Fanfic, Poetry, and Art

@nachtwaechterin. You can call me Bee, I guess. All Pronouns.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

’Round and ’Round We Go (It’s Our Final Chance) (12,911 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Eva Stratt, Carl & Ryland Grace, Ryland Grace & Olesya Ilyukhina & Yáo Li-Jie, Martin DuBois & Ryland Grace & Annie Shapiro, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ryland Grace & Marissa Characters: Ryland Grace, Eva Stratt, Carl (Project Hail Mary 2026), Olesya Ilyukhina, Yáo Li-Jie (Project Hail Mary), Martin DuBois (Project Hail Mary), Annie Shapiro (Project Hail Mary), Other Character Tags to Be Added, Marissa (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, The Petrova Taskforce (Project Hail Mary), POV First Person, POV Ryland Grace, mainly, Ryland Grace puts the aroace in aerospace, Agender Ryland Grace, He/Him Pronouns for Ryland Grace, Autistic Ryland Grace, Ryland Grace Needs a Hug, Touch-Starved Ryland Grace, Ryland Grace Has PTSD, Eva Stratt Redemption, Eva Stratt is a good friend, shes also kinda weird ngl but theres a reason for it, Rocky will appear eventually but only in like. part 2, part 1 will cover the time until the launch, Uses Book & Movie Canon, Ryland Grace & Eva Stratt Friendship, Ryland Grace is Eva Stratt's Second in Command, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Eventual Adrian/Ryland Grace/Rocky, Past Adrian/Ryland Grace/Rocky, they were mates they will be mates again

Chapter ℓ+: Und irgendwann kreuzt sich der Weg (Wenn wir uns wiederseh’n)

“Wow, that was not suspicious at all,” she giggles as she doubles over in the doorway, and I elbow her. I’m leaning against the door, gasping for air, but my lungs and legs burn far from as much as they would on Erid. This is about half as much gravity as I’m used to, I feel like I could run a marathon. Okay, maybe not quite that far, but maybe a half-marathon. With a little bit of training. “Excuse me?” I ask. “Grace the least suspicion person to ever person.” The Eridian grammar only makes her laugh harder. “The most Eridian person, you mean.” I laugh silently and curse myself for it. Yeah, no, I don’t think even a half-marathon is in the cards, at least right now. Even the daily one-and-a-half hours of biking to and from school left my lungs too weak. Well, at least there’s no more chemical burns in their depths, so I could build up my stamina if I tried. Still, my lack of ammonia scarring doesn’t do anything for the stitches in my sides right now. “♬♩♫♩,” I whistle. “Grace most human human to ever human. Grace not Eridian at all. Marissa not know what Marissa say.” OR: Grace goes to his school to get a last good look, then he and Marissa meet Stratt.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (33,544 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 11/26 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Eridian Lore & Worldbuilding (Project Hail Mary), Unreliable Narrator, Sorry Not Sorry, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Hallucinations

Chapter 11: I’m Up to My Neck in the Noises (Made Up of All the Words You Said)

“Was—I’ve been childish? Then what do you call whatever you’ve been doing, huh?” Grace laughs, but there’s no joy in it. “At least I wasn’t pretending you don’t exist.” Eva scoffs and crosses zir upper limbs in front of zir body. “I wasn’t pretending you don’t exist, I merely have nothing to say to you. We’re not friends and I’m tired of pretending otherwise. I’m your boss and you have no right to meddle in my private life, crew or not. I like being alone, deal with it.” “Do you think I’m an idiot or are you really that stupid?” “Both you, stop act like pebbles!” Rocky explodes and that finally gets aer a blissful moment of quiet, but then the squabbling starts up again. OR: Eva and Grace are having an argument, and then Grace says something he can't take back.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (30,204 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 10/26 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Chapter 10: Abandon All Your Stupid Dreams (About the Girl I Could Have Been, My Dear)

“I not know!” Aer voice is low with frustration. “I know only two humans for only few days, I not know what healthy human like. I see difference, I worry worry worry, I not know enough if can fix, I not know if possible fix.” Ae lowers aer carapace further and further until it thunks against xenonite. “My crew get sick, I try try try but can’t fix. I learn new crew die so I fix. I learn is not enough, I try fix. I know how fix even if I maybe can’t fix. But Eva … I not know how humans work. I not know what healthy. I not even know if broken, how can I fix?” OR: Rocky is upset ae can't help Eva, and Grace tries to talk to her again.

