Shiloh loves to go urban exploring :)
I know this post is old but I've always wanted to do an illustration for it and I didn't have the skillset before so here's this
living in the countryside really strikes the fear of god into you at the most random moments. you’ll just make eye contact with a cow or stare for too long into a brook and all of a sudden you’ll think something like “these are old bones and i am merely a passing occupant” and then you have to go and put the kettle on to cope
A little collection of Captain Crow’s entries to his data log so far to make your reading experience a little easier :)
If you’d like to be added to the tag list for this story & be tagged whenever a new part of the story goes up, just let me know in the comments of this post or message me directly!
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5
Entry 6
Entry 7
Entry 8
Entry 9
Entry 10
Entry 11..?
Extra 1
Ask 1
Ask 2
Current tag list (Once again let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!):
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @sorcerersucker @ace-cat-nerd @thatquietkid108 @arataya @klltsun-25 @librowyrm @und3rta13tra5h @felicityroth @crystalalice @walk2574 @spindler-spider @automated-engineer @soren1830 @funfey @opened-rootbeercan @sataninsparkles @demon-cat-goes-woof @alwaysaslutforfic @tyltos @wolfdragonzjedimaster @questionmarksys @armourawk @nerdneeniya @princessaurax @leavemealone-s2 @d-cs @the-one-and-only-vic-lociraptor @lavendermenacetime @somesortapunk @villain-obsessed-word-nerd @cherallasakura @catvulture @hornethacker @girl-of-the-sea-and-stars
Masterpost
I sat at the window a lot today, trying to observe the changes in the sky that indicate time passing. The Lumarians left the house while I was napping, so there’s been no way for me to get back outside and study the flora/fauna.
If you have time to think about it, as I have, the two suns really aren’t all that different than a moon and sun in terms of placement in the sky at specific times. I just have to be able to differentiate between them, which is the part I’m still struggling with. Obviously I cannot stare directly at them for any period of time to get an idea of size, shape, minute color differences, etc, and they’re similar enough that at a glance they look the same. In addition to this, there’s no time when they’re both in the sky and I can see both from this window to compare them. Because I don’t have a direct comparison and cannot differentiate between them, timekeeping has been a full-time job. I have to learn the patterns of the rest of the world relative to the minuscule changes in light outside. I can’t rely on outside patterns to help me forever, so I have to figure out what’s triggering them instead. So far, I can say with some certainty that the Lumarians leave at noon. Which noon, however, I am still unsure. I’ll use that as a benchmark for the rest of my timekeeping though. From now on, when the Lumarians leave it is zero hour. The time between this ‘noon one’ and ‘noon two’ may not actually be twelve hours, but given as that is about as close of an estimation as I can make and relates to the cycle I’m used to, we’ll go with that.
Given that standard put in place, right now it’s probably 3 o’clock. The main difference between keeping time here versus on earth is that you actually have to pay close attention to which sun is where- the light levels aren’t as reliable of an indicator. You can’t see it’s dark and say ‘oh it’s nighttime!’ or see the sky is red and decide it’s either sunset or sunrise- and then decide which one based on where the sun is. Because there are two suns and it’s never dark.
Also, time is completely made up and is just an idea put in place to keep us organized. Because nothing ever actually changes with time here. It’s always day, all the time, and there’s no night or indication of passing days. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here, really, if you think about it. I crashed, then slept twice, and now I’m here. So is that two days? Three? Or has it been longer? Who knows. What’s the definition of ‘today’?
I’ve been thinking about time way too much, and for far too long. Staring out this window for so long is making my head hurt. I’m going to go run around the house until reality feels real again.
Captain Crow, yours truly, having an existential crisis.
Entry 10
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @dyn-mellt @ace-cat-nerd @thatquietkid108 @arataya @klltsun-25 @librowyrm @und3rta13tra5h @felicityroth @crystalalice99 @walk2574 @spindler-spider @automated-engineer
Masterpost
I apologize for the emotional tone of my last entry. I have since rested and eaten a sufficient meal and will hopefully come off as less pathetic now.
