harm in the past and what it feltlike being comforted after to channel it into this. i hope you like it.
i might write it into a story if it's not to triggering ::)
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ashrimpyshrimp · 1 year ago
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Outer Wilds Idea
An idea for an Outer Wilds AU has been rattling around my mind.
A reincarnation AU for the Hatching and two others.
Massive spoilers for the game btw, you have been warned
A reincarnation AU in which the Hatching is the incarnation of Solanum, who in turn is the incarnation of The Prisoner.
What caused this idea was that both the Prisoner and Solanum have died, but in some way are also alive.
Imagine talking to your previous incarnation, who have searched for the eye long before you. An innate curiosity that has transcended time and lives, buried in you shared soul.
Walking around the ruins, with glimpses of a time full of joy and life, walking in a different body, of weird eyes and stranger skin, of caverns and curiosity. Another body, so tall you fell you would fall with every step, of weirder eyes and stranger voices, with a yearning for a home you see around, but do not feel.
I'm kind of surprised to have not seen anything else like this out there, though maybe I've just simply not seen it.
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dr-shortsighted-owl · 1 year ago
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Seven+ Sentence Sunday
Tagged by these amazing individuals - make sure you check out their snippets: @panbuckley @spotsandsocks @rewritetheending @hippolotamus @alyxmastershipper @try-set-me-on-fire @mellaithwen @canonicallyobserving911 @transboybuckley @wikiangela
Thank you to everyone who’s been tagging me over the last week - unfortunately PhD stress is high and inspiration and fic writing has been low, but I’ve been adding little bits to my very self indulgent Coma dream!Outer wilds fic: First snippet here
Putting the shoddy headphones over his ears and wincing as a stray copper wire jabs into his temple, leaving a jolt of electricity in its wake, Buck flicks on the oscilloscope.
It’s takes a few moments of suspicious silence until he can feel a slight buzz where the contraption vibrates in his grasp, like a swarm of contained bees, harnessed but very rightfully angry. Lights flicker into brightness, and a steady wave wiggles on the small hatched screen.
At first as he slowly moves the device's dish ahead of him all he finds is the loud burbling of water; the dry shifting of swaying grass, the creek of tall trees yielding. Slowly, he tilts the gadget skyward; and the universe sings to him.
Fleeting noises enter and then vanish as the waltz of the celestial bodies unfolds before him. The sun, however, is unmoving, humming a low steady tone with a majesty that matches its radiance.
CONTEXT: In outer wilds, you use the oscilloscope to track planets by fellow astronauts being on their surfaces playing specific instruments
Tagging: @mellaithwen @chaosandwolves @leewithme @elvensorceress @monsterrae1 @rogerzsteven @loveyourownsmiilee @thekristen999 @indigo2831 @homerforsure @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy @fiona-fififi @bekkachaos @heartbeatdiaz @useramor @911onabc @prince-buck-diaz
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emuwarum · 2 years ago
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Three Hatchlings au
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I just did this for fun, one day I might clean it up but for now it’s just this
@theouterwilds look I made a comic for it
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evalka · 2 months ago
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The goobers
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Art for an upcoming chapter of my Outer Wilds fic, Time Pressure!
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angelofchaos001 · 3 months ago
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Stranded in the Rain - Chapter 3
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Link to Ao3
Link to Masterpost
Previous (Adapting) | Next (Monsters)
Chapter 3 - Survivor
The last thing Hatchling expected to see when they awoke was another creature. And yet, that was exactly what lay before them, breathing deeply, if a bit shakily. It was a little smaller than they were, with an off-white color to their whole body and a general thickness about it. Moissan could clearly make out a tail curled around them, but the creature wasn't at ease.
For starters, it was soaked. There was a puddle of water around it, and there was still more dripping off of it's extremities. Secondly, hatchling could see stones, grass, and other miscellaneous objects tangled with it. Lastly, and most concerning, there were huge gashes ripped across it's tail that still oozed fresh blood, mixing with the water and staining it red.
Hatchling didn't know what to do. The doors to the room were still closed, and this creature was just . . . here. Bleeding in front of them, perhaps asleep, and perhaps not. If it felt threatened and attacked them, things could get ugly. Fast. How had it gotten in here with them? When? More questions Hatchling didn't have the answers to.