[nachtwaechterin]

Hi, I was reading "’Round and ’Round We Go (It’s Our Final Chance)", and I was wondering if there was a specific reason for Grace's third person speech patterns? Because in the last chapter of the book where his fluent in Eridian, both he and Rocky refer to themselves as "I", and I was curious if there's Somethinf Coming Up to watch out for. :) /sincere

hi hi! i chose to make eridian grammar in that fic closer to how rocky speaks in the movie, and with how much time grace has spent around eridians, he just slips into a more eridian sentence structure. like how i sometimes slip into german grammar when i speak english or vice versa, just dialed up to 11 because for decades, the only english input he has was from movies. there isnt really a lore reason behind it, i just wanted grace to seem weird and other and alien to everyone around him because he truly is alien at this point, and that was just one way to achieve that.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

Design for my Astronaut!Stratt fic! Look at her shes making me sick /pos

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (27,232 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 9/25 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Chapter 9: And I Promise You I’ll Write “I Love You” (With My Fingers on Your Sleeping Hand)

“Grace?” Rocky taps the xenonite to get a better sense of what’s going on. Grace doesn’t answer—the only thing he does is toss his head to the side. His chest is moving quickly, I can faintly hear his breaths in the quiet of the room. “I think he’s having a bad dream,” I say. “N—nooo!” he wails, and I flinch. “’m not goin’—I’on wanna die—” My blood runs cold. I know exactly what he’s dreaming of. OR: Eva and Rocky talk about religion, Grace has a nightmare, and Eva tells Grace that they don't have enough food for both of them to survive the trip back to Earth.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (24,297 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 8/25 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Chapter 08: Don't Just Believe Every Word That I Say (Because I'm Not a Prophet and I'm Not a Saint)

“You’re losing it,” Dr. Grace notes. “You’re losing it, and they know it. You can’t even do that right.” “I’m not losing it!” I whirl around to glare at him, but there’s no one there. Of course there’s no one there, he’s all in my head. And I just yelled at him, had an entire conversation with someone that doesn’t even fucking exist, right where Rocky can hear. Maybe Dr. Grace has a point. I put my elbows on the console and drop my head in my hands, and I stay there until I hear the hatch turn behind me. OR: Eva tries to convince Rocky that she's fine. It doesn't go so well.

[pirate-untitled]

Has someone made an AU where for some impossible reason Eva went on the Project Hail Mary with Grace?

Bc the idea of the nerdy science teacher, the rock alien, and the war criminal that willingly forced a man into space against his will and their possible dynamics make me sick /affectionate

[nachtwaechterin]

I'm writing one actually! It's Eva-centric whump with some psychosis, lots of guilt and suicidal ideation, and some very funky dynamics. ive fleshed eva and graces dynamic out most so far but ive already laid the foundation for eva and rockys dynamic and will elaborate on it in the next chapter i post, i absolutely adore it :3 they make me sick too ngl ive barely been able to think of anything else

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[nachtwaechterin]

What's your fav fic that youve written? What do you like about it? Same question for ur art

hi i completely forgot to answer this rippppp

fave fic ive written most of the time is just what ive written last but atm im really obsessed with my astronaut!stratt au. it's essentially a phm fic in which stratt goes to space along with grace, taking yáo's place because she can't cope with killing grace. it explores her psychotic break (namely delusions and auditory hallucinations) and her suicidality and i love love love her dynamics with grace and especially rocky and how her mental health just gets worse and worse and worse, but she pretends she's fine because she has to, she's the commander of the mission, but she can't fucking keep it together--"I'm not losing it," she screams at her hallucination because she is, in fact, losing it. fun moment from the chapter im currently writing. anyway these characters and especially eva live rent-free in my mind and im physically incapable of thinking of anything else and writing any other fic in earnest send help

and my favorite art ive done? not sure i can pick just one so have my top 3 in no particular order:

[nachtwaechterin]

how did you make fake discord screenshots in Ao3? like the ones in Astronomy in Reverse?

oooooh those arent screenshots. those are code! html and css to be more specific. let's take a look at the first segment i've made in chapter 5!

and now here's what that looks like in code:

essentially, i write everything in ellipsus, select copy as html, throw it into ao3, switch to rich text then back to html so not everything is in the same line, then i move to visual code studio and throw it into html. this workskin is cobbled together from my twitter workskin (which in and off itself is cobbled together from other people's twitter workskins) and other people's discord workskins i found on ao3 using my blood sweat and tears. yes im aware im absolutely insane, yes i curse myself everytime i have to format a chapter, yes its absolutely worth it for me to see the finished result. and when i actually do add a screenshot of discord, i just throw the code for the messages in question in a chapter on ao3, preview that and do the screenshot. but yea the messaging platforms/social media ive done this for so far are discord, signal and twitter :3

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (21,483 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 7/25 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Chapter 7: This Beating Heart That's In My Hands (Nowhere to Go)