The sapients returned shortly after my little mental break bearing gifts; I suppose they went off to gather the supplies necessary to keep a human happy and healthy according to their research. I was hiding under their bed at this point, and they left some food and water on the floor at the edge of the bed. After they left, I examined the provisions and found them to be the same type of rations my crew & I usually pack for long distance travels. I appreciated it nonetheless and decided to eat my fill. (The only rations I had managed to get off The Dutchess’s wreck was a couple of granola bars and a few canteens of water, most of which were split up amongst my crew shortly after the crash.) I already felt much better after eating and rehydrating, so I decided to go see what else they were up to. You’d be surprised how much a good meal and adequate hydration can do for your psyche.
Both sapients had exited the dwelling out of a side door in the ‘bedroom’ by the time I was finished eating. There wasn’t any way for me to get this door open and follow them, as the handle is above my head by a foot or so and also seems to operate differently than human made ones. There are, however, windows. I quickly plotted out a path to jump up to get to a windowsill, via the storage unit and a couple of miscellaneous pieces of furniture that I don’t know the name or use of. The windows are narrow and horizontal, at the sapients eye level. I’d say the windows themselves are about a foot tall and three or so wide. I was able to peer out while standing on the storage unit.
Outside was strange to see after being stuck in this dwelling for over 20 hours (my best estimation). The inside of the dwelling is furnished mostly with black stone, the furniture is a dusty reddish-brown, and the kitchen area is furnished with silver-colored metal(?) and the black stone present throughout the house. The outside is all dusty, a lighter shade of what the furniture appears to be made of. There are hardly any native plants in view of the window, and what I can see from there are all shrubby and short. The ‘backyard’ to this dwelling is fenced in, in a sort of split-rail style. From this distance, I assume it’s made of the same composite as the ‘couch’ inside, and most of the other furniture. There aren’t any tree-like plants around anywhere nearby, so it would make sense for them to utilize the sand.
Aside from the main yard being fenced in, there are also two separate pastures. These appear to be empty, with nothing but sand and a few twiggy plants. There does seem to be holes in these enclosures, but it’s hard to tell from this distance.
You’re probably getting tired of my ‘apparent’ observations, nameless reader who is probably just me in the future, but you’ll have to cut me some slack. It’s hard to see anything from this little window across the entire space, and hindsight is 20/20, if you ever get out there and see it all closer up.
In the middle space between the gates to either enclosure, the two sapients were making something. It’s the same black stone used in most of the house. It seemed to be clicking together with magnets, but once again it’s hard to tell from this distance. It popped up, after a few minutes and some work from the sapients, into a quaint little doghouse. Or that’s my best description of it, at least. A box with a triangle roof and a little door in the front. I could assume it’s for me, but the sapients haven’t even let me outside yet, and I doubt they trust me not to run off. This begs the question; what it is for? Perhaps these sapients have decided to try to adopt another intelligent species and are going to try to coop them up out there. Time will tell.
After setting up this little dwelling outside, the sapients returned inside. I decided to stay where I was, sitting on top of their storage unit, purely out of curiosity as to how they’d react and also doubt that I’d be able to hop down in time without running into their legs. They both seemed bewildered to see me so blatantly out in the open and mostly ignoring their presence (I was keeping an eye on them but acting uninterested) but they did not approach me. They went back into the front room, and after a minute or so, I hopped down and followed them. They were unpacking rations of human food into the cabinets above the counters, out of baskets made of the sand-composite (which seems to be a prominent structural/multi-use feature here). They had also acquired a huge pillow- queen size mattress sized. I hadn’t thought they would have such a thing in supply on this planet at all, as their bed was barren of anything resembling human bedding and the plants, few that there are, don’t seem to be suitable for making things like fabric.
Apparently this was a gift for me, as upon spotting me, the smaller sapient took the pillow in their paws and placed it on the floor a few feet from me. After they stood back up, I bolted over and grabbed it. This may surprise you if you’ve gotten a good rest in the last 24 hours, but when you’re sleep deprived and you see the equivalent of a cloud placed in front of you, you’ll do almost anything to commandeer it as your own and drag it off somewhere to sleep. And thus I did. It was somewhat heavy, but lighter than an actual queen sized mattress would be, and since I could’ve dragged one of those around for a while, this was a breeze. I got it all the way to under the sapients’ bed and passed out almost right away. It was practically heavenly. I’m almost positive I slept for at least 10 hours. When I woke up, I actually felt good for the first time since the crash. I was rested, fed, and hydrated, and I felt like I could take on the challenge of finding a way out. The first thing I’m doing, of course, is updating this journal. I do feel a little embarrassed about the tone of my last entry, so hopefully this one will redeem me. Next, I’m making a plan. I still have that human fighting spirit, I promise.