It felt odd, being in such a small space with an unidentified species nearby. Curiosity begged Hatchling to write everything they noticed about it down, right now, but self-preservation told them better. They had wounds of their own that needed addressing, after all. Moissan looked at themselves. Why didn't they feel any pain? Realistically, they should have felt something, even if it was uncomfortable. They'd hit the ground hard enough to crack their helmet, which was more than enough force required to likely crack their bones as well. Plus, their left hand didn't seem to be working quite right.
One thing at a time, Moissan, Hatchling told themselves as they took a deep breath. They rolled up their sleeves to get a look at their arms, and sucked in a gasp when they saw their hand. They'd seen a lot of things that weren't normal lately. But they were still pretty sure that it wasn't a good sign for their thumb when they could hardly move it. Hatchling could feel how wrong it was, how there was definitely a bone that didn't line up right. And at the slightest touch, pain shot through their body, catching up to them no matter how far away it seemed.
Moissan gasped and fell to their knees. How much else were they missing? Now that their body seemed to register pain again, everything was aching and sore from being slammed around so much yesterday. Aside from their hand, the other major spots of pain were along their cheek and in their leg. Carefully reaching up, their fingers traced a thin wound just under their eyes. As gentle as the touch was, it still made Hatchling flinch. Their leg was less serious, without any kind of visible wound. Rather, there was a large bruise across their shin that gave a dull throb of pain with their heartbeat.
Any kind of medical supplies they had were limited. They hardly had the things to treat a broken bone, anyway. It was all things for cuts and scrapes, like the one on their face. In their bag, they had things like disinfectant, bandages, gauzes and all sorts of strange herbs that Quartz (the village healer) had been insisting the travelers take with them. Let's see here . . . they thought, digging through supplies. All they needed was something to patch up their cheek and stabilize their finger. Luckily, they did have small coverings that they could bandage their cut with, and enough rolls of tissue to hold their finger in place if they had some kind of straight stick to tie it to.
Sadly, as they kept looking, nothing suitable crossed their eyes for such a purpose. Everything was either too big or not straight enough to help set a finger. Moissan sighed and sat back, leaning on the wall, before jumping up with a gasp as something stabbed their back. Reaching around, they pulled a small stick from the fabric of their suit. It was small, and almost straight, too.
It'll do, I guess, they thought, looking at it, then at their broken thumb. Carefully, they took the stick and some bandages, and began to wrap the two together tightly. It just needed to hold itself together, and then they would need to be gentle with their hand so they didn't agitate the wound. It sounded like a simple enough plan. Granted, exploring space had also sounded simple enough.
Look how that turned out.
As they worked on wrapping their thumb, and eventually got the bandage tied in a way they were content with, Hatchling couldn't help but glance at the creature next to them. Most of the water had already dripped off and pooled around it now, rippling slowly with every staggered breath it took. Blood still tricked through the dirty white fur, the ugly wounds that ran the entire length of it's tail making them hurt for the poor creature.
Hatchling knew they had limited medical supplies. They should save what they had for themselves. They didn't know what they were dealing with. What they would be messing with if they did what they were thinking.
But seeing something so helpless and in pain made Moissan feel for it. It felt like they couldn't just leave them alone - not when they were this close and had the supplies to make the small creature (hopefully) feel better. With a deep breath, they reached into their bag again and pulled out what they thought they might need. If Quartz labeled these correctly, then I just need these leaves, the bandages, and these seeds. They took a moment to study the plants they grabbed, laid the supplies they'd grabbed neatly in front of them, and scooted over to the curled-up creature.
Now closer to it, Hatchling realized that it wasn't really much smaller than they were. It was mostly tail, with the thick appendage seemingly more than half their body. A pair of ears were flattened against a rounded head, trembling ever so slight and twitching randomly. They couldn't see any arms or legs, but at the very least, the creature was alive. Where do I start with it? they thought, looking back at their supplies, then at the creature.
Eventually, after browsing between options, Hatchling took some of the leaves they'd grabbed and carefully laid them across the most severe gash. Angler's Bush was good for helping to clot blood, for a lot of scientific reasons that they did not pay nearly enough attention to in class. All that mattered was that it could help the creature in it's time of need. As Hatchling lightly pressed the leaves into the open wounds, the creature gave a violent twitch and a small whine.