“Beetles, question?” Rocky’s voice is an octave lower under the text-to-speech. I’m so used to their constant presence in the background, I forgot they were there, especially because they usually never shut up. Dr. Grace’s hands still for a moment and my blood runs cold, but I force the faux light-hearted expression to remain on my face. “For redundancy,” I lie. “In case something goes wrong on our journey home we can still send back our results and save Earth. We don’t have time to send another mission if this one fails for some reason.” I can’t look at Rocky as I tell them that, and I’m not sure if they’re able to pick up on that. “You lie me,” Rocky whispers then, the TTS somehow relaying a tone as grave as their carapace does with the way it almost presses into the floor. Somehow it’s worse than if they’d yelled. “I remember now. In first crew meeting, Grace ask if die and Eva confirm. You plan die entire time. Why, question?” OR: Rocky finds out that Eva and Grace were keeping it a secret that they couldn't come home.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (18,817 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 6/25 Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types, Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (2026) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Depression, Psychosis, Delusions, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, + some rocky and grace povs but mainly her, Eva Stratt Whump, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her, East German Eva Stratt, Catholic Eva Stratt, Crisis of Faith, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, they both havent realized it yet tho, Amnesiac Ryland Grace, Neopronouns for Eridians, (once they actually talk about Eridian pronouns), Canonical Character Death, (ilyukhina dubois and shapiro), Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Chapter 6: Du gingst vor mir in das Dunkel (Wart’ auf mich, ich folge nach)

I knew the kind of man he was, that mix of stubborn and self-centered and insecure, but I had faith in him. Officially, he was my second-in-command, but at this point it would be more accurate to say that we co-led the project. We both poured every ounce of ourselves into it, and he wouldn’t throw that away. He would make the right choice, I was sure of it. If not for humanity, then for his kids. But it turned out he’s not the man I thought he was. Four and a half hours later, I stood at my desk, watching through blurry eyes as Carl walked him to the on-site prison cells like a lamb to the slaughter. Mein Opferlamm, I mused dryly. OR: Eva contemplates the events that lead to her volunteering and she calls a crew meeting to discuss what to do when they arrive at Adrian.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (15,701 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 5/? Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, putting stratt thru the torment nexus in this one, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, Canonical Character Death, its ilyukhina rip, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), mostly book but some movie too, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt Has a Bad Time, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her lmao, Ryland Grace has amnesia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Rocky (Project Hail Mary), Crisis of Faith, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Catholic Eva Stratt, I Love Eva Stratt, theres gonna be some other povs too but main pov is eva, Neopronouns for Eridians, at first from rocky's pov and later from all povs, Eridian Lore & Worldbuilding (Project Hail Mary), East German Eva Stratt

Chapter 5: Fault Lines Tremble Underneath My Glass House (A Sadness Runs Through Her)

She barely looks at him anymore. Grace didn’t even notice it at first. He was too busy trying to figure out who he is and what he’s doing here and why Mary didn’t let him wake Eva, that seems like a huge oversight, and then he met Rocky and first contact had taken over all of his mind. Even after Eva woke up and they discussed what to do, he has barely noticed how different she is. The fragility she displayed on her first day out of the coma he attributed to her adjusting to the fact that she’s on a suicide mission in a different stellar system and grieving Olesya. But it’s not just that, and it’s all the easier to see now, after she all but yelled at him because he doesn’t remember her. She’s mad at him, of course she is. They were friends and Grace forgot her and she hates him for it. OR: Grace thinks Eva is mad at him because he doesn’t remember her, meanwhile Rocky starts to realize that there’s more to her than she shows.

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

drew a scene from eva's dream from my astronaut!stratt fic

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I Woke Up This Morning Dead (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides) (12688 words) by nachtwaechterin Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky & Eva Stratt Characters: Eva Stratt, Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Astronaut Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt is on the Hail Mary, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, putting stratt thru the torment nexus in this one, POV First Person, POV Eva Stratt, Canonical Character Death, its ilyukhina rip, Canon - Project Hail Mary (Book & Movie Combination), mostly book but some movie too, Aromantic Asexual Ryland Grace, Aromantic Asexual Eva Stratt, Eva Stratt Has a Bad Time, Eva Stratt Needs a Hug, all of them do but especially her lmao, Ryland Grace has amnesia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Rocky (Project Hail Mary), Crisis of Faith, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Catholic Eva Stratt, I Love Eva Stratt, theres gonna be some other povs too but main pov is eva, Neopronouns for Eridians, at first from rocky's pov and later from all povs, Eridian Lore & Worldbuilding (Project Hail Mary)

The hours creep past as I’m trying not to think too hard about the past or the future, as I watch Dr. Grace’s experiment and pretend to listen to his rambles. It’s about four hours after Rocky fell asleep that he takes a break and asks me, “Are you okay?” I blink at him in surprise and quickly shove down the emotions elicited by his questions. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “You just seem kinda … down. Quiet.” I raise my eyebrows. I’m usually quiet when I don’t have to bully people into doing what needs to be done to save the world. I’ve been quiet for a long time. OR: The next few days pass as Eva and Grace get to know their newest crewmember better.

[aboutoriginality]

[ominous-signs]

Official ominous sign

[nachtwaechterin-ao3]

wanted to post these doodles i did to figure out eva's haircut in my astronaut!stratt au. didnt use a reference so her face isnt v consistent but we can ignore that <3