---Captain Crow. [There’s a crude doodle of a bird next to his scribbled and underlined signature]
Entry 7
-------------------
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @sorcerersucker @ace-cat-nerd
Masterpost
It’s noon number two. The Lumarians are back. I jogged four laps around the house and then fell asleep under the couch earlier. Then I woke up and jumped up onto the storage unit again and realized I’d left my journal up here. That could’ve been bad. Good thing I was the only creature in this house. Speaking of creatures; the Lumarians have shown me what lives in those enclosures out back. They also seem to have procured some human energy drinks while they were out. I’m not usually one to drink lots of caffeine but I’ll take what I can get here. It was next to my food so I drank it. What do they put in here I don’t know.
Before dinner (I’m calling it that because noon number two is closer to pretend nighttime and this meal was nearer to noon number two than noon number one.) the Lumarians took me outside to show me the yard again. They got home closest to what I’m gonna call 5 pm because that makes sense to me. I’m trying to clear up my timeline because I realize now I’m writing very fast and it’s kind of hard to read.
At noon one the Lumarians left. I watched the sky out the window until around 3 pm. Then I ran around to regain my sense of self and fell asleep under the couch. At 4 I woke up and got back up onto the storage unit to retrieve my journal. I hid it back under the bed. At 5 the Lumarians came back and found me and let me outside to show me the yard. I’ll tell the story from there now that I think I made it make better sense.
Okay, so, the Lumairans let me out into the yard again. It’s a big space; imagine a large backyard, and then multiply it by at least three, and then scale it up times two to account for the size of the Lumarians compared to humans. Closest to the house they have a garden, all along the back wall where the door is. I went to go look at it, but they gently guided me away from that direction. Maybe there’s something poisonous growing there or maybe they just already had their plans to show me the enclosures on the other side of the yard. Maybe both, I don’t know. It’s almost amazing the amount of things I don’t know yet.
The Lumarians let me take the lead, perhaps to allow me my independence, but they kind of flanked me from behind to make sure I didn’t wander or run off I guess. I wasn’t sure where they wanted me to go, but I could tell where they didn’t want me to go, so I simply made the executive decision to head for the enclosure on the left. This was apparently the right decision, as they didn’t redirect me. When we got to the enclosure, which still looked empty to me, they opened the gate and guided me in. I was suspicious at this point that they were going to lock me out there, but that didn’t make any sense and luckily is not what happened. Instead, after closing the gate behind us, they went out into the enclosure and opened a little trapdoor-gate-thing built into the ground that I hadn’t been able to see before. The taller sapient went down into whatever space was under the ground there and returned a few minutes later with a creature- Imagine one of those sea slugs that look like cartoon rabbits. I think they’re called sea bunnies. Anyway, this creature looked like one of those, except the size of my torso and less fuzzy. It was more blobby than fluffy. The sapient brought it over to me and let me pet it, and it felt kind of like a water balloon someone had dropped in a tub of grease. With little blobby ears and protrusions down its back. I suspect it has the intelligence level of a water balloon as well, as it did not react to my touch at all.
The Lumarian tried to get me to learn the name of this creature, but I was mostly focused on trying to remember and mentally document its appearance and texture to write down here. I think I’m going to start a field guide as well, since now I know I’ll be able to get better looks at some of the flora and fauna here.
I probably should pay better attention to the names of things if I’m going to document things, now that I think of it. But I was distracted by the strange appearance of this creature. It begs the question of how and why any animal on this desert planet would be so. Moist? I mean, when I say this planet is a desert, I mean it’s all sand and hot and dry. It’s always daytime and so far there have been no weather events. Maybe that’s why these creatures live primarily underground- maybe there’s a pool of water down there or something. I didn’t go down, so I don’t know. Maybe I’ll explore that in the future too. It just depends on how long I’m stuck here, I suppose.