They flinched, leaning back, bracing themselves for it to wake up and run away or try to hurt them. As moments passed and it seemed to settle back down, though, Moissan breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it had never woken up. Carefully, they went back to covering the other tears in leaves, brushing their gloved hands across the creature as they did. Small, coarse fur met them, and as Hatchling pulled their hand away, it had a strange kind of film at the edges.
Hatchling paused, staring. It wasn't sticky, but rather already seemed to be flowing down their hand and stopping after it had traveled about the length of the finger. Was the creature both slimy and furry? Both textures were foreign to them. The Nomai had been depicted as having fur, but that didn't mean they'd ever touched or seen it for themselves. And the fish they sometimes ate had a protective slime to them, but nothing like this. In any case, why would it have both features?
The last of the gashes were covered just as Moissan used the last leaf from the plant. That took much more than I thought, they realized. They only had three plants' worth of leaves on them, along with the powder of . . . stuff that could be mixed into water for a beneficial drink. All they remembered was in it was the roots of the plant, a few of the Redbulb seeds, and cinnamon.
Being distracted in their thoughts, they turned back to the creature and grabbed their bandages. All they needed to do was wrap them neatly, and everything would be okay.
A sudden idea struck Hatchling, and they dropped the roll, grabbing their bag again. They'd almost forgotten. Such large wounds, being left open for presumably quite some time, would surely harbor infection if they wrapped it now. Come on, please say Quartz packed some Rippleleaf in here . . . the plant was known for being vital in warding off such infections. Without it, there were dozens of stories about horrible injuries that came from the disease-ridden wound. Sometimes, it would have to be removed entirely.
Finally, their fingers closed around the leaves they needed, and Hatchling took up the bandages again. This time, though, they carefully laid some bits of the new leaf right beneath the area they were about to wrap. There was no flinching from the creature as they carefully worked, wrapping around the tail and laying leaves as they went. Every now and then, they'd stop and tie off the bandage where they were or reach for another leaf.
Halfway through, Moissan looked at the head of the creature again. It's closed eyes were trembling, shifting uneasily. They could only see two closed slits, but surely it had more somewhere on that face . . .
The roll slipped from their hands and made a soft sound as it hit the mossy ground. Hatchling gasped and picked it up again, gingerly. Gotta focus more. No distractions. Just finish this, and then I can make all the observations I want about this thing.
Loop after loop, they kept winding it around and around the wounds. They were almost to the end now, and with a quick tear into the roll and a tie, the large gashes were now hidden below a layer of leaves and fabric. Hatchling moved back a little, looking at their work. It wasn't perfect, by any means, and in some places the bandages were already wet or bloody. "I hope that helps it sleep easier," they murmured, packing up their supplies again.
The small tunnel they'd left through last time still wasn't open. The only sound in the room was of softly dripping water, and their breathing combining with the unknown creature beside them. With the time they had, Hatchling figured more notes were finally in order. Skipping past the Starbug page, they looked down at the blank paper, and then at the curled-up body.
"About the same size as I am. Furry and slimy, I think. Seems to sleep heavily. Proportionally, it's mostly tail, with a small head and ears. I still can't see if it has any other limbs." They paused to look for any other obvious things to write down. "Ah, I know. Treatment of wounds seemed effective. It sleeps much easier now."
But with the notes all written out, as much as they could, there was still the task of drawing the specimen. Hatchling leaned on the wall and got comfortable, picking up their pencil and slowly sketching line after line. Each curve was checked on the actual creature, trying to nail the unique body shape it had. As they started on that large tail, they hesitated. Should they add the bandages? Try to draw it with the gashes from memory? Draw it blank?
They settled for drawing it as it was now: Healed up.
Moissan let themselves become lost in the drawing, trying to perfect every little line, each individual leaf and blotch of mud tangled in the creature's fur, so of course they hardly noticed when it shuffled around.
When it got up.
And looked at them.
They only noticed when suddenly, the creature had walked over to Hatchling and placed a paw on their leg, prompting them to look over. Oh my stars. It's touching me. What do I do? Is it telling me something? Is this a gesture of friendship? What's it doing? Questions blazed through their mind, and they just . . . stared back at it. Into those wide, endless black eyes that seemed so blank to them.
"Wa?" it asked, making a small sound. It was some mix of a chirp and a meow, but it wasn't identifiable by any means. Hatchling blinked.