After I pet the creature and failed to learn its name, the Lumarians ushered me back inside to eat dinner. Today was real food- I haven’t had actual fresh food in months, so that was very exciting. I’d been living off of rations, which are always vacuum packaged or preserved or dry. But on the other hand I have no idea what I ate. It sort of reminded me of the one time I had squid ages ago, like, raw squid. It was a little squishier and had an interesting texture, but it didn’t taste bad and I was happy to have something with some chew to it instead of nutrient-rich blocks of nothing. They seem to have procured some human foods as well as the native food they fed me, which I think they’re rationing out as ‘treats’. As I said earlier, tonight it was an energy drink. I think I’ve worn myself out at this point, but I hadn’t had caffeine in a long time before today, especially not in that amount or concentration, so I apologize if my writing is somewhat illegible. After I finished dinner I returned to my little refuge here under the bed and wrote this entry. Which I am writing right now. But not anymore! Goodnight.
-Captain Crow.
(psst, hey, you. Yeah you. It’s me, the author. I want to celebrate you all supporting my story and hitting double-digits! So, send in asks to or about Captain Crow & I’ll have him answer for you! To the best of his ability and non-canon to the direct storyline currently. No spoilers. Thank you for your support and Crow looks forward to chatting with you all!)
Entry 11..?
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @dyn-mellt @ace-cat-nerd @thatquietkid108 @arataya @klltsun-25 @librowyrm @und3rta13tra5h @felicityroth @crystalalice99 @walk2574 @spindler-spider @automated-engineer @soren1830 @funfey @opened-rootbeercan @sataninsparkles @demon-cat-goes-woof @alwaysaslutforfic
Hello all!! I wanted to thank you for all the support I received on my last post! I do plan on doing more with this idea, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! While I'm working on the next couple of entries, here's my little sapient guy & the mini comic I doodled that loosely inspired this story :)
Masterpost
As I approach what I estimate is the 14 hour mark since the crash, I find myself longing for the comforting familiarity of my ship, the Dutchess. I know she’s in ruins now, but some part of me refuses to believe it. Sure, there were times when I wanted nothing more to get off that muggy ship and into some fresh air, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love her. The crash wasn’t any one persons fault. She was just old and her hull was worn. I was planning on fixing her up on our next stop.
Right now I’m missing the day/night cycle in her lighting system in particular. The suns are unwavering here, and I find it difficult to measure time or decide whether or not I should be sleeping. There’s also no place I have access to currently that’s dark enough and also comfortable enough for me to fall asleep. Stars, I miss those crummy cots. What I’d do to be back on that ship.
...
The sapients have left the dwelling. I’m not sure how long they’ll be gone or where they are. I’m going to take advantage of this quiet time to find a dark place to sleep. Perhaps under their bed. Will update after I rest. Too tired to hold the pen.
...
I’m unsure how long I’ve been asleep for. The sapients still aren’t back, but I feel somewhat more rested than previously. I suppose I’ll look for a way out of the dwelling and try to contact my crew. I wish I had a better way of measuring time. Right now I’m relying on hypothesis and a sky that never darkens.
...
I’ve thoroughly explored the dwelling and there aren’t any obvious escape routes. The sapients seem to have activated some sort of locking mechanism on the kitchen drawers, so I can’t climb up there that way anymore. I’m too exhausted to try anything new right now. Despite sleeping (for an unknown increment of time) and consuming a reasonable portion of rations, I can’t quite muster up the energy. I know I’m a human, and I’m supposed to be resilient and have this constant drive to escape and be free and rend and tear any obstacle, but I’m also just a man. I’m only 46, but I feel particularly weathered today. Maybe I got more hurt in the crash than I realized. Or maybe I’m just finally hitting that adrenaline crash now that I’m not in fear of imminent danger.
I shouldn’t waste paper on these ramblings. I’ll save it for when something of interest actually happens. Even though I doubt anyone will ever find or read these anyway, even if I do make it off this planet.
Capt. Crow.
Entry 6
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @sorcerersucker
Masterpost
Ah, wow, this notebook has been through it, huh?
This is Captain Crow. It has been… Well, as I established in past entries, it’s hard to track time here, but, it has been a significant amount of time since I last documented my findings here. Some things have changed since my last entry. I’m unsure how I’ll go about summarizing it. This notebook is nearly out of pages, and my old pen dried up a while ago. If I can recall correctly, it ran out of ink shortly after my last entry, while I was trying to illustrate a page for my hashed-together field guide of what I’ve learned of this planet. I lost this notebook shortly after, much to my dismay. You wouldn’t think such a thing would be possible, given how sparse the furniture is here, but I made the mistake of taking it with me when the Lumarians took me outside after my last entry, and as fate would have it, I ended up losing it out there. I was just trying to make documentation easier, but in the end I ended up preventing it all together. Ironic.
Now, this whole thing has been transcribed, I’m sure, to be read elsewhere, but if it’s being read in it’s original state, I’m sure you can see that these pages are well worn with dust, and being written on with something akin to charcoal. I found this notebook just today, blown up against the side of the fence of this yard, and I’m filling these last few pages with a writing utensil I’ve crafted myself with the resources available- It’s not that the Lumarians don’t provide ample enrichment, they just don’t seem to be able to provide specifically the things I actually want or need. I am lucky it doesn’t rain here, or this whole thing would likely be in a completely unreadable state.
Given how little space I have, I cannot write in detail the experiences I have had since my last documentation. However, it is safe to say that it has been more of the same of what is written here- Most of my days are spent inside the ‘house’, or roaming the yard (they let me out freely now- the fence is not scalable nor can I go under or through it; I did try), learning what I can about this planet. Without the ability to document, I’ve been committing what I can to memory and continuing to attempt to communicate my desire for writing supplies to the Lumarians. Unsuccessfully.
I suppose it could be considered a good thing that things have been uneventful. It gives me more time to put together a more thought out plan of escape. Hopefully I will be able to find a new form of documentation, either after I make my way out of this place or by somehow making something from what I have. The Lumarians are trying to provide me with enrichment, but their idea of that is a stuffed animal of a dog and a ball of yarn. Also, a screwdriver, for some reason? I’m not sure where they get their ideas of what humans like from.
Running out of paper,
Captain Crow. 𓅪
{Authors Note Below}
Hhahaaha heeyyyy guyss..... I have no excuses. But I come bearing an entry! And a lore excuse for the gap in them!
I apologize immensely for the super long wait. However, I do live by the principle that late is better than never! I figured, rather than letting this thing fall to the void out of embarrassment at my absence, you guys would probably prefer something, even if it's been ?? Two years since the last real content?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! I have some things planned for the next entries and I do have a projected plotline for this whole thing, I just need to get it written. I appreciate the patience of everyone who's stuck around this long and showed so much enthusiasm under my last post, even though it didn't contain any real content for the series.
See you in the next one!
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @sorcerersucker @ace-cat-nerd @thatquietkid108 @arataya @klltsun-25 @librowyrm @und3rta13tra5h @felicityroth @crystalalice @walk2574 @spindler-spider @automated-engineer @soren1830 @funfey @opened-rootbeercan @sataninsparkles @demon-cat-goes-woof @alwaysaslutforfic @tyltos @wolfdragonzjedimaster @questionmarksys @armourawk @nerdneeniya @princessaurax @leavemealone-s2 @d-cs @the-one-and-only-vic-lociraptor @lavendermenacetime @somesortapunk @villain-obsessed-word-nerd @cherallasakura @catvulture @hornethacker @girl-of-the-sea-and-stars @lesser-lights27 @catslookingforthemanager @mybigfatspoonielife
Masterpost
I decided after my last entry that it would be in my best interest to document anything and everything I can get my hands on to aid in making a plan. After I finished writing, I got up and wrote all the following notes; I am writing this introduction after for ease of reading. This entry will be mostly informational and provide insight into the living conditions of the sapients on this planet.
...
I could not get exact measurements of anything, so all measurements will be by my best estimation.