"Um . . . hi?" they asked, waving their hand slightly. Could it understand them? Maybe. Hopefully.
But the creature shuffled around and blinked back at Hatchling. "Hrrrrrrrp. Wawa?"
They sighed. "I'm sorry, little guy, I . . . can't understand anything you're saying."
It didn't seem to like like, narrowing it's eyes and snorting. "HRRRP." Whatever it was trying to say, it was being awfully firm about it. "Hrrrrple mrrrr."
"Can you understand me at all?"
Those wide black eyes blinked back, full of not understanding a word Hatchling said. They felt crushed, even though they really should have expected this. Of course it wouldn't be able to understand them. That was too much to hope for, anyway. Still. Body language could be almost universal, if Moissan tried hard enough. Slowly, they reached out towards the creature's tail and pointed at it. "Hey. This was me. I helped you. Okay?"
It hissed and pulled it's tail away just as Hatchling showed the roll of bandages it had used. The creature paused, looking between the roll, hatchling, and it's own tail before nodding slowly, hostility seeming to fade. They allowed themselves to smile at the small creature, which purred and pointed to itself eagerly. Then, it seemed to wave it's arms about aimlessly, flailing it's small paws everywhere. Moissan stifled a giggle, before snickering at it's antics.
"Heh . . . I'm sorry," they offered, reaching out their hand to pat the creature. It accepted, leaning into their hand eagerly. "I need a name for you. Something that really fits. Got any ideas, little guy?"
It simply stared back, leaning into the soft chin scratches Hatchling found themselves giving. It felt strangely nice, to be here. Petting this unknown creature and bringing it a moment of peace in whatever life it was living. What could I call it? There's gotta be something . . .
An urge inside of Hatchling tugged at their mind. This creature was so much more than a new specimen to study. They couldn't explain why, or how, but it felt too important to be given a basic name and left at just that. This particular individual needed a name just for them. But what was the perfect name to give them?
The creature suddenly forced it's way into Hatchling's lap with it's fur that was still both cold and wet, dampening their notebook. "Hey!" They cried, a little playfully, continuing to stroke the fur of the being, "C'mon, at least give me some warning before you do that! Clingy little fellow."
I could name it like it's a true friend of mine, maybe. Like it was another Hearthian. The idea of naming it like that made Moissan feel warm inside. Like they could carry a piece of home with them no matter what. But what would be a good, fitting name?
"Guess I can just start listing some aloud and seeing what you think, little guy," they murmured, continuing to pet it. The creature gave a contented purring noise, curling up almost entirely in Hatchling's lap so that they could no longer see the arms and legs they'd noticed earlier. Their entire tail still stuck out, not at all in their lap, but that was fine. This was pleasant.
Right. Naming.
"What about Dolo?" they asked, thinking. Even if the creature didn't know what they were saying, perhaps it found comfort in a particular noise Hatchling's voice made. The same way they were quickly growing fond of the loud humming noise it made. But it made no reaction at all.
Onto the next idea.
"Marble, maybe?"
The creature scrunched up and shook it's ears out. Definitely not that one, then.
"Hm . . . Hecato? I could call you Cat for short, hehe!" Hatchling smiled, but the creature didn't move at all. "Alright, bad joke, I guess. Last one."
They thought long and hard about it. A name was an important thing. It would be how Hatchling would remember this small, friendly creature who they'd helped out in this situation.
"How about Pearl?"
At the mention, the creature's ears perked and it chirped quietly. "I guess that means you like that one?"
"Rrrlp! Rrrrlp!"
It lifted it's head and gave a small, sharp-toothed smile. Hatchling grinned at them and pulled their hand away. "Pearl it is, then. I hope you and I will get along. Maybe you can show me what to do in this place."
Is this creature my fate? Did the universe entwine our stories together? Or is this all chance, a path of my own making?
No matter what, they swore they would never let anything happen to this creature. As the room began to shake and the metal was being pulled aside from the tunnel, Moissan let themselves breathe. Today is a new day. And I'll be ready for it.
"Come on, Pearl," they breathed, taking the small creature's paw as they slid through the tunnel and back into the rain-soaked world.
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Bonus art for this chapter!
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Made it partially digital bc I didn't wanna fully digitize it but some of the lines were too faint and/or too messy for the camera.
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