The dwelling is composed mostly of a smooth black stone. The walls and flooring are all this material, whereas the ceiling is made of sand composite. The ‘kitchen’ area carries over the main themes of the rest of the dwelling, but the bases of the counters seem to be metal. The drawers are capable of being pulled out to make a staircase and roll easily out- when not locked. It could be possible to climb up via the edges of the drawers, but it would be more difficult. The counters are too far apart to do a jump off of one onto the other. There are windows at eye level when standing on the counter, perhaps these could be broken or opened to climb out of; it would be a long drop on the other side though.
In the main entryway, there is a piece of furniture that resembles a couch. It’s in the center of the room and too heavy & large for me to drag anywhere. Besides that, the front area is barren. The sapients have removed the carrier they brought me here in, so it’s a non-factor.
The second room of the house, the ‘bedroom’, is slightly more furnished. There’s a storage unit across from the doorway (which has no actual door, I’m unsure why) and 3 smaller pieces of furniture. Two I would equate to being chairs or stools, and one that might be decorative as I see no obvious purpose for it (it’s shaped kind of like a lamp but there’s no lighting system). Above the storage unit there is one small, narrow window. Aside from that, there is a large rectangular piece of furniture that resembles a bed. There aren’t any blankets or pillows, just a sort of soft looking square of white material. There is a door out beside the bed, but the handle is too high up for me to reach and appears to work differently than a traditional human made one. Underneath the bed I have stored my ‘mattress’, as well as my journal. My remaining supplies are hidden under the storage unit.
To take stock:
Swiss army knife
One (1) plain granola bar
One (1) canteen with drinking water (1 quart)
Radio
4 AA Batteries (rechargeable)
Translator
Utility belt (Just empty pockets)
This journal
A pen (half of ink remains)
My current plan is pretty loose, but hopefully efficient. If it fails, I’ll have to factor in whatever variables I missed.
I’ll pack up my supplies onto my utility belt (that is what it’s made for, after all) and wait underneath the bed for a viable opportunity. When the sapients open the side door, I should be able to dodge out around their legs and get outside. Once out, I should be able to slip though the fence. The gaps are large enough for me to fit through if I saw correctly through the window. From there, I should be able to bolt. It’s mostly flat, plain terrain out there, but there are other sapient dwellings and various structures it may be possible to hide near. If I made it this far, the next goal would be to get to the wreck of the Dutchess. She’s in ruins, but I may be able to salvage something useful, even if it is just scrap metal. From here, I’d radio my team and let them know I got out. After gathering approximate locations, I’d be able to formulate an exact plan on how to get them all out. The next step would rely very heavily on Lily being able to make a way to communicate out of atmosphere, but we should be able to get something from the ruins of the Dutchess to send out an SOS. Then, hope and pray to whatever gods there might be.
Plan B is to wait it out and continue documenting what I can from the sapients. Perhaps more information will allow for a better plan to be made. This is probably the safer option.
I’m undecided what route I will take as of now. I want out now, but patience is an important skill to master and may reveal an easier way out.
Captain Crow, plotting. [There’s a crude doodle of a bird with a pencil next to his signature]
Entry 8
(you can comment or message me to be added or removed! Thank you all so much for your support!)
@fishtale88 @anactualvelociraptor @ace-cat-nerd @thatquietkid108 @dyn-mellt @arataya @klltsun-25 @librowyrm
Hello my beautiful people! I am looking for your input!
So, I have a feeling this little 'humans are space pets' thing I'm doing is going to become... Not so little. So I'm trying to think of a way to make reading it more user friendly! I know I personally wouldn't really want to scroll all the way back to the beginning. I also know my page can and will become cluttered over time...
So please let me know of any & all ways you think would help allow someone to read them in order :)
The current things I'm considering are:
- posting links to the next, previous, & first post in the comments
- making a separate blog and somehow keeping them in order? This would avoid the clutter of my main but I'm not sure about order
- utilizing a different website or something (Toyhouse, AO3, etc... But I'm not sure where would be most convenient for y'all so I need your help with that)
If you think of something else let me know!
artist, writer, confused. I'm just kinda hanging out go look at my art blog, SabianandOCs !! I actually post over there...
24 